Lazing around in Pokhara, Nepal - July 2015

For a long weekend getaway near Kathmandu, friends and colleagues suggested that Pokhara is THE place to go. So, with my parents visiting Nepal for just 5 days, I decided to take them to Pokhara, located 200 kms to the west of Kathmandu. It’s an approximately 7 hour drive by road with many tourist buses available. Being short on time and road conditions being subject to unpredictable weather, we decided to take the short 25 minute flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara that cost approximately 7000/- in local currency for SAARC residents for the round trip. Apparently, it costs more than double for non-SAARC residents! The domestic airport in Kathmandu is tiny. The one in Pokhara is even tinier! The exit where the baggage claim was located is a single room with chairs and a small counter to collect your luggage. We took Yeti Airlines from Kathmandu to Pokhara. It was a tiny plane - Jetstream 41 - with a two-one seating arrangement. We had turbulence for a very short while but it was a scary moment to be flipping in a tiny plane! The return flight was of Buddha Air. It was slightly bigger with a two-two seating arrangement and no flips due to turbulence.  

There are quite a lot of places to explore in Pokhara. It is most well known for Phewa lake and the spectacular views of the Annapurna range of the Himalaya.  This being the monsoons, the weather was mostly cloudy but we managed to get quite a few glimpses of the mountains.

 

Lakeside: The Lakeside is where most of the hotels are located and is also lined with tourist shops selling an assortment of locally produced goods including yak wool blankets, pashminas, knitted gloves, hats and a wide range of souvenirs.

Phewa lake and Barahi temple: One of the main attractions of Pokhara. The hotels and shops run all along the lake on one side. On the other side is a huge hill atop which sits the World Peace Pagoda. We took an hour long boat ride around sunset on the lake. Since this is the off season, there were very few tourists and we got to enjoy a serene boat ride. The lake was muddy owing to the heavy rains bringing in mud from the hillside and was also infested with Hyacinth. The boat guy informed us that the community often rallies together and organizes hyacinth removal days. Recently they had pulled out quite a few tonnes of hyacinth.   

View of the lake

Hyacinth in the lake

Colorful boats at the lake

We even got a glimpse of Machhapuchhre (Fishtail) peak from the lake!

To the right side is a small peak way at the back... that's Machhapuchhre

Sarangkot provides views of Annapurna range and Machhapuchhre (Fishtail). Early morning at day break we left for Sarangkot located on the eastern side away from Lakeside, Pokhara. From that vanatage point, on clear days you can view the entire Annapurna range. Unfortunately, the day we visited it was not a clear day. We did manage a few glimpses of Annapurna and Machhapuchhre. And got some good chiya (the local Nepali word for tea).

Views of the Annapurna range

Bindhyabasini temple: While descending the mountain we stopped by at Bindhyabasini temple. There’s a steep staircase to climb. And there are a whole lot of worshippers up there!

I managed to snag pictures of a few deserted spots though :P

International Mountain Museum: Later after lunch, we went to the International Mountain Museum. This is a storehouse of knowledge when it comes to mountains. Very fascinating!

  

They have a yeti there!

We also went to Devi’s/Davis Fall where a woman with the last name Davis fell into the Falls… I have no clue why that story makes it a tourist attraction. The Falls disappear into the rocks. On the other side are the Gupteshwor Mahadev caves. I bought tickets to go see the caves but then got too scared to actually venture in… It was really claustrophobic in there!

The Falls

The staircase leading down to the caves...

Early morning the next day while waiting for the car at the hotel, we could glimpse the mountains from the valley itself. The clouds had cleared for a few minutes! I raced up to the terrace to get a good view!

Shanti Stupa/World Peace Pagoda: Then we drove to the World Peace Pagoda on the opposite bank of Phewa lake. The car only takes you up to a certain point up the hill and then you need to walk a long flight of stairs. The road was really bad with a lot of potholes that had become worse with the monsoons. Although we were in a 4WD (Mahindra Scorpio) I was amazed to see smaller cars making the journey up. After the 15-20 minute climb up the stairs, you reach a wide open space filled with flowers. It’s beautifully maintained and has quite a few butterflies! I think this was probably the first time I saw so many different varieties of butterflies in the region. 

The Pagoda lies at the top of another steep flight of stairs and you need to take off your footwear. The ground can get really warm at this time of the year but it was manageable. 

You also get some beautiful mountain and lake views from here.

It was sooo hot that even the dogs needed shady patches!

Begnas Tal: After lunch, we drove to another lake located to the far east of Pokhara. It’s much smaller. But the lake view is beautiful!

And that day the local residents were clearing out hyacinth from the lake. There was so much hyacinth!

