Ghandruk
A stone paved stairway took us to this gem of a place that is not very far from Pokhara and easily accessible by road. Apart from being a delightful weekend getaway, Ghandruk is also a night’s stop for trekkers to ABC(Annapurna Base Camp) and the Annapurna Circuit. It lies in the Gandaki Province of Nepal.
When we(my husband and I) got down from our vehicle, all we could see was a big ground surrounded by barren hills. I have to say I was a little disappointed and for some time I thought, ‘ye kahaan aa gaye hum,’ but what lay ahead baffled us. By the way, we were three, our friend rode on his motorbike while we came by car.
The stairway led us to the most marvelous little settlement which had an inherent warm and welcoming air about it. This kind of township was something I had never seen before and the initial apprehension transformed to amusement and wonder. The stairway is the main means of travel here, no roads, just stone paved or cobbled staircases connects everything.
Our luggage included one medium sized suitcase which wasn’t ideal for a place like this but thankfully our host arranged for a porter who was a little boy named Sunil. Actually he was 14 but I think the weight that he carried on a daily basis had stunted his growth so he was quite short for his age. Short yes, but strong and smart. He was showing off by walking the steps backwards carrying my heavy suitcase on his doko.*
Words will fail me if I try to describe the unique beauty of this place. Around 41 houses here are homestays; charming cottages with beautiful seasonal flowers adorning the patios and the gorgeous Annapurna Range in the backdrop.
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We took a short walk to see the old Gurung** village. For some part of it, I felt like I was walking the alleyways of a James Bond movie.
The experience was truly marvelous. As night fell we returned to our homestay and the simple yet palatable Nepali food was just what we needed. Our host was a jovial man in his early 60s, humourous, sensible and amazing to talk to.
The next morning we got up early to see the the mountains as they get covered by haze quite soon. The early morning was so magnificent that it literally took my breath away. We took photographs, had breakfast and left for our next destination.
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Australian Camp:
This was a detour. Since we were keen to hike we chose to visit it as the place is reachable only by foot (or maybe a helicopter😀).
We started the uphill hike exactly at noon and it was a bad decision as it was a bright, hot, sunny day. However, we were mentally prepared for it so after ascending for about an hour and a half we reached Australian Camp. I kept wondering how this place got its name but no one knew it.
We almost didn’t get any accommodation as every place was packed, but we managed to find a room each in two good but separate guesthouses. So my husband and I stayed in one and our friend in the other.
After freshning up we took a walk to a quaint little village called Pothana which looked like a place right out of the wild west. We sat at a restaurant and had coffee and cookies. Apart from the coffee variety, another reason why all these remote places seemed like foreign countries is because of the large number of foreigners there. In the evening we hung out at the restaurant of the hotel our friend was staying in. He drank the local alcohol made from kodo(a type of millet) while my husband and I had tongba(millet beer) accompanied by sumptuous starters and later dinner.
The next morning we got up early to see the sunrise but it wasn’t upto our expectation. After breakfast, we packed up and started our descent back. Walking up had taken us over 90 minutes, down took us only 30.
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Bandipur:
Another great place accessible by road from Pokhara… a feel of old Europe in Nepal, that’s Bandipur for you. It’s a hill-top settlement, again in the Gandaki District of Nepal. Anjit(you will know him if you’ve read my previous blog on Pokhara) drove us here and it took us around four hours as we stopped for a leisurely lunch en route.
When we reached, it looked like any other small town but it opened out into a captivating street. The speciality of this little Newari*** village is that one street. It’s totally out of a fairytale.
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The street is lined by enchanting brick houses on either side, all of which are ancient homes converted into hotels. They have been restored in a way that they are comfortable, cosy and posh but the heritage and architecture are untouched. That’s the USP of Bandipur, it let’s you experience authentic old world charm.
The houses(hotels) have colourful blooms of roses, bougainvillea and other flowers trailing from their balconies which makes the sight all the more beautiful and charming; almost dream-like!
Since we reached in the afternoon we walked the streets after having coffee and donuts at a cosy cafe. Many of the hotels open out into a cafe or a restaurant right on the street and there are people, mostly foreigners just sitting, sipping on something and seeping in the gorgeousness of this tiny place. We did the same too.
For dinner we tried ‘newari khaja'(set menu thali). It was the first time for my husband and we gulped it down with half a glass each of their fiery alcoholic beverage ‘aila.’ Boy! it was potent!
How I met Khairi
This sweet story deserves a special mention in my post. While we were having coffee on our first evening in Bandipur(we stayed two nights) two stray dogs came to us, I gave them donuts; the male one had a piece or two and went away while the female finished it all and sat at my foot. The third afternoon(this evening we left Bandipur) we decided to have tea in a different cafe. Now, out of nowhere, a stray dog emerged and started licking my legs and shoes. It was trying to come close to me and was making happy sounds and circling my chair. I was startled initially and it took me a while to realize that she was the same dog from the donut day. She saw me and came to me… how sweet is that! I hadn’t expected her to remember me after a brief encounter of two nights ago that too in a different cafe, but she did! I let her be around us and bought buns for her that she ate happily. She left only after we left while her companion had his share and ran away.
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This little incident tugged at my heartstrings but left me feeling happy too. Khairi will always be a part of my Bandipur memory😊. Her name literally translates to brown in English.
Thus ended our last evening in paradise and the last day of our trip to Nepal. Due to the haze we missed the stunning view of the Annapurna range from Bandipur, Pokhara and Australian Camp; something that we regret. I console myself thinking that it is an opportunity for us to visit these places again. But that aside, we carried along with us, from this trip, experiences, photographs, a beautiful handloom saree😊(that I bought in Gorkha) among other small purchases and memories to last a lifetime.
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*Doko: a kind of basket made from bamboo.
** Gurungs: An ethnic community mostly living in the central mountains.
***Newars: Another ethnic community that inhabits Kathmandu largely and some other provinces as well.
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This blog post is a part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
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