Today I am meeting Tariq bright and early (at 7 o'clock). We are going to the Begnas Lake, which is 17 kilometers away, with his scooter. It's quite a journey considering the roads here. As the original version of Phewa, Begnas is supposed to be very calm and romantic, nestled in the mountain landscape and without tourists. The early hour is because Tariq usually opens his handicraft shop at 10 o'clock and I don't want to steal too much of his business time if he's so kind to show me around. Tariq is a native Kashmiri who immigrated to Nepal from his parents' house and India as a young man to work and financially support his parents. It was a difficult journey because even though the Nepalis are so friendly, he doesn't feel completely at home, as he later tells me. What I also learn later is that because of the petrol shortage, the poor guy had already waited for an hour at the gas station at 6 o'clock in the morning hoping to get a little bit of fuel. I feel guilty!
The lake appears a bit mystical in the morning fog. Too bad, once again I can't see the wonderful view of the Annapurna and its reflections on the water surface. I guess I'm not lucky with the weather. But that doesn't matter. The excursion is great anyway. We park his scooter and walk along a narrow path by the lake. Around the corner is a tiny settlement and the lake stretches further than I expected. We settle down at the first of two restaurants with rooftop and order breakfast. Of course, I pay. Tariq recommends Thukpa and since I have never had this noodles and vegetable soup before, I'm immediately interested. While we wait for the food as usual, which takes Nepali five minutes, in other words, a short eternity, we chat about everything under the sun and enjoy the view.Thukpa turns out to be a hit and the Masala Milk Tea is delicious as always. I just love it!Another stop at the restroom, which apparently also serves as the family bathroom. Oh my!We casually walk back along another narrow path. Want to see another camping spot? Then we return to Pokhara. Finally, we arrive and make a small stop at the supermarket to buy some things. Then we continue to Tariq's home for cooking together. He has 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a sparkling clean bathroom. I chop the tomatoes and onions while Tariq starts cooking rice in the rice cooker and fries the chicken in a pot. So we cook together until everything is ready for the Dalbhat. I think it's great to cook with a local. Cheers to Couchsurfing! We eat in the living room on a tablecloth on the floor, which may have something to do with Tariq being a Muslim. Yummy! Very tasty. After that, Tariq goes to the bus station to pick up his new merchandise. Much later than planned, he opens his shop and I use the time to go souvenir hunting. I am particularly drawn to a store where small and large bags and scarves are offered as part of a Helping Hands initiative to support women with disabilities. The items are all so beautiful and there is a small label inside with the name of the woman who made it. I have to resist buying up the whole store. Firstly, I can't transport all the stuff and secondly, the items are quite expensive by Nepali standards. Tariq closes the shop around 9 o'clock. Yes, here the sidewalks are rolled up early. Then we go back to his place to finish the Dalbhat. I treat us to a matching red wine. And then we watch "Eat, Pray, Love" on Netflix on my iPad. I wouldn't have necessarily chosen it myself, but somehow it fits since we both know India and I also want to go to Bali. Tariq offers me to stay at his place. That's nice, but I definitely don't want to. Instead, he walks me back to the guesthouse, even though I find it unnecessary. Feeling very content and slightly buzzed, I fall asleep as soon as I get into bed.
