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Saturday,
November 22
A moment in
Pokhara
I
had gotten vague directions to the business center of town,
called Mindapul, where Nepalis shop. I walked along the road
until a small bus came, a local bus that cost 8 rupees and
was packed with people, not even standing room. But they squeezed
me in, and several others along the way. Of course, when we
stopped, people had to get off, and they were located at the
back of the bus. It was an interesting experience. There were
virtually no westerners in sight. There was a bazaar of sorts,
mostly selling foodstuffs. There were shops lining the streets,
and so I started going from one to the next. When I found
something I liked, I would bargain for it. Often the shopkeepers
spoke some English, and I got a chance to use some of my minimal
Nepali vocabulary.
There were a lot
of fabric shops selling material for saris and such. I found
only a few pieces in each of several shops, and ended up with
a variety of fabrics in my backpack. They were from India
or Pakistan, not Nepal. I bought a broom, a one handed broom
that is universally used in Nepal with a bent over posture.
I found a lock like the ones that they use at guesthouses
and a handmade cooking pot at a hardware store. I didn't find
any yak bells, which I was hoping to give to Kay and Rob back
in London as a wedding present. But it was an interesting
experience trying to explain what I was looking for to people
who spoke no English. I do a good yak imitation.
It was a great experience
to get away from the comfort and complacency of the tourist
zone and see how the Nepalis shopped and ate and socialized,
and to soak in the sights and smells and sounds. I had been
to all of the basic kinds of stores that interested me. I
walked some streets looking for something different, being
careful not to lose my bearings, but found nothing. After
sitting with a Fanta lemon people watching for a while, I
caught the bus back to lakeside.
More
of this day
The next day
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