Fun around Pokhara and Monsoon falls

First, I hope making this a private blog wasn't too inconvenient for everybody reading it.  I hear there have been some technical difficulties with accessing it.  I'll see what I can figure out.  If it becomes too difficult I'll just make it public again, but only post very selectively.

The other week there was a Peace Corps training in Pokhara.  I went to Pokhara a little early and got to go on a few little adventures around the area with Tara.

First we went to the International Mountain Museum which is run by the Nepal Mountaineering Association.  It is well designed and includes many different exhibits though much of the focus is on the history of 8,000m peak climbing.

Spending a bit too much time in the geology section... it was very comprehensive and probably could use a whole day to really learn about all of the interesting forces at work in such an active place in the world.

Checking out one of the many beautiful photographs in the museum

"Too much geology."

Checking out some fine bivouacing action... That does not look all that pleasant

The word "tale" insinuates that the yeti is made up.  I'm laughing at that absurd idea.  I've seen so many tracks.

And a stuffed yeti puppy to prove they're real.  This one was unlcuky enough to stumble into an army camp, and even so it took almost the entire armory to bring him down.

She's smiling... the yeti is no laughing matter.

After a quick lunch we were off to Bat Cave and Mahendra Cave.  Both caves had large entrances and pretty large caverns once inside, and both featured a smaller "adventurous" exit option.  Bat cave was tighter and involved more scrambling.  The exits are not all that well marked, so we had to do a little bit of exploring to find the exit which was also quite fun.  Mahendra Cave has lights in it, but Bat Cave does not.  At the entrance of Bat Cave they give you a large flashlight.  Bat Cave is called so because of the all that bats that inhabit it at certain times of year.  Right now, (rainy season), they are not there.  We saw one.

Nothing says romance like a dark, damp cave.  (Just before the tiny exit place).

Tara went out first.  She had a much easier time because 1) she is more lithe than I am and 2) she is much smaller than me.

Slowly crawling my way out of the cave.

Almost there

Headroom!!

Mahendra Cave

Mahendra Cave.  Notice the red dots called Tikka.  At the end of the path in the cave there is a priest sitting there who gives those who come a red dot.  Of course, you have to pay him.

The entertaining exit from Mahendra Cave.

 

A while after returning from Pokhara I went for a little walk down near Beni to check out some of the monsoon waterfalls.  These seasonal streams run all of rainy season, and during and immediately after big rains they are quite spectacular.  In these photos it hadn't rained for a day, so the falls are smaller, but still quite beautiful.  I do have a thing for waterfalls.

Some of the recently planted rice terraces.  I'm not sure what the little huts are for; we don't have them up where I live.