De compras en Pokhara, 09/11/2012

Tomé mi té matutino en el tejado del Kailash, mirando al pico de 'cola de pez' y pensando en las tareas a que me enfrentaba. Lancé la bolsa de la cámara al hombro y emprendí el camino al mesón de Vrim a desayunar. Aparte de desayunar y hecharle un ojo al periódico, tenía otra razón para querer ver a Vrim. Cuando llegó su mujer con mi plato, la pregunté por él; con señales, enseñándome siete dedos y apuntando a mi reloj, me dió a entender que su marido había salido de Pokhara por unos asuntos y que no estaría de vuelta hasta las siete de la tarde. Decidí que después de haber invertido el dia comprando mercancía, pasaría a cenar por el chiringuito y asi mataría dos pajaros de un tiro. Tenía una corazonada,  que mi amigo Vrim podría, tal vez, ayudarme en la busqueda de cierto producto. Era miércoles y antes de salir le pedí a Ram que me sacase un billete para el viaje a Kathmandu, el viernes por la mañana temprano. Eso me dejaba el dia de hoy para comprar y mañana lo pasaría embalando la mercancía para su posterior viaje y envío desde la india, la semana siguiente. Como no iba con grandes prisas, tomé el paseo a la parada de taxis con tranquilidad, parando a tomar un zumo de mango, antes de emprender el viaje al mercado tibetano, en el poblado de Devis Falls, a unos 3km del centro de la ciudad. El viaje a Devis Falls en táxi, salió en 1 euro y me dejó en el centro de un poblado, que tenía su mercado ubicado a cada lado de una carretera polvorienta. Antes de lanzarme a lo que prometía ser unas horas, tediosas y largas, de regateo duro, decidí animarme con una botella de cerveza y una tapita de samosas con dahl. Alimentado y fortalecido me puse a la tarea. Dí una vuelta por el laberinto de puestos, haciendo un reconocimiento previo y oidos sordos a los dueños, que intentaban hacerme parar. Se lo que queria y en que órden; primero me dirigí a un puesto que tenía expuestos unos khukris y un buen surtido de joyeria de piedras semi preciosas. Después de tomar los inevitables chais, conversación irrelevante y una seria sesión de regateo, salí de ahi con 10 khukris y un surtido de collares con pendientes a juego de rubí, jade y ojo de tigre. La próxima parada fue igual que la última, aunque a estas alturas mi habilidad de regateo se vio gravemente debilitada, gracias a una vejiga a punto de reventar a causa de los innumerables chais. Al final salí bastante contento con un montón de carteras de mujer, hechas de seda y unos tubos de bronce fino, encrastado con piedras para guardar palillos de incienso por un precio razonable, sin mucho regateo. En cuanto vi ambas cosas, mi sexto sentido me dijo que serían populares, como los khukris. No estaba equivocado, sabía que me iban a  aportar una buena ganancia de vuelta en España. Mi próxima y última parada, eran las lanas. Me acerqué al dueño del puesto, que estaba frotandose las manos (en serio) y le expliqué más o menos lo que quería y lo que estaba dispuesto a pagar. Me hizo un gesto con la cabeza para que le siguiese. Me llevo a una enorme habitación trasera, apilada casi hasta el techo con sacos de cañamo repletos de varias prendas calcetadas con lana de yak. Pase una hora moviéndome entre montoncitos suaves de calcetines y zapatillas, gorras, guantes de todos los colores y chales, hechos de la suave lana de pecho de yak. Después de una masiva compra,salí contento ya que me habia quedado dentro de mi presupuesto; tan dentro, que pude comprar unas mochilas playeras de cañamo preciosas. Tambien a mi vuelta, resultarían ser muy populares. Eran las cuatro de la tarde y aún quedaban unas dos horas de luz,  así que me senté a tomar un zumo y un  pedazo de barfi pegajoso antes de emprender el viaje de vuelta al hotel. Pasé unas dos horas con mi colega Pawan, envolviendo los artículos recién comprados con periódico. A continuación me dí una ducha templada que me  supo a gloria y me encaminé a Vrim's, cenar e intentar charlar un rato con él. Al llegar, ya estaba esperándome la silla de mi mesa favorita. Me saludó efusivamente, como siempre y antes de nada me fué a por una cerveza. Cuando volvió con la botella de Gorkha le invité a sentarse a charlar. Me acerque a su cara y le pregunté en voz baja si me podía conseguir una pequeña cantidad de yarchagumba. Le dije que sabía que era una modalidad escasa y cara, pero que sólo precisaba una o dos piezas. Acarició su barbilla de modo pensativo, frunció el ceño un par de veces, como si se le hubiese puesto enfrente un reto herculiano y por fin asintió lentamente. Entre tanto había llegado su mujer con mis momos de bufalo y Vrim se disculpó, diciéndome que iba a hablar con un amigo y estaría de vuelta en veinte minutos. Fiel a su palabra, estaba revolviendo mi café cuando volvió Vrim. Me dijo que había hablado con un anciano que entendía de éstas cosas, explicó que se marchaba a su aldea mañana y que estaría de vuelta el lunes. Yo le dije a Vrim que mañana yo me marchaba a Kathmandú y no volvería hasta el martes, así que no había tanta urgencia, sobre todo porque  no volvía a la india hasta la próxima semana. Entonces me dijo, que a mi regreso a Kathmandú tendría algo de yarchagumba esperándome y que el precio sería unas 250 rupias cada pieza. Le dí las gracias y volví al hotel, donde le pedí a Pawan si me podría traer el té a las 05,30, ya que el bus a la capital salía a las 06,00. Después de haber echado un ojo a las noticias de la BBC,  me quede dormido sobre las 22,30. Estaría en pie a las cinco de la mañana y me esperaba un viaje largo y lento el día siguiente. A todo esto, si quereis saber lo que es la yarchgumba, tendreis que esperar a mi regreso de Kathmandu. 

