After Varanasi, I went to Nepal. I had to wait a few days in Varanasi because of a strike in Nepal. Nepali strikes are a bit different from European strikes; they involve the use of bombs. The Maoists (who the fuck calls himself a Maoist these days?) call for the strike and, for instance, that they don't want buses to drive during the strike. If they see a bus driving, they throw a bomb at it. Nice guys these Maoists.
That doesn't mean that the government and the Royal Family are the good guys. They also stink. Two years ago, half of the royal family was gunned down by another member of the royal family. It makes the troubles in the Dutch royal family look like peanuts. Anyway, it's a good way to get rid of royalty.

After having spent some time in Pokara, I went on doing the Annapurna circuit trek - more then 300 kilometres around the Annapurna range. On the way, many kids asking for school pens - they had better asked for tissues because many had big blobs of snot hanging under their noses.
The landscape offered some incredible panoramas, hard to describe. I also saw a bunch of Lammergeiers, with wingspans of 3 metres no small birdies.

We go up to Tilicho Lake, at 5000 metres, the highest lake in the world. The climb is rough but very rewarding. Walking over huge scree slopes, with eroded rocks on top, looking like ruined castles. Sometimes small rocks came tumbling down with a speed around 100 km/h. It felt like you were walking on a narrow path on a vertical shooting range - the same feeling of safety. We climbed up until 5000 metres (thank God without my 15 kilos luggage), which was very hard because of the altitude.
Later I found myself in fields of snow in which you sometimes half disappeared. Very exhausting (I bet Sylvester Stallone didn't do the-running-through-the-snow-scenes from Rocky IV at this altitude, otherwise it's very logical that he beat Ivan Drago) and when you think you're there, you find another snowfield behind the hill you just climbed (twice).
Struggling in the snow almost made me give up, but I went on and was rewarded with... a big piece of frozen water. So the view of the lake was not very rewarding, but the scenery before it was breathtaking. A huge wall of snow, sometimes with an avalanche coming down it.

A few days later I cross the Thorong La pass, 5416 metres - I have never been that high. From here it all goes downhill, which I didn't mind that much. Unfortunately, the view on this side of the pass was not that good - there is a lot of dust in the air. After having relaxed in the hot springs of Tatopani (which really were very hot), we decided to do a bit more climbing - also because the other way was cut off because of the severe fighting just a day before (over 400 dead Maoists, I heard later) a bit further ahead in Beni. The Maoists thought that they could surprise the local army base, but were surprised themselves.

The last few days we walked through green valleys into blooming rhododendron forests. From there, many metres down, zigzagging through a lush green forest with a tumbling waterfall with nice pools (unfortunately no time for a dive) and then I finally see my first car in 21 days. I'm relieved. After a final short but steep climb, I arrive on the road and kiss it. I put myself on the roof of a bus and have the nicest bus ride ever.

Having returned to Pokara, I hear that there's gonna be another strike in 2 days. So no time to rest, I buy a ticket for Kathmandu. Next morning we miss the bus, which we, after a fast car-chase (for as far that's possible with a Suzuki Alto), catch. At one point in the journey, a guy starts singing and torturing some kind of violin (and our ears). He works according to the "play till they pay" principle, which seems to work very well with this kind of music. His music seems to have a impact on my bowels. I have to go to the toilet soon.
Thank God there's a stop and I'm carrying Immodium (a kind of chemical butt-plug - nothing comes out anymore after you take one - very helpful during travelling). I also have egg-tasting burps. Last time I had those, somebody advised me to drink vodka to kill the bacteria causing it. I did so and it worked. So during a stop to make a convoy (the strike started earlier in another province) I go to buy some booze. They don't have vodka, so I buy gin. I take off the cap and take a sip. Now, I have never drank gin before in my life, but this was definitely no gin. It's was water with a very bad taste. So I go back to the shop to get a new bottle. The owner doesn't want to give one to me. What do you do in a situation like that? You just take it. He tries to stop me, but he doesn't succeed. I walk outside with my new medicine. He follows me, in front of all the tourist buses there is a scene between us, people gather and start to interfere, sniffing both bottles. The  owner calls me a bad man: "You are bad man". So now, not only do I have a reputation with the other people in the buses for being an alcoholic who drinks gin at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, I'm also a bad man.
In the end, everything turns out okay; the guy leaves and I flush away the bacteria with gin that tastes like eau de cologne. So now I'm in Kathmandu, the day after tomorrow I will go rafting and after that I will go back to India, to the enchanting cow-dung city.

See you

Kurt

After the trekking, I spent some time in Kathmandu and went on a rafting trip. The rapids had challenging names like "Frog in the blender" and "Dazed and Confused" but could also be called "Child in a merry-go-round" or "jump off the sidewalk" because of the low water level. So it was a bit disappointing.