[SS-Traveller]

Here's a link to a 360* view of the Pashupatinath Temple from the Bagmati River side - this was the side we did not venture to because of the rain.
http://www.360cities.net/image/pashp...7.50,4.70,70.0

And here's a 360* view of the Panch Deval temple-cum-social welfare centre for destitute old people.
http://www.360cities.net/image/panch...60,-20.70,70.0

My pics of Panch Deval from the outside...

A spot of shopping...

...and a visit to the only Durga Puja pandal (as Bengalis identify it) that we came across, near the Pashupatinath complex.

[SS-Traveller]

From Pashupatinath, we hail another cab back to our hotel, paying a stupendous 400 NPR for the 4-km ride. Dashain means very few taxis on the road, and those that ply are out to make a killing.

Traffic (and traffic sense) in Nepal is a lot crazier than in Delhi, though major crashes are rare due to slower traffic speed. Scrapes and minor collisions are pretty common though. Also visible in the pic is the condition of our ramshackle M-800 taxi's A-pillar!

Guess what shocked me in this pic? The fact that someone turned on his indicator!

We spend the evening visiting the Crown Plaza Soaltee Hotel, trying to locate and meet a friend's friend. since he wasn't there, we end up paying our first visit ever to a casino - the Casino Mahjong next door - where we befriend the manager and get an elaborate guided tour from him about what's what!

The next morning turns out to be equally cloudy and rainy (as viewed from our balcony)...

...and we set off for Pokhara in a Manza.

Interesting facts gleaned from the taxi driver:
The Manza costs about 29L NPR. The particular car had done about 1.28L km, and already has had an engine overhaul done at 1.1L km. No one bothers going to the ASCs since they are mind-bogglingly expensive, so he got the engine rebuild done from an FNG for a whopping sum of 1.25L NPR.

Nepal also has its own car - a cross between the Bolero, Scorpio and Trax. More about the car can be read here: http://www.hulasmotors.com/mustang-max.php. At @20L NPR, it's supposed to be the cheapest car that one can buy in Nepal, only because the others (imports all) attract a heavy import duty. The Prime Minister of Nepal uses the Mustang.

Enjoy the pic of a souped-up version taken off the web!

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Ummm... I thought that happened to you in Tawang - our order arrived faster than yours!

That is because I came in expecting you had finished your meal. But you had not yet been served! ergo - people dilly dally when serving you! (Explanation for my order coming in late
a) Because I was with you!
b) Ordered late, served late.
c) They realised my order was 'time pass' so decided to make time pass.
d) Being a holiday, the hens had decided not to lay any eggs. They were trying to coax one out.

Regards
Sutripta

[hvkumar]

Those are great images from a pleasantly less-crowded (due to Dasain), less smoky/ dusty Kathmandu (less vehicles on the road) & very very wet Nepal!

Yes, Dasain is total shut-down time in Nepal, a total contrast to the pre-Dasain Nepal I drove into (Sep 29-Oct 6) when everyone was scurrying around with pre-festival shopping (hope to have those images up in our TL soon).

Do they simply check your Indian ID proof at Immigration when you enter Nepal by air?

Driving around Nepal, we hardly saw any Mustangs, it is a Toyota Hiace country all throughout! Happy to see plenty of Mahindras, mostly Boleros but also many Scorpios.

Did you not take the Mt Everest flight? Or was that cancelled due to foul weather?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

d) Being a holiday, the hens had decided not to lay any eggs. They were trying to coax one out.

Aah, now I understand! It was a holiday in Nepal too!

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Those are great images from a pleasantly less-crowded (due to Dasain), less smoky/ dusty Kathmandu (less vehicles on the road) & very very wet Nepal!

Glad you liked the pics. Thanks. Indeed, what a difference in smoke levels there was, between the day we arrived and the day we left.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

...pre-Dasain Nepal I drove into (Sep 29-Oct 6) when everyone was scurrying around with pre-festival shopping (hope to have those images up in our TL soon).

