From Kathmandu to Pokhara and back
This week, Taryn and I cleared some time in our diaries to take a short holiday from Kathmandu to Pokhara via Gorkha and Bandipur. We are joined by Uttham, a World Youth International Director, and his friend Binot.
Firstly, a huge thanks to Uttham who arranged our car and worked with us to design the itinerary. Travelling in Nepal can be slow and dangerous, and it was lovely to have some locals with us to give us some history and show us around a bit.
Manakamana Temple
The first stop on our trip from Kathmandu to Pokhara was Manakamana Temple, 106 kilometres west of Kathmandu and 1300 metres above sea level. A cable car up the hill saved us a strenuous 3-hour trek and resulted in stunning views of the local countryside until it was completely hidden as we disappeared into the clouds.
At the top, a temple complex is perched precariously on the hill and surrounded by a local mountain community. It is a sacred place of the Hindu Goddess Bhagwati, an incarnation of Parvati. Bhagwati, as a form of Parvati, is worshipped for her power, strength, and ability to grant blessings, particularly in the context of fertility and prosperity.
According to tradition, the Goddess Manakamana grants the wishes of pilgrims who come to the shrine to worship her. We each made a wish, hoping that the Goddess would grant it.
Gorkha
“If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha.”
Our second stop was Gorkha, the birthplace of the first King of Nepal and home of the mighty Gurkha soldier.
Gorkha rose to fame in the early 18th century. The Shah dynasty took advantage of the warring Malla kingdoms and conquered the Nepal valley. They united the entire Nepali region and ruled as the first Nepali Kings until 2008, when the country became a republic.
The region is also famous for its soldiers, who are known for their fearless military prowess. They are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving knife. During World War I (1914ā1918), more than 200,000 Gurkhas served in the British Army, suffering approximately 20,000 casualties and receiving almost 2,000 gallantry awards.
The temple-palace still stands almost as it was initially built, high on the mountain edge overlooking Durbar Square. With the fog rising over the walls, this was an eerie place where you could imagineĀ soldiers and religious leaders meticulously planning their next victory.
Bandipur
From Gorkha, we travelled further along the Prithvi highway to Bandipur, a traditional Nepali village. A slow drive up a winding road with fog hiding all bar a couple of metres view found a resort village where Uttham managed to negotiate cheap rates for the four of us. This was my first experience of hot, running water for some time so I enjoyed a delightful shower.
Bandipur is home to the Bandipur Siddha Cave, the largest cave in Nepal and the second largest in South Asia. After an hour climbing steps equivalent to a stairmaster on a high level, we reached the 200m deep cave that extends out into little passages in all directions. Luckily, some cavers with ropes and torchlights joined us so we had a chance to explore some of the normally unreachable sections of the cave.
Pokhara
Pokhara is the final stop and end destination on our trip from Kathmandu. where Uttham and Binot left us to enjoy one of the most scenic towns I have ever been to. Combined with the ultra-friendly locals, this quickly became a favourite destination to rival even my home town Melbourne.
We cruised from Devi’s falls where the waterfall starts from ground level, to the first World Peace Pagoda and the mountain ranges that look over the beautiful Phewa lake.
A slight detour (who would have thought a tourist path passes through someone’s garden) led us to a local Nepali who introduced us to a delightful waterfall.
Taryn attempted the Karate Kid pose on the edge of our boat, but managed only to fall inside the boat.
The guys at Club Amsterdam welcomed us with popcorn, banana ‘smoothies’ and mouthwatering vegetable tempura.
We ate, and ate and ate.
And we flew high above town with the vultures, or at least with the guys from the Parahawking experience who fly with the vultures.
Thanks to all the guys at Club Amsterdam, to BK for my massage, to the lovely staff at the gem store and to Hotel Panorama (even with some fairly dodgy breakfasts) for making our stay so welcoming and wonderful, even if we had to climb over the fence to get in.
