The porter

In the early mornings while waiting for the sun to appear people come into the area pushing bikes and carts or carrying doku baskets on their backs loaded with vegetables, milk cans and the stuff of life. This porter had a load of sacks and tarpaulins and gave me the time of day with a great grin. I walked along the lake again, the mist didn't rise off the water today but the sky had some beautiful colour. Away from the tourist areas soldiers passed in lorries and a whole brigade passed me at a fast jog in time so that the whole path seemed to reverberate in time too. News has it that the Maoists have not done well in the elections despite making many people in the villages put their mark in the Maoist slot (some of the hotel boys have heard this from their fathers - mobile phones are making communication here so easy). They did themselves no good by setting off bombs and throwing Molotov cocktails at buses and the tourist industry has suffered - everyone is very angry that elections have been called at such a crucial time in the country's tourist season. On my walk I saw a cockerel crowing - it looked fine when hunkered down but alarmingly, when it elongated its neck to crow it was 8 inches long, naked and red and looked as if it had been plucked - but I'm told it is just a normal 'country chicken'. You can see the chicken and the alternative portrait of the vegetable seller if you click this link http://splashurl.com/kwoqz93