23rd October, 2014
This journey was my first one for many things. I was doing
domestic travelling alone for the first time. It was a first-time experience of
a tourist AC bus. I had never visited Pokhara or Chitwan before. This travel
began at 7 am from Kantipath. The bus reached Pokhara through Naubise,
Ghansipauwa and Malekhu. When the bus stopped for some time in Ghansipauwa, I
tasted fried veg. momo. At around 12 pm, the bus stopped again for lunch in
Malekhu. I had a full meal which was a buffet. A lot of crowd could be seen
there. I liked the concept.
Before reaching the bus stop of Pokhara, lovely mountains
welcomed tourists through the way. The sky was clear. At 3 pm, the bus stopped at
Barahi Chowk near Hallanchowk in Lakeside. My hotel was nearby but as a
newcomer, I was a bit naive to the place. I took a taxi, the fare of which I
found a bit expensive than Kathmandu. It was Nrs. 150 for a walking distance of
10 minutes.
After having a quick shower followed by a cup of tea, I went
out to explore. The first glimpse of Phewa Lake at just 2 minutes’ walk from
the hotel was marvelous. The feeling was unexplainable. I felt heaven. Walked
through the sidewalk and reached Tal Barahi. Grabbed a life jacket and went towards
Barahi Temple situated inside the lake in a boat. The surrounding views looked
lovely from the lake. There were about 10 people in the boat. Although slightly
scared of the water, the experience was exciting.
I did the darshan and clicked pictures. The temple in
the middle of the lake on an island is an amazing view. Returned back in a boat
which remained close to the edge of the island.
24th October
Next morning was for morning walk at lakeside. The morning
view looked cool and beautiful. The lake was absorbed in fog and mist. The
hills were slightly visible through clouds. A woman was fishing in the lake. After
enjoying these views, I returned and had breakfast. The festive mood had
already begun and locals were dancing in front of the hotels. I was observing
and enjoying but suddenly had to leave them to perform as the bus for sightseeing
had approached. The bus ran through the city.
Starting with Bindhyabasini Temple, the sightseeing ended
with Tal Barahi temple dropping us all in front of the Chowk. Bat’s cave, Mahendra
cave and Gupteshwor cave were visited. Begnas Lake, Seti River, Devi’s Falls were
other sights. Had lunch in a restaurant there (momo again). Caves were very
adventurous. Once I hit my head badly on the opening of the cave. Seti River
was so white I had never seen such rivers before. Begnas Lake had less number
of visitors compared to Phewa. However, the beauty of both was similar. Devi’s
falls covered a large area although the main location was quite small. After
the sightseeing, enjoying a cup of coffee in a restaurant in front of the
lakeside, I clicked the summit of Mt. Machhapucchre. I was glad that I could at
least see a part of it in the cloudy evening. Enjoying the beauty of Pokhara and
feeling blessed, I walked through the main road of lakeside shops and hotels.
Returned back to the hotel for dinner.
25th October
The last morning walk began in the dawn around lakeside
where I walked for about 30 minutes up to the big park area called Basundhara. It
was beyond Ratna Mandir. Bought a few pasties on the way a baker carried over
his head, which could not be resisted because of its aroma. Returned back to the
hotel for a breakfast. Chatted with the owner about the city. He dropped me to
the Tourist bus station. All Pokhareli seemed people of politeness. I left
pokhara and headed towards Chitwan.
Chitwan is 150 km away from Pokhara. The bus mostly had tourists;
however, the speed seemed scary. On the way to Chitwan, I was fortunate to meet
a Nepali litterateur sitting next to me. We had intellectual conversation
throughout the travel and the way to my destination seemed shorter. I reached
Sauraha Bus Park in the noon. Once I reached the hotel, a heavy lunch was
served very soon. The schedule was fixed here for all days. The first thing to
do was to visit a museum and an elephant center, both inside the national park
at 4 pm. It was also called a short jungle walk. I was included in a group of 9
Chinese students throughout the stay here. At 6:30, a Tharu cultural program
was shown in a hall nearby the hotel. The hall was crowded and I could see many
foreigners enjoying the dances. I was fascinated by the dances too and felt
guilty that I had not known the culture of my own country. Returned back and
had dinner at 8 pm.
26th October
After breakfast, we headed for canoeing and a long jungle walk.
Canoeing was a mind-blowing experience. The feeling of feeling oneself light once
I stayed in a canoe in a completely calm and peaceful misty morning is
unexplainable. During canoeing, we could see many birds near the river area.
After about an hour, we reached the place wherefrom we would start our walk in
the forest. Walking through the dense forests with the hope of finding wild
animals was a good experience. However, to our disappointment, we could see
only a deer and a boar. No rhinos or elephants were seen. Took a canoe again to
cross the river to reach the hotel. The lunch was ready by then and I roamed
around Sauraha market after that. After coming back from there, I went to a
natural museum situated at 30 minutes’ walking distance from the hotel. Resting
for a while, I waited for the final program- riding over the elephant. The elephant
ride in a community forest was scheduled at 4 pm for about an hour and a half. With
a group of four in an elephant, we entered the forest. Here, we could see deer,
monkey, boar, and owl. Had dinner in the evening.
27th October
The final day was only set for heading towards Kathmandu
after breakfast. Went outside the hotel in front of the river and observed the
area. Was guided a bit by a local guide there and had a chance to watch animals
through his binoculars. Then bid farewell to the place along with the Chinese
tourists. Although left early, reached Kathmandu only at around 6 pm due to
road construction. The journey had delayed by 4 hours. I was in Kathmandu but felt
a bit lost as if in a new environment. Thus, my 5 days of domestic travel
ended.
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