Pokhara, Phewa Lake and Paragliding

At 5:00 am, we stood at the still closed entrance of the national airport, ready for our Scenic Mountain Flight through the Himalayas. Everything was a bit slow and sluggish, but eventually we managed to board the Buddha Air plane after a short bus ride on the tarmac. After about 15 minutes, the surprising announcement came: 'Today's flight is cancelled due to poor visibility of the mountain peaks.' A bit disappointed, but also relieved (not to fly around in a foggy haze), we got off and spent the remaining hours in Thamel near our hotel before being taken back to the airport to fly to Pokhara. The unfavorable weather conditions in the morning led to chaos at the airport, so we reached our hotel 'Panorama' with a 2-hour delay around 5:30 pm. We were lucky to be accommodated on the 4th floor, so we could get a small overview of Pokhara and future hiking destinations despite the low-hanging clouds!

We enjoyed the evening on the idyllic Phewa Lake promenade in mild air, bought some souvenirs in the tourist area, and treated ourselves to delicious (unusually Western) food in one of the recommended restaurants.

The next morning, at 5:30 am, we met our driver and Tedar, our city guide. The plan was to admire some 8000m peaks from Sarangkot, one of the higher surrounding mountains in Pokhara, at sunrise. However, the low-hanging clouds obstructed a clear view of the mountain scenery, making it look completely mystical. It was fascinating how an 8000m high mountain disappeared into dense clouds within a few minutes, without even being able to guess its presence. Unfortunately, we couldn't capture the sight in photos.

After a short refreshment at the hotel and an unplanned longer waiting time (Nepalese and Indian time indications seem to be similar), we started a sightseeing tour of Pokhara, not really knowing what to expect. First, we visited a narrow gorge of the Seti River, which is said to turn into a high-filled, rushing stream after the monsoon rains. However, there was no sign of that - on the contrary, we had to search for the river deep in the distance!

We then visited the significant Hindu Shree Bindhyabasini Temple. Since Saturday is the most important day of the week for Hindu people, the temple was quite crowded. We were informed that many believers spend their entire Saturday with family and friends at the temple to present their offerings.

Afterwards, we visited the rather inconspicuous waterfall 'Devi's Fall,' which is actually called 'Patale Chango' in Nepali. However, due to a fatal accident, it became known as 'Devi's Fall' in the Western world.

We also visited the same waterfall from a nearby cave. At that time, however, we had no idea what an experience it would be... A spiral, magnificent path led us to the entrance of the cave, where countless pairs of shoes were placed: yes, you guessed it! Many (Hindu) people took off their shoes and crowded closely together on the wet, steep stairs, descending to an underground temple and starting to chant in chorus and present offerings. When we passed the temple, it became slightly emptier. During a short stop at the waterfall, we admired the wonder of nature (the cave) and quickly rushed up the stairs, out of the hustle and bustle.

When we sat in the car, we realized that the contrast of going from quiet, relaxed nature during the trek to crowded tourist attractions was maybe not so well thought out by us. Therefore, we were looking forward to a guided tour of the mountain museum, as the main focus of our tourist guide was on trekking tours and the museum is relatively less visited. The exhibitions were very informative, but also a bit overwhelming. We learned a lot about the country and its people, different tribes and their customs, geology, geography, and local animals.

On the way back from the hotel, we stopped at a bakery/sweets shop, sought advice from Tedar, and bought Nepali specialties.

After our sightseeing tour, we found another restaurant on Lotti's request. It had to be (finally) Momos! And it was worth it, they were delicious again! After a walk by the lake, we returned to the hotel due to the rain. From a terrace, we leisurely observed the lightning and rain, listened to the thunder, played Quixx, and tried the delicious, exotic sweets whose names we don't know.

The next morning, we were unexpectedly awakened by the hotel owner around 7:00 am: our flight back to Kathmandu would soon depart, and we needed to wake up quickly. After a brief scare, we clarified the confusion and were still glad to be awakened because from our window we could admire the mountain scenery of the Annapurna region. Huge snow-covered peaks stood out in the background and were illuminated by the sun. Simply impressive and hard to put into words! We enjoyed the view before being picked up by the paragliding company at around 10:00 am. After some organizational tasks, we set off in a jeep with two other tourists, four paragliders, and a total of three pilots to the take-off site, just behind Sarangkot mountain. Meanwhile, clouds had moved in front of the mountains again, but the sun was still visible. Then our two pilots, Sunil and Prabat, introduced themselves, explained the procedures and safety measures to us. Shortly afterwards, Prabat and Karsi took off and glided away silently - even Gunther was with them! Sunil and Lotti waited for the crosswind and then used the updraft to climb high. The air, the feeling, and the view were indescribable, even if we couldn't see the famous mountain scenery. We were accompanied by some birds of prey, who drifted in the air without a single flap of their wings. During the descent, some acrobatics were performed, including spirals and sharp curves that felt like a roller coaster and swings. We were both convinced: the 20-30 minute flight was definitely worth it!

After a short stop at the hotel, we explored a nearby mountain with a small memorial on the summit. It was nice to go on our own, meet nice locals, and enjoy the view. The ominous-sounding thunder drove us back down to the valley and back to the hotel after a coffee. We made it just in time! It started pouring rain, lightning, and thundering heavily.

Again, we sat on the balcony and observed the spectacle until it became too wet and chilly. This time, we barely solved an escape game, which we temporarily interrupted due to the heavy rain and later continued in the hotel room.

The thunderstorm led us to decide to try the sunrise on Sarangkot again the next morning because several people told us that the view of the mountains is usually very good after a thunderstorm! So at 5:00 am, we set off towards the cable car located about 4 km away. After about 45 minutes, we arrived and rode up the mountain for 10 minutes. Initially, we were a bit disappointed (no snow-covered mountains were visible), but we were rewarded! 40 minutes after arrival, the giants were briefly illuminated by the sun's rays, and the clouds cleared temporarily. Fantastic! We took countless pictures and, above all, enjoyed the view.

After a cable car ride back down to the valley and a sunny walk along the lakeside promenade, breakfast at the hotel tasted even better. Shortly afterwards, we started our 13 km hike. First, we crossed the lake by a small boat, passing a popular temple on a small island. From there, we climbed steeply up to the Shiva Statue, which we could even see from our hotel. Once at the top, we admired the huge statue and observed the rituals of the believers. Although we were on a summit, the view was unfortunately hazy, so we couldn't see far into the distance. Then we descended to the Peace Pagoda, where silence was required. The construction of this building is based on the idea that all people, regardless of their origin and beliefs, should strive for peace.

As a little refreshment, we finally dared to try the donut with cream filling that Lotti discovered since the bus ride to Syabrubesi. We had previously refrained from indulging in dairy products, following the advice, but this time it was freshly made, tasted delicious, and agreed with us. The way back to the hotel led us through barely visible and unmarked hiking trails through lonely forests. Eventually, we found our way back to civilization and to the hotel. In the evening, we tried a street food-like place. We decided to have freshly prepared curry. It tasted simply excellent and cost a total of only about 5€, including drinks.

Since dessert was still on the agenda, we strolled through the area and then tried the Machapuchare Kiss. A biscuit base mixed with chocolate cream, topped with a fluffy whipped cream. It was worth it!

This time, the storm surprised us, so we didn't arrive completely dry at the hotel.

On our last morning in Pokhara, we indulged in cappuccino at a café on the Phewa Lake and enjoyed a lavish breakfast - omelette, fresh fruit, hummus, a ginger shot, and cappuccino! A short time later, we returned to the airport to fly back to Kathmandu. This time with only a 30-minute delay!