Tuesday 31st December 2024

Chitwan – Bandipur – Pokhara

Well we are back on the road again. It’s just 8am and the 160km journey is expected to take around six hours.  Three hours into our journey we will stop at a small town named Bandipur After the stop it will take about another 3 hours to reach Pokhara which is where we will stay for two nights and also celebrate the New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

The roads were an improvement on the Kathmandu to Chitwan journey.

However, there were still lots of potholes, road works and crazy driving. Drivers took their lives (and other peoples) in their hands as they overtook on bends and did other careless manoeuvres. Fortunately for us, we had an excellent driver.

For a long while we were travelling alongside a picturesque river.  We passed through small villages.  I spotted some small monkeys playing on a pile of rubbish at the side of the road.

Pulling off the main highway, we climbed upwards and through a forest until we reached a ridge where the hilltop town in the foothills of the Himalayas is situated.  Bandipur is often referred to as ‘Queen of the Hills’.

No traffic is permitted in Bandipur.  Car parks are at the edge of the town, just a few minutes walk away from the centre.

In the 18th century many Newari people moved from the Kathmandu Valley to the area and established the town. It became a major stop on the India-Tibet trade route.

Both the invasion of Tibet, and then years later the construction of a major highway which bypasses Bandipur, contributed to a drastic reduction in trade.  The people are now mainly farmers, only a few traders remain.

The traditional Newari 18th century architecture can be seen throughout the small town.  Wooden latticed windows and decorated pagodas feature in the majority of the two or three storied buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was enjoyable walking around the cobbled pedestrian only town. Locals were going about their business; they all smiled at us and nodded.

There is very little tourism here but one or two hotels do exist.  I had to take the photo (above) of the Hotel Teendhara with its sign stating that it was established 2060 BS.  We have gone back to the future!

The Nepali New Year (Navavarsha) is in April. It is currently their 9th month of the year (for us, it is December). The year is 2081 BS (Bikram Sambat). Their calendar is around 56 years and 8 months ahead of ours and based on both the lunar and solar cycles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were wandering we were surprised to see a catholic school.  Later Sudan explained that children of any religion could attend the school.  A catholic charity had built it and continued to maintain it.

Bandipur had a couple of small shops. This photo of a small outlet is also a beauty shop and a family guest house!

A swastika is painted above the door; the ancient sacred symbol represents divinity and spirituality in both Buddhism and Hinduism.

 

At another outlet, we stopped to purchase some snacks for lunch. The tiny shop obviously didn’t have the space for a huge array of products.

I was therefore surprised that they stocked regular, sugar free and also fat free digestive biscuits!

As we walked back up the hill, we bumped into Pete and Anne; they too were making their way back to the car park for the scheduled time. The bus driver asked us where the others were, “somewhere behind us” we told him.

We laughed with some of our companions about the difference between the British and the Greeks.  The British are almost always punctual whereas the Greeks are renowned for being late.  I said “I need to wear “my Greek watch!”

Nena joked with me that I was always first at the meeting place.  When Melina told us that we would meet at 8am the following day, Nena would say to me “Linda that means 8.20am.”

However, Dave and I did manage to be last on the bus after a visit to a Buddhist Stupa.  Actually, I believe everyone else was early and we were on time. Ha Ha!

However, our bonus for being back at the bus on time in Bandipur was that we saw the clouds lift and the Annapurna mountain range become visible.  A few minutes later, the cloud dropped again, hiding the amazing scene once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pokhara is Nepal’s second largest city.  It is well known for its views of the Annapurnas.

It has a population of half a million and the name Pokhara is derived from the Nepali word for ‘pond’ which is pokhari.  Once it was part of the old India-Tibet trade route, now it is popular with the tourists.

Swiss Geologist Toni Hagen was one of the first foreigners to enter Nepal in the 1950’s.  His passion was of course the Himalayas but he soon became fascinated with the people.  He wrote a book about Nepal, its history, anthropology and culture.

Slowly hippies and tourists started arriving in Pokhara, many in search of marijuana.  A lot of these visitors didn’t want to go back to their own country and were forcibly removed.  In 1973 when marijuana was legalised in USA, many people stopped travelling to Nepal.

 

 

 

 

 

A huge festival was taking place in Pokhara to celebrate the New Year, even though it isn’t the Nepali New Year.  It is the 26th Pokhara Street Festival; it started on the 28th December and continues until tomorrow, 1st January, 2025.

The festival organiser announced that as in all previous years, the festival would take place in celebration of the English New Year. The festival aims to promote both international and local tourists.

Street food, music, and cultural entertainment including some dancing from endangered ethnic groups takes place over the five day event.

Stalls with traders selling toys, fleeces, balloons, masks, party headwear and many other products line the 3 kilometre area of the festival. It is situated adjacent to Lake Phewa.

The event’s motto is:  Eat on the Street!

Dance on the Street!

Enjoy on the Street!

Half a million people are expected to visit Pokhara during the duration of the festival.

Due to the festivities, the road to our hotel was closed, so the driver had to leave the coach a few minutes walk away.

Mount Kailash Hotel where we were staying was celebrating with a New Years Eve Gala starting at 7pm.

 

 

 

 

Snacks and drinks were served during the performance of Nepalese traditional dancing. The smiling dancers wore colourful traditional costumes and were clearly enjoying themselves.

Later, we enjoyed an excellent buffet dinner.

Dave and I decided to go and see what was happening at the festival which was directly outside the hotel.  There were thousands of people walking along the street including many families and couples. There were countless street food stalls, kids were eating candy floss and some were carrying balloons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite a few folk stopped to chat with us, asking us where we were from and if they could take a photograph with us.  There was a fun atmosphere, everyone was enjoying themselves.  Dave and I wondered how the people actually celebrate their own New Year in April.

The DJ had started playing when we returned to the hotel; the music was extremely loud with all the music from the festival and the hotel DJ seemingly competing.

Back up in our room we heard the fireworks and assumed it was New Year but Anne told us that they had returned to their room just after midnight and the fireworks display was at 12.30am.

 

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