A River in Nepal – Pokhara | rfljenksy

A few weeks ago I was able to visit Pokhara on a work outreach trip. Pokhara is about 45 minutes by air from Kathmandu, Nepal but what a difference in lifestyle and beauty. On a clear day it’s like the mountains are right in your face. Gigantic and beautiful. Pokhara is the gateway to the Annapurna region, which is where most people start out on their treks to the Himalayas.

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Like Kathmandu, there are many statutes, temples, and gumbas that both Hindus and Buddhists use as places to worship. There are also many great places to eat and shops to visit. It’s a slower pace than Kathmandu, however, one thing I learned during this trip is that the pace is picking up and the tourist landscape will be changing very soon if an international airport is built. I’m glad I got to visit at this time because it really was a welcome respite from the rat race of Kathmandu. We stayed in a guesthouse in the touristy section of the city. This area sits along the lake which is fed by many rivers. It makes the area seem even more like a vacation spot.

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The people are the same, just fewer of them and the pace seems a little slower.

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If you want to have an even deeper retreat while staying in Pokhara, then I would give a high recommendation to Fish Tail Lodge. I did not stay here because I was on a work trip, but if I go back this is where I will stay. It was built in 1969 and when you visit there (we had lunch) it feels like it’s still around that era. You have to take a pontoon to get there. One of our guys even pulled the entire pontoon over by himself. Great service and good food. You sort of feel like a star. You have great views of the river/lake at night as well as views of bathers, boaters and other guests staying or just coming to eat on this little sanctuary. This “hotel” sits on what feels like an island, surrounded by lake Phewa and some hills and it’s so very lovely.

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My final set of photos from the area fit in nicely with Ailsa’s travel theme: Rivers. You need a river to make a lake. There are several rivers flowing into Phewa Lake. The Seti River is the most prominent river and is actually known as the vanishing river. It goes underground and actually disappears in many places.

A man of wisdom delights in water. — (Confucius)

In this sometimes turbulent world, the river is a cosmic symbol of durability and destiny; awesome, but steadfast. In this period of deep national concern, I wish everyone could live for a while beside a great river. — (Helen Hayes, Actress)

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We grow up hearing so often that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points that we end up thinking it is also the best way to get there. A river knows better—:it has to do with how it dissipates the energy of its flow most efficiently; and how, in its bends, the sediment deposited soon turns into marshes and swampy islands, harboring all manner of interesting life, imparting charm and character to the whole waterway. I would defy you to find a river on this planet that prefers to run straight, unless it has been taught so by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. — (Tom Horton, Bay Country)