Thursday, May 07, 2015

...and life goes on...


 Meanwhile, in Pokhara, Lake side, life goes on as usual, except for a few détails. It's full season and there is very few people. The streets that usually carry plenty of tourists going paragliding are now empty, only a few cars and local buses passing once in a while. The restaurants are almost empty and in the sky, no body is flying. The trekking shops have no treekers around. In the next 2 weeks, the few tourists that stayed will soon leave. Few will come in. A new grafiti appeared on the wall and the days pass to the sounds of the speakers and the frogs. This year, it's going to be a very quiet season on this side of the lake...

 
 
 
The bags of donations get organized, and every morning trucks leave for the nearly mountains, Gorkha, the epicenter being 3 hours away from here. Fundraising concerts are setting up in the streets and restaurants, you can even do yoga for Nepal as all profits are given to help. The city by the lake has not been touched by the quake, here, nothing is destroyed, it's everything as usual, except that there is very few people by the lake side. The city goes on, for them, nothing much has changed, everything is just diferent now,  it will just be a very slow year.

 

The kids play and fish in the lake, it's hot and humid. At the bar, a group of people play live every day, they jam, they enjoy, they are musicians. The hippies smoke a joint, making a jungling stick. They dance in the garden, making the stick roll on the body. The corner drunk is still drunk, wobling around, mumbling and falling on the ground. People chit chat, flowers bloom, life goes on. Crack a beer, enjoy the lake, write and share, speak with folks and gather information. Observe, keep cool. Let a tear or 2 fall down the cheeks when they need to. It's ok, this too will pass, let it roll, let it roll sings the birds. Slowly start thinking about next plans, another cup of tea, the summer is coming. Make new friends, say good bye to old ones, so goes life's waves, they come and go. Enjoy the process.

By the trees, people sit as usual, enjoying a moment of cool shade. People trees, banyans, many trees on the Streets to sit Under. And it's good to rest Under the tree, play some cards in the evening, or listen to a concert. Nice to do a little puja, the tree is the gathering spot under which we have sat for many thousands years. we come here to meet others, stay in silence, or share our stories. They stand tall and give a home to the birds. By the military casern, the tall bamboos reach up, filled with up with big white birds with long feets. They sing their song, for them, nothing changed.

 
It rains often in Pokhara, being one of the most rain on area of the country. This gives the mountains a green emerald lush color and amazing sunsets. When the rain falls, the rainbow falls right on this hill, same place every time. We stand on the roof and watch the colors pass with the sun going on to the other side. Pokhara remains as beautiful as ever. The lake and the mountains shine after the rain, and the frog's song puts me to sleep at night. Pokhara remains, a way to the treeking routes, and for next season, when things have cooled down a bit, it's ready to welcome tourist. From here it's easy to go trekking, to the Anapurnas, Langtang, Gosaikunda my favorite, and many more routes. At the same time, doing a week of work in a village to help rebuild would be wonderful...but one thing at a time.
 
This is tomorrow, and today is today. Life must go on, and on it goes very quietly, in the city by the lake...


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