From Birethanti we took a bus back to Pokhara. One of the things that I saw the locals do was ride on top of the bus, so a few of us tourists decided to ride down to the city on top of the bus. The day was beautiful and we had a blast up there with our porters. We sang Nepalese songs (we tried) and acted like adolescents as we avoided tree branches and the occasional electric cables.

In Pokhara, JailGirl and I decided to go paragliding. It had been JG's idea and I had promptly accepted. We paid for our trip, ate lunch, and off we went. The drive up the hill was the scariest part of the ordeal (see 1st picture below). Much of the road had been washed off by landslides and it was hard to tell where the old dirt road had been.

We suited up and off we went. The take-off was very smooth and I promptly felt sick to my stomach. I really needed an ear patch or some Dramamine but I was fresh out and I did not want to shorten the experience so I stuck it out. Riding the thermals was a wonderful feeling (in the pit of my stomach) and I managed to take a few pictures.

The landing was also pretty smooth and before we knew it we were back in Pokhara, a beautiful town without the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu.

Next stop: the Everest Region...or so we thought.