Beautiful Pokhara
A city nestled against the mighty Himalayas
Visit the Evidence Files Facebook and YouTube pages; Like, Follow, Subscribe or Share!
To celebrate the New Year, I took a short trip to Pokhara, Nepal. Situated northwest of Kathmandu at about 90 miles’ (143 km) distance, Pokhara lies just south of the Annapurna Mountain Range. It is Nepal’s second largest city. On board a de Havilland Dash-8, the flight took a mere 20 to 25 minutes. Cruising at about 25,000 feet, the plane flies atop the valleys because the Annapurna Range extends above 26,000. The flight path skirts along that range offering exquisite views of the snow-capped mountains.
Yes, that’s a selfie in front of the Shree Airlines Dash-8. (All photos by me except where noted.)
Stepping onto the apron at the airport, the mountains immediately showed themselves even from the ground, towering as they do all around the city.
View from the apron at Pokhara International Airport
At this time of year, Pokhara hosts a street festival featuring all sorts of sales at the local shops and restaurants, street stands with food, and live music and other performances. Flags crisscross over the road, and signs and banners flutter in the wind.
Pokhara street festival
After enjoying a scrumptious breakfast, I strolled around for some time gazing upon interesting trinkets and the various customary tourist wares (t-shirts with the word Nepal or pictures of mountains on them, among many other items). Lake Phewa forms the boundary of the famous tourist area, aptly called Lakeside, and it is surrounded by lush hills and snowy peaks behind them.
Phewa Lake viewed from a restaurant terrace.
Browsing is tiring work, so I stopped at a lounge for a coffee and snack. My friend directed me to a place named Laker’s (the theme runs deep, apparently!). The place had a beach-bar theme (though it does not abut the lake), sporting a litany of eclectic signs. One of them advised that the toilet was not an internet cafe, scolding users to “shit and split.” I enjoyed the food, took a few moments of rest, then headed back toward the lake. While walking, I learned of a nearby resort owned by one of my own business associates. At the end of the boardwalk along the lake, I turned left upon the main road to check out his establishment.
One end of the boardwalk along Phewa Lake
From there, I walked about 20 minutes until I came upon my destination—The Culture Resort.
The Culture Resort, Sedi, Lakeside, Pokhara (photo from the resort’s website)
The general manager happily greeted me upon my arrival (thanks to a heads-up from the owner), and led me to a beautiful garden. There, I enjoyed a fine meal and cold drink. Upon finishing, the staff took me for a brief tour where I peeked into the Karuwa restaurant. A patio adjacent to the restaurant provides a fine view in the direction of the lake (bottom left in the photo above). In the middle of the garden sits a sort of tiki bar-styled pavilion that serves a variety of adult and non-alcoholic drinks. I also checked out the rooms, each of which was spacious, comfortable, clean, and overall just very nice.
If you find yourself in Pokhara and want to stay somewhere just a bit away from the noise of the bustling part of Lakeside, I highly recommend The Culture Resort.
info@cultureresortpokhara.com; +977 61 420077 / +977 9802855602
***
After a most pleasant afternoon, another friend picked me up in a van with some other riders in tow for a half hour drive to my overnight accommodations. We rounded the lake until we reached a rural valley. Upon traversing an unpaved country road, our little vehicle pulled into an open field at the bottom of an enormous hill. Alas, our next route would take us upwards on an excruciating hike. Thankfully, a powerful local young man hoisted my bag over his shoulder and trotted ahead, as easily as if he walked on even terrain. I, on the other hand, hefted one step over the other for what seemed like forever. As the sun slowly slipped beneath the neighboring hills, gasping for air like an Everest climber, the homestay finally came into view.
The rural valley leading to the hill.
By then, the day’s light had vanished. What took its stead was a moonlit night; below, twinkled the lights of Lakeside. And what a magnificent view! We had arrived at the Back to Nature homestay. Located in Dandakharka, Pokhara, Nepal, Back to Nature offers a rustic accommodation at the top of a hill overlooking Phewa Lake. It features a welcoming staff with simple, but cozy rooms and spectacular food.
