We came out of the Pokhara airport and our travel agent was waiting for us, he greeted us pleasantly and within no time we were on our way to our hotel, the city of Pokhara was definitely cleaner, less dusty and full of green trees and lakes
We travelled along a lake, turned into a street and entered an open area where to my extreme delight I found our hotel the Fish Tail Lodge situated on a peninsula with the Fewa Lake on one side and Ranibon forest-covered hill on the other
Phewa or Fewa Lake is a freshwater lake in Nepal formerly called Baidam Tal and is the second largest lake in Nepal, the Annapurna range on the north is only about 28 km from the lake.
The lake is also famous for the reflection of mount Machhapuchhre and other mountain peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges on its surface.
The resort appeared to welcome us across the water , we were warmly received and transported to the lodge on its ferry also known as shuttle float which was run by a pull rope technique operated by a single operator ,apparently it runs 24 hours and obviously has zero carbon print, there were row boats and Kayaking too
All around us there were spectacular views, it was the first time that we stayed in a hotel like this completely surrounded by water
Fish Tail Lodge was established in the late 1960’s and the cottages are set amidst a lush garden, there are standard and deluxe rooms, central dining room and bar contained in five ‘rounds’
All profits generated by Fish Tail Lodge are donated to the Princess Jayanti Memorial Trust which provides free cardiac care to underprivileged Nepalese people and conducts various programs to raise public awareness regarding causes of heart diseases in Nepal.When we went to the reception area which was filled with various artefacts
We found that a lot of famous people had visited the hotel like King Charles, Princess Anne of England, Crown Prince Narihito of Japan, former Indian President N. Sanjiva Reddy, former US President Jimmy Carter, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and many other celebrities whose snaps were displayed in the form of a collage and it also featured in the bestselling book “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz.
We were given the customary welcome drink and escorted to our room which was okish with all amenities and as our tour guide had asked us to freshen up fast and start for the day tour we did so
After our hectic day trip we were again taken across the lake, it had rained and we met a lot of western tourists going out to enjoy night life, Pokhara like Kathmandu has plenty of casinos and night spots which caters to the travelers mainly coming from western countries
We had an early dinner in the resort restaurant and were very happy with the warm hospitality shown, a feature I observed in all hotels in Nepal , the staff went out of their way to welcome us and looked after our needs with special care
I liked Pokhara more than Khatmandu and the resort where we were put up was beautiful, there was no time to explore it fully as we were tired and the night had fallen, so next day I got up early, got ready and came down .
We had a flight to Jomsom , we were instructed to leave our heavy luggage at the hotel storage and take only minimal luggage as we would be flying in Tara airline a small flight which could seat only 16 to 18 people
The rain had subsided and the trees and plants looked freshly laundered and air smelt divine, there was a fresh batch of trekkers leaving for their trekking expedition, their heavy bags were being carried by the porters
Pokhara known as adventure capital of Nepal is famous for nature walks, trekking both easy and tough, hiking , adventure and eco tours so no wonder that we could see tourists all parts of the world,
One can choose short treks such as Ghorepani Poon Hill trek or Dhampus trek which last between 2 to 5 days or can attempt the classic Annapurna circuit trek which takes 21 days or the shorter Annapurna sanctuary (base camp) trek which takes 14 days. Both these treks are challenging but rewarding with spectacular views of the Himalayas.
Luckily the sky was clear and I had managed to come to the lake side onto the decks where one could relax and view the mountains before sunrise ,as I sat admiring the lake and its surroundings I could hear birds cheerfully chirping and on the other side of the lake could see local Nepalis doing walking, jogging and exercises
One elderly Nepali man busy setting up the deck chairs told me that I was indeed lucky to have good weather not only to visualize the mountains but also to board the flight to Jomsom ,we had been told that the flights would go only if the weather was good as it is risky to fly when winds are too extreme
I walked around the resort enjoying the fresh fragrant air and rain drenched plants fully laden with flowers of myriad colors, the forest behind me seemed to whisper imploring me to stay back
There was a board showing the various mountains from where I was viewing them, slowly the sun rose and the mountains sleepily woke up as the sunrays patted their tops and told to arise
One prominent mountain among them was Machapuchhre (Fishtail Mountain) which has elevation of 22,943 feet and is situated in the Annapurna massif of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. Its highest peak has never been officially climbed due to the impossibility of gaining a permit from the government of Nepal.
Machapuchhre commands tremendous vertical relief in a short horizontal distance. This combined with its steep, pointed profile, makes it a particularly striking peak. Its double summit resembles the tail of a fish, hence the name meaning "fish's tail" in Nepalese.
It is a sacred peak for the local people as a home to the god Shiva.
Behind me there was a small water-fall flowing gently producing a relaxing sound ,it is at these times I strongly feel that when we travel we should do it leisurely at our own pace ,relaxing at beautiful places like this. Usually we travel and go round seeing places as busily as bees with no time to relax and are usually exhausted by end of a tour
We had ordered packed breakfast as we were starting early, our tour guide came and we went on our way to the domestic airport which was very near to the resort after bidding a reluctant goodbye to our luggage, we wouldn’t be coming again to the resort again in the return journey and I heartily wished that there was one more day for me to sit back and relax in the beautiful resort