Parvati Restaurant in Pokhara

The Parvati restaurant in Pokhara has a decent dal-bhat deal besides kalo-chia, rara and of course, momo. Away from the busy lake side roads, this quiet little place is a good place to sit and relax.

The Red Cow in Manang

The Red Cow milk cans serves as prayer wheels in Manang

Growing up in the 80's and 90's in Bangladesh, The Red Cow powdered milk was something very familiar to me. It was also one of those things I never expected to find in another time or place. Manang proved me wrong.

Homemade Nepali Beer

Almost every part of Nepal have its own version of homemade beer which is frequently prepared and consumed at home. Often accompanied by small snacks. The beverage is different from what is known as beer in the western world. The organic residues have a strong presence in the form of icky taste, smell or both. Sometimes, its not that bad - its an acquired taste and getting used to with takes a while. Such was the case with Chhang in mountains. Its a great challenge in most other cases though.

Corn beer of Sindhuli

The fluid substance seen in the accompanying photo is homemade beer of Sindhuli. The yellow color (as can be seen in the photo) is due to corn from which this is made from. Citric vomit like taste and smells (which cannot be seen in the photo) is due to the fermentation process. The snacks in the small dish next to are pieces of goat meat. Neither the snack nor the drink agree much with me. But I tried my best not to offend my host. Being a world citizen is not always easy.

Phewa lake

View from east shore of Phewa lake before sunset

One of Pokhara's many attractions is the beautiful Phewa lake. If the sky is clear, reflection of the Annapurna range on the lake offers a spectacular view from the south shore. Many postcards and souvenirs have this picture too. Alternatively, one can watch sunset from the west shore.

You can hire a boat to get yourself to the small island in the middle of the lake. There is a nice little shrine there. Or you can actually go all the way across the lake. There is a large Buddhist temple on top of a hill on the other side. The place where they tell you to dock your boat, there is a little restaurant. The lunch served over there is very good.

View of Phewa lake and parts of Pokhara town

Machapuchare

Machhapuchare peak

My most favorite mountain in the world is Machapuchare. I first saw the it from Sarangkot. It was a cloudy evening in late August 2011. When I reached the viewing point, a thick layer of cloud was blocking my view of the peak. After a few minutes an opening formed as the clouds moved away and I could see the Machapuchare peak in it's full glory. Near the peak its too steep - almost vertical - for ice to cling on. The bare rock face was glowing in golden light of the setting sun. There was something amazingly beautiful and captivating about that bare rock face.

I fell in love and realized that I would like to climb mountains someday. Not like some arrogant mountaineers I had met before, who climb mountains to conquer them. My inspiration for climbing a mountain would be to appreciate it.

A little research on the internet afterwards reveals some interesting facts about Machhapuchare. It's almost 7000m high and lies in the Annapurna mountain range. The meaning of the Nepali name is 'Fish tail'. Named so because of its twin peaks. The mountain is revered as sacred by local people. Machapuchare has never been climbed to the summit. Out of respect for local customs, mountaineers have decided not to set foot on its peak. I learned most of these from researching on the internet after coming back home awe stricken by the sheer magnificence of Machapuchare.