Our calves were begging for mercy as we took the big staircase up to the stop, but it was definitely worth a visit. Before we could enter the temple, we had to run our hands through the 108 water taps set out in a U-shape formation. Apparently 108 is a very important Hindu and Buddhist number; Suyra alo gave Patrick a brown-beaded necklace with 108 beads. He also gave me an anti-lying bracelet; I haven't lied whilst wearing it yet (although it's damn difficult!) After the water tap ritual, Suyra blessed us with red powder 'tikkas' on our foreheads and gave us incense sticks that granted us wishes when waved in a circle. There were little bells all around the temple perimeter; Sao told us that these bells were placed by Hindus in memory of their loved ones. We then headed to the Buddhist temple next door, where we witnessed a rare phenomenon; running water and an ever-burning flame side by side. A divine sign for the spiritual, a science sign for non-believers- whatever explanation you choose, it is still a seemingly possible occurrence in cooler surroundings.
Our walk to Jomsom from Muktinath invovled a brief stop in Kagbeni (highlights include a 500 year old monastery and a statue with an enormous head and 'laddo' that any man would be proud of!), spying mountains on the Tibetan side of the border, and VERY windy 3 hour walk along the riverside! By this stage, our legs actually said 'no thank you, no more trekking!', stiffened up, and made us walk like John Wayne for a few days!
My main memory of Jomsom (probably because it wiped every other memory out) was the MARPHA APPLE BRANDY! Nearby Marpha is known as the 'apple city', so it would have been rude not to have a few tipples- with 'sucrati' of course, the kind with dried noodles and masala. I thought the clear brandy was just water at first- after one sniff, one a hint of sweetness but mostly paint stripper- it was clear that this stuff was deadly! It was enjoyable though, and helped to numb our screaming calves!
The next day was a very special one- Suyra's birthday! The first time he had celebrated in a LONG time, so we had to make it a good one! After a breakfast of apple pancakes and apple juice, and picking up 5kg of apples and dried apple crisps (APPLE APPLE APPLE), we headed to the airport, to catch the 14-seater, 17 minute plane ride over the mountains to Pokhara. Despite its itty-bitty size- it was about the size of a skydiving plane, and you could see straight into the cockpit- it was all the normal plane features, including an air hostess handing out sweets, flashing 'no smoking' signs, a safety instruction card, and a sick bag that the lady next to me put to very good use.
I don't blame her- the plane did swoop a little, and sometimes I gritted my teeth with how close the plane was to the lush mountain tops. The views really were stunning, though- we finally caught a cheeky glimpse of Annapurna 1, the mother of all the Annapurnas at 8091m.
Before we had a chance to blink, the plane had landed in sunny, sunny Pokhara- as we stepped off, we actually felt WARM for the first time in 2 weeks! From the moment we arrived in the hotel, it was PARTY TIME for Suyra's birthday!
We met two of his friends, who'd travelled especially from Kathmandu, in a tiny Japanese restaurant where I tried`'gyozou' (Japanese dumplings) for the first time. Then, with a bottle of apple brandy in hand, we all headed to beautiful Pokhara lake for a spot of canoeing!
For about 10 minutes we went round and round in circles, before heading towards a temple in the lake centre. Here, we were each blessed by Suyra with a 'tikka' of red powder and rice (the majority of much unfortunately fell into my brandy!) Deciding it had been too long since our last sucrati, we rowed up to a restaurant for beers and chicken momos.With the sun setting behind us, we headed back to Pokhara town for the REAL party time to begin! Pokhara was the perfect place for this as well, with its casual vibe and endless bars!
As we snacked and enjoyed a few beers in the busiest joint in town, 'Moonlight', Suyra presented to us our new Nepalese dress- a 'dhaka-topi' (colourful hat) for Patrick, and a 'chorro' (wrap-around high-necked tight jacket) for me. All the Nepalese boys seemed very impressed with out look-little did we know how much attention these clothing items would bring us!
It was then CAKE TIME- a special surprise from Sao! Suyra grabbed a piece of cake, made us all take a bite, before his friends shoved it down his throat and smeared it all over his face! A typical Nepalese birthday tradition? Who knows, but it was bloody hilarious!
The party continued back at the hotel, with more and more of Suyra's friends arriving on a whim from Kathmandu! What better way to celebrate this, in Suyra's mind at least, than with countless bowls of french fries (his favourite) and 3kg of chicken? Apparently, one of the present friends, 'Moti' (Nepalese for 'fat'- a charming nickname!), once ate 2kg all by himself; furthermore, Suyra knew that Patrick loved chicken wings, so 'that's why chicken!'
With many empty beer bottles and a few empty apple brandy ones, Sao began sing-song...after sing-song...after sing-song. This was not your typical drunken singing, though...every single friend joined in, and all were surprisingly tuneful. Feeling a little sleepy (we're getting old), and with an early start to Chitwon National Park in the morning, we headed to bed, leaving the boys lost in their Nepalese songs, singing from the bottoms of their souls.
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