Pokhara, Nepal and the Mountain Museum

I continue to be terrible at writing my blog as I approach 2 years of being home. Eventually, I will finish writing about my travels!!

The day following hiking to the Peace Pagoda, I headed to the mountain museum in Pokhara, which confirmed the stories I'd heard the day before from the girl who'd trekked to the first base camp, which involved getting severe altitude sickness, witnessing a guy refuse to stop hiking, faint after 20 feet and have to be evacuated by helicopter among other events. To me it sounded horrendous and not like something I'd ever want to do.

But the mountain museum was quite fascinating.

Before heading to the museum, I walked along the lake on my morning stroll.

The mountains were out and beautiful! It would probably have been a slightly better day to hike because the view would have been clearer, but it was still a beautiful morning stroll!

The cows were also out grazing, with their babies.

The people jumping off the mountain and parachuting in droves!

There was also a woman painting her boat.

Here I am taking creepy pictures as I walk around.

There was a man pondering the lake.

There was also a man rolling around in a ball in the water. He was completely incapable of standing up. It was kind of hilarious.

Here are some women doing laundry.

The view of the mountains at the mountain museum.

The museum talked about each of the climbers who were the first to reach the top of the 8,000 meter peaks, an exhibit of the people who made it to the top of all 14 8,000 meter peaks and the people who'd climbed to the top of the tallest mountains on each of the continents.

They also had an exhibit of Korean climbers. Two of them, Park Young-Seok (박영석)and Ko Mi-Young (고미영) were the two Koreans who made it to the top of the highest peak on each continent, but they died young in mountaineering accidents. Apparently mountaineering is a huge thing in Korea.






Here is a cow lounging in a field.

Here is more information about the museum if you want to read about it.

The cow lounging some more.

The Peace Pagoda in Pokhara, Nepal

Well, I have not written a blog in a couple months. I was busy subbing and then writing thesis number one, so I continue to get further and further behind! Here's a quick one.

The following morning I headed out to breakfast. I wandered the streets, then found a small cafe with a fireplace, which had delicious breakfast. I sat by the fire, reading my book and enjoying the atmosphere.

I then headed down to the docks to take a boat to see the Peace Pagoda. You have to take a boat to get there. They stuck me in a boat by myself, but a group of foreigners got in the boat next to me. I asked if I could join them so I didn't have to take a boat by myself across a large lake. The were from Denmark, Holland and Australia.

A man rowed us very slowly across the lake. That poor boatsman has the worst job!

Here's the lake.

I then hiked up to the Peace Pagoda, also known as the Shanti Stupa, which was not the easiest hike (I was sick) but it was so beautiful! I wish it had been less cloudy, because the views of the Himalayas would have been fabulous!

The Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda, built in the 1940s.

Meditating while enjoying the view.

It's so beautiful.

I was a little hot after the hike.

We walked back down the very slippery stairs, which was dangerous, then Libby, one of the girls from Australia and I got a traditional Nepalese lunch for 3 dollars that was fantastic. She also told me about climbing to the first base camp on Everest, which sounded beautiful and something that I will never do.

After that, I wandered around a bit, then headed back to shower, read and go to bed.