Nepal 51, Getting to Pokhara

Our flight from the Terai was cancelled due to fog. I think we were both a little relieved in one sense because of the terrible crash a few days ago. However it was also a bit of a blow as we would need a car to get to Pokhara, there is no way Clare would be able to fit on a Nepali bus (with uber long legs), she could barely managed the half hour flight in the little plane that bought us to the Terai. The buses most definitely cater for a smaller people. I found the seats small with little enough leg room when I used them. Clare suggested we ask Dor. He wasn’t able to drive us but, he knew a man who could. The same driver from my trip to Baglung with Durga!

So we started the drive north, Clare as was amazed (as I always am) when the completely flat Terai region suddenly goes up twisting into insanely high hills. To put this into perspective the flat Terai region is at about 100 to 200 meters above sea level. Then within a mile or so the peaks are above 1000 meters. It’s totally mad!

As before the roads were just as terrible but, for Clare it was an experience not to miss. Dad messaged me to say he was tracking us going at approximately 20 miles an hour, I’m glad I didn’t pick that up right away or I would have made Clare get out and start pushing!

We were exhausted when we arrived, in part because of the journey and for me in part due to lack of sleep the night before. It was dark and our poor driver was turning round and going back, which I thought was a terrible idea! Clare gave him some pain killers for his bad back, that was the least we could do.

At the hotel, after a quick meal I practically fell into bed. I must have been very tired because I didn’t hear the Giant Mouse that is Clare, who’s nightly routine (and sometimes daily too) is to rustle and rummage through her bags.

The next day I was rather disappointed because it was hazey. I knew the veiw from the balcony on a clear day was amazing but I kept quiet and we set off on a walk to the Peace Pagoda above Lake Phewa. It’s only four miles but, two of those are a 300 meter steep climb. This was a trial for Clare’s foot and fitness but, we made it. I feel a bit more confident about our impending trek now, although I’m not sure Clare feels the same!

The pagoda is actually a Buddhist Stupa. We walked around it and looked at Pokhara far below. I’m a tad concerned about the habits of the visitors if they need to put this sign up! Theres a sheer drop of some hundred feet the other side!

Here we saw the most amazing little bird The Himalayan Black Lored Tit among others. We sat for a while to watch them.

https://ebird.org/species/blltit1/

While wandering about Clare noticed a very strange tikka on the forehead of some of the Asian visitors, three white horizontal stripes and red dot in the center. Clare asked where it was from and then immediately wanted to go to that Temple, Pumdikot which was perched on a another hill a mile away! There was absolutely no way we could walk there before dark so we negotiated with a taxi. The Driver took us 200 meters up this hair raising track, all mud, rubble and stone and he managed to blag his way right to the top, citing Clare’s poorly foot as an excuse, I think the waking poles made him think we needed assistance, little did he know we’d walked from Pokhara.

Then suddenly we were above the haze and the mountains appeared above us for the first time that day, pale in the evening light.

The temple was spectacular, dedicated to Shiva who sits resplendent and blue, towering over all. A group of lads showed Clare where to get her tikka because the priest had gone for the day. So one of the boys anointed her. Then we had a plethora of photos taken with the boys before we headed back down to the city.

Our day didn’t end there, next……An Evening in Pokhara.