Chhavi and I went to Pokhara on a tennis trip. She was playing in two ITF qualifying tournaments at Pokhara Nepal. So we stayed for about 10 days. Tennis trips are different than vacations. We see the tournament venue more than anything else. She spends some time on court almost everyday and then is the emotional roller-coaster of winning, losing or getting a walkover in the matches. The highs are okay but the lows sometimes can really get low!
Still we said to each-other that we will try a new restaurant for every meal and try to make a bit of a holiday. It was Chhavi’s first time in Nepal where as I was going back to Pokhara alone for the third time.
All my previous trips to Pokhara were of 2 nights and the clouds ruled. I barely got a glimpse of Mt. Machapuchare or Mt. Fishtail. But it all changed when we stayed for around 10 days in Pokhara at November end and December beginning. If the weather favors you, Pokhara puts on its charm and Chhavi and I were smitten.
We stayed at the Trekker’s Inn hotel at Pokhara and this was the view right from our lift lobby! I was so excited to see it right there!
One day I was roaming around the lift lobby before sunrise looking for pictures. An employee walked by and told me to go to the terrace of the hotel and this was the view at sunrise from the terrace of the Trekkers Inn!
On my previous trips all I got was clouds around this beautiful mountain. This time it was cloudy for one and a half days. I didn’t mind it all. In fact I enjoyed the clouds too.
This was the view from the Shanti Stupa of Mt. Fishtail with flowers. I didn’t expect flowers at Pokhara in November one but there they were!
This was the view from the Rangshala where the tennis stadium was. I would go up to the balcony and enjoy both, a good game of tennis and the view from the tennis court. Part of the old airport was visible from the court.
This one is again clicked while going up to the Shanti Stupa and I was playing with the focus of my DSLR. You get fabulous view of Machapuchare from Shanti Stupa!
Another beautiful place to view Mt. Fishtail is from the sleepy town of Sarangkot, a 30 minutes drive from Pokhara. The views are divine! I have been there at Sunrise too on a previous trip.
My previous two short visits to Pokhara gave me no indication that it was such a charming place! This is once again the view from the Shanti Stupa.
However the best views that we got are from the last café before you walk into the premises of the Shanti Stupa. You can’t miss it as it is a multi story structure. I wish I had allocated more time to coffee and snacks with a fabulous view of the lake and the Annapurna range of mountains at Pokhara.