We flew 125 miles west of Kathmandu to Pokara, which is surrounded by the Annapurna Mountains. The spine of this range marks the apex of the main Himalayan chain itself and fulcrum of the continental divide. Pokara is a popular destination for both Nepali and foreign tourists alike: its lower elevation and slightly warmer climate appeal and this “hippie hideaway” grew into the Launchpad for some of Nepal’s most popular treks and rafting expeditions.
Our first stop was to the International Mountain Museum, which is dedicated to every aspect of the mountains from culture to climbing, geology to mythology. Opened in 2004, their self-expressed objective is: “to record, document and chronicle the past and present development of mountaineering activities in the world in general and to preserve the saga of the momentous feats in the history of mountaineering in the Himalayan peaks in particular.” It was fascinating with photographs, memorabilia, and even some of the rudimentary mountaineering equipment used in early expeditions. Our visit there served as a timely introduction to the mountains which would be our home for the next four nights and we pondered, not for the first time on the trip, why humans have such a magnetic attraction to the mountains and why for some, an unquenchable desire to conquer them.
The Fewa Lake area is lined with bustling cafes, guest houses, and shops offering both souvenirs and an array of trekking supplies. Thinking that the US-based company, The North Face, had really made some in-roads in the Nepali market, because you see their products everywhere in these sidewalk vendors, I later learned that that although there are a few licensed stores who sell “the real thing,” most of what I was seeing were “North Fakes!” We lunched at an open air café called “Moon Dance,” with the lyrics of Van Morrison’s famous tune running through my head. The menu was surprising, obviously geared toward an international market, but incongruously included pizza, pasta, Thai curries, Indian curries, and even a few Mexican goodies. I opted for Nepali wild boar chili and the fried rice. We strolled through the shops after lunch and found the prices on cashmere and pashmina (two Nepali specialties) to be much more favorable than Kathmandu.
We drove about 45 minutes over bumpy roads, climbing to Tiger Mountain Resort, perched above the valley, which would be our home for this evening. The owner and General Manager, Marcus Cotton, was there to greet us with a tray of iced tea. He’s an affable Brit who has 27 years experience in Nepal. The resort was built in 1998 and offers 18 rooms and a variety of outdoor activities. I was shown to Room #13, which was located down a few steep flights of rocky steps, and supposedly this is the same room where Princess Anne stayed during her visit in 2000. The accommodations are modest—no phones, TVs or WIFI, which I secretly enjoy from time to time – and the hot water bottle at night was a welcome addition. The lodge has a convivial ambiance at night as guests gather and share stories of the day. We dined on fresh greens and veggies from their organic garden and a highlight was the homemade chocolate truffles and delicious “orange fudge” which would remind you of Canadian maple sugar!
In addition to the eight walks offered on the resort’s property with in-house naturalist guides, there are a number of adrenalin-packed outdoor activities to enjoy in the area. One that caught my eye, and I would have done it in a heartbeat had we had just one more day, is “para-hawking” which combines the ancient knowledge of falconry with modern day technology of paragliding. The birds of prey are trained to fly and interact with a para- glider and his tandem passenger, guiding them to thermals. Sounds amazing to me!
Sadly, although we had three peaks in the 7000-8000 m caliber all around us, they were shrouded in haze throughout our short stay so we were not able to appreciate the real reason one might go here to tuck in for a few days: the view! Until the next time…