I had 2 weeks before joining work; which definitely called for a short trip and luckily Mamma and Baba needed no convincing. We narrowed down to Nepal in no time; it is a perfect blend of the majestic Himalayas with the vibrant Nepalese cuisine and culture; which had been on our to-go list of places for rather long
I met my parents (who had flown in from Muscat) at Delhi; we were lucky enough to get at least one window seat on our flight to Kathmandu; the weather was bright and clear which only promised great mountain views. We could see blur lines framing the Himalayan range within about half an hour of take-off; the snow-capped peaks stretched all through our flight time; a constant sneak peak of our 4-day plan.
Mountain view on our way to Kathmandu
After a hearty conversation and 1 hour and 45 mins of flying alongside the mountains we landed at Tribhuvan International Airport; we were pleasantly delighted to see well-preserved antique monarchical buildings which are now used for movement of important personnel. A quick immigration and baggage claim later, we caught a cab to our hotel situated in the heart of the city; the local people were warm and helpful and hold high regard for Indians and almost everyone speaks Hindi, so communicating for directions was easy-peasy. We went about exploring the nearby area in the capital city for the second half of the day; walking up and down the hilly roads; a dare given to our calf muscles; I could literally see them pop!
The sun sets early in most mountainous places and the natives are extremely disciplined; everyone eats supper between 6:30 to 7 PM and lights-out by 8-8:30 PM. We went a little overboard exploring and had not kept track of time; our hotel had shut their kitchen; hence hunting for local food post 8PM was a herculean task at hand. A small boy wrapping up his shop at that hour was kind enough to guide us to a restaurant, traversing through a zillion narrow alleys. It was typically a restaurant serving Aila (local Nepalese drink) to the locals with half his shutter drawn; it did seem quite shabby from outside and Baba immediately wanted to go retract; however the manager realized our hesitation and ran to get a table cleared for us and invited us inside. We packed a good portion of hot chicken momo and veg chowmein, which totally made up for the food hunt as we enjoyed the hot food in the warmth of our hotel room.
We had pre-booked ourselves tickets on a mountain flight; to view the mighty Himalayan peaks including Mt. Everest; this is the closest one can go to the peaks without having to trek. We availed the 6:30 AM flight and hence had an early start the next morning. The domestic airport is tiny, a little bigger than any bus terminal, majorly populated by trekking groups flying to Lukla to begin their journey to the Everest Base Camp. We boarded a BEECH (USA) 18-seater plane and we were only 9 passengers, primarily to ensure window seats for everyone. Our flight had a shaky take-off given the super light frame and slightly higher wind speed; with the propeller blades rotating rigorously right above our windowpanes; needless to say, mamma and I were on Hanuman Chalisa-mode together. Thankfully, the plane stabilized in just a few minutes and a stewardess started distributing maps of the Himalayan mountain range we were about to witness; we got intently busy with our maps and in no time, someone shouted, “Look Look!”.
Mountain Map on Buddha Air
Starting view during Mountain Flight
We sprang to action and glared out of the window; peaks of Langtang, Doreje Lakpa were in sight. The map had very precisely drawn shapes of the peaks in the same order as we were travelling; the peaks got clearer as our flight flew closer, the white snow sparkled brightly upon the mountains, with lakes and glaciers equally beaming with clear water flowing down from the Himalayas. I was dumbstruck as nothing could even remotely compete with the sheer beauty these mountains had to offer.
Cho-Oyo and Chamlang peaks
The flight attendant smiled at the enthusiasm with which mamma and I stared outside and got restless while mapping each peak; we identified the typically shaped Gauri-Shankar! By then, the pilot had started calling each passenger to the cockpit to witness the “most awaited view”, as apparently the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) was visible at a distance; I suddenly noticed baba getting all excited; visiting the cockpit was on his to-do list since forever. It was finally our turn, Baba got up from his seat with a gleaming smile across his face and headed for the cockpit; we waited while looking at the Cho-Oyo peak at a distance; Baba had a scintillating vibe as he returned a few minutes later. It was Mamma’s turn next and I followed closely; she literally came back trotting on her feet! The Pilot and the co-pilot were quite chatty, as soon as I entered the cockpit, they pointed towards the Everest hurriedly; I have goosebumps writing about the view now. It got a little windy by the time it was my turn and the air surrounding the peak caught the wind direction; it was one of the most phenomenal mountain views that I have witnessed! The majestic peak stood tall and undeterred.
