Nepal 2: Pokhara to Low Camp

After eating and sleeping I woke up early in Pokhara, again ready to finally gaze upon snowy Himalayas.  I couldn’t see the Himalayan range but could see the foothills from our balcony and the air tasted so sweet particularly after Kathmandu.  It was warm but with a cool mountain breeze and sunny with a bit of haze.  There were butterflies and colorful birds and green grass with cows munching away.  The lake reflected bright green and brown hills.  I felt better right away as we ate our breakfast, drank our coffee and gazed out at the lake.

Nepal 1: Kathmandu to Pokhara

            We got into Kathmandu at midnight, exhausted from a 5-hour flight from Hong Kong and a 6 hour layover in Delhi.  Adriana, Monica and I could tell before leaving the airport that we were not in Hong Kong anymore.  Dusty concrete floors led us past blocked off, newly painted white walls into a square brick room with low ceilings and crowds cluttered around in tight groups.

          We queued, then entered details into a visa-processing machine, then queued some more and paid a fee.  We posed for pictures, got inspected, got stamped, got welcomed to Nepal—then staggered to the money exchange counter where 300 US dollars gave me more 500 rupee notes then I reckoned I could spend in an entire lifetime.  Crowds pushed by as I crammed rupees into my wallet, passport holder and three different pockets.

We got a taxi and headed for the tourist district Thamel through dark, narrow, dusty streets.  There were tiny brick shacks held up by scaffolding and already we saw piles of bricks left behind by the earthquake.

The incredible view of Hong Kong harbor from Kowloon...

One of the first things people do in Hong Kong is take the ferry from Central to Kowloon for an inspiring view of the Hong Kong skyline.
Visitors will stare in awe at glittering, sparkling smog that stretches from sea to heaven.  Visitors will be breathless in the face of such an inspiring example of modern humanity's ingenuity.









This view is only matched by looking down on the smog from atop Victoria Peak, far above the city.  Again I was left breathless and my eyes burned and watered.  I can only assume it was from weeping tears at the beauty of the view.

Back across the harbor, even monkeys are inspired by the view of Kowloon skyscrapers from Lion's Rock.

Visitors tired of the urban lifestyle can take the MTR to Lantau island and take a scenic ride into the countryside.  The airport, the harbor and distant hills will be hidden in haze on all sides. Towards the end of the ride, visitors can imagine a giant bronze statue of Buddha that is hidden in the haze below.

Hong Kong island: south side

A university Professor friend teaches her grad students about the "6th grade science introduction."  This is the introduction that proves some ridiculous thought wrong.  "Did you think clouds are big fluffy marshmallows?  Well actually (YOU MORON), they are drops of liquid suspended in the atmosphere."

Every travel guide about Hong Kong begins with this sort of intro.  Wikitravel guide may say it best:

"The traveller weary of its crowded streets may be tempted to describe it as Hong Kongcrete.  Yet this territory with its cloudy mountains and rocky islands is mostly a rural landscape.  Much of the countryside is classified as Country Park and, although 7 million people are never far away, it is possible to find pockets of wilderness that will reward the more intrepid tourist."

Surviving the fire dragon

This is either 2 weeks late or 50 weeks early for next years festival...

Montessori Myth number 2

See part 1

Myth 2.

            In Montessori a child is allowed to avoid a subject that scares them.  A child might get great at math or reading but completely neglect other subjects.

Montessori parent's night, Common Myth 1

Parent’s Orientation and Common Myths about Montessori Education

            My first private school parent event was nerve wracking.  As a first year Montessori guide I feel insecure in gaining the confidence of parents who are paying huge sums of money for this education.  I needed to seem confident while I was still nervous and insecure about the looming first day of school.