Day 8: On to Pokhara
After breakfast this morning, we left for the Kathmandu airport for our flight to Pokhara, Nepal. As a domestic flight, taking the trip meant using the domestic terminal, which was crazy. The entire terminal had two gates and a small waiting area. Outside of security, people were everywhere and things were crazy. Also, we spent more time waiting in the terminal than we did in the air, as our flight was only thirty minutes long. The flight gave us a fairly good view of some of the snow-peaked Himalayas, despite the clouds. We landed in Pokhara, where there was a small one-room building that served as the arrivals terminal.
Our plane to Pokhara.
Despite having a population of 250,000, Pokhara feels like a small town, and after checking in, Greg and I spent a while walking down the main street, looking in shops and eating lunch. Though not nearly as quiet as Nagarkot, things here are orderly and the people are very friendly. Even the shopkeepers were not overly pushy when we declined to buy anything.
A street in Pokhara.
The main attraction of the town is Phewa Lake. The lake is situated right alongside the main road, and is quite beautiful. The mountains slope down right to the lakeside, making for awesome views. The other direction are the tall Himalayan mountains. These tall, snow-peaked mountains can be seen from around town, and even from our hotel room. Today was mostly sunny, but some clouds still blocked these mountains from the clearest view.
Since it was mostly clear, Greg and I decided to take a car up to get a better view of the mountains. We timed this perfectly, as we reached the viewpoint just as the view was at its clearest. We an awesome view of the Himalayas, which we hope to see more of tomorrow when we hike, assuming it is once again a clear day.
We arrived back in Pokhara just in time for the sunset. In the sunset, the lake looked many times more beautiful, giving me one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. The sun and the clouds were just right, giving an orange glow to the sky and lake. If tomorrow is half as good as today, it will be pretty awesome.
Greg by the lake at sunset
Myself by the lake at sunset
WOW! Amazing pictures. Can’t even imagine the beauty of what you are seeing. Thanks for taking the time to share the experience.
Looks beautiful! What a gorgeous sunset. Do the locals travel by boat or just own small boats for fishing, or do you know? Based on the sign in town, it looks like there are plenty of tourist options for adventure. The air bus and safari sound interesting. Have a great time tomorrow on your hike. Love Mom
I am sure that some travel and fish by boat, but I think most of those boats were used for taking tourists around. There are lots of adventures that start from here. About half of the tourists that come here go on multiday treks from here, the most popular being about two weeks long into the Annapura mountains.
Do most of the people that you encounter in Nepal speak english? If not, what language? This town looks very set-up for tourist. Is that their main industry? This looks like a very beautiful unspoiled area. With good weather you should have a great mountain hike!
Most of the people speak some English. Those that are guides or do things with tourists usually speak good English. Tourism is the town’s main industry, though only the lakeside road is set up as a tourist center. The rest of the town is fairly typical. You can see in the third picture from the end that the town is pretty large.
Wow!! Amazing pictures. You’ve got a lot to teach me!! I look forward to your posts everyday. Looks like a trip of a lifetime.