After more than six hours of perilous switchbacks and countless near-misses with overburdened Indian Tata trucks we've arrived at the trekking gateway of Pokhara, a thriving and laidback city on the shores of Phewa Lake.

It's a chance to slow down after the bustle of Kathmandu and take advantage of the town's fast internet connection to write something more substantial than an SMS message.

It's just a brief stopover though; First thing tomorrow we leave the city and hit the trail, heading for Birethanti.



During yesterday's tour of Kathmandu I was particularly taken by the phenomenon of Kumari Devi -- the Living Goddess.

The Goddess is chosen after a series of elaborate rituals designed to find a young girl displaying the necessary attributes of physical and spiritual perfection.

As a child, the Kumari is worshipped by King and commoner alike. She appears in public just 13 times a year and her feet are not permitted to touch the ground. However, the Kumari's days as an object of veneration come to an end when she begins her periods -- at which point she becomes an ordinary mortal again and the search for the next Living Goddess begins.

While I was visiting the Kumari's temple, the Kumari Ghar, a pilgrim shouted up at her window, imploring her to make an appearance. One of her handmaidens replied that she couldn't come out because she was in the middle of her lunch.

Being a Living Goddess is obviously hungry work.