“A pain stabbed my heart, as
it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite
direction in this too-big world.”
-Jack Kerouac, On the Road
I understand. It is
pretty far, about seven hours by a bus even thought the driver is NOT
handling the road with kid gloves you know dude. He was dashing with
the bus like I felt we´re flying half of meter above the ground.
Countryside´s flying behind windows so you can´t see as much as
woul like. On the other hand I noticed such a small differences
between that two lands.The country is more green here and, the very
important fact, rubbish isn´t on each your step, after each trace of
human being. We passed many small villages, towns aaand, finally,
Billy met a guy. I know sounds weird, but I mean he met a guy to talk
with. I was just listening, didn´t joint them, actually they´re
talking about kidnaps in Nepal nowadays so if you don´t pay
attention THEY´ll ambush you, cut your head off and cramm it with
lots of bananas. Bunks dude. I think that this could happened ten and
ten years ago´cos I was feeling relatively secure, some places more
secure then in my town from time to time, but you know, one sage
man´s proclaimed “something´s going bad if you´re feeling too
much secure.” The way had been lenghty, we had claimed up to the
hills, down from the hills, up to the hills and suddenly Pokhara had
emerged with its windy streets. We reached a bus stop, got off the
bus walking to back for our backpacks while the sky had sent a big
cold damp drops of water to us meantime a horde of taxi-drivers
tempted to fool us. “ Hey maan, easy! with my bag, have lots of
expensive stuff there!”bellowed a man from the bus standing beside
me. We overcame all the offers for a taxi, got our backpacks and the
rain stopped as fast as it started. First restaurant was our, you
know, I was hungry, really hungry after so long ride and Billy is
Billy. Food here is different, I mean you can get like chinese
noodles with vegetables, or rice, eggs et cetera, or MOMO. What the
hell is MOMO, renowned over the whole Nepal, can get meat momo or
veg.(it means vegetarian, but first time I didn´t recognize it)
momo. Dough is made from wheat, then you roll a pieco of it to thin
layer sized over a palm and fill with pre-prepared salad or mix of
cabagge (could be sauerkraut I guess), onions and carrot, of course I
forgot CHILLI. Cooked in steam served with love.
There at corner - sit, rucksack down
don´t chat momo is coming 
A girl, better to
sayy woman served veg. chowmein to me, that wasn´t the time I tasted
momo.We didn´t exactly know where we were but you know, nowadays in
such technical world we can´t loose anywhere, can we? I´d read the
best hotels are scattered around lake area, that part was about half
an hour far from us.We decided to walk on foot, got handy directions
from that woman and walked of this small restaurant at a corner even
when evening became murkier and murkier out there. We reached lake
side, that´s the name how local call this part of “town”, I
didn´t notice such a big traffic here, it´s not so overcrowded like
cities in India. Maybe because of the day time? Style of the town had
changed, I don´t wanna say there is many unpaved roads dude, but in
fact it is comon here. Dusty roads occupied with cows, dogs even
monkeys, many crop fields besides, banana tree there, it is symbiosis
between human being and nature. Lake side, on the other hand, is
clearly touristic. Lots of nice shops around a main road there you
might buy anything. Instant happiness sold out, get off maan. “
Hotel, chiip hotel!, Come with me guys” a man was standind at a
wall of some hotel that had looked luxury. The man had a bike, sun
glasses on his face and foxy grin rose up since he noticed we had an
interest. I do not know how, but the touts they recognize you´re
interested by a stuff they offer, maybe just eye contact is enough,
or your body attitude or whatever?He came closer, he´d been smaller
and thinner than me. Billy stood beside me, stared hostile at him and
clearly was bellowing “What do you want?” “Ouu hi Sir, I have
guud hotel for you, chiip hotel for you,any price want you!” “We
don´t want your bloody hotel” he shook head and I quickly
responded “Hey man, don´t you be fool, it´s almost night. Don´t
wanna spend night outside even we have the tent...Hohoooi mistr, what
a price you´re offering us, hmm? Five hundred per night for two,
allright? He nooded with comon “HAHA, come with mí, Sir” took
the bike rested at the wall and led us by the main road for a while
then we were turned to the right dissappearing in windy narrow alley.
