We spent our only full day in Pokhara exploring the town and its large lake. The local touts rent rowboats, so we took one out for an hour. Mountains were visible but it was quite hazy and clouds appeared before we got to the other side of the lake. So we visited the temple on the small island and managed to get our unwieldy boat back to shore.In the afternoon we walked around the old town, more real than the tourist ghetto by the lake. There were many jewelry shops all packed with people. Although Nepalis may be poor, they all have to have "gold" jewelry. We passed a butcher shop where a goat
was patiently eating next to a butcher cutting up a former friend. Goats have very small heads and not much inside them.Marcia went back to the hotel for a massage while I visited the new International Mountain Museum, a huge construction probably funded by foreign sources. It was quite interesting, with exhibits devoted to local cultures, geology, and the first ascents of the world's fourteen mountains over 8000 meters, eight of which are in Nepal. Early climbers used down jackets thinner than mine.
More good food, email messages, and then off to bed.
