We set out to walk around Phewa Lake and head in the direction of the World Peace Pagoda. We were told it's anywhere between 10 and 15 km from town to the pagoda itself, so we figured that it was really more like 25 km. That meant we'd have plenty of time to see the countryside.

We started out counter-clockwise stroll (because that is the direction you're supposed to go, don't you know), and came to a tall suspension bridge not far from the southern reaches of the lake. Below the bridge, lining the river, were residents of Pokhara doing their laundry. It seemed like quite the communal event - ladies were chatting, kids were playing, men were lounging. We got in on the fun the best we could, considering we didn't have any dirty laundry with us, and I wasn't willing to take off my underwear at this point. It was quite an intimate experience, spending time with folks washing their undies, but it didn't seem to bother anyone. In fact, it seemed like our new friends were sad to see us go when we finally set off to complete our journey. I wasn't that sad - the best thing about bridges is that once you cross one, you have to cross it again to come back home.