Pokhara: The Peace Pagoda

Hiking views

Phewa Tal from the South West

We were awake early this morning with our bodies not having realised that we no longer needed to run on hardworking Gaunshahar time. We went down to where our laundry had been done and grabbed my hiking pants (almost dry) so I wouldn't have to wear jeans on today's hike.

Once changed we set off on our walk grabbing some pastries from the German Bakery on our way. We were walking South West having been told that there was a bridge that would take us across the lake to where we could climb our way to the Peace Pagoda which sits high on the hill behind Phewa Tal.

We walked, walked and walked some more until finally we found a decrepit wooden swing bridge with half of its wooden boards hanging loose...the first of many that I'm sure we'll cross in the coming weeks. We gingerly waddled across. A local lady carrying a huge basket with a strap around her forehead led us down the supposed correct path and, when we separated ways, directed us onto a winding path into the wilderness which would apparently lead us to the stupa. Another Western couple followed and together we followed this tiny path that was not on our map. Locals used giant bamboo sticks to cut firewood and carried huge loads through the hills as we progressed through the beautiful, green forest.

Peace Pagoda

After the path splitting a couple of times leaving us having to guess which direction we should go we spotted the Peace Pagoda in the distance. The views were spectacular as we reached the top of the ridge on which the pagoda sat. Thee mountains were reflected on the lake and we could see all of Pokhara thanks to our panoramic viewpoint.

We explored the pagoda for a brief while with its gold Buddhas and gleaming white, smooth surfaces. The Himilayas stood proud in the background as we breathed in the fresh mountain air. For days we have been impressed with Pokhara's clean, green look and the beautiful pagoda grounds were no exception.

Peace Pagoda Grounds

On our way out of the pagoda we stopped to chat with a Tibetan man selling jewellery and other bits and pieces. We listened to his story about relocating to India and then Nepal, feeling as though he could no longer live safely in Tibet. Apparently he runs his business based on the Dalai Lama's teachings...from what we could gather, 'don't rip people off too much' was the basic philosophy. Drawn in by his unique handicrafts I bought a beautiful, be it over the top, necklace before we continued on our walk.

Mt Machapuchare (fishtail)

Some lame trekker

We trekked over to a viewpoint where we could take in stunning vistas of the mountains and the pagoda itself before beginning the hike down to Phewa Tal. It was a steep climb down stone steps to the lake and we fit right in to the trekker scene with our wide brimmed hats, sunglasses, trekking poles and zip-off pants.

Boat ride across the lake

We purchased a ticket for a boat ride that would take us straight back across the water to lakeside and save us backtracking the way we had come. 11km was enough walking for what was meant to be a relaxing final day in Pokhara. The boat ride was peaceful and picturesque and the water was clean and clear. Pokhara was fast becoming one of our favourite places so far and one we were sure we would return to.

On our way home we stopped in to collect the remainder of our laundry. This involved standing around for quite some time while the owners hunted for our missing socks that had disappeared in the wind storm yesterday. Thankfully for them, they did find them eventually and we could head back to our hotel for showers, socks in hand.

By this stage it was lunch time and, looking for a relaxing afternoon, we headed once again back to Godfather's to visit our favourite waiter. Lassis, chicken momos and another wood fired meaty pizza finished off with some beers made for a very enjoyable few hours. We did have a few jobs to do though so we headed home to our power-less hotel room and packed up our belongings, trying hard to organise them in a way that would be most conducive to enjoyable high altitude trekking.

As the power still hadn't come back on by 5:30pm and Chris was sick of losing his things in the depths of the hotel room and having to hunt around for them, we headed out for dinner. Having spotted a rum sauce steak on the menu at Godfather's Chris was keen to return there for our final evening in Pokhara. So, we did.

We ordered up two-for-one vodka oranges and an entrée of delicious meatballs while we caught up on our blog and took in the sights and sounds of super-chilled Pokhara. Every minute we are dumbfounded by the lack of traffic, rubbish and touts. The people are friendly, the food is good and the scenery is perfection. What more could we possible ask for in a destination?

For dinner Chris got his steak covered in rum and cheese sauce while I had a beef burger. The idiots and rude Europeans were out in force tonight. The ones smoking inside were annoying but the ones frustrated by the waiter's inability to understand their thick accent annoyed me more. The French ones. The ones who demand everybody speak French when in France but who, upon leaving their country, demand that everybody communicate with them in English. There is no thought that perhaps instead of being annoyed that the waiter did not understand English they should perhaps consider learning Nepali if they wish to communicate with ease in Nepal.

The rain that had been pouring down as we ate eased in time for us to walk home about 7pm to a hotel room still without power. On the way Chris had a run in with an especially deep puddle which I thought made up for the fact that he'd stepped in a puddle and splashed me earlier on. From our room we could watch the lightning across the lake and listen to the thunder. What is it with storms on our last night in a town? First Gaunshahar, now Pokhara. I wonder if a Timmy drunk on raksi (pronounced rakshi) will soon stumble in.

We finished up our packing and headed to bed ready for an early morning and a big bus ride to Kathmandu tomorrow.