It was scorching hot and humid that day so we headed back soon. But not before my Dad feasted on some locally caught fish!

Old Pokhara bazaar: On our way back we went to the main city area. If you have spent time only in Lakeside in Pokhara, then this a must see. This is the heart of the city and it is like any other crowded city in the region :P

Lakeside shopping: Before you go, do not forget to shop to your heart’s content. This being the off season, there weren’t a lot of shoppers. Even the shop keepers were disinterested!  

I don’t think I am a big fan of tourist towns. These places are geared for tourists. Day in and day out the locals encounter wide-eyed city-folks going crazy around them. I wonder if the locals have the means to visit/holiday in tourist places themselves. I felt self-conscious as a tourist. And a part of me felt sad being there… 

Hiking to Namo Buddha, Nepal - July 2015

This Sunday, the plan was to do the 16 kilometers round trip to Namo Buddha starting from Panauti. This is the same direction as Dhulikhel to the east but a bit more southwards. 

We started out around 8.30 am from the old bus park in Kathmandu and commandeered all the seats at the back (which was a good thing as I was not looking forward to old men pretending to fall asleep on my shoulder). But before we even got to the bus station, we managed to get a flat tire with the taxi that we caught from home. That was an amusing experience. The taxi driver just hops out and starts changing the tire without even saying a word. And I was still in the car! Apparently, I don’t weigh enough to need to get out of a car to change the tire :-/ 

The bus ride that cost NPRs 60/- was long and dusty but with beautiful views. And this time, owing to the lack of clouds, I managed to get a full view of the Shiva statue!

Still not clear but the statue is right in the center!

From Banepa, the route turns southwards rather than going straight east toward Dhulikhel. The bus stop has some interesting shops.

Finally at around 10, we reached Panauti and had breakfast (the second one for the day!) at this little place. But beware! the place has really bad toilets! 

With that began our hike from Panauti to Namo Buddha located at an elevation of 1750 meters (approx. 5741 feet). We gained about a 1000 feet during our 8 kms ascent, since Panauti is at around 1450 meters (approx. 4741 feet). The initial walk was along a tar road until we reached the settlement at the foothill of Namo Buddha. With the sun scorching down on us and not a sliver of clouds in sight, we were sweating buckets within a few meters of starting from Panauti. The green paddy fields and the towering trees helped cool the way a bit ...

After about 3-4 kms, we finally reached the settlement from where the actual  ascent was to begin. With Namo Buddha so far away, a speck in the distance, I was not sure how we were ever going to make it. We also lost our way once and had to retract our steps. Just FYI, there’s a spot where we need to turn left in order to go toward Namo Budhha.

This is a useful landmark to know where to turn. Hopefully, it won’t be taken down anytime soon.

Another landmark is this huge tree out here but then there are quite a lot of trees out there :P

After this we passed through this really narrow, slippery, tree covered patch that brought some welcome respite from the heat. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture :(

After that it was a steady upward climb for about the rest of the 5 kms. But it was a wide kaccha road that seemed motorable. On our way back we saw this man on a motorbike with three young kids hanging on to him. Didn’t manage to click a picture again! Up and up we went, chugging water along the way. By the last leg, most of us were probably pulling on the last bits of energy. And then we encountered some almost vertical stairways! 

But on the other end lay our destination! First was this stupa. 

Belatedly, I realized that this was not the top. There was another steep stairway to go until we reached the monastery! There are quite a few sights to take in at the top.

The view from top. We came from way down there!

The monastery (inside)

The monastery (from the other side)

The tiger’s den 

The story goes that Buddha gave his body to a hungry tigress who had just given birth to cubs and was, in turn, reborn. Here’s the full story… This is what makes this place one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. 

We even got to attend a prayer meeting at the monastery. The music was beautiful. Religious chants have a way of hypnotizing you… The monks were lined up in some sort of a hierarchy with the older ones in front, followed by younger and teenage monks and then the little ones… I felt too sad watching those monks preserving a culture whose very existence is being threatened…

We were then served mango juice! Actually the whole place around the main Buddha statue was filled with juice boxes and food which I think was served after being worshipped (or something…)

Post our mandatory spiritual experience (we were at a holy site after all and we had hiked 8 kms to get here!), we went in search of much needed replenishment.

After gulping down one plate of wai wai noodles and eggs (3/4th for me) and another plate of wai wai sandeko (dry noodles mixed with spices), we set out for our return journey. The sun was still shining bright but it was past 3 pm and we needed to catch a bus back from Panauti. So, we rushed back. The clouds started to gather and it seemed that we might get some rain on our way down. But the rain gods were not going to grace us with their presence that day. Just as well… because a rain drenched hike would have been extremely difficult in this terrain. The locals do the hike to Namo Buddha in slippers and thin soled shoes!