Five minutes later the hotel had emmerged, hotel called “bloody
Marry” or something like that. I gave tip to our guider you know,
he appearenced happy, again that foxy face “ something else Sir? I
ken kome by any ganza.Guud ganza here, guud caras, just tell mí. My
friend have. He coming houme. Five hundred per gramm, no? Okay, four
hundred...” we said good bye to him without any special desire,
checked in to the bloody Marry and, abruptly, rainstorm came. A
reception guy led us to a room, small room, one bed and
television.That´s all we needed. “Ceiling fan, greeat dude!”noded
Billy,even when outside is water disaster there´s still even hot.
Fan is handy thing over here.
We got up early, cooked morning chai and light breakfast got out to the streets. Pokhara was waiting, settled between the highest mountain on the
world. Tremendeous look out on Himalaya range had emerged in front of
us after we passed lake side walking toward the lake called Phéva
Tál, such the peaks like Annapurna. The top of it bites deeply into
the horizon by its like teeth of vampire shaped icy surface.
Surroundings of the lake is beautifull, like green park with lots of
trees flowered out that time. Little windy path runs toward lake
through it, sun´s shinning and nicely warms, a group of five six
people is standing at the lake bank, talking to each other and
looking to two pale guys coming to them. A round of chai, litlle
speak with local and a guy offering a boat trip “no thanks, latter”
then ganja, caras, cocaine or MAGIC MUSHROOMS.
And I almost forgot they told that today´s a special day, HOLI day.
“Achchhey, Happy Holi” Our faces get coloured by red color, one
of the most important color of Holi festival that means celebration
of spring, in Indian mythology represents the victory of good over
evil and red is color of Shiva, one of the three most important
gods. Spring here, in India and Nepal, is not like in Europe, just
short period and whoosh into summer, but start of new growing seasson
´cos they harvest twice per year. Many people go out to the streets,
having fun, colouring eachother´s faces by hands, throwing, using
coloured water, singing, dancing. We let the path leads us to lake,
met a japanese guy, he didn´t even talk precisely good english but
but Billy had talked with him within I took a photographies of the
mountains. “Happy Holi”was heard bellow me. I turned head around
noticed a boy, such a boy his face covered in colours a palm full of
red colour. Suddenly he thrown that up to me, hit directly my face
screaming fiendishly “happy HOLIIIIIIIII”. I took the picture of
him after all he´d been sweet boy. Then he´s running out to meet
another victims. I joined that two guys talking over there and
recognized the man from Japan is traveling for bussiness. I´m not
pretty shure what kind of it he does, perhaps buy-sell? While we´re
talking I was looking around and noticed a guy. Older man, maybe
musician his bag full of instruments like Nepali sarangi, kind of
guitar, flutes, cymbals “yu want somefing, Sir?, All this
instrtument ar hendmade. I make them. Look at this beautiful
flute...” Billy lost interest in talking, turned to him asking
“what is the instrument in your hand, looks like guitar, or small
violin. So beautiful shape, isn´t it?”taking that from man´s
palms showing it toward me. “ Ehm Sir, this is Sarangi, traditional
Nepali string instrument. I ken show yu more, I have Jew´s harp as
well, drumms...” Billy was staring seriously on it was really nice
piece I guessed, dark brown tones of wood played background for hand
carved ornaments and, I bet, mythological persons. The bloke saw his
focus now tempted to sell. Three tousand, first offer. Laughing, you
know, it´d although been perhaps hand work on the other hand not
rigorous. “Nice work” we told him, that´s NOT enough, next stuff
appeared from the bag, “i have also sidi musik.” The Japanese man
stood rather back shaking his head, Billy was telling the seller “
NO man, we DON´T want anything” no response, the bloke´d been
prating only his note again and again. Ultimately Billy had stroke a
bargain they´ll meet next day, right here. He did not by the way.
That good conversation was mislaid therefore we went away continuing
around the lake, of course annoying bloke at ours heels. I guessed he
didn´t understand that deal, several words addressed towards him
like “get off man, I daresay, see you tomorrow”quickly moving
from him so at the end he recognized didn´t have a chance. Bloody
hell I laid off.
