The Himalaya form the highest,
sheerest rise from subtropical base
to icy peaks of any mountain range
on earth, and nowhere is the
contrast more marked than at
POKHARA
(pronounced
Poke -ruh). Sited
at just 800m above sea level, it
boasts a nearly unobstructed view of
the 8000-metre-plus Annapurna and
Manaslu
himal, just 25km to
north. Dominating the skyline, in
beauty if not in height, is the
double-finned summit of
Machhapuchhre
("Fish-Tailed") - so named
for its twin-peaked summit, though
only one is visible from Pokhara.
The telephone code for Pokhara is
061.
Basking in the view, Nepal's main
resort area lolls beside the shore
of
Phewa Tal (Phewa Lake),
well outside the actual town of
Pokhara. This is Nepal's little
budget paradise: carefree and
culturally undemanding, though
extremely touristy, with a
steaks-and-cakes scene rivalling
Kathmandu's. Whatever you're looking
for, it's a buyer's market here -
everything comes so easily, the main
challenge is sifting through the
growing multitude of possibilities.
New businesses pop up like mushrooms
after each monsoon, and disappear
just as quickly; cheap places have a
habit of going upmarket, great views
get blocked, and what's hot today
may be dead tomorrow. No guidebook
can hope to keep up with all the
changes, so take all recommendations
with a pinch of salt.
If you're spending more than a
week in Nepal, chances are you'll
touch down in Pokhara at some point.
As the main destination served by
tourist buses and internal flights,
it's usually the first place
travellers venture to outside the
Kathmandu Valley. For trekkers,
Pokhara is the gateway to Nepal's
most popular trails; for rafters and
kayakers, it's Nepal's river-running
headquarters; and for everyone else,
it's the most beautiful place in
Nepal that you don't have to
trek or paddle to get to. Day trips
around the Pokhara Valley beckon,
and if the area is short on temples
and twisting old alleys, you might
find that a relief after Kathmandu's
profusion. Despite its shallow
hedonism - which definitely gets
cloying after a while - Pokhara is a
great place to recharge your
batteries, especially after a trek
or a time in India. By comparison,
Kathmandu seems downright
claustrophobic.
Because it's 500m lower than the
capital, Pokhara is a warmer place
to be in winter, but rather hot from
April onwards. With lower foothills
to the south, it's also less
protected from the prevailing rains,
and receives about twice as much
precipitation as Kathmandu. Touring
the valley, you'll be struck by the
active, shaping presence of water
everywhere: lakes and rivers are
conspicuous features here, and the
paddies are traced by canals of
roiling mountain water.
