Wednesday 1st January 2025-New Years Day

 Sarangkot Hill : Bindhyabasini Mandir : Phewa Lake : Varahi Mandir : World Peace Pagoda

All of us had a wakeup call at 5am. By 5.45am we were in the transport and on our way to Sarangkot Hill.  Rather an early start for New Years Day but we are going to see the sunrise above the Himalayas! Wow! Sarangkot Hill is 1600 metres above sea level and has an excellent view of the Annapurna Mountain Range which is part of the Himalayas.

When we arrived at our view point, it was still dark and we watched the sky go from dark to light.  It was absolutely stunning and an amazing way to start the New Year! We feel so lucky and privileged!

 

 

 

 

Mount Machhapuchhre is usually referred to as Fishtail Mountain, obviously due to its resemblance to a fishtail. It is almost 7000 metres high.

The triangular mass is also known as the virgin mountain as it is forbidden to ascend it. Climbing permits are not issued as is considered to be one of the most sacred mountains in Nepal and it is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva.

It is a tradition in Greece to have a New Year’s Cake, ‘Μια Βασιλόπιτα’. The cake contains a coin and whoever gets the piece with the coin it said to have a year of good luck and good health.

Melina had brought a traditional cake with her and I guess this will be the best place we will participate in the cutting of the cake.  A memory that will stay with us forever!

Suzanne got the piece with the coin in and also got a gift voucher to spend at the travel company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the top of Sarangkot Hill the sky over the Himalayas was clear while Lake Phewa on the other side of the hill was shrouded in cloud making it an eerie scene. These two photographs were taken just 5 minutes apart.

Both the changing colours of the mountains and the lights coming on below us were fascinating to watch.

The Annapurna massif has one peak over 8,000 metres and 13 peaks over 7,000 metres.

After reluctantly leaving the magnificent panoramic view, we drove down to Pokhara. During the short journey, we saw some trainee Ghurkhas running through the streets.

The main recruitment centre for the Ghurkha regiment is in Pokhara. Each year around 20,000 applications are received.  The young men go through rigorous physical training and academic exams.  Finally around 300 are selected for the coveted positions each year.

 

From the Bindhyabasini Mandir, in Pokhara we were greeted with another view of Fishtail Mountain.

 

This shikhara (a Sanskrit word translating to mountain) style temple was on our programme for Day 1, but of course we had the delay.  However, our guides are doing their best to ensure that we still see everything on the itinerary.

The temple is dedicated to Parvati, the wife of Shiva.  To non Hindus, the religion with the many manifestations of the gods and goddesses appears to be both complex and fascinating.

The goddesses Durga, Kali, Bhagawati, Chandi and Yogamaya are all some of the different manifestations of Parvati.

Nandi the bull is Shiva’s vahana. A vahana is a vehicle used by the Hindu deities.

The faithful believe that by whispering their prayers into Nandi’s ears, their wishes will be heard by Shiva.

The trainee Ghurkhas that we had seen were now at the temple performing their morning rituals.

Two Ghurkhas were whispering into the bull’s ears when we passed by.

The Bindhyabasini Mandir is believed to be one of the oldest temples in Pokhara; it is also the preferred place for weddings for couples from both Pokhara and the surrounding areas.

 

After breakfast back at the hotel, while some of our travel companions caught up on a few hours sleep, Dave and I went for a walk to the lake.

 

 

The mist was still lingering over the freshwater lake. Apparently when weather conditions are good, one can see a reflection of the mountain range in the lake.

 

Overlooking the lake is a yoga park with statues of deities. What a magical and spiritual place to have a yoga session!

A few steps further along there is a large statue of Hanuman, the monkey god.

We continued exploring Pokhara until it was time to meet up with the rest of our group.

All of us walked the short distance to the lake, Sudan introduced Dave to a guy who would meet Dave after his visit to the island and would take him, by motorcycle up to the World Peace Pagoda.

Sudan had arranged this early this morning when he asked if there was anyone who wouldn’t be able to do the hike. Due to a calf problem Dave currently has, he knew that it could be difficult.

I thought that it was excellent that Sudan had arranged for Dave to still visit the pagoda. The rest of us would take another boat ride and hike through a jungle to reach the Peace Pagoda.

All of us got into small colourful rowing boats, each boat had someone rowing.

