December,
30 2006
Updated January 8 2007
Paragliding
in Nepal
The
only thing separating me from a splattery death is
a chain-smoking Frenchman and 30 meters of plastic.
I am floating in a tandem paraglider with my instructor
above the Nepalese Himalaya maintains and as I look
down several hundred feet to the forest and village
below I start contemplating what type of a mess I
would make if we fell. Would I become unconscious
and die of shock before I hit the ground? Would my
bones pop out of my skin on impact? Would my corpse
have a doofy blank expression with the eyes rolled
up in their sockets, my head flopping around on a
broken neck like a second-hand rag doll?
Paragliding Aboue Pokhara
Following
this train of thought, I realize that it would not
be such a bad way to go. Most of the people I know
who have died, died of illness and after too much
suffering. Their last day on earth was probably not
the best of themselves. But a paragliders has at least
the option of a fast and glamorous death, whether
by accident or intent.
Pokhara
Nepal
Pokhara
is a small tourist town in the mountains of Nepal
and it is a base for several famous treks into the
Himalayas. Trekking is fun and physically taxing but
if you don't feel up to it (as I didn't presently)
Pokhara is a great place to hang out, do nothing and
absorb the atmosphere. There is yoga, nice day walks,
fine restaurants, paragliding and an overall laid
back feel. Also, lucky for me, I arrived during the
Pokhara street festival.
In Pokhara I stay at the Fewa Hotel, which is castle-like
enclave on the banks of Fewa Lake with a great restaurant
called Mike's that serves organic ground Nepalese
coffee and American style Mexcan food. Mike, the owner
arrived in Nepal with the Peace Corps many moons ago
and became a local celebrity bridging the gap between
western tastes and Nepalese food sources.
Chidren and Ducks
During the morning sipping coffee by the lakeside
in the cold season, you can observe a cotton candy
fog resting majestically on the water and a few scattered
boats paddling through the mist creating an ethereal
Zen like picture frame.
Fewa Hotel and Mike's restaurant are located down
a lane in the middle of a rural community and off
the main drag. There are farms, water buffalo, ducks,
dogs, cats and families all along the lane. Walking
upon and down the pastoral scene is like a visiting
a children’s petting zoo.
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