WISH YOU WERE HERE

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to jump into a postcard and walk about then head to Pokhara, possibly one of the most picturesque settings in the world. Set around Phewa Tal lake, it is surrounded by hills covered in lush vegetation with a backdrop of snowcapped Himalayan mountains all set off with azure skies sprinkled with paragliders and eagles.



The city of Pokhara itself sprawls for miles across the valley and though it is not the most eye-pleasing of cities in parts it certainly knows tourism. The area beside the lake, called Lakeside(!),is the tourist zone of the city containing souvenir shops, cafes, bars and lots more, a bit like Thamel in Kathmandu but a little more subtle. Many of these establishments have gardens rolling down on to the lake, you couldn't ask for a finer setting to tuck into some steamed mo-mos and a Gorkha beer.



The real pull of Pokhara however is what is on offer in it's surroundings. From two week treks through the magnificent Annapurna mountain range to relaxing canoe rides on the tranquil waters of Phewa Tal. Not ones for pushing ourselves to the point of much discomfort we opted for some of the less strenuous one day outings. A postcard boat ride across the postcard lake brought us to the beginning off an uphill track leading to Pokhara's World Peace Pagoda, a Buddhist Stupa with postcard views. An alternative return route brought us through some tiny, pretty hill-side villages eventually leading back to Lakeside and concluding day one's exertion.





Some high tech European imported mountain bikes opened day two's proceedings. Armed with nothing but our wits and our bicycle pumps we set off on our uphill (oh so uphill!) ride to Sarangkot, envisioning ourselves doing wheelies all the way across rocky mountain terrain. We dropped the bikes at a nice Nepali family's house after about half an hour, deciding that our high tech European imported legs would prefer to climb the rest of the way on foot. Following a few hours of quite steep climbing we finally reached the top, getting a little embarrassed along the way as we passed by old ladies carrying baskets of rocks on their heads on the same journey. We were rewarded with spectacular views of the majestic Annapurnas and valleys of rich farm land dotted with terracotta-coloured thatched cottages, it even looked down on the paragliders! A little wobbly-legged on the descent, we returned to our high tech European imported mountain bikes and free wheeled all the way back to Lakeside.





A hike on day three, brought half of us along a quiet mountain track at five in the morning (the other half opting to stay in bed) allowing us to spy on village after village waking up to start their day. Still mostly in darkness, whole communities were already rising, brushing their teeth at the water pumps, tending to animals, and starting off on their long walks to school, all neat and tidy and in uniform. As dawn gradually broke the sun shone pink, then orange on the distant snowy peaks. Tiered rice fields were sharpened to perfection by the crisp morning air. A welcome breakfast was gobbled down in the front yard of a small family home with fantastic panoramic views which I guess they're just used to. An old man residing there was more than happy to pose for a quick photo. We soldiered on for much of the day feasting our eyes on landscape that no words could possibly do justice to. What a beautiful country!





A little drained from all the activity we set off on a pub crawl at Lakeside and stumbled across a tiny Nepali bar, quite a rarity in these touristy parts. Inside a Nepali band performed and pulled us all in, mesmerising!. We were even persuaded to have a little dance. It was a real treat to participate in something non-touristy and the locals inside seemed to get a great kick out of us being there, maybe it was the high kicks a la Michael Flatley that got them!