A Pokhara Break

Good-bye Tansen.....hospital is out of view near that white
building on the right.

Jon and I hadn't been 'off the hill' at Tansen since we'd arrived on March 18th.  It was time!  Although we are in the most beautiful setting, we have been curious about what lies around the corner.  And there are LOTS of corners as we found out on our five-hour drive thru the middle hills to Pokhara on Wednesday last.  We also seemed to be going downhill all the way, losing about 1700 ft. in elevation.

 The terraced fields march right up, or down, the hillsides. Raju, our driver, said they were planting rice now before monsoon.  There are two rice plantings a year and one grain.  We also saw corn growing.

Our 'highway' followed the contour of the hills, thus stretching a relatively few kilometers into a lengthy trip.  Sometimes we were high up on the hill.....other times down at river level.  We even crossed the only suspended bridge in Nepal...the Kalingandaki bridge.  Approaching every corner, drivers honk to warn oncoming traffic of their

 presence.  Most of the road was paved and could
handle cars passing.   Little villages hurtled by, or we did! as  villagers went about their daily work.  Below is a water buffalo, the 'buff' we can eat, the milk and yogurt we buy.  The cows are not eaten, but used for work.  Cows are also given free reign....going wherever they please, sacred as they are.

Pokhara finally appeared. Until the 1960's the town was only accessible by foot.  After the Siddhartha Highway was completed in 1968, tourism set in and the city grew.  As the second largest city in Nepal, it has 250,000 inhabitants, and is the most popular tourist destination in Nepal.  Three of the ten highest mountains in the world lie within  thirty miles making it a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit of the Himalayas.


  Thus, the city is aquainted with the creature comforts that trekkers prefer.  We enjoyed steak dinners for $5. apiece, espresso coffee, gelato, etc.   AND, we shopped at the Saleway Grocer on our way out of town, purchasing items, like spices, tomato paste, olives, that we have a hard time finding here always.  Still didn't find any dill pickles for Jon.  HE will have a pickle-fest when he gets home, I guess.

Pokhara lies on the edge of Phewa Tal....a large, but shallow lake nestled in against the foothills of the mts.  Lakeside is where the foreigners stay and hundreds of little hotels, hostels, inns, and the like exist.  Not an inch of ground goes unclaimed. And there are even more eateries, applauding many ethnic menus.  We were keen for the plain, old western fare as we've almost overdosed on rice and potatoes and curry.

Is this our street?

Phewa lake and Lakside area of the city.

After checking into the Barahi Hotel, having lunch in their cafe and trying out their German bakery (ice-cream though), we hit the streets to see what we wanted to plan on doing.  For the adventurous, and younger than we perhaps, there is a slew of adventure activities. We could see the paragliders from our balcony, taking off on the 'foothill' high above us.....maybe a dozen up there at once.  Jon decided it was not for him.  then there is white-water rafting, bungy-jumping, rock-climbing, canyoning, skydiving....none of which appealed to us.  What to do?  Well, the bazaar has loads of shops (my choice) and the lake has lots of canoes (Jon's choice).
We went to bed happy.








Good Morning!!  Jon woke in time to get this gorgeous sunrise.  I woke to see the scant
promise of a mountain on the far horizon.  we've been told this is not the best time of year to see the Himalayas (October is for those of you who plan to come!), but that doesn't keep us from trying.

Doesn't she seem to be a bit flirtatious?  Peeking from the hill..




After a buffet breakfast provided by the Barahi,
we headed for the lake nearby.  Jon had scouted out the options and we chose to hire a rower and go to the southern tip for lunch at the Fishtail Lodge....named after one of  the mountains. Somehow food is on our minds.  Jon had his second steak in two days.

The Canoe landing is a busy place!  Many people are intent on visiting Tal Barahi Island Temple which is only a fair distance by canoe in the middle of the lake.  Some were rowing themselves, even women while others were in groups.   Jon and I managed to find life-jackets that fit, although it didn't seem to matter to most folks.  The lake is a shallow freshwater lake, created by a dam that helps provide hydro power for the valley.   It is an average depth of 28 feet.

Jon leads the way

Aren't their saris beautiful?

A part of the lake is also used as commercial caged fisheries, although I would hesitate to eat a fish from that lake.

The egrets in the trees seemed so large, and we were surprised with the soft-feathered  golden  

neck and head.   Beautiful. If anyone can identify the 'fruit' on these bushes, we'd be grateful.  They seemed ornamental, but large enough to be of some use, surely.

Our return to 'home' was to be a walk along the bazaar.  Well, that ended up being a loooooong walk!  We did enjoy seeing the Tibetan and Nepalese treasures.....galleries of paintings of the Annapurnas.  About halfway there, the thunder started rolling......an onimous sign.  And, sure enough.....a deluge of rain unlike what we'd seen yet here.

The lady whose gallery we were in graciously let us sit and wait on her stools.  She, as well as all the shopkeepers, pulled their wares inside and shut all but one door.  It did not let up for some time, so Jon crept along the wall outside to find a taxi to take us the rest of the way home.....sweet man.  

After Jon's second massage in two days.....and a pedicure for my sandal-worn feet, we were looking forward to the BBQ Buffet Dinner and Ethnic Dance program.  Due to the rain, we ate inside and looked out the window at the stage where the musicians  and dancers were performing.  It was better than nothing, but the BBQ was not what we imagined (wait til we get home for that).  Our favorite part of the day was the serene ride on the lake.  Jon may vote for the massage, but that doesn't count!


We will sign off here and resume with a new day soon.