Nepal

As my first venture out of India to explore another South Asian country, Nepal seemed an easy choice. Hence, me and Meg packed our backpacks and headed to Pokhara to chill by the beautiful Phewa lake, to stalk on wildlife in Chitwan national park and check out the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. Here's the trip in pictures.

Boaters on the Phewa lake in Pokhara.

The Phewa lake

A kid upto some shenanigans.

One night in Pokhara we stumbled upon a group of British gurkha troops who had come to Pokhara for a meeting. Any further details they refused to disclose, but turned out to be a right laugh. The evening turned into an all nighter. The British-run elite military unit known as the Gurkhas are one of Nepal's best known exports and it's still many a young Nepali man's dream to become part of this reputable force.

Sunset at the Phewa lake.

A vehicle straight out of Mad Max.

Nepali Thali - according to my Bengali companion, very closely resemblant of Bengali food in flavour and level of spice.  Nepal generally seemed to have fairly close links to Bengal in terms of cultural influences.

Laundry.

Taking a ride on one of the local minibuses, the man in the front is the cashier whose job is also to announce the stop and the destination in the same speed and volume of auctioneers. 

Still 50 years to go before the grand opening!

The landscapes between Kathmandu and Pokhara reminded me slightly of Assam with their green hills and abundant rice fields. 

Most of the time in Pokhara the Annapurna mountain range  was obscured by either clouds or the afternoon haze of smog. Typically, the day we were leaving the weather was clear enough to enjoy the range in its full glory.

A lady harvesting rice, near the Kathmandu - Pokhara highway.

The Boudhanath stupa is one of the most important pilgrimage sites of Tibetan buddhism. The dome itself is claimed to contain some remains of the Buddha but nobody knows for sure as it has been sealed for aeons.

Bindis on sale at Pashupatinath, the most important pilgrimage site of Hinduism in Nepal.

Pre-assembled sets of offerings on sale - spirituality made convenient.

Kumkum stall at Pashupatinath, surrounded by the usual Hindu gods and a new unrecognized one(?)

Outraged by the rip-off prices at the roadside eatery our busdriver chose, we walked further down the road and found this young man running a fine establishment with his mother. He served us an exotic local delicacy called Maggi. 

Elephant rider takes five before loading another group of tourists...

...such as these.

The Chitwan national park is one of the most famous national parks in Asia and one of the best sites to spot the endangered one-horned rhino. This guy seemed unfazed by being surrounded by elephants loaded with Korean tourists incessantly documenting its movements with an iPad.

Sun sets over Chitwan while local boys try to catch some fish.

As our budget was getting tighter towards the end of the trip , we had to locate the cheapest dinner in town. At the very end of the Chitwan downtown main strip, this guy gladly made us some delicious momos from scratch. 

The bundle of chilis, garlic and lime can usually be found at the doorways of South Asian houses  to ward off evil spirits.

This door on one of the narrow streets of old Kathmandu will not only ward of evil spirits but probably most other guests as well.

Rickshawallahs seem to be the same everywhere you go. You stand on one corner and they holler at you every five minutes, just in case you change your mind. "Rickshaw?" "No thanks"..."how about now?"..."Now? No?"..."What about now?"

A kid waiting for his Jhalmuri.