Well! Hello again everybody and thankyou very much for visiting this site, it is nice to know that people out there are reading what I am writing!

I have arrived safe and sound in Pockhara, in the west of Nepal, a little tired after the journey but enjoying what I see so far.

I am staying at a lovely little guest called 'Sweet Dreams' on Lakeside. It is owned by a man named Lalit and wife Anu, who are both originally from Darjeeling, India. I have been staying here upon recommendation from a couple I met in Thailand, and I am not disappointed. A lovely little warm welcoming guest house with ten rooms (150 rupees a night), a communal sitting/talking/drinking area and a garden with hammocks in to relax in the afternoon sun when not on the lake. This part of Pockhara (lakeside, surprisingly) is set against the lovely Lake Phewa. It is the main tourist area with plenty of guesthouses, bars, restaurants, trekking shops and travel agents, though it still relatively small and stress-free, with plenty of friendly travelers.

The friends that I made on the journey over here; Freddie and Yannou (Norwegian) and a lovely Belgium couple are here with me, and not having really planned an itinerary, a few lovely lazy days have been spent hiring boats on the lake, rowing around in the sunshine, and then jumping in and swimming. The lake is set against a backdrop of the beautiful Annapurna mountain range (6,500m - 8,000m high) and the lake is lovely and tranquil, (until Yannou pushes me in).

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Apart from trekking and teaching, I hadn't really considered any of the other outdoor pursuits that Nepal has to offer. Freddie however, went rafting the last time he was here and suggests it because he had a wonderful time. So I look into it; $70 for 3 days, 2 nights on the Kali Gandaki river set below a beautiful mountainous terrain with sunshine and group of 12 people - sounds wonderful and inexpensive, so why not? The company that I am doing it with (Lotus travels) have been recommended by Lalit, the guides sound knowledgeable and I sign up and agree to meet them on the 16th Oct at 6am.

Now, the only trouble with Pockhara is the abundance of temptations it offers in the form of bars, campfires, alcohol and friendly travelers; so! Instead of doing what I should have done (pack for rafting and have an early night) I go to a trance party at Hard Rock café (not genuine) it was a wonderful night involving lots of beer, and street children (and everyone else) dancing like crazy people to psychadelic trance music until the small hours. The last thing I remember is knowing that I only had three of sleep before I had to pack and go white water rafting at 6am is this possible? Apparently so.

Cursing myself heavily and feeling very shaky I make the 6am appointment. The sun is shining, the roads are windy and the views are stunning, I however, am fighting off a hangover and beginning to get very anxious about what I have signed up to do - white water rafting? Is it safe? Or am I going to fall out the boat, mid rapid, bang my head on a rock and die?

2 hours later though, we have all been introduced, set up camp, had lunch and cleared away, We have been taught the art of rafting; 'back paddle!' 'left forward!' 'go go go!' and go we do, onto the water, in the sun, with helmets and life jackets - and it is fine! Great fun in fact! You get the initial butterflies in the stomach as a rapid approaches, but when your on the rapid, and paddling hard, you never feel that scared, just a little adrenaline rush that's all (yeah right)

We finish for the day and, (this is the bit I was looking forward to) set up camp on a wonderful little beach in the middle of nowhere. Everything is really organised, the helpers make dinner, we get changed and basically just loll about helping until the sun goes down. Then the sky is full of stars and everybody sits together chatting, or reading their books, playing cards by torchlight and just relaxing really - it's a wonderful life!

The next day is pretty much the same, a few more scary rapids and more hours of rafting, and then it's camp time again, this time we build a fire and repeat the same activities as the night before - basically chilling underneath the stars - mmmmmmmm.

The next day (the last day) we are due back on the bus at 12 noon, so the morning is spent on a particularly flat piece of river and we all jump off and float down a couple of km's - lovely. Then hometime unfortunately.

That night is spent enjoying civilisation and all it has to offer (namely beer) and a nice early night.

I spend the next 8/9 days in Pockhara with my friends and fill the time walking up to the Peace Pagoda - a lovely Buddhist temple on top of a hill, it's a good 1 hour trek to the top, but well worth it because the views are stunning. There is, strangely enough a tiny little café up there where you can drink 'chia' or a coke and look at the mountains at sunset (just take a torch for the way back down) they go all pink and red.

Another good day out is spent walking for a couple of hours up the mountain to the west where there is a village at the top and a watch tower. The walk is nice, yet steep and it's a lovely way to observe traditional village Nepali life. There are also guesthouses at the top where you can stay if you like.

It's also festival time (bai tika) the celebration of brothers and sisters and it involves the children, 10 - 16 year olds playing in their bands outside houses, café's and guesthouses. I went along with them in the van stopping at 4 houses along the way while they entertained- good fun.

The rest of my time in Pockhara is spent relaxing and saving my energy before my 8 weeks at teaching english in Kathmandu, so I think I am allowed this time off. Besides, I like it!

Claire