Shall look forward to that.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Do they simply check your Indian ID proof at Immigration when you enter Nepal by air?

Not even a scrutiny - just a cursory glance.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Driving around Nepal, we hardly saw any Mustangs, it is a Toyota Hiace country all throughout! Happy to see plenty of Mahindras, mostly Boleros but also many Scorpios.

The preference now is for Indian cars, for which spares can be smuggled across the border, avoiding the duty that authorized service stations need to pay. Models not sold in India are not particularly preferred. The Bolero Camper outnumbered the Hiace, I thought.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Did you not take the Mt Everest flight? Or was that cancelled due to foul weather?

Miserable weather with cloud cover extending up to 28,000 feet meant no view even when taking a flight to see the high peaks. Was advised not to bother.

[SS-Traveller]

One drives out of the Kathmandu Valley along the Tribhuvan Highway. It's an undivided road, that is in dire need of maintenance. No wonder every other 4wd displays its off-road credentials on the rear windscreen!

The highway forks off onto the Prithvi Highway at Naubise, following the Trishuli River along most of the way to Pokhara. It continues to drizzle. It's also quite foggy.

And after a long night of revelry celebrating Dashain, our driver is sleepy. He stops by the side of the road and gets down to wash his face in the cold water.

It's time for me to be anxious. I hate a sleepy driver at the wheel. The driver is even more anxious when I ask him if he wants me to drive a while. He tells me about a particular gentleman from Bangalore who wanted to drive this car on the way to Pokhara, and banged a lorry in the process, resulting in major expenses and downtime. Okay, fine, I won't drive. But if I find you dozing off, I WILL drive! I think the threat worked. For the rest of the way, the chap kept working at the rudraksha beads, and didn't appear to be making any errors of judgment or feeling drowsy. I guess he did manage to ward off my evil intentions of taking over the wheel!

The highway after Naubise turns out to be quite smooth and fast. Fast enough to produce results like these!

Some views of the road and the river alongside.

This being the day after Dashain, there are lots of families on the highway, catching a bus back to their place of work. The menfolk proudly carry the blessings of their elders on their forehead, and the ladies in their hair as well.

Seven hours later, we drive into Pokhara.

That's the control tower of Pokhara airport, and the terminal building.

[SS-Traveller]

The rain wouldn't stop. Weather reports predict that it should have stopped raining today. Obviously, weather reports are to be believed with a pinch of salt. Make that a fistful of salt. The rains are obviously doing a good job - there's waterlogging in Pokhara.

We reach our hotel, just a few yards down a lane from the Fewa Lake waterfront.

A sumptuous late lunch at a nearby restaurant follows.

Aah... the pleasures of a rain-drenched holiday!

[SS-Traveller]

So there we are, hiding beneath our umbrellas, as the rain blurs our view of the Fewa Lake.

Phewa Lake, Phewa Tal or Fewa Lake is a freshwater lake in Nepal located in the south of the Pokhara Valley that includes Pokhara city; parts of Sarangkot and Kaskikot. The lake is stream-fed but a dam regulates the water reserve, therefore, the lake is classified as semi-natural freshwater lake. It is the second largest lake in Nepal, the largest in Gandaki Zone followed by Begnas Lake. Phewa lake is located at an altitude of 742 m (2,434 ft); it covers an area of about 5.23 sq. km. (2.0 sq. mi.) with an average depth of about 8.6 m (28 ft) with maximum water depth is 24 m (79 ft). Maximum water capacity of the lake is approximately 4,600,000 cubic metres (3,700 acre·ft). The Annapurna range on the north is only about 28 km (linear distance) away from the lake, and the lake is famous for the reflection of mount Machhapuchhre and other mountain peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges on its surface. The Taal Barahi Temple is situated on an island in the lake.
Source

Brave we are not, and boating in the rains does not attract us, unlike some of the souls who continue to ignore the downpour.

We spend our time on the deserted waterfront, with no boatman in sight - the colourful boats are attractive enough though.

Tomorrow morning, before dawn, we would go to Sarangkot. With an earnest prayer for the rain to relent overnight, we retire.

