Nepal is not how I imagined at all. I imagined snow capped
mountains, cold weather and chilly nights around a log fire. In India I picked
up lots of winter clothes along the way for Nepal. I should have researched
more. It is monsoon season, 35 degrees, humid, sweaty, and hot and has not
stopped raining since I arrived. Kathmandu city is like a clean Khosan Road in
Bangkok with heaps of bars, restaurants and lots of shops selling everything
you can imagine.
After a few days in the city
eating momo’s, shopping and making friends with the local street hawkers I
headed to Pokhara city. A clean, comfortable
6 hour drive from Kathmandu by tourist bus made a nice change to the
Indian bus journeys of 16 hrs or more. Pokhara is a lush green tropical looking
city. The city is built around a huge lake with all the guest houses, bars and
restaurants dotted alongside the lake. It feels weird seeing so many bars, beer
advertisements and people drinking everywhere after being in India. People
drink in public here and do not cover up. That is the biggest shock to my system,
seeing girls in short dresses, singlets and shorts. I am still covering up and
went as far as to wear a singlet but still could not wear shorts. It just feels
weird showing so much flesh. It feels like Thailand without sun. Imagine a dull
Thailand without a beach. This is it!
I and Ella decided to spend a day
checking out the local temples and visiting the biggest pagoda in Pokhara. It started
and to rain so we decided to get the bus. After an hour of waiting for the bus
I stuck my thumb out to hitch hike and we scored a lift in a flash 4x4 with
four Nepali local men. We hopped in the back of the trailer as there was no
room inside and prayed the rain would stop. After a bumpy hour up a huge
winding steep mountain we arrived at the stupa. Chatting to the men we figured
out one was a kernel with the guerkas, one a chairman of a Nepali charity, one
a business man and the youngest one of 32 a taxi driver. After looking around
the stupa and taking photos they invited us to join them for lunch at their
secret local bar. They drove us into the countryside where there was a few
bamboo huts in the hills surrounded by rolling green fields and hills. Drinks
arrived, bottles of whisky, local millet wine, Australian red wine, beer,
buffalo meat, chicken bits, cucumber and chili dip.
I have not had red wine for months.
It was amazing. After spending the afternoon with them drinking, eating and
chatting they invited us to party. They told us every Saturday was boy’s day
when they all meet together and leave their wives and kids at home and it would
be a pleasure if we joined them. The youngest kept saying it was a dream comes
true we met and he will remember this day forever. We headed into the city and
pulled up at a bar called ‘The dancing restaurant’. It was dark, full of
restaurant tables and chairs, sofas and had a cat walk with a pole in the
centre of the room. Neon lights flashed whilst akon pumped in the back ground.
We were swooped on by young Nepali women dressed in tight jeans and low cut
tops for our drink order on arrival. Me and Ella told the boys drinks were on
us as they footed the bill in the afternoon and we settled into the sofas in
our hiking gear wondering whether this was a pick up joint or a restaurant.
Drinks and popcorn were served and the music changed. Indian bollywood music
pumped out the speakers, the lights went on and a Nepal boy and girl strutted
down the catwalk to to the beat. She was dressed in a full Indian sari whilst
he wore skinny jeans, skinny t-shirt and a trilby. They danced with each other
like it was a high school prom and the men at our table gave the waitresses
tips for the female dancer. Next up was a group of young Nepali women bollywood
dancing seductively then the finale was a young girl fully clothed swinging
around the pole. Sick of wondering I asked ‘Kernel’ was we in a pick up joint
and could they buy the dancers. He said no but a few of the men in the group
had ‘girlfriends’ here.
Prince the youngest of the group
was really drunk and was getting angry with the waitresses. One of the girls
would not pay him attention so he threw the silver tray out her hand and
started dragging her towards him. None of the men batted an eye lid, she was
smiling and people looked on like it was nothing. Me and Ella jumped up and
told him to calm down and apologized on behalf of him to the girl. We decided
to finish our drinks and leave. Prince would not let us pay the bill and was
causing a massive scene so we agreed he could pay. He then took his brother’s
wallet and footed the bill with the help of random notes from the other men. We
noticed the drinks were 4 times the price of local bars and winked at each
other thanking our lucky stars he was acting like a fool footing the bill.
We said our farewells to the
other men and thanked them for a good night. We promised to call them whenever
we were in town on Saturday and spend a boy’s day with them again. I think I
would as long as Prince behaved!
Today Ella was feeling a bit
unwell so I decided to take a wander about whilst the rain was off. 5 min of
walking and a 30 0dd year old guy stops his motorbike and introduces him.
Within 10 min I am on the back of a motorbike with a Nepali vet on call who
promises to show me the best sights of the area. We visit temples, caves, local
villages and a monastery but he stars to get a bit touchy feely and tells me if
I touch him he feels warm?! I decide to make an excuse to leave him and when I
refuse to visit his home he spits his dummy out like a child and speeds on the
bike. I tell him I must get back to my friend and jump on the next bus me
see.Phew! He would never have tried anything I think like Indian men some
Nepali men are very immature and act like school kids who have a crush. As soon
as they meet you they are thinking of marriage, babies and dates. From now on I
will say I am married!
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