Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Spectacular scenery and a wealth of opportunities for outdoor pursuits . |
| Disadvantages: |
Not great if you are not into outdoor pursuits . Leeches . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
There's no doubting that Pokhara is a pretty spectacular place to be. With the jawdroppingly majesterial Annapurna mountain range rearing over Lake Phewa, some of the views you'll experience in the right conditions are simply indescribable; if you were to design the perfect postcard, it would probably look like that, but that would be to take so much away from the sheer aesthetic appeal of the place. Scythed down through the rock by the laconically powerful and brooding Seti and its tributaries, the valley in which Pokhara is situated is like something out of your imagination - it is truly breathtaking.
The first thing to realise about Pokhara is that the town itself isn't that interesting. Sure, it's pleasant enough, the people are friendly, you can gorge yourself on the oddly addictive Tibetan momos until the buffalos come home, and it's generally relaxing, but you can probably get that anywhere in Nepal, and Kathmandu offers so much more in so much more style. No, what is so great about Pokhara is what you can do in the surrounding area, and it's worth going just for that.
***"Highlight" of the Visit***
I visited this summer with a couple of friends, and it probably spawned the most stories in the few days I spent there than any other place on the holiday. Although we were rather handicapped by having a particularly lazy member of our group, we did manage to entice him into a one-day trek to the World Peace Pagoda, which is situated on top of a nearby hill overlooking the lake from the south. The day started off in rather idyllic fashion, with a blissful wander through luridly green rice paddy fields, accompanied by a few Nepali children who decided that they wanted to be our guides for the day. Naturally, demonstrating the enterprising nature of their elder peers, they told us on the way there that their services would require remuneration. We were expecting that old ruse; after a few weeks in the country then you tend to be wise to their tricks!
As the afternoon wore on, we found ourselves trekking up a gentle slope through dappled sunlight and coniferous forest, photographing cows lying contentedly in open glades and chewing the cud with what appeared to be blissful smiles on their long faces. With a spring in our step, we gaily gambolled onwards, skipping from tussock to tussock with joyous abandon. The first sign of things to come came when we realised that we actually had not the slightest clue where we were going; our erstwhile ne'er-do-well youthful companions had disappeared at the first rumourings of discontentment at their stipulated pay package (perhaps there is not so much different between today's Premiership footballers and the poverty-stricken in developing countries after all). Refusing to be bowed by the dour scenario we faced - after all, finding your way up a rippling slope entirely shrouded in trees when you have no idea where the path is is not particularly easy - we continued gamely onwards.
The major setback came when we got to a clearing, and stood looking out over the lake, sweating profusely and becoming a little more concerned over the direction we had taken. At that point, we were joined by a Nepali adolescent, who seemingly materialised out of the bushes, and offered us his services as a guide for a mere 50 rupees. With the Western conditioned reflex operating at full capacity, we politely declined, and he proceeded to tell us that the way up from there was 'very difficult' and 'not for tourists'. We laughed this off as another shameless piece of marketing opportunism, but he had the last laugh. Pointing at the ground, he said 'Do you know the leech?'
Now, I obviously knew what leeches were. Everyone does, right? They're those slimy black things that live in marshland that used to be used in medicine back in the 1600s; the Black Death and that sort of thing. If you're lucky, your grandmother might have seen one, but I wasn't quite so fortunate, and to be honest, they were little more than a relatively insignificant nightmare to me at that point. Well, that became real pretty soon as I suffered the Nepali equivalent of learning on the job. On glancing down at my feet, I did a double take when I saw six or seven writhing leathery beasts firmly attached to my shoes, and squirming with deadly intent towards my bare legs.
I'll tell you a few things about leeches you ought to know. Firstly, don't think they are slow. They're not. Believe me, as soon as you plant your foot on Mother Earth, those things sense blood. And boy, do they want some, and fast. If the whole idea wasn't farcical, I'd say they must all have worms, because even I do not move for my food that quickly, and I'm renowned for being able to polish off a couple of steaks and still scour the table for more. Secondly, they don't just live in water. They seem to come in an (apparently smaller - I dread to think what the waterborne ones are like) land-dwelling version, and they are perfectly well adapted to their environment. Whatever you do, do not stand still! Finally, they will cling on like grim death to any part of you they can get their suckers onto, and don't try to pick them off with your hands - they'll just end up playing a violent game of kiss-chase around your finger webbing.
Paranoia aside, they are undoubtedly a problem, and they plagued us all the way to the summit, as did the infernal spider webs along the way. Put it this way, it's well worth making absolutely sure you know you are on the path - if you have to pay those 50 rupees for a guide, it's probably value for money. And make sure your legs are covered to the extent of being waterproof, because those satanic little vampiric pests will worm their way through anything; take heed from the fact that I found two of them in each sock when I got back to the hotel, with a corresponding amount of blood. The fact that they had been punished for their undoubted succumbing to the sin of greed was little in the way of compensation for the fact that one of the bites turned a worryingly lurid shade of purple.
