I spent a day exploring Pokhara by foot. Not in the main city, but on the other side of the lake where the World Peace Pagoda and Shiva Statue can be found on top of the hills.
I left my hotel, Pavillions The Farm, in the Furse Khola area by foot and started heading for the pagoda. The route on Google Maps seemed like a long way to get there, giving how close it was in direct distance, so I was looking for any shortcuts to get me there.
I did find one. A staircase that had been created as a walkway to the Shanti Stupa, which is what the World Peace Pagoda is known as locally. That wasn't on the Google Maps route, but I happened to see a sign for it.
The trek to the top of the hill was grueling, especially in the mid day heat. I was enjoying the exercise, fresh air, beautiful views and peace though. What I wasn't enjoying was the sight of litter everywhere.
I had gotten 45 minutes into my trek and the whole way there was litter on the ground. Crisp packets and plastic bottles that people had just carelessly discarded on the road. It was a real shame to see that in what is otherwise a very beautiful environment.
When I finally arrived at Anadu Gurung Village there were many little homestays and casual restaurants set up. It looks like the locals are getting some good industry out of the pagoda, with plenty of local people and tourists visiting.
I barely saw anyone on the route that I took, but I later found out there was an actual road on the opposite side of the hill which is how normal people get to the stupa. Very few people are trekking up there like me, especially in the summer.
The main rule at the Peace Pagoda is complete silence. You have to stay completely silent the whole time you're there. Unfortunately most people weren't obeying that rule. People couldn't stop themselves from sneakily talking to each other and the security guard kept having to "Shh!, Shh!" people.
There weren't that many groups of people there but it was still annoying. I imagine if it was more crowded it would be even worse. It's not that difficult to stay silent for a few minutes but it seemed that nobody could manage to do that. I was vlogging and I still managed to shut up for 5 minutes to enjoy some peace.
After the stupa, my plan was to trek to the Shiva Statue, a large statue of the major Hindu God, Lord Shiva. It looked close to the stupa on the map, but again, it would be a long trek according to Google Maps.
I enjoyed a fresh coconut from one of the vendors in the village, found the road from the opposite side of the hill that I hiked up, then bargained with a taxi driver to take me there.
He asked for 1,000 rupees which seemed like a huge amount, given the distance. The road was absolutely terrible though, so he deserves 1,000 for wrecking his car to take me up there.
The Shiva Statue is a major tourist spot in the area, with plenty of people visiting it, so I don't know why a decent road hasn't been built to it.
Just like the World Peace Pagoda, I spent just 5 minutes at the Shiva Statue. There's not much to do there, other than look at it.
From the statue I found a footpath down a hill that looked like it could take me to Phewa Lake. The trail had stunning views of the lake, so I tried to concentrate on that rather than all the litter that was scattered everywhere.
I took a boat trip to the lakeside, with a stop at the Tal Barahi temple that's on a little island in the middle of the lake. This is one of the most important Hindu structures in Nepal and many people go there to get blessed. I just went there for a quick look.
Again, there wasn't much to see, so I spent just 5 minutes there. All three of the places I'd visited so far were like that, but I enjoyed the journey to each of them.
After splashing the boat captain while trying to help him paddle, I got dropped off at the Lakeside and went on the hunt for some food. I found a nice looking place with a windmill in the garden but the staff wouldn't allow me to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and view of the lake. It was slightly drizzling with rain and they didn't want to get wet serving me. Fair enough, so I sat inside.
Their menu was basically typical Indian food. I didn't see anything that was uniquely Nepali, so I ordered Vegetable Pakora and Chicken Biryani. Some nice energy replenishment after a long day of exploring.
0:00 Intro
5:28 Foot Trail to Pagoda
20:35 World Peace Pagoda
26:31 Fresh Coconut
29:11 Bargaining for Taxi
35:13 Shiva Statue
38:33 Trek to Phewa Lake
46:56 Local School
1:02:23 Phewa Lake Boat Ride
1:11:28 Hindu Island Temple
1:18:18 Biryani and Pakora
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