My mum once said that I take after her grandfather, whom she thought of as being very adventurous. He was the one, who more than a hundred and thirty years ago left China and set sail for Singapore to start a new life.They say the middle child marches to his or her own drum beat.Took me a while to realize that I found the freedom to be me when I traveled not as a tourist but as a bagpacker. My favourite place to do this? Pokhara, Nepal.
Learning how to make macramae jewelry, hanging out with other travelers, writing travel articles or completing that half finished novel you started writing are among some of things to do in Pokhara. Walking round Fewa Lake, taking awesome photographs, having meals and snacks at the many various cafes were some of the things that I liked doing. I really enjoyed having the Paneer (cottage cheese) steak and mashed potatoes at Sharma, a little pink restaurant owned by a friendly Nepali family.
There is a paragliding landing in Happy Village, a thirty minute walk from the last cafe in Pokhara. Some paragliding pilots spend months in Pokhara chalking up their hours of experience. So if that is something you would like to do then go tandem paragliding with an experienced pilot. I watched some beginner pilots paragliding on their solo flights. One landed in the lake, but there was no cause for alarm as it was in the shallow bit and another crashed into a tree. That paraglider also seemed unhurt. I guess its like learning how to ride a bicycle, you have to fall off a few times to be able to get it right.
Interested in visiting the pretty white stupa perched high up on the hill on the other side of the lake? Well I heard that you can walk all the way round and climb up the path there. We took a boat across, then climbed up. There is a lovely little waterfall that I liked playing in, not far from the path that leads up to the stupa, also known as The Peace Pagoda.
Trekking enthusiasts, you are in luck as there is plenty for you to do. Sarangkot, a quaint village above Pokhara offers great views of the mountain peaks. We rode on a motorbike up Sarangkot about four in the afternoon. Took a stroll around, soaked in the lovely sunset, had something to eat and then went to sleep. In the morning, we woke up when it was still dark and made our way to the view point to admire the sunrise and take our share of photos with the awesome mountain peaks as a backdrop.
My friends enjoyed a four day trek from Pokhara to Poon Hill. They came across mule caravans carrying supplies up the mountains and raved about the sensational views of white snow capped mountain peaks from Poon Hill.That was in April, so they were there at the right time to see the Ghorepani forest blooming with red rhododendron flowers.
I spent many happy hours on Fewa Lake and met quite a few interesting and inspiring fellow travellers in Pokhara. I still keep in touch with several friends that I made in Pokhara eighteen months ago. Such fond memories and genuine friendships, which I will always treasure.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter the Independence Travel Writing competition and tell your story.