Once we reached the settlement, we managed to hitch a ride on a school bus headed toward Panauti. It was probably illegal and the driver charged us NPRs 25/- each. But it saved us another 3 kms and probably an hour of walking. The sun was now on its way to set and the light was soft and beautiful, giving breathtaking views once again. 

At Panauti, we managed to catch a bus back to Dhulikhel, again commandeering the last seats. And finally made it back to Kathmandu around 7 pm. I also rode in my first mini-bus watching the conductor hanging out of the door almost all the way.

All in all, we had hiked about 13-14 kms … but the journey, the view from the top, the monks and their prayers made it worth it…  

Bouddhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal - June 2015

Bouddhanath Stupa is a Buddhist Stupa (a hemispherical structure containing relics, mostly Buddhist relics), one of the largest in the world. I didn’t get to see the real deal as you can see from the picture below - it was surrounded by wooden scaffolding following the Gorkha earthquake, mainly to protect it from collapsing I guess.

But it's steeped in history, right? And on the bright side - I'm told it's overflowing with tourists otherwise! Our leisurely walk would have been impossible in a hundred years. It was dirty as usual though. It's a UNESCO heritage sight! … As our most of the tourist sites here. Entry was free and then a friend suggested we go to one of the rooftop restaurants to get a better view. we did  in fact get a better view but at the cost of NPRs 250 for a drink! again on the bright side - it was a mint lemonade drink and it was refreshing and rehydrating on a heatstroke inducing scorchingly sunny afternoon :)

And in case you need underwear, it's sold right opposite the Stupa!

To remind myself of what I missed, I made a sketch of the Stupa without the scaffolding :)

Hiking in Dhulikhel, Nepal - July 2015

So there I was at home thinking I’d be spending a relaxing weekend at home on the 4th of July weekend and reminiscing about the long weekend getaways in recent years. I was pleasantly surprised when I learnt about a short hike in Dhulikhel that a group of friends/colleagues at ICIMOD, the organization where I’m interning in Kathmandu, had planned.

With that began my first hike in Nepal!

We caught a bus early morning to Dhulikhel, a tourist town east of Kathmandu - two hours by the local bus. When we hopped on the bus at the old bus park in Kathmandu, it was empty but as we moved along it got way overcrowded and the conductor kept cramming more people in. Overcrowded buses in mountainous terrains … a recipe for disaster! A report on a recent accident… a harsh reminder of the value of human life in these regions.

It was about a 2 hour bus journey with some beautiful views of the surrounding hills and even a glimpse of the world’s tallest statue of Shiva - Kailashnath Mahadev Statue - located at the border of Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchowk, about 20 kilometers from Kathmandu. Given the mist surrounding the region, initially what I witnessed was a giant head floating in the clouds … if that doesn’t make you believe in the powers that be, then nothing ever will! 

A 44 ft tall Lord Shiva is on top of the hill

It is also rice planting season apparently!

Around 10 am, we jumped off the bus to have omelet toast at a local restaurant. The food was great … the restroom not so much. The rare occasions I wish I was a guy - the luxuries of standing and peeing and not needing to sit on a filthy commode. On the brighter side, when we need to take a dump, we are all equal :) [There is good news for those not born with a penis though - check out P EZ]

After a good breakfast, we headed off further west towards a village that I think was called Bhattedanda. A friend had stayed in one of the Homestays here and suggested we first stop by there to pre order our lunch on the way back. That was a good plan because we chanced upon a guide to show us the way! It was pretty hot and humid but overcast with no rain. Hiking in the rain would have been impossible and it seems the weather gods were smiling down on us!

It was a wide path, not too muddy or rocky and with a steady incline which made it quite manageable in spite of me being out of shape. Not much of fauna but a whole lot of flora! I have often missed the greenery of the monsoon in the Indian subcontinent…

We even picked up a canine friend along (who abandoned us half way!)

We took a route that is taken to go to Namo Buddha but we did a much shorter hike.

After about an hour and half into the hike, we finally took a long rest stop at a tea/cold drink shop. And then as the grey clouds began to gather, we quickly started heading back. On our way back we encountered the helipad that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to land for the SAARC summit held last year.

That’s when the rains began. The rest of the hike was downhill and the rains had made the trail really muddy and slippery. But it was easy going. Although it drizzled at first, it slowly built up to a heavy downpour. Thankfully, the downpour began when we were 10 minutes away and managed to escape the worst of the weather. A wholesome lunch later, we walked back to the Dhulikhel bus stop to catch another overcrowded bus to Kathmandu. The views on the way back were just as beautiful...