Pokhara I Hardly Know Ya

Driving from Kathmandu to Pokhara we saw amazing mountain vistas and were assured they would only be more spectacular as we went along but we have been rained or clouded out at all the places where we should have been able to see the huge snow capped peaks. Mt. Fishtail looms right over Pokhara but we weren’t able to see it. We saw a couple of peaks for maybe 3 minutes from our mountain top in Dhampus this morning but nothing since. Even in Darjeeling we only saw Mt. Kangchenjunga the day we arrived. It’s off season for the good mountain viewing but the locals are surprised we aren’t seeing anything. At the Australian base camp there were loads of loungers arranged to stare off into cloudy nothingness where a mountain normally is on display. At least walking through the clouds was a nifty experience.

Pokhara is a big backpacker spot for both Indian and foreigner tourists. The main drag is a lot of trekking shops, pashmina and book shops, bars and restaurants. These guys really want to sell you things, but at least they aren’t pushy. 

Old town Pokhara is fascinating with its old houses and shops made of mud with bricks or rocks with elaborate woodwork. Shops were in recessed wooden nooks at group level and ventilation consisted of small holes through the brick or stones. They were quite lovely. We got to meet two older Nepali men in their cute hats who were buying their morning vegetables at the shop and wanted to chat. They wanted us to know that they were best friends and that friends are important. Then they walked away arm in arm with their shopping bags. Their adorableness level was way off the charts.

There’s a lovely big lake here surrounded by the mountains. We got paddled in a canoe across the lake to a hiking path up to the Japanese monk-built Peace Pagoda, had some lunch and checked out Devi Falls which was named after a Mrs. Davis who drowned. Somehow they got her named wrong and turned it into a religious spot. The evening was spent having a pub crawl. No crawling actually occurred but I did down a number of Sherpa craft beers in the company of 2 Sherpas.