[saket77]

Excellent narration & photographs, Sir!
You have a unique way of story-telling by jelling the pictures in context. Becomes very informative & easy to remember.

How expensive or cheap is travelling (rented car), fooding (both street food & bourgeoisie restaurant) & stay in Nepal (mainly Kathmandu & Pokhara)? Though, you flew across, still asking which is the best entry point through land?

Thanks,
Saket

[SS-Traveller]

Sarangkot is a little village located on a mountainside ridge at an altitude of 1600 metres, about 40 minutes' drive from the Pokhara lakefront (about half that time is spent crawling up while every other car stops to discharge its occupants such that the walking involved is minimal). What one expects there is a grandstand panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks, and a stunning sunrise view, like the pic above, taken off the internet.

From Sarangkot, on the northern direction one can see Dhaulagiri in the far west. Annapurna range is visible when the weather is clear on the same side. On the southern direction the village overlooks the city of Pokhara and its lake on the north-western outskirts of the city. The Seti river can also be seen flowing below.

But obviously, we either didn't pray hard enough last night, or the rain gods were busy with other things to pay attention to our prayers that early in the morning. So here's the sight that greeted us - a different view from the one above, but an impressive one nevertheless.

Show's over, folks! Time to climb down the stairs and leave. Watch your step, it's slippery.

But the rain seems to have stopped, even though it's cloudy.

[SS-Traveller]

What's black and white and red all over? Well, here's your answer!

Back at our hotel for breakfast, the good Lord finally heard our prayers. The sun came out. This crow danced for joy. The butterflies and bees emerged from wherever they were hiding. And all seemed well again.

Even the solar heaters started warming water for that refreshing bath.

This chap on the next terrace decided to continue with his fitness regime with a makeshift weight.

The driver decided to spend some effort to clean up the mud-caked car.

I enjoyed myself for the next hour lazing on the balcony of the hotel, waiting for breakfast to be served.

Yet, the snow-capped peaks continued to remain hidden behind clouds. Damn!

[SS-Traveller]

The bright sun also brings forth a variety of little living beings from hiding. Here are some more beautiful creatures that we found that day. Enjoy these while I prepare the next batch of photos.

The hunted, utterly unmindful of the hunter

This is the Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosa)...

...and this is the Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)

Special thanks go to Sudipto-S-Team for identifying these birds.

[laluks]

View of Annapurna Range from Sarangkot for you SST

[SS-Traveller]

Of caves and waterfalls

Pokhara is not only about lakes and views of Himalayan ranges. Subterranean exploration is also an activity to indulge in. And that is the first thing on our itinerary this morning - visiting the Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave and the Davis Waterfall, across the road from each other.

First the cave - and an underground trip into the cave and a walk to the base of the waterfall across the road.

Inside there's this Shiva temple, which is essentially a large stalagmite, where no photography is allowed. There's also this little alley where you come up to a chap asking for 10 NPR to "pour milk on the shivling". You give him 10 NPR, and he inserts a little metal ball into a slot next to him. Ahead of him there's this statue of a cow, with a little shivling positioned strategically below where the udders are. As soon as the metal ball is inserted into the slot, a few drops of white liquid, presumably milk, pour out of the udders on to the shivling.

We are blessed.

We continue deeper into the cave, which is lit up somewhat dimly with electric bulbs.

As we move ahead, we hear the roar. Muted first, then a crescendo. We are at the base of the Davis Fall where it flows into its underground channel - and the fall can be sighted through a huge crack in the wall of the cave. In the cavern where we stand, the waters rise to the roof during the peak monsoon season. There's evidence of debris and plastic refuse lodged into crevices in the ~10-metre high roof. The photographs below of the base of the falls, though shot in in-camera HDR mode, do no justice to the actual sight.

[SS-Traveller]

Across the road is Davis Falls. Not as impressive as some of the other great falls, but certainly picturesque. The interesting bit is where the water disappears underground. And to think we had just visited the base of the fall.