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Veteran traveler shares her best tips and stories from life on the road.

Pokhara, located in the center of the city, has one of the best ambiences around. The quintessential European café, with a touch of Paris and a touch of Spain, it attracts a younger, hip crowd. Don’t expect food beyond the obligatory croissants and tortilla española, but do try their carajillo. They put special care into this boozy alchoholic drink. First vodka or whisky (your choice—but choose whisky) is set aflame. Then a shot of espresso is pulled while the bartender whips body into cool, fresh cream. All of this goes into a glass to form the carajillo, one of the most delicious drinks known to man.

If you find yourself in Pokhara, there’s no doubt you’ll hear about the sunrise hike to the top of Sarangkot to witness the morning glow light up the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas. With absolutely stunning views of Machapuchare, you’re wise to take the advice. However, being that you must get up by 5am at the latest to make the sunrise, you might feel inclined to get back down and into your bed as soon as you’re finished snapping your pictures and picking your jaw up off the trail. If you plan ahead (read: rest up) and go back slowly, you’ll get to basque in the presence of Machapuchare while hiking down and through some amazing villages and terrain. Don’t be afraid to veer off the mainline trail; as long as you’re going down and you can see Phewa Lake at the bottom, there’s no need to worry. With the Himalayas to your right and gorgeous Phewa Lake to your left, I don’t think you’ll be longing for your bed.

We weren’t quite lucky to see the snowcapped covered mountains in the lovely lakeside village of Pokhara since we visited during monsoon season. But it was a perfect way to start our introduction to the area and cross over to the trail leading up to the Peace Pagoda. Pay a few ruppees, pack a picnic lunch and guide yourself around the serene Lake Phewa.

We set out to walk around Phewa Lake and head in the direction of the World Peace Pagoda. We were told it’s anywhere between 10 and 15 km from town to the pagoda itself, so we figured that it was really more like 25 km. That meant we’d have plenty of time to see the countryside. We started out counter-clockwise stroll (because that is the direction you’re supposed to go, don’t you know), and came to a tall suspension bridge not far from the southern reaches of the lake. Below the bridge, lining the river, were residents of Pokhara doing their laundry. It seemed like quite the communal event - ladies were chatting, kids were playing, men were lounging. We got in on the fun the best we could, considering we didn’t have any dirty laundry with us, and I wasn’t willing to take off my underwear at this point. It was quite an intimate experience, spending time with folks washing their undies, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone. In fact, it seemed like our new friends were sad to see us go when we finally set off to complete our journey. I wasn’t that sad - the best thing about bridges is that once you cross one, you have to cross it again to come back home.

We rolled out of bed in the dead of night, hopped onto our mechanical bull - a 600cc whirling dervish of unsteady power - and rode off into the mountains. We arrived at SangKot, a favored sunrise destination for many people whom visit Pokhara, and began our climb to the peak. When the sun began to rise we realized there was a problem; cloud cover was severe, and there would be no view of the most dramatic peaks on this day. Dejected, many of the other visitors descended back towards Pokhara, while we decided to take our chances against the coming storm so that we might catch a glimpse of the sun. I’m glad we did. I set up my gear about halfway down the trail and caught the sun just as it broke through the clouds to illuminate Pokhara proper. None of the world’s most famous peaks make an appearance in this frame, but that’s fine by me. The experience of hiking out to SarangKot in the dark and waiting out the crowds with my travel partner made it seem like we were the only two people on earth enjoying this view. A sublime experience, and one I highly recommend.

There’s nothing authentically Nepali about Mike’s Restaurant, save for the stunning views of the Himalayan range and Phewa Lake, but what else do you really need for breakfast? When we’re on the road, we do our vest best to eat, drink, shop, and sleep local. But there are times when you need to sink your teeth into a piece of home. Enter Mike’s on Phewa Lake; Mike’s serves some of the best breakfast dishes in South Asia, with their Eggs Florentine holding a special place in my heart. Not only did the food taste great, it didn’t make me sick - something I can’t say about most places in Nepal (don’t let that deter you - most of it takes fantastic going in; deal with the repercussions later). Mike’s also does an excellent apple-banana fritter, and holds an esteemed place along the banana pancake trail. I consider myself a fairly hardcore traveler, but even I could never scoff at a place like this, not when the views of Machapuchare, Daulaghiri and Annapurna South are so sublime.

I don’t care for maps, and I don’t often ask for directions. Suffice to say, I get lost a lot. As a travel photographer, getting lost serves me well. I got quite lost along Nepal’s Hyangja Kot hiking trail, a fantastic track some 40km from the city of Pokhara. I hiked for a few hours through some of the most pristine countryside I have seen in my life, and came upon postcard-perfect views of rural villages and unending fields being tended to by hardworking local folk. I had a wonderful time on this hike until I reaized that I was so lost it would be four to five hours before I could return to someplace that sold food or water. I came upon this friendly woman tending to her crops and made her a deal; I would agree to carry her yield in exchange for a glass of water and some rice. I’m sure she thought my offer was hilarious (she was stronger than me after all), but it worked out in the end. She even offered me a place to sleep, though I had to turn that one down, for fear that if I spent one night in the hills, I’d never want to leave. I suggest you get lost the next time you visit Nepal. You’d be surprised to learn how many people don’t.

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