now i feel grounded here...

From Jenna
It was strange for the fourth of July to pass with no fireworks....
After our biking adventure yesterday and canoeing on the lake early this morning, I feel more at home. off and on the last week I have thought about my friends running the rapids on the New River and the mtn bike trails I love so much at the pond. the only thing I need to do now to heal my mild homesickness is work in a garden somewhere and eat a BIG salad and some icecream! Jason and Jon, please tell me what foods you are eating from the garden and how the flowers are doing......

To add to Ashleigh's description of the ride, I must fist say that the bikes in Nepal are just like the ponies in the high mountains-- COMPACT!! i was riding the biggest bike they had, and it was still a bit small. in the end, it was probably a good thing because there were no brakes. All i had to do was drag my feet on the down hills. I loved riding between the water-fulled, terraced, rice paddies and watching men, women, children,and water buffalo harvesting, planting and plowing the fields. I am always amazed how well people here use the land and how hard they work. Water from mountain streams is channeled and diverted to the fields, and each field drains water into the terraced field below it until it is returned to a creek or the lake at the bottom. It was 200 rupees to rent the a bike for two hours-- that was the best $2.65 I have spent in a while.

We were up early to get out on the lake before the heat and sun made it unbearable. Jane, Emer and I shared a wooden canoe, and Ashleigh, Reba, Mary and Ella shared one. Fewa Lake runs the length of "Main Street" in Pokhara, it is lined with poinsettia TREES, jungley forests, blooming jasmine and bougainvillea vines. We were hoping to see monkeys playing in the trees, but they must have been taking it easy because of the heat. In the middle of the lake there is an island with many little shrines. We are able to tie our boats up and walk around the island. Surprisingly enough, several women had loaded up their bracelets, necklaces, small statues and purses and set up tables on the island. Because people bring offerings to the shrines there is also a nice pigeon population hanging around hoping for a treat. Reba commented that it felt pretty lucky to roam around the whole island without getting pooped on.

Ella had 5 rupees that I gave her the other day. She was trying to decide what to do with it, and in the end she picked a sweet old Sadhu wearing saffron colored clothes to give it to. It was very sweet watching her walk up to this holy man with her hands in prayer position as she said "Namaste" and placed the rupee note in his hands. Carl, Naomi, and Hugh you would be proud of your girls! today Mary took one of her drawings to a tailor and discussed the idea of turning the design into an embroidered short. She discussed the color, size and even negotiated the price. In the end she decided that she should probably wait till KTM to get the shirt because she did not want to have to carry it on the trek.

Jane's bag was found!!! Our wonderful porter Naryan will bring it when he comes to the mountains. What a relief! It is hard to believe that in this 104 degree weather she could possibly need the fleece tops, capaline underwear and wool socks from that bag, but she will need them when we hit the high mountains.

We leave our hotel at 5am tomorrow-- for a 6 am flight. The 20 minute flight is going to be exciting-- the small twin engine plane will probably transport out team of 7 and maybe 5 other passengers. we will take off, climb and climb and climb over the snowy peaks and then descend into the village of Jomsom. This time the runway will be paved, but the first time Jane and I were here it was a gravel runway. I already know that Tsampa and his wife Karma will be there to greet us with blessing scarves to drape around out necks. I am hopeful that little Laxmi, the street girl Tsampa and his wife took in a few years ago, will be there as well. We all fall in love with her last time. She is between Mary and Ella's ages, and we are looking forward to the girls getting to know each other.

Write us if you have a minute, today will the our last EASY day to read comments until we return to KTM in 3 weeks. J