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ck122: Although the elevation is only about 800 ft., Pokhara is the base for treks through the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas. They were not visible this day.
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ck122: About an hour after we arrived in Pokhara (pronounced Pokera), we were anxious to get out and see the town. Had to take refuge at lovely Cafe Concerto during a deluge. Enjoyed cappuccino.
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ck122: Five minutes later, it was beautiful. Beyond the trees you can see Fewa Tal (the lake) in the background.
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ck122: Water Buffalo are so common in Pokhara. They are EVERYWHERE!
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ck122: We snacked on masala peanuts. I never found any as good. I think these were maybe from the Lemon Tree.
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ck122: When you don't see buffalo, you see traces that they have been there.
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ck122: There were some signs I could not resist.
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ck122: But what really stood out in Pokhara, were the buffalo
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ck122: And the buffalo
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ck122: And the buffalo
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ck122: And the buffalo
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ck122: This was the first time I saw kids playing soccer (football) during my travels.
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ck122: Motorcycle and cow parking outside a massage parlour.
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ck122: We walked around the lake. This is Nepali suburban...
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ck122: Paula crossing a small ravine on a rope and plank bridge.
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ck122: Found a cute little Hindu temple. Although there are many Tibetan Refugees in this area, it is much more predominantly Hindu than Kathmandu where the lines between the 2 religions are very blurry.
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ck122: Lakeside Hindu Shrine
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ck122: Fewa Tal... I love this
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ck122: Drowned boats
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ck122: Un-drowned Boats
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ck122: Drowned and un-drowned... Tomorrow, we'll hike to the Peace Pagoda. : )
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ck122: Damside Pokhara-Of the 3 different routes to the Peace Pagoda, Paula and I selected the longest.
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ck122: A woman in this house seemed to know 2 words of English. The first was "buffalo"... "Yes we have seen many buffalo" we smiled... and then she said,"Chocolate?"... "No, we have no chocolate," we said shaking our heads. She gave us a disgusted look and
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ck122: The ascent was fairly steep, but the weather was nice and we were enjoying the different views.
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ck122: Tiny mountain farm
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ck122: About 3/4 of the way up, we entered a meadow occupied by 3 buffalo. This one was right by the trail and I thought she was quite lovely, practically iconic, so I snapped her picture.
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ck122: As I passed her, I took this head on portrait, and continued up the hill to shoot her friends.
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ck122: Right after I snapped this shot, I heard buff #1 coming at me from behind. One of her horns was positioned to hit me mid-back. There was no time to get out of her path so I tried to re-situate myself between her horns (think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill).
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ck122: While Paula was taking care of the matador duties, these little beauties ran out of the hills and dragged me to safety.
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ck122: The girls kept saying,"Oh my god!" and I went into shock for a while. After about an hour, I stopped shaking and decided I was not permanently broken, just really hurt