Posted by Catherine
The itinerary for today started out with a 5:00am drive up to Sarangot to see the sunrise followed by a 2 hour walk back. We decided to forgo this activity. It was very hazy and didn’t look like it would be much of a sunrise. Nothing could top what we had already seen in Ghandruk anyway.
Photo below: view of the city from our hotel room balcony
We went for a late breakfast at The Lemon Tree cafe on the main street, just around the corner from our hotel. They make a lovely large pot of Nepali chai and have very friendly staff. Just like the Black Walnut Cafe in our neighborhood at home.
Well almost! We watched the city wake up, people unlocking the rolling metal doors of their shops and setting up their wares – trekking gear in every second shop, t-shirts, souvenirs, clothing, pashminas, small grocery shops – carefully sweeping the sidewalks with long twig brooms.
A tiny woman came to the door of the cafe selling green vegetables from a huge basket tied around her head. Tourists of all nationalities paused to peruse the outdoor menu. School buses were going in both directions as they only get Saturdays off here!
The local traffic on the sidewalk & on the street was mooooving slowly. It was a bit surreal sitting in the restaurant enjoying our breakfast with chai tea while a cow stood outside on the sidewalk looking in on us…. “would you like some more milk for your tea?”
We went for a short walk along the lakeside.
There were a few spots of colour along the way.
We went back to the hotel so I could get ready for my head and neck massage at 10:00. I had found a small spa above a restaurant a few steps from the hotel.
All of the spa ladies were about 4 feet tall and maybe 80 lbs and I wondered how Seema, the woman who would be looking after me would manage. I didn’t have to worry as she had thumbs of steel and dug into all the sore spots. Very different from what is typically is offered as the table was wide and low and she climbed right up on the table to get over top of me. It turned out to be more of a full body treatment for an hour but I didn’t complain. After a hot shower at home, I felt like a new woman. The best $15.00 I’ve spent so far!
We met the group at 12:30 to take the bus to another session of momo making with Sisterhood of Survival group.
Another lovely experience and such a great cause to support. Unfortunately our previous experience didn’t make any difference to our momo making skills. Still hopeless!
We also had a lesson on the etiquette of eating with our right hands and then got a chance to play with our food on our thali lunch plates. Saves on cutlery!
We had hoped to get to the International Mountain Museum but we ran out of time and energy. We bought a few snacks and drinks for our trip tomorrow to Chitwan Park and headed back to the hotel for a quiet night. TV reception was good with dozens of Indian movies and dramas to choose from. We managed to enjoy a couple of movies with English subtitles!
Namaste 🙏