One of the lesser known things to do in Pokhara is a very short trek to a village called Lalchowk where you can organise a homestay. Nepali people are very welcoming and they love being the welcoming host!
We have done many walks around Pokhara now and one thing that we've learnt is that the quickest way to get to where you want to go without getting lost is to ask. We had a map of the area but, being Nepal, I'm not sure when it was last updated. We quickly realised this when we crossed what we thought was the first bridge only to establish that a fair amount of construction has happened in the area since the map was printed.
Luckily Nepali people are all to happy to direct lost tourists and at every junction there was someone happy to wave us in the right direction. One gentleman even stopped his truck to give us directions with a big smile - not something you get in London.
We were welcomed warmly on arriving and were ushered in and sat down with tea before we had time to think. Even with no forewarning about us visiting the lady we stayed with, Puma, welcomed us as though our visit had been looked forward to for months. A very welcome reception after a hot days walking!
Puma's home is beautiful - her house looks over the paddy fields with the valley in the background and it is a very peaceful setting. We were able to sit and watch as the monsoon rain came along the valley. It was lovely to sit and watch the rain approaching from the safety of shelter and we were glad wr hadn't walkd slower!
Having lived with four Nepali girls I have seen the energy that they can have but Puma takes it a step further. She is bubbling over with enthusiasm. She may not have a huge amount of English but she could get across whole stories using exaggerated mimes and a few words. I don't think I saw her keep still for any great length of time for our whole stay and she was great fun, if a bit tiring, to be around.
The next day we were taken to the temple, which we were told was an hour away. Temples are commonly on top of hills and so, once again, we braved many, many stairs. It also turns out that the 'one hour' was a Nepali one hour and so two hours later we arrived at the top. It had been a nice walk, but one that was much more difficult than I expected. I had been decieved by Puma wearing sandals and a saree into thinking it would not be that difficult. However, I have seen women wearing sarees and flip flops carrying huge packs on their backs up hills in the rain. I think this is in large part because of necessity as flip flops are cheap and accessible but I do wonder what they think when they see all the tourists wearing huge hiking boots.
It was great to stay with Puma and I really enjoyed being back in a Nepali's home. I like being in parts of Nepal that are off the beaten track as, although it is nice to have the comforts found in the tourist areas, I find people are more welcoming and friendly in lesser known parts amd tourists are seen as less of an industry and more as people. If ever someone in Pokhara wanted something different to do I would definitely recommend visiting Puma.
We have done many walks around Pokhara now and one thing that we've learnt is that the quickest way to get to where you want to go without getting lost is to ask. We had a map of the area but, being Nepal, I'm not sure when it was last updated. We quickly realised this when we crossed what we thought was the first bridge only to establish that a fair amount of construction has happened in the area since the map was printed.
Luckily Nepali people are all to happy to direct lost tourists and at every junction there was someone happy to wave us in the right direction. One gentleman even stopped his truck to give us directions with a big smile - not something you get in London.
We were welcomed warmly on arriving and were ushered in and sat down with tea before we had time to think. Even with no forewarning about us visiting the lady we stayed with, Puma, welcomed us as though our visit had been looked forward to for months. A very welcome reception after a hot days walking!
Puma's home is beautiful - her house looks over the paddy fields with the valley in the background and it is a very peaceful setting. We were able to sit and watch as the monsoon rain came along the valley. It was lovely to sit and watch the rain approaching from the safety of shelter and we were glad wr hadn't walkd slower!
Having lived with four Nepali girls I have seen the energy that they can have but Puma takes it a step further. She is bubbling over with enthusiasm. She may not have a huge amount of English but she could get across whole stories using exaggerated mimes and a few words. I don't think I saw her keep still for any great length of time for our whole stay and she was great fun, if a bit tiring, to be around.
The next day we were taken to the temple, which we were told was an hour away. Temples are commonly on top of hills and so, once again, we braved many, many stairs. It also turns out that the 'one hour' was a Nepali one hour and so two hours later we arrived at the top. It had been a nice walk, but one that was much more difficult than I expected. I had been decieved by Puma wearing sandals and a saree into thinking it would not be that difficult. However, I have seen women wearing sarees and flip flops carrying huge packs on their backs up hills in the rain. I think this is in large part because of necessity as flip flops are cheap and accessible but I do wonder what they think when they see all the tourists wearing huge hiking boots.
It was great to stay with Puma and I really enjoyed being back in a Nepali's home. I like being in parts of Nepal that are off the beaten track as, although it is nice to have the comforts found in the tourist areas, I find people are more welcoming and friendly in lesser known parts amd tourists are seen as less of an industry and more as people. If ever someone in Pokhara wanted something different to do I would definitely recommend visiting Puma.
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