The World Peace Pagoda is one of the main sights to see when in Pokhara and I visited last time I was in Nepal. Having visited it the normal way previously - by crossing the lake and climbing the hill - this time we decided to take the slightly more scenic route of walking around the lake and then up the hill. It turns out that we didn't just take the scenic route but the very scenic route.
Once we had gone around the bottom of the lake amd started up the hill there were multiple paths to follow and logic suggested that we just head upwards and we should reach the Peace Pagoda. However, it turns out that just heading upwards results in a much more up-and-down route than heading around a little first! Having sat in Bhaunne for five weeks it was nice to be moving, even if it was still quite warm and muggy. By the time we reached the top both of us were very sweaty!
Luckily, we were rewarded with a spectacular view. As the Peace Pagoda is on top the hill you can see across Pokhara and it is much bigger than I realised and I suspect it is growing to cope with Nepal's increasing population. I would love to come back in ten years to see how much it changes as I suspect many more of the green areas of hills will be covered by houses, which will be a huge shame but I think it is something that is happening everywhere.
Due to our very scenic route we also got to see the other side of the hill. Esentially this is a valley filled with houses and, again, there were many more than I would have guessed. It was a reminder that as tourists we tend to stick to the same areas in Nepal and we forget about the rest. This combined with talking to other travellers makes me realise how lucky I was to essentially have lived in a Nepali's house for five weeks.
I was able to see a part of Nepal barely seen by Western tourists and it is a beautiful part of the country. I was also able to get a feel of what it was like to live and grow up in a village where there are few opportunities. Lots of people want to move out of Bhaunne and I think the girls at the clinic would all like to move to somewhere bigger as there really is little to do there and the job prospects are limited to farmer or shop keeper. It is so different from where I grew up in a very multi-cultural city that offers many different opportunities. It makes me realise how lucky I am.
After eating lunch while appreciating the view we headed back down. The man running the restaurant we ate at mentioned the local bus and ten minutes later when the heavens opened we realised why. It is, indeed, monsoon here and that particular afternoon it poured with rain. It was heavy enough that there was no point in trying to keep dry but to just except that you were going to be soaked through and be glad that it wasn't cold!
After a much shorter route back (half the time) we squelched back into Lakeside, the touristy area to Pokhara. We got many a strange look from people and I was very glad to get back to the guesthouse, peel off my clothes, and have a shower!
Once we had gone around the bottom of the lake amd started up the hill there were multiple paths to follow and logic suggested that we just head upwards and we should reach the Peace Pagoda. However, it turns out that just heading upwards results in a much more up-and-down route than heading around a little first! Having sat in Bhaunne for five weeks it was nice to be moving, even if it was still quite warm and muggy. By the time we reached the top both of us were very sweaty!
Luckily, we were rewarded with a spectacular view. As the Peace Pagoda is on top the hill you can see across Pokhara and it is much bigger than I realised and I suspect it is growing to cope with Nepal's increasing population. I would love to come back in ten years to see how much it changes as I suspect many more of the green areas of hills will be covered by houses, which will be a huge shame but I think it is something that is happening everywhere.
Due to our very scenic route we also got to see the other side of the hill. Esentially this is a valley filled with houses and, again, there were many more than I would have guessed. It was a reminder that as tourists we tend to stick to the same areas in Nepal and we forget about the rest. This combined with talking to other travellers makes me realise how lucky I was to essentially have lived in a Nepali's house for five weeks.
I was able to see a part of Nepal barely seen by Western tourists and it is a beautiful part of the country. I was also able to get a feel of what it was like to live and grow up in a village where there are few opportunities. Lots of people want to move out of Bhaunne and I think the girls at the clinic would all like to move to somewhere bigger as there really is little to do there and the job prospects are limited to farmer or shop keeper. It is so different from where I grew up in a very multi-cultural city that offers many different opportunities. It makes me realise how lucky I am.
After eating lunch while appreciating the view we headed back down. The man running the restaurant we ate at mentioned the local bus and ten minutes later when the heavens opened we realised why. It is, indeed, monsoon here and that particular afternoon it poured with rain. It was heavy enough that there was no point in trying to keep dry but to just except that you were going to be soaked through and be glad that it wasn't cold!
After a much shorter route back (half the time) we squelched back into Lakeside, the touristy area to Pokhara. We got many a strange look from people and I was very glad to get back to the guesthouse, peel off my clothes, and have a shower!
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