I had hoped that this would be our final blog post for the Nepal series, but there is so much to share! So, instead of one giant post, I've decided to split it into two shorter ones.

Hopefully, you're not bored of Nepal yet... honestly, I could talk about this incredible country for hours!

Bev

The Beautiful Marpha

Upon our arrival in Marpha, we were immediately captivated by the village's beauty and charm. It quickly became evident that this destination was a highlight, perhaps strategically placed by Utsab to uplift our spirits as our journey neared its conclusion.

Upon arrival, our vehicles were parked, and luggage was promptly unloaded. Throughout the journey, Utsab consistently ensured our belongings were managed, often arranging for assistance with transport. We then proceeded along a quaint, narrow thoroughfare toward our accommodation.

The layout of Marpha is distinctly shaped like the letter 'D', with the main road forming the straight segment and the curve encompassing various shops, hotels, and other points of interest such as ‘TikTok street’. We noticed there were lots of places you could hire out traditional clothing for photographs which was lovely to see and very similar to our experience previously. Our hotel for the night was Marpha Palace. After dropping off our luggage, we joined up with Stuart and Dan for a walk through the village.

Our initial destination was the monastery, situated approximately 50 steps above, offering an impressive panoramic view of the village below. We took several photographs and noted Harry in the distance. During our walk through the village, we picked up some souvenirