Nepal’s Pokhara: caves and waterfalls

In the city of Pokhara in Kaski District, a central district of Nepal, a river runs under it. The Seti Gandaki, or White River, flows underneath the city and throughout the adjacent area, creating gorges, canyons, caves, and waterfalls.

A cave and a waterfall are right in the city and easily accessible for locals and visitors. From the Phewa Lake, a Seti Gandaki’s tributary forms the Devi’s Falls (or Davis Falls) that travels underground and re-appears 500 metres further south as the Mahendra Gufa Cave. Visitors pay twice: once to enter the Devi’s Falls attraction to view the waterfall and crevaces, and the second time across the main road to enter the Mahendra Gufa Cave.

Both are worth it, especially when the falls are at their height (not in February as I noticed) and when the cave renovations are completed (not yet). The famous bat cave is open only during the day, and therefore the bats are not in view. Nevertheless, both the falls and the cave are remarkable features within a short distance of each other in the city centre.

The Devi's Falls complex has several points to view the waterfall, at different levels, all with a sturdy boundary rail. When the river is not full, the hill side reveals lush plants on sides that descend into eternity. The bottom is not visible. Within the complex is a wishing well. If a coin lands on the pedestal below the surface, your wish will be granted. One of my coins did so.

The fall is usually observed first. Then take the short walk to the cave. Renovations are under construction to fit an elaborate spiral ballustrade to the entrance. The smell of bat urine fills the cave, but is soon forgotten as the crystalline walls shimmer. Descending deep into the cave is worth the spectacular sight as the Devi's falls hit the ground.

At night time, the main attraction is Lakeside (Baidam), the long street adjacent to Phewa Lake, with cafes, restaurants, hotels, and shops. Pokhara city is 12 kilometres long from north to south, and 6 kilometres wide, and compact, making walking around the city and lake a pleasure.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

The Beggars' Strike by Aminata Sow Fall: book review

The Beggar’sStrike (1979 in French and 1981 in English) is set in an unstated country in West Africa in a city known only as The Capital. Undoubtedly, Senegalese author Sow Fall writes of her own experiences. It was also encapsulated in the 2000 film, Battu , directed by Cheick Oumar Sissoko from Mali. Mour Ndiaye is the Director of the Department of Public Health and Hygiene, with the opportunity of a distinguished and coveted promotion to Vice-President of the Republic. Tourism has declined and the government blames the local beggars in The Capital. Ndiaye must rid the streets of beggars, according to a decree from the Minister. Ndiaye instructs his department to carry out weekly raids. One of the raids leads to the death of lame beggar, Madiabel, who ran into an oncoming vehicle as he tried to escape, leaving two wives and eight children. Soon after, another raid resulted in the death of the old well-loved, comic beggar Papa Gorgui Diop. Enough is enou

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog