The hills and back - Pokhara, Muktinath and Kathmandu

 

After another drive through the highways in the hills, we got to Pokhara, quite early. There are multiple places to see in and around the small town along with paragliding options, but we had a couple of days only so limited our trip to the popular sightseeing spots. Phewa lake is the main attraction here with boats to the Tal Barahi temple in between the lake and to the surrounding areas.. The peace pagoda is a great spot for the sunset, while Sarangkot is the best place for sunrise. There are other temples and Buddhist monasteries and a few caves as well. One of the caves was named bat cave but quite devoid of any bats or batman. There is a temple built underground which was worth a visit and the area surrounding the lake has quite a few shopping areas for the evenings.

One of days was spent in traveling to the Muktinath temple. A high altitude Himalayan preserve, the landscape is similar to Ladakh and a major hotspot for trekkers. The day trip included a tiny flight to Jomsom, a road trip on a 4x4, a short pony ride and then a climb got us to the temple. There are 108 streams coming through the cow's head shaped pipes, which are considered holy to bathe in, but even in peak summer the water is freezing while the sun could still give you a sunburn. A quick stop at a small hotel on the way for some fries made from the local potatoes and Tibetan bread was a delight for the palate . As we got back by the jeep, it started to rain in the desert. Evening cleared up for me to shoot a few stars as we left early next day back to Pokhara.

The way back to Kathmandu had a quick stop at the Mankamana temple, situated on top of a hill. As I read through the prices, the board listed out a price for goats as well. I had a good laugh until I realized that it was common practice to sacrifice chickens and goats at the temple, which also explained why the two way and one way rate for the goat was the same. The cable car trip is a long one and very scenic but the temple itself was very crowded. Nearby are a few resorts on the river banks for rafting which we gave a miss.

The last couple of days in Kathmandu were spent going around the Kathmandu square, the palace, a Buddhist temple atop a hill and a couple of Hindu temples.A quick stop at the Pashupatinath temple before we headed back to the airport in the morning closed the trip. The return flight being Nepal airlines was comfortable and on time.

 

Capital to forests Kathmandu and Chitwan

 
The trip didn't start very well. Air India's systems were down for about 6 hours holding up check in and then the flight circled Kathmandu for another extra hour before we finally landed in Kathmandu. Surrounded by hills, the city is quite dense but cool even in summer due to the altitude. Roads inside the city are quite small and can be tricky by vehicle and driving there definitely needs skill. Having lost the better part of the day, we still made it to Patan square and took a quick walk before sun down and some drizzle. Being a weekend, the square was quite crowded. The series of earthquakes have significantly damaged the buildings but restoration is in progress. Did some birding from the lawn in Kathmandu as a cuckoo and a long tailed shrike were local resident in the garden

We left for Chitwan early next day, and after some heavy traffic on the highways, reached in time for lunch. The evening hike through the forest edge was a bit tiring as Chitwan unlike Kathmandu is on plains and is hot and humid. We saw a few birds near the river and a couple of gharials, crocs and even a rhino which we later learnt was reared by the local army folks stationed there since it had lost its mother. A cultural program with song and dance closed the day with the most memorable one being the peacock dance where one of the dancers mimicked a peacock in dance.

The next day was spent on canoe rides, elephant rides and a jeep safari for 4 hours. The domestic elephants seemed to be neglected and I regret taking the ride, but it is quite popular due to the proximity it can get you to the rhinos. The canoe ride though is better for the crocs and gharials. There are only a couple of routes within the forest - one for two hours and the other for four hours. The dense forest and tall grass makes it difficult to see many mammals other than rhinos, but we did spot a monitor lizard on the road, a jackal, deer and missed a sloth bear by a few minutes. The end point of the longer route has a gharial rearing center from which we turned back through the same route. The bird life was easier to see with the best being a lesser yellow naped woodpecker.