Trekking in the hills above Pokhara today was easily one of the best experiences scenery-wise so far. Although I was not feeling my best, I was glad that I was able to puch through and make it to the top; the view was absolutely breath-taking.

It was fascinating to walk throught the mountain villages, observe daily life, and speak with some of the villagers about life, occupation, and education. We were crowded in the street by groups of children asking our names and where we were from. Others called down “hello’s” and “namaste’s” from homes higher up on the hill. Nearly all the children asked for chocolate, pens, and money. We were asked by our guides from the 3 Sister’s Trekking Co. to not give out these things; the children are very used to trekkers from all over passing through daily and so they have come to expect that they will get money or gifts from foreigners.

The 3 Sister’s is an amazing organization working for the empowerment of women in Nepal; they acted as our guides for the trek and we also stayed in their guest house in Pokhara, learning a lot about their work. They train young women to be trekking guides, as well as ice and rock climbers. They also offer a midwifery scholarship, which is a much needed skill in Nepal. The goal is to create financially independence and stability

of women.

Once we all got our fill of the view from the top- the snowy Himalayas above and the city of Pokhara below- we began our descent, climbing down seeminly never-ending steep, jagged stone steps. One of out guides pointed out the presence of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags hanging outside of many homes; not only are they used for prayer, but they are also hung when a family member is far away to bring sucess and well-being.