Back to Nature in the evening; Lakeside is on the right side of the photo
Although chilly, the weather was pleasant, dry, and clear. Perched so far above the hubbub of Lakeside, the air remained silent except for the occasional night dweller chirping its ancient song. One of the best aspects of traveling anywhere, I met some folks from Europe and other parts of Nepal. Together we enjoyed fresh chicken and vegetables cooked over an open fire. We chatted amongst ourselves while drinking in the extraordinary view. Two itinerant dogs cozied up to us, eager to avail themselves of any remaining meat or bones we might casually discard. Although one could accurately call me a workaholic, I was pleased with the fact that even if I had brought my laptop—which I did not—with no internet I would have accomplished little work anyway. As it was supposed to be.
In the crisp night air, I slept soundly. Rising early, as I am wont to do, I emerged from my comfy little room just in time to feel the warming rays of a brilliantly rising sun. Mist curled up from the lake, creeping between the various hills, but lingering low enough to obscure the valley below until finally burned off by the sun’s heat. We chowed upon a fulfilling breakfast of fruits, a type of traditionally made pancake, and hot coffee. With an hour or so of relaxation completed, the time came to commence the grueling climb down.
Back to Nature in the morning
Having endured many injuries over my various careers, and the onset of arthritis that such a trajectory inevitably inflicts, the trip down shook me to the bones. People tend to think climbing constitutes a far more difficult exercise than descending, but for a person riddled with decades of impact injuries the constant stepping down starts with creaks of pain and crescendos into intra-joint lightning strikes. It took more than 45 minutes for me to reach the valley. On flat land once again, I hobbled along to the site to which my friend wished to introduce me. We sought that destination because another of our party had left earlier to paraglide over the valley; our objective was to reach the projected landing zone to meet him.
Along the way, the two of us sipped some locally made milk tea at a small house in a nearby village. From there we could see the various paragliders gently sailing down from a nearby hill. One after the other took to the air, lazily weaving along with the tendrils of the wind. I shielded my eyes from the now very bright sunshine, trying to discern which craft held my friend. Of course, from my distant viewpoint this was impossible. Nevertheless, eventually each swirled down to the landing zone, floating over the ground until the pilot managed to slow enough to plant safely on the grass. Some hit a bit harder than others, but every passenger (paragliders have a pilot and a passenger, the latter being a tourist usually) disentangled and emerged with ear-to-ear grins. My friend shared some photos taken from the air—one can see right away the reason for the passengers’ delight.
Look at that remarkable view!
Unfortunately, his landing marked the beginning of the end of my really short trip. I returned to the city by taxi where I had just enough time for a coffee and a little more people-watching. Soon, I walked to another street corner to catch a taxi that whisked me off to Pokhara’s International Airport. After only a 15 minute wait, I boarded another Shree Dash-8. From my last step off the ground in Pokhara, to the first step back into my apartment in Kathmandu, barely one full hour had passed. What a great overnight stay!
If you wish to visit Back to Nature in Pokhara, which I highly recommend, reach them through these contact points:
backtonaturenepal@gmail.com; +977 9851053235
***
I am a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner, Certified Crime Analyst, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Financial Crimes Investigator with a Juris Doctor and a Master’s degree in history. I spent 10 years working in the New York State Division of Criminal Justice as Senior Analyst and Investigator. Today, I teach Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Digital Forensics at Softwarica College of IT and E-Commerce in Nepal. In addition, I offer training on Financial Crime Prevention and Investigation. I am also Vice President of Digi Technology in Nepal, for which I have also created its sister company in the USA, Digi Technology America, LLC. We provide technology solutions for businesses or individuals, including cybersecurity, all across the globe. I was a firefighter before I joined law enforcement and now I currently run a non-profit that uses mobile applications and other technologies to create Early Alert Systems for natural disasters for people living in remote or poor areas.
Find more about me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Mastodon. Or visit my EALS Global Foundation’s webpage page here.