7.24.2014
5.25am: a high
gray ceiling, white drifters slide through and over the city below. Birds are the only ones separating the
silence. The tree that was in front of
rooms four and five was chopped down. It
was for me a barometer of how strong the winds were. The valley and the mountains on the other
side are unchanged.
If I can do the up and down Moti Walk every day, maybe
even twice, I could lose a few kilos. A
perfect cloudy day with patches of large fog sliding in and out. Construction all over the mountain
continues. No rain, good. The community is taking advantage of legal
and patriarchal decisions and cash flow and why not. With a new road at the top, the
Japanese-Nepali dude is building a new road with a curb between his endeavor
and to the village from the west side.
More people, plan and hope, right?
And what is it to me if a new tower shares the visuals from a place that
had a pretty darn clean unobstructed view.
To the locals of course, we understand, to the new tourist, it’s hmmm,
let’s keep walking. Some views will
always be unobstructed. Moti’s Panoramic
View will always be a special panoramic of the lake and the forest between us. The view from the top will as well always be
free from commerce and mankind unless it’s a paraglider.
And when the new international airport in Pokhara
spreads her wings to bigger direct planes…what to do.
A bright fog persists, it’s good to be sitting. The swollen club doesn’t hurt to walk and
there is some slight discoloration, nothing hurts to the touch and the
occasional need to itch the bloated skin isn’t too frequent. The fog darkens as it closes in, a helper
passes the room and through the clouds on her way to room six. It is good to be sitting when she passes by
again. The clouds blow into the room,
winds increase, no paragliding, hawks and vultures sit this out. A stormy fog.
The crazy dog who was chained to a tree now commands
the top of the new guesthouse below. He
put his paws over the side and let’s everyone know he’s not happy about something.
Of course I can only hear him now. And here comes the driver, closing windows
for rooms 1-4 and six. Prevailing gusty
fog and it’s time to put some more clothes on.
Here comes Ram to invite me for tea.
Or…I give him a Werther’s caramel and he skips off. Do you want tea now? A breakfast of an omelette, two pieces of
toast, a cup of milk tea and later pan roasted corn and a cup of lemon tea with
grandfather’s honey and later a cup of coffee at Moti’s and am I hungry. Guests are checking out the rooms, locals,
room four has a huge green Rorschach on the wall, it’s going cheap. Wait they want four rooms and they’re
sounding Spanish. I’m not going to get
up unless I shave.
I think I am hungry now. It’s 1.30, people cheer from above. 700 no breakfast. They want to pay for less, three hundred,
three dollars, wankers. Without
breakfast, with breakfast, cheap bastards, take the loss and let them look
elsewhere. Pay 600 and eat elsewhere,
and let’s look elsewhere with views as good as this even when there is no view,
it’s still prime. And I will stay out of
it.
The seven twenty something Spaniards settled on 700rs a
night plus breakfast and after paying their lunch and dinner bills, separately,
they ordered the largest breakfast on the menu.
Laxman and Maya usually fix these conflicts pretty well, and these
fellas have a guide. Which means one of
the kids is going to say the breakfast included in the room wasn’t clarified
and that doesn’t mean it’s how much you eat that will determine the rate
agreement.
I hope I’m sleeping.
Meanwhile elderly Chinese men take up four and six to call it a full
house. Ram removed as much mold from
wall four.
And a man whose name shall not be mentioned called me
over in the hard rain where he stood next to the steps and here comes the woman
whom I had forgotten, the very one I made a big mistake with and hoped I’d
never see again. Well, she’s more
spooked out with me than I am with her and that’s really too bad she’s uncomfortable
with my mere presence now. I’m only
afraid I’ll make her afraid so to avoid hurting her she is out of my mind. The Spaniards are outside talking but
thankfully they didn’t drink tonight because they’re young and cheap and that
means I hope they’re outta here early.
The day ends with a cold rain and fog. It is expected ya know.
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