Mt. Everest Peak
Last leg of the Mountain Flight
Lhotse stands high close to Sagarmatha; our plane had reached the Chamlang peak and then took an about turn from there and the we got a second look while we made our way back to Kathmandu. We returned to our hotel; our stomachs screaming for breakfast but hearts filled with spectacular memories to last a lifetime. Visiting Pashupatinath temple was next on our list, situated on the banks of Bagmati river and of heavy significance to all Hindu pilgrims. The temple is decorated with wood carvings of members of Shiva's family such as Parvati, Ganesh, the temple's extensive grounds include many other old temples, shrines and statues.
Kathmandu has witnessed one of worst earthquakes in recent times, and most of the UNESCO world heritage site of the capital city was max affected. Yes, we were headed to Patan city after a holy visit to Lord Pashupatinath; we had very little expectation given the recent disaster, however, were pleasantly astounded by the speedy restoration work that had taken place.
Entrance of Patan city
“Everything is so antique; I cheered my way head while Baba and Mamma took their time to admire; little had I known that it was going to be an extensive day of neck stretches and head bangs. The city centre has couple of tall structures, majestic in size and glamour; we headed towards the Patan museum, which is essentially a palace as a museum. The structure is fundamentally made of red sandstones and generously supported by beams and thick wooden carved columns; the museum is famous for housing the gilt copper repousse work which is the traditional craft of Patan; overall it showcases the cultural history of Nepal for over thirteen centuries.
Patan Museum
Patan Museum
Note: Mamma carries a bag, about which we all have wondered and raised questions many a times, "What is in that bag?", "Everything I need" mamma always says with a shrug and a mysterious smile. Over this trip, I realized the importance of the bag, whether it was chapsticks on cold mornings, or chewing gums and lozenges during a flight, or Dolo-650 after a long day of walking or even a light scarf during my sore throat sessions, everything came out of Mamma's bag! Word of advice - I should travel more with her to relieve half my baggage.
After an elaborate history loaded day trip, we were tired and were on our way back to the hotel, when our cab turned into a narrow lane and we were busy admiring the surroundings in the mound of dust, Baba noticed a blacksmith and a few steps ahead was a low pale teal door opening into heaps of brass and bronze ware. He instantly noticed a couple of bronze Buddha statues in different forms of meditation and Mamma had a glitter in her eyes as she explored and inquired more about the artwork. Bhumisparsha Mudra (Buddha in a seated meditative position), the most sought after piece had been on their collectives’ list since i can remember but they could never decide on a single piece even after visiting a zillion stores and they obviously looking for it here; my untold cue to “We are going to take time here”. The shopkeeper showed them a few pieces and as usual, they were not upto the mark; suddenly the blacksmith who was sitting outside walked in and asked the shopkeeper to get one last piece of Buddha Statue which was kept in the godown for polishing. There it was, Baba knew this was destined to be ours as soon as he laid his eyes on the piece of the magnificent artwork; the statue was more than a foot tall, every detail intricately carved with a serene smile on His face and now monumentally bright after the final polish. A very well acquired day I would say!
We chose to fly to Pokhara the next morning, instead of driving down, as we wanted to maximize our stay on Nepal. Pokhara’s vibe is quite contrasting to that of Kathmandu, a lot of tourists tend to flock at this place as unwind and chill is what this city lives by. After checking in and freshening up at the hotel, we headed out to explore the area; the Old Bazar was at a few minutes’ walk and Baba was on hunt for a good cup of strong, sugarless tea, he put his foot down stating, “Not a single cup of good tea in the last 2 days, I need one immediately to function”. Baba is quite a tea connoisseur and he was yet to get used to the Nepali tea variant; no offense meant. 😉 After inquiring at a couple of cafes and bakery shops, we finally found a small nook offering Sel Roti along with Baba’s tea; we settled there for some time. Sel Roti is a local snack which is also serveded with vegetable curries and is a cross between donut and bagel; quite a delicious take on the item.
Sel Roti and Newari Thali
Newari bazar (old bazar) extends in the heart of the city and has been protected as an old heritage site of Pokhara where we could observe old houses, temples and the local Newari culture. This place also has numerous Marwari settlements who have been running businesses in different parts of the country; many of whom have established restaurants in Old Bazaar offering Newari and Indian food; we stuck to our motto of eating local and ordered Newari Thalis. The Thali resembled the Indian North Indian variant, but all the preparations had a slight twist; there was a portion of bright yellow fried rice called Pulao with accompaniments of Samay baji, Aalu Tama, Chatamari, Yamari and Choila; delicious and kept us full for a long time.
