Kathmandu and Lakeside

 These are all shots from or of Godavari. They were making red clay bricks in this kiln. There were several we could see from the hotel and many more that we passed in the Kathmandu Valley. The bricks go in the bottom of the kiln (that red wide base around the chimney) and the fire is also in there. The view of the resort shows one of several buildings all fairly similar. The site was on quite a slope so there were steps up or down wherever we went.  You can see the room we had was not unlike a similar hotel in NZ.

 These are two pictures of the hill before Kathmandu. The first one shows the density of the traffic, so you can see why if there is a breakdown it is liable to hold traffic up. In the lower picture they grey are right at the bottom of the picture marks the end of the road with the steep drop immediately below. It was taken from the bus looking hard down. Not much room for error.

 Well, do you think the one on the left looks a little like a Christmas tree. You might be able to see the decorations near the top.

 Rice paddies now planted the cauli etc. See the standing rice on the ones in the foreground.

 Two river scenes from the bus. The lower one seems to be where two rivers join and head off to the left together.

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 We hope you can see the cargo atop the bus- 3 goats. We followed them for ages. We also saw school children on top of a bus and more school children crammed into a ute, including riding on the tail board that was open.

 These are pictures of Fewa Tal. The top one was taken on a previous trip but shows the Peace Pagoda across the lake. We came from a different direction but were dropped off near the orange building on the shore and walked up to the pagoda. (Nice to be the one with the camera for a change!)

 This is a view from part way up the track looking back towards Lakeside. We had come from the arm to the right of the picture. The island in the foreground has a hindu temple on it. When we took the children out we paddled the boat right around the temple and then back to shore to the left out of the picture.

 Onwards and upwards.

The view from the top looking to the south of Pokhara, pretty much on the outskirts of town.

Sarangkot and Garambesi

 These are two shots of our walk up Sarangkot. The paths here is quite mild compared to the first part which is in and out of the trees. As you can see though it is a fairly steep drop down to Lakeside.  We reach/leave flat land on the left hand end of the right hand group of trees near the shore.

 Looking to the top from about 2/3 way up. The red and white building at the top is where we spent the night with John and Jan some weeks ago. We can see it from our house too. The shot below is looking more directly towards Pokhara than Lakeside, and is another ridge on the mountain. When we walked down with Jan and John we walked somewhere among those rice paddies there.

 We did enjoy watching the gliders. As we walked up and down we frequently noticed their shadows passing over us. There were more in the sky that day, but that was all we could fit into the shot.

 The palagi and the Laughing Brothers.

 Chanman, firstly pointing out the route to his family land and then standing on the border of the land.

Note the rice stack near this house on the route.

Garambesi - the trip to the top.

 This was our first photo for the day. Time to take the headlamps off and have a breather. Probably about 6 a.m. We had been walking for more than an hour.

 This was the view back towards Pokhara, but it was quite hazy and misty even at that hour of the morning.

 A cup of tea! All organised and nearly ready by the time the slow bunch got to the house. This was the lady who was 59 and had 15 children.

 Onwards up the path. In general it was a good path, just one or two really steep bits that did not have steps cut into them. Locals were going up and down in jandals with loads of varying sizes on their backs.

 View from the top. Again looking back towards Pokhara. We could just make out the Fishtail in the distance, but I don't think it shows in the picture. The house in the foreground was where Ves arranged another cup of tea for us. The summit is achieved. We are standing where the photo of John Mc Clean was taken.

 The onward route up to the final peak.

 We met a group of ten or 15 women coming down all similarly laden or with a bundle of firewood tied to their backs. One girl broke her jandal and fell as we met them. They were laughing and enjoying themselves and once they passed us several of them ran with their loads.

 This part of the track could have been NZ with all the ferns growing.

 Pausing on the way up. I waited here while the others went on.

 The final ascent. Barbara counted the steps for us. This site was a kings stronghold in times pat.

 The view from the top was panoramic, but unfortunately not clear with the haze. However it was the highest point for some distance and possible to see all the surrounding country for the full 360.

 These two picture were taken while we were waiting for our lunch to be served. We watched the red bus climb up the hill at quite an alarming angle. It had people on the top too. The 'hotel' was being extended and built from the shack where we had lunch. Chanman took his hand at the saw.

 This is a view near the top of the hill as we made our way back up to the summit before descending to Garambesi.

 Inside the home of the pastor.

 "Show me your magic teeth!" Shrison's boy who came with us on the trip.

Garambesi Village

 This is the view from the ridge where the toilets are. On our village walk we spent more than three hours walking around the area below visiting houses. On the ridge line high above you can see where our walk was the next day. The little hump above the 'v' in village was the ultimate destination, but our first stop was straight above the 'm' in from, so you can see that even once we had attained the ridge there was a fair hike ahead for us.

 We saw a couple of houses, or rather extensions and/or rebuilds being done. They used sloppy mud to hold the stones together. There was definitely community help in these jobs. While we were at one of the last houses a man who had been helping at an earlier house came home with his mud covered hands.

 On our way down through the village. Note the rocks to keep the iron down.

 Although you can't see it in the picture, we were standing at an underground tank which collects water for a number of houses.

 These pictures show the rice harvest. Like hay it is cut and left to dry. Then the women bundle it up into these huge bundles and the men carry it to the stack. We saw them running with their loads across the sharp rice stubble in their jandals. The stacks are built with absolute precision so are extremely neat and tidy. Each stack is finished with a little decorative top knot. By the time we returned about an hour later, this stack had been completed. (Top picture from another location.)

 This was one of the homes we visited. As you can see they have one of the water filters and have felt the health benefits of having it. This family also run a biogas unit from the waste from their two buffalo. It has meant that instead of having a separate smoky kitchen outside (we could see the heavily charred parts of it) they can have a safe kitchen inside the house. You will also notice the corn cobs hung along the verandah and the corn husks carefully made into a stack, both presumably as vermin proof as possible.

 All the villagers seem to complete as much work as possible outside. This woman grinds millet on the stone for an hour and a half each day to get sufficient for her family. You may have noticed the grinding stone in a similar position at the previous house.

 The river which marked the  most distant point of our walk. These young lads are fishing and having a great time. We would have thought that the water would be pretty cold.

The home of one of the buffalo. We think that the roof of his shelter is made of the corn husks and also think that the mats we were given to sit on at each house were made from the same material.