The boat ride was longer than I had anticipated and it was relaxing to watch the beautiful scenery go by.

The island is tiny and we only had ten minutes there, so nobody decided to spend time removing footwear to visit the sacred temple. Many of us were wearing hiking boots, so therefore it would take too much time to remove them and put them back on.

There was a festive feel on the island; stalls were selling offerings to the gods. Professional photographers were taking shots of people next to the revered temple.  Many pilgrims visit the Taal Varahi Mandir and it is considered to be Pokhara’s most religious site

The mandir is dedicated to Taal Varahi, an incarnation of the god Vishnu in the form of a boar.

According to Hindu Scriptures, a demon sunk Mother Earth to the bottom of the seas.  Vishnu took the avatar Taal Varahi and fought with the demon to rescue planet Earth.

Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, our plans changed. One of the ladies in our group felt unwell and a couple of the others weren’t sure about the walk. Sudan said if some walk too slowly, it could take too long.

So, we were informed that we would return by boat to where we started and then the bus would take us to a higher point to start the walk. We would then have a steep 45 minute walk and then steps to climb up to the World Peace Pagoda.  Sudan said that he would arrange a taxi for anyone that couldn’t do the steep walk.

It was a great boat ride back as we made use of the extra oar in the boat; we took it in turns rowing, trying to beat Marko’s team back to shore. There was lots of fun and quite a lot of jeering going on between our two self made teams. It was touch and go but Marko’s team came in first.

The walk was indeed steep; Dave decided to stay on the coach.  It took me 50 minutes to reach the top.  The steps were lined by stalls selling Tibetan singing bowls, jewellery, magnets, keepsakes of Hindu gods and goddesses in various different materials amongst other souvenirs.

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal is home to two of the 80 World Peace Pagodas. This one in Pokhara was built in 1973 and was the 71st peace pagoda.  The majority of the Buddhist Stupas were founded by Buddhist Monks from the Japanese Nipponzan-Myohoji order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Placards with ‘SILENCE!’ written on them were in various places in the pagoda’s grounds.  Security men were walking around with whistles and carrying wooden canes. They did not hesitate to blow their whistles at anyone who was not adhering to the strict rule.

After removing my shoes and leaving them on the grass, I climbed the first flight of steps and walked the kora, (a clockwise circumnambulation of a sacred site, often performed while meditating).  Then I climbed the second set of steps and again walked the kora admiring the statues and artwork set into the pagoda.

Most people were respecting the ‘silent’ rule and there was a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

Just a few steps away from the Peace Pagoda, there was a café with several floors which had amazing views. Unfortunately, the service was extremely slow and not many of us managed to get a drink,

Pete and Anne set off  back down the steep hill straight away due to an injury Anne had on her toe which made it difficult to walk down hill.

Although she did beat me walking up the hill!

 

I sat and admired the beautiful views of Lake Phewa and Pokhara while chatting to Maria, George and family.

 

 

It was a much easier walk downhill. I made some voice recording notes for my journal on my phone while walking down. I hadn’t had any time to do any writing as our adventure here in Nepal is packed solid which is what the company advertised and suits us.

On the way down, I noticed that the sun was almost down, we had seen sunrise and we will also see the sunset.  What an amazing way to start the New Year -2025!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I noticed some hay stacks; they are built on a pole which will keep the hay off the ground. The hay will be used mainly for cattle feed.

The walk down to the bus took me just 25 minutes.  I arrived just a couple of minutes after Pete and Anne.

Two female workers walked by, both wearing identical clothes. Perhaps the dress of a particular ethnic group. I wondered how far they had to walk with their loaded baskets

 

On the bus, we learnt that a couple of folk (that didn’t feel well) had indeed got a taxi that dropped them of at the rear of the World Peace Pagoda so they didn’t have to climb the steps at the top of the steep hill.

Unfortunately, three of the group have gone down with some sort of illness, one a fever and a couple with stomach problems.

Amongst the information we received from the travel company was the advice to start probiotics a few days before we set off. This is good advice and something that we always do. So now, we all must be extra careful. Melina is often handing out antibacterial wipes. Many of us carry mini bottles of antibacterial cleanser.  Better to be safe than sorry!

It was 5.45pm when we returned to the hotel.  The four of us headed to the bar for a cold beer.

Our plan was for hot showers, early dinner and early to bed!

 

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