Shopping in Pokhara, 09/11/2012

I had taken my morning tea on the roof top of the Kailash and had decided my days' activities whilst gazing at the Fishtail peak; brightly illuminated on its eastern side, by the clear morning sun. In my room I had got together my camera bag, cash with calculator and headed off to have breakfast at Vrim's. Apart from my usual breakfast and browse at the newspaper, I had another reason for wanting to talk to him. When his wife had bought me my plate, I inquired as to his whereabouts and if I could speak to him. Although her english consisted mainly of wordless smiles and nods, I managed to ascertain that Vrim had left to perform a task away from Pokhara and would be back for the evening. All this with sign language, pointing at my watch and holding seven of her fingers up. I decided that after investing the day in the buying of merchandise at the tibetan market, I would take my supper at Vrims and over a beer pick his brain, because I had a strong hunch that he would be able to help me in my quest for a certain item. It was wednesday and I had asked Ram, back at the hotel, if he could get me a seat on the early morning bus to Kathmandu for friday. This meant that I had today to buy and tomorrow to pack the items securely for future, onward travel; I would leave the goods in Ram's care until I returned the following week from the capital. As I was in no particular hurry, I ambled on a short way towards the bus station where I could catch a taxi towards Devis Falls, where the market is located about 3km on the fringes of the city. The trip to Devis Falls cost about a euro and appeared to be a totally seperate community from the rest of Pokhara, but here was the market I had been dying to investigate, located each side of the main road. Before plunging headlong into what was going to be a long and tedious session of haggling I decided to gather my strength and take in my surroundings. To this end I plonked myself at a roadside table and watched the comings and goings, whilst feasting on a plate of dahl and samosas, accompanied by a bottle of Gorkha beer. I braced myself and headed into the labyrinth which was the Devis Falls market and walked around the stalls doing a quick reconaissance of the various wares and showing deaf ears to the pleas of the stall owners to stop at their stalls. I knew what I wanted and in what order; first I headed for a stall which had an assortment of  khukris, as well as some interesting bijouterie. After a couple of inevitable chais, general cordial chit chat and some serious haggling; I came away with ten khukris and an assortment of matching ruby, jade and eye of tiger necklaces and earrings. The next stop was much the same as the last. Going through the inevitable rigmarole and coming away with a quantity of silk lined ladies purses at a very reasonable price without too much serious haggling, along with some tibetan metal crafted incense holders, encrusted with pretty, semiprecious stones, which I was sure would apport me a tidy, little profit. I had a last stop. The woollies. I approached the vendor and told him vaguely what I was after and more or less what I expected to pay. He led me to a large room behind his shop, which was piled with hessian sacks packed full of various items of yak wool wear. I spent a whole hour diving into soft bundles of multi coloured socks, slippers, caps and shawls. I left an hour later very pleased with myself as I had stayed so much within my budget that I was able to buy some beautiful. lightweight ladies beach satchels made of hemp sporting the Om symbol; which on my return turned out to be very popular. It was four in the afternoon. I still had about two hours of daylight left and I thought, in light of the successful shopping expedition, that I deserved to stop for a couple of chais and some sticky barfi, before making my way back to the Mount Kailash and packing the goods for transport. The next couple of hours where spent wrapping the goods in newspaper with the help of my chum Pawan. At around six pm, after a deliciously, tepid shower(temperatures those days where always in the top 20 degrees C), I grabbed the Nikon and wandered down to Vrim's to dine some buffalo momos and have a word in his shell-like. Sure enough there was Vrim with his ever present, beaming grin and took my order. When he had brought me a bottle of Gorkha beer I invited him to sit at "my" table for a chat. I asked him softly if he could get hold of some yarchagumba for me. I told him that I knew that it was expensive and much sought after, but that I did not require a large amount, perhaps two or three pieces. He stroked his chin in true Holmesian fashion and frowned a few times, as though he had just been presented with a herculean challenge. My momos arrived and I waded into them with gusto, famished as I was after my days toil and Vrim told me he was going to see someone and would be back in twenty minutes. True to his word, he arrived as I was stirring my coffee, stuffed after my momos and told me that he had gone to see a friend who could help me, but not for a few days. I told Vrim that this was not a problem as I was leaving tomorrow to spend the weekend in Kathmandu and would not be returning to Pokhara until tuesday and would not be leaving for India until the following monday. In that case, he said with a nonchalant flourish of his hand, that there would be some yarchagumba for me on my return from Kathmandu. How much it would be was around the 250 rupee mark, but that he was not sure how much his friend would be able to obtain. I thanked him profusely and said I would visit him upon my return from the country' capital. I srolled back to the hotel and asked Pawan if he could bring me my bed tea at 05,30 as my bus to Kathmandu was to leave at 06,00. I had a quick look at the world service and was asleep by ten, thirty. By the way, if you want to know all about yarchagumba, you'll have to wait until I get back from Kathmandu.                        3 views of Devis Falls  / Tres vistas de Devils Falls

First  buying point / Primer punto de compra

Nepalese Kukhri knives / Cuchillos Kukhris de Nepal

Woman making matching earrings for the necklaces for me / Mujer fabricando pendientes y collares a juego para mi

Necklaces-earrings of ruby, jade and eye of tiger  / Collares y pendientes de rubí, jade y ojo de tigre

The work shop / El taller 

Shopping by night / De compras por la noche

Silks and cloths / Sedas y telas

Hemp made items / Objetos hechos de cáñamo

Friend Om having supper at Kailash / Amigo Om cenado en Kailash