Pokhara, Nepal

SECOND BREAKFAST
Made famous by the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings, second breakfast became a way of life for us on the Annapurna Trek. On many occasions we started the day with porridge which got us through the first few hours but by mid-morning we were usually looking for something more - a second breakfast. Second breakfast was usually taken at a more leisurely pace than first breakfast mainly because we were a little weary from the early morning walk. The food choices were a little thin but it was usually the time to try some soup or fried macaroni - anything to provide the energy for the next few hours.

PORTERS
The porters who carry supplies up and down the Annapurna circuit work tirelessly. Many of them carry enormous loads in their large woven baskets that they call Doko. The shoulder straps are usually made from twine and dig into the shoulders but the majority of the weight is taken on the head. Leather or cloth strips are placed on top of the head and another length of twine called a Tumpline is used to support the load on the back. Strong neck muscles are needed to do this for any length of time. Two to three minutes was my limit. These guys do it for hours a day, day after day.

PRAYER WHEELS
During the trek Travis got addicted to prayer wheels. Higher in the Annapurna circuit the villages show more Tibetan influence, not least by the scores of prayer wheels at the entrance points and the many Tibetan Monasteries (Gompas). Passing each cluster of prayer wheels Travis made sure to turn each one ensuring that the mantra inscribed on each one was 'said' as the wheel spins. I enjoyed spinning the wheels as well but a few of the rows contained close to a hundred wheels and I didn't always bother to do them all. Trav took it very seriously ensuring he recited his own mantra as well - Happiness, Good Fortune, Love and Peace. He must of missed one because war broke out in Iraq while we were away.

DAL BHAT
Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal and consists of rice, lentil soup and curried vegetables, usually potatoes. Occasionally you can get a non-vegetarian Dal Bhat with some chewy Yak meat but the vegetarian option is the most popular. The best thing about ordering Dal for dinner is that it just keeps on coming until you say stop - more rice, more soup, more vegetables. Another good option are the Buff Momos. Momos are parcels meat or vegetable wrapped in dough and steamed, similar to Chinese dim sum or American pot stickers. Buff is short for water buffalo, the obvious alternative for beef since the cow is sacred and cannot (in theory) be eaten.

LITTLE ISRAEL
I didn't pay much attention to it at the time but I noticed that there were a lot of Koreans in Calcutta, especially around Sudder Street where I was staying. One night at the guesthouse I shared half a bottle of Bagpiper Whiskey with a young Korean man celebrating his 20th birthday. It was possibly the worst whiskey I have ever tasted but it didn't help that he used Pepsi Blue as the mixer. I should have taken it straight.

There were many Koreans in Calcutta but it's nothing compared to the masses of Israelis in Pokhara. They are everywhere, complaining about this and that with their big hair and angry faces. Many of the shops have signs in Hebrew to cater just to them, but many other shops and guesthouses prefer not to deal with them. One shopkeeper explained to me that he deliberately charges outrageous prices for Israelis in the hope that they will stay away. "My life is very simple." He said, "I don't need Israeli people making it difficult for me." When I asked him why he told me that many of them are abusive and argumentative to the point where he refuses to do business with them.

THE LAUGHING BUDDHA
D'Arcy had been in Pokhara last October and, knowing that I was there, he sent me an e-mail telling me to go and see Tej and Isore, the owners of the laughing Buddha Restaurant at the north end of town. I went along and said that I was a friend of someone they might remember and described John in the usual way but without using his name - tall man, red hair, he's from Wales, very funny. They didn't recognise who I was describing so I produced my digital camera and showed them a photo of John and I together in Burma last month. They both looked for a while at the photo and then at each other, "John?" they said in unison pointing at the camera, and then collapsed into the nearest chair in laughter. "Oh, we remember John", said Isore. Over the next few days I ate every meal at the Laughing Buddha. One day I spent four hours there for breakfast, reading the newspapers and talking with Tej and Ross, then took Tej's boat out on the lake for a few hours, returning in time to spend another three hours at dinner.

POKHARA
After a week in Pokhara enjoying the simple pleasures of life and recovering from the trek and the associated illnesses that came along with it, Ross and myself made a move towards Kathmandu. It was sad leaving Pokhara behind and bidding farewell to the people who had kept me company during my stay. There was the 'something' women next to the guesthouse, who tirelessly suggested I buy 'something' from their stalls every time I passed. Something, anything - they didn't care. "Business is slow, I need lucky money", they would say. There was Mann at the guesthouse who timidly suggested that I get my haircut at his friends' salon each time I came to the reception. The Tibetan women who paraded up and down the main street selling bracelets and necklaces - "Just look okay?" they would say. I would look but I rarely bought. Mostly I just wanted to talk to them to pass the time of day. There was Garrick the Dutch explorer with badly cracked feet who we met on the Annapurna circuit and Mike from Calgary who carried ten bottles of Apple Brandy from Marpha for six days because he was convinced you couldn't buy any in Pokhara. He was wrong but his wonderful eccentricity and naivety was a welcome relief. He would sometimes come up with the most absurd facts like "Did you know you can starve to death by eating just celery?" It's because the body uses more energy breaking it down than it receives in nutritional value. One night at dinner Ross and I were talking over the draw for the upcoming Rugby World Cup and looking at the teams in each group. For the first time Georgia has qualified for the finals and seeing this Mike said "How did Georgia get into the World Cup? It's not a country"
"Oh it is now. Georgia ceded from the Union when war broke out." I lied.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Georgia and Texas. But Georgia was the only one with a good rugby team."
"Boy. I've been in the mountains for too long."
"You sure have." I said with a wry smile.
At 6.30am Ross and I bundled our way out of the guesthouse and into a taxi headed for the tourist bus park. Before we left I looked over at the stall next to the guesthouse. "Something?" said a bright voice. "No, nothing, thank you. See you next time." And with that we were gone.