Apparently Ghengis Khan once said "heaven and the earth are only separated by thought". It is likely he came to this conclusion whilst in Nepal... if he was even ever there... I guess I will never know for certain.
Anyway, Nepal truly has it all! This post will take you through our third and fourth day in Nepal, having spent 2 days in Kathmandu we were advised by the 'Mountain Tiger Spirit' who entered our dreams in unison to venture to Pokhara - in actual fact, we just read it up in the Lonely Planet guide book.
So we took one of the local buses from Kathmandu to Pokhara for a couple of dollars and took some herbal sleeping pills to suffocate any anxiety that arises from bus journeys that take you along the edges of cliff faces where many a bus has fallen to their doom! If this was going to happen (about 0.05%), I was going to go down whilst feeling relatively chilled and satisfied.
Here are some photographs on the road.
I like the openness and transparency of these small tea houses that were spread throughout vast lengths of our journey.
At a bus stop-off point, some Nepalese boys brush up on their knowledge before school (see what I did there).
After surviving the 7-hour bus journey we landed in Pokhara, immediately taking in a sample of the cool filtered mountainous air from the surrounding mountain ranges. It's sure to give your lungs a good cleanse!
We called a taxi to take us down to Phewa Lake.
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Compared to Kathmandu, Pokhara has wide roads that make you feel less colostraphobic and generally the feel is more easy going and less erratic, which is evident in the facial expressions and body language of the locals. Time flows at their own pace.
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We got dropped off here and walked the rest of the way to the lake.
This lady with all manners of beautiful expressions was selling simple jewellery by the lakeside.
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The city of Pokhara in Nepal is situated around Phewa lake where you can take one of the local 'doongas' (boats) for a small fee.
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A boat can take you across Phewa lake to the bottom of Ananda hill, where at the top sits the Shanti Stupa - the Buddhist pagoda style monument that gives a breathtaking view of the Annapurna mountain range, Pokhara city, and Phewa Lake - photos will be coming.
It does help if you have a friend with endurance! But yes indeed, it is too tempting to float around in the boat and just take in the vastness of scenery. It's difficult to visualize and absorb the breadth and depth of shades and sounds that surround you. The area stuns you into a sense of calm and presence.
We actually went back to find our hotel at this point due to exhaustion to try again the next day.
So on the following morning, we again made it across Ananda lake, eventually, and decided to have a light lunch at the bottom before making the ascent. It usually takes around 2-3 hours to get to the top. Well, I'm sure many have done it quicker... we generally move over this earth at s sluggish speed.
After taking a look at the Shanti Stupar at the peak of Ananda hill we mustered some strength and began the ascent.
The photos below shows the how the roots of the tree have formed part of the path.
After a few ours of oxygen deprivation and nausea, we had reached the Shanti Stupar a world peace pagoda. This is when we realized we had reached the top!
Any mental or physical strain was completely alleviated upon this view!
We strolled over with a sense of liberation.
A few hours were spent just gazing across the horizon wondering if we would ever see another sight like this. it was said that Buddha found enlightenment here, in this timeless space of awareness.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed! Much love to the Steemit community.
Namaste