Most of the shops at Old Bazar sell huge amount of mechandize made from Hemp and specifically really sought after by many tourists; clothing with basic and minimal designs; jhola bags and even footwear. “Hemp is a local produce and hence everyone wants it” I thought to myself, I made up mind to buy atleast a simple shirt or dress and was quite fascinated, long story short, I didn’t know what Hemp was. While my parents explored a handicraft store, I went ahead to explore Hemp stores, carrying 1000 bucks with me as I wanted to shop quite a lot. I asked for a shirt dress, very cottony and simple, I was totally impressed and soon reached my wallet to close the deal, “Good choice, it will look very nice on you”, the lady at the store said “And that will be 6500 Nepalese Rupee only”, I quickly did the math, around 4000 INR????? “What on God’s green earth is she blabbing”, I went “Huh??” “This is very pure Hemp ma’m, come here; smell; take a long whiff” and I walked towards her and sniffed suspiciously, “Oooooo! Dang! That totally explained the purity, cost and hence it is sought after!” I thanked her profusely for enlightening me and walked out empty-handed.
Only a hot and spicy momo dinner could soothe the dummy me; Mamma found a Chinese restaurant around the lake area and we called for couple of plates of Momo along with 2 portions of Thukpa; everything was super appetizing.
Baba and Mamma were excited about the watching the sunrise the next morning from Sarangkot; it is known for being one of the most gorgeous sunrise points in Pokhara; hence we started early to grab a good spot. It was quite cold even in April during the wee hours of the morning; I snuggled up with mamma under her shawl, perks of travelling with parents! Quite a good number of tourists had gathered that morning and we all began to chatter as soon as the first ray of Sun hit the Annapurna mountain range and specifically Machapuchare peak at sight; the snow-capped peaks turned golden and it was a mesmerizing view; we just could not have enough of it. However, unfortunately weather in the mountains is quite unpredictable, it got cloudy after a few minutes of sunrise, making our view hazy; but the first 5 mins were totally worth all the morning effort.
Sunrise at Sarangkot on Annapurna range
Sunrise at Sarangkot
We explored the hotel during the day and we had a sunset hike planned for the later half; the hotel staff had maintained a beautiful garden come orchard and it posed for a very peaceful and serene vibe. We decided to sightsee the Fewa Lake before heading out for the hike; this is the second largest lake in Nepal and it is awfully enchanting throughout the day with a Bazar lining one side of the lake to a great extent. Mamma and I decided to keep our energy boots full and chose to skip paddle boating on Fewa, instead we cherished sitting on the lush green grass surrounding the lake and enjoyed the cool breeze in our hair.
We arranged for a Sherpa to guide us on the hike up a hill on the outskirts on Sarangkot; he was a calm and composed middle aged man, always with a smile on his face; who made his living by conducting hikes like ours and accompanying on small treks. We started our hike from one of the foothills and walked up way up through the broken stairs and roughly made pathways; the stairway ran up and down and turned diagonally too in some places and after about 50 mins of walk, we reached the top of the hillock. There were small kutcha houses with flat-rock roofs on one side and an empty stretch of grassland with small hills on the other; the Sun was setting. The Sherpa told us stories about his native and his family and whereabouts of locals; it is always great to hear it from the horse’s mouth about ones culture and life when you travel. The families staying in the nearby houses offered us tea, how could Baba have said no? 😊 The chill began to fall as it grew a slightly dark and the hot goat-milk tea was the need of the hour. We walked down cheerily after a good walk and hot tea.
We did visit Old Bazar a couple of times over the last 2 days, but my parents used those visits to only make mind-notes of what all to purchase; shopping is always kept for the last evening of the trip; we picked up couple of brass figurines, some wooden handicrafts and I picked up some Buddhist Prayer flags hangings and a beautiful picture of the sun-lit Annapurna Range.
Our happy faces after a shopping trip
It was a very fulfilling trip in all aspects; relaxed and calmed our souls with the alluring panoramas of culture and mountain-scape.
Expense Summary
Trip duration - 5 days and 4 nights
Flights - INR 20,100 return fare per head
Stay - INR 35,500 for triple sharing rooms for 4 nights
Food - INR 4,000 for 3 people
Basic expense total - INR 24,300 per head
Additional Expense
Mountain flight - INR 6,500 per head
Shopping at Old Newari Bazar - Extra
Rental cabs - Extra
Recommendations -
Please do not miss the mountain flight. We had availed the one by Buddha Air, however there are multiple other operators.
The sunrise from Sarangkot