We´re walking around the town I wanted to see more Holi people that we took an old part town´s direction, I didn´t know where to go, what to do or whatever but strolling about imbibing atmosphere.Sit down here, get a chai, walk there you know, relax. Streets here are exactly same as you can see on a different pictures, I mean that electricity cables hang outside in balls, imagine it twenties cables running from wherever met in a point looked like a big bonbon missing red braid only. I seriously didn´t understand for a time. I got it latter you know. We passed a petty garden its temple and statuete of Lord Ganesha and bigger statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, whom had been perched on the top of a pillar. Central sanctuary had been passed between two another buildings, I guessed one of them´d been a dormitory or something like that, second one I did not DARE to bet. One thing took my attention the roofs had been made in china style, gargoyles as a dragon. Hanuman, the ape´s god usually made from a stone, coloured orange, sit inside looking on the world with his ape´s head and human body. It is said that he appears in Ramayana like helpmate of Rama. I found out a serpent inscribed into a stonewall behind that temple, headed a river flowing into the lake. I didn´t know what´s this I saw. It´d been a long wall, maybe up to ten meters, the serpent pulled on the top of it from one side to opposite as well as several places where a head of it rose up in cobra appearance. Under that I saw something like petals on certain places. Beautiful place, you know what, these people believe, truly DO that´s what we miss here. Television can´t replace something higher, can it? A man waved to me, member of the temple probably. Our eyes met for a while and I understood. We are all one, there´s no differences between you and me, all is a part of god, everyone has its place as well as specific way to stroll on. I felt extremely happy, my mind dived in colours, all colours what the world gives us.
The boys about ten years old were bobbed up and down the streets, crossed ours path their faces elongated into a devilish smile, one step toward them more I´d got it. Directly on face, back, I saw green colour everywhere just dust, you know, they rendered me blind for a while and used that moment to spattered me with kiddie- sized water guns. Nor inch stayed dry, Billy ended same. For luck we´d bought a coloured powder as well so that a small fight they just got it too. ACHCHHEY!“Carefully, catch him. Look at his face, he´s going to be yellow dude, heey my back, ohh you little. Come on, swift” red powder landed on his face, he was clapping and laughing, me to actually we all. We were rather running I did not want more this time. Billy became weird after this, I didn´t know he was borred, told me “i want to go back, what to do here?” Okay, a cop stood at a corner close to me I asked him, better to say I tried to ask, where is water we needed for cleaning. He was pussyfooting about at a crossroads starring at me confused face he dragged his heels before shown me indefinitely by hand over the road. I realized he didn´t understand me. Out, you know. We´re going back to the hostel, bye, have a nice day. Ha smiled at us embarrassedly within we walken away. Back down the street.
The
bloke at the hotel strictly told us “ Take off clothes, don´t
wanna having dirty bed sheets!” I took a shower a coloured streams
had trickled down on the floor created many artworks as Celtic
spirals directly on shower´s floor. In buddhist style, created only
for a while to warn life is cyclic and nothing´s abiding even we,
people, usually and like thing it is. Next day I´d discovered a
bike´s rental, five fifty per a day, litlle bargaining experience
helped to decline the price to more enjoyable measure simply four
hundred. It´d been crazy sat at a bike again after such long time,
especially here, in Nepal. I didn´t think I´ll do it here. We rode
off cross the whole, perhaps, town, down from a hill, up to the hill
with a wind in hair, aaaaai I felt that life was going around, not
going running around and I AM a part. Houses passed swiftly past,
“honk,hoooonk” trafic is chaotic but if you´d got a perk. I mean
a BIKE. There´s a temple or sanctuary we rode there and found it
lately. A big area opened in front of us, something like spherical
sanctuary had stood close to main gate, a concrete building shaped of
pentagram tending to a pike, the doors from massive wood decorated by
intaglios. We passed this building went toward an edge where´d been
exquisite lookout to a stone-mine. Narrow stream of a river had been
windy flowing fifty metres under us beside the mine, tiny people from
our perspective were working like ants in ant-hill. Look to right
side opened up a burial. On the bank of the river there were several
people gathered around a funeral pile. It was different feel I had
never ever seen buryed like that only western style under ground.
Tranquility came gently toward us nor dog barked the SUN were
obscured by grief. Last time we spent inside of the hotel, relaxing.
Next morning we stood up very early, like five o´clock or something
like that, I can´t remember, were walking to the bus stop again.
It´d been great my god, we reached the place soon and tremendeous
lookout to Himalaya emerged in front. It was like you can reach your
hand toward them and cut a little piece like a souvenir. We left
Pokhara and our breath stayed there.