***The Sights***
Quite aside from getting consumed by leeches, however, there's plenty to be doing in Pokhara. Although my account of our trek to the World Peace Stupa sounds like something out of the Night of the Living Dead, you can be sure (and this is why I love developing countries sometimes - though of course I deplore the environmental ramifications) that there will be a chilled bottle of Coke waiting for you at the top, and that makes it all worthwhile. What's more, for those of you that can't face running the gauntlet back down, you can take a quick route down the side of the hill to the edge of the lake and be boated back across. I'll leave it to you to consider whether we fell into that category or not.
There's also three major trekking routes in and around Annapurna for the more enterprising souls; not being a hardcore mountaineer myself, I can't tell you as much as a good guidebook. However, the basic routes run to Jomsom Muktinath, Annapurna Base Camp, or via a circuit of the Annapurna range itself. Many short treks run in the surrounding area as well; you can get information on these from any good book or from the various information centres in the area (although you can be sure that they will try and sell you something to go with it). As far as I am aware, most of the neighbouring area is relatively easily accessible and not too physically demanding, offering spectacular views of the mountains and plenty of hotels (of course).
Closer to Pokhara, the sights are a little more thin on the ground; there's some shops in town and the odd bar, but nothing to write home about. The lake is beautiful, however, and it's a must to get a boat out and meander serenely across the water, taking photos of the reflections of the mountains in the glass-smooth surface film. If you're there for a while and the weather is nice, it would probably be great fun to rent some fishing equipment and go after the carp and eels that you can find in the lake. And if you run out of bait, hey, you can probably just stick a leech on your hook.
It's also worth taking the time out to visit Devi's Falls, a tumultuous sinkhole that you can take in on a round trip to the World Peace Pagoda. It's not the biggest nor the best of its type in the world, but it certainly is impressive as the rushing water seemingly thunders straight into the ground. You can even view the falls from one of the nearby cave systems, though you do have to pay to get in. Nonetheless, it's worth a trip, and do take the camera; it's a definite photograph opportunity.
***Getting There***
Getting to Pokhara is not particularly difficult; it's an easy bus or car ride away from Kathmandu. If you want to travel in style, you can jump in a private air-conditioned car for something around £30-40; that's a journey of five to six hours, and if split between a few of you, is not at all bad. Remember that you have to pay for the driver to return to Kathmandu as well. Once you're there, it is fairly easy to find your way around, since the town is little more than a few kilometres of winding road flanked by shops along the edge of the lake. Regarding where to stay, Damside is probably the most peaceful district, but considering the place is not particularly noisy anyway, and the fact that Damside is an irritating walk away from the main amenities of the town is probably probative enough.
***Where to stay***
Don't expect to be taken aback by the quality of the accommodation either; although it's not populated the cockroach-ridden hovels that you can get in some Asian countries, it's not massively cheap and not massively luxurious. Not that that's really what you're looking for in a place where you should be spending most of your time outside either walking or soaking up the magnificent views. You should be able to get a room for not more than the equivalent of about £6 a night when you're sharing, and that's towards the top-end, although that seems like a lot when you're in Nepal. I wouldn't bother shopping around much though; everything is generally much of a muchness.
***Getting Away***
Most people return to Kathmandu after indulging in a few treks, but I think what we did was infinitely more fun, and I'd recommend it to anyone with half a sense of adventure. We actually rafted down the Seti River to Chitwan National Park, before crossing the border back into India, and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. It's difficult to put into words, but the concept of paddling furiously as you career down white water between valley sides carpeted in trees that rise almost vertically from the water's edge and tower seemingly thousands of feet above you is one that you really have to experience to believe. If you have the time, you should go, and if not, then you should make it. A two day voyage down the Seti river is around sixty dollars, which, considering the strength of the pound and the fact that it includes food is not too bad at all. You can combine that with a stay inside the park, but I don't know if that's such a good deal; enjoyable though the latter was. Note that you will only be doing a few hours rafting a day though - but, to be honest, for anyone more than the seasoned professional, that's probably more than enough.
***Overall***
I enjoyed Pokhara a lot, but it's really a means to an end. There's a wealth of things to do if you enjoy trekking and physically strenous activities, but if this isn't your cup of tea, then it's probably best to steer well clear. However, the people are very nice, and some of the restaurants and bars in town are actually quite pleasant. As Nepal goes, it isn't particularly cheap, but you'll soon find that momos are an absolute bargain in most restaurants (although most of the waiters will probably hate you if you order them and take forever to bring them - why be in a rush, though?), so much so that they sometimes aren't even put on the main menu. There are some fantastic experiences to be had, and it's one of the few places I've been to where I can remember almost everything we did in rather vivid (and occasionally gory) detail. I thoroughly recommend it, but just make sure you're ready for the leeches!
