In the Mountains in Pokhara

November 25, 2023 0 By admin

This summer, I spent three weeks in India and Nepal; and as a bonus, I convinced my good friend Danielle to join me. Here’s our experience…

Arriving in Pokhara

From the Chitwan National Park, we drove the long and bumpy road to Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal. This town is a haven for hikers and mountaineers, especially those hiking the Annapurna Circuit or to the Everest Base Camp. Hundreds of years ago, this town originally gained importance for its commercial location on the silk or spice route.

In all directions, the foothills of the Himalayas create a spectacular green landscape. The town feels cooler with the fresh, clean air and the higher elevation.

Walking out of our hotel, we wandered the main road. The relaxed street was lined with mountaineering outfitters, souvenir shops, and bars and cafes aimed at hikers and tourists. We noticed how clean the streets were, with no trash on the ground. And, after traveling in India, there was a noticeable lack of cows.

We walked down the boardwalk on Phewa lake. The walkway was busy with locals and travelers, relaxing and taking pictures of the reflective waters and colors of wooden boats on the lake. Vendors sold small souvenirs and street food snacks like grilled corn and chips.

Visiting “Sasana” – Samrakshak Samuha

In the afternoon, we visited Sanana, an organization that works to stop human trafficking. Their staff, all survivors of human trafficking, shared their organization with us and then gave us a lesson in preparing momos before we joined their group for dinner

Upon arrival, we were welcomed with a khada, a small scarf placed behind our neck. This is part of a traditional Tibetan greeting to show respect and blessing. Sitting together, one of the leaders spoke with us about the issue of human trafficking in Nepal.

This organization supports girls and young women that have been affected by human trafficking. The most vulnerable are adolescent girls, living in rural areas, with less formal education. As many as 10,000 Nepalise are trafficked into sex work and forced labor in the bigger cities and into India. Additionally, many child brides fall into trafficking situations when they attempt to escape abusive relationships, trading one evil for another.

Sasana empowers women in Pokhara in a numer of ways. Girls and women receive training to work in the hospitality industry. Other women train to become paralegals and accompany victims at the police station. They provide community education aimed at prevention. Our meal and cooking class here donates to their work. Sasane, in part, is funded by G-adventures and with a grant from G’s Planeterra Foundation.

Cooking Class – Momos

The women guided us through the process of making momos. We mixed flour, water and oil for the dough and rolled it out into small circles. We then scooped the veggie filling on the dough. These were made with cabbage, carrots, green and red onions, coriander, garlic, ginger, and a “momo masala mix” of spices. Our expert guide led us in creating the flower-shaped momos by pinching inward and the crescent moon shaped by folding across. Mine, unfortunately, looked like a stegosaurus.

We ended our evening with a presentation about the organization and meal together. The women served Nepalese thalis; plates with small servings of rice, lentils, veggie curry, spinach, a crispy chip, and, of course, all the misshapen momos that we made in our class.

I appreciate traveling with G-adventures for these meaningful human connections along their travel itineraries. Certainly, as a traveler, I hope to see the important historic sites and natural wonders, but I also hope to learn about the local culture and community.

Sunrise Walk in the Himalayas

We hopped out of bed at 4:00 am for a sunrise hike at Sarangkot. Headlamps and flashlights quickly become unnecessary with the dawn crawling over the mountain range. Our group hiked about 45 minutes to the top, all the way the views became more incredible.

The route was an easy hike with mostly stairs and roads, albeit quite inclined. We passed rustic homes, tea shops and cafes.

Soon, we reached the top. I might admit that my legs were feeling tired and that I’m a bit out of shape without being in my regular workout routines while traveling. Arriving before dawn was worth the hustle, and we witnessed the sun peeking over the snow capped mountains. Our view stretched the Annapurna Himalayas, including the famed Machapuchare, the fishtail mountain. All these mountains curved around the green valley and city of Pokhara below.

We were slightly interrupted by a young guy attempting a scam on the hiking tourists. He insisted he was with the tourist commission and tried to charge everyone at the viewpoint. We recognized the shakedown and opted not to pay due to there being no identifying sign and his lack of credentials. Eventually he left quite annoyed.

After enjoying the wonderful view from the top, we began the hike back down. The views on the trail on the way down were more impressive now in full daylight. We looked out across the city and Phewa lake.

A Day in Pokhara

After the hike, we stopped for breakfast at a simple corner cafe. I ordered a “cheese omelet” which actually meant a sandwich with an egg inside. It was different, but the place had real coffee so it was a hit.

Most of the group headed off for an adventure in paragliding. Given my fear of heights, I had no interest in this activity and stayed back. Instead, I went to the nearest spa and got an Ayurvedic massage. The massage was unique with its many herbs and essential oils, a foot cleansing and odd disposable underwear.

In the afternoon, Daniiele and I went on a short boat ride to the island in Phewa lake. For less than a dollar, we took the shared water taxi, life jacket both included and required. The island contained a small temple to the Hindu god Vishnu and lots of birds, not Danielle’s favorite.

For lunch, we enjoyed a banana mango smoothie and a vanilla milkshake and a plateful of chicken momos with two different chutneys. Then, it was back to the spa; heck you’re not on vacation all the time. This time, I went for a short foot massage. Interesting, we were placed in the same room, which meant I awkwardly exited the room in the middle of Danielle’s massage.

In the evening, our group met up for a self-guided, unofficial “pub crawl” in Pokhara. We started with tequila cocktails at “The Parasol” and continued to “Moondance” for dinner and mojitos. Then, we went to an Irish pub for the “Mo-hee-toos” on their menu. We ended at a classic backpacker bar that had some good music until their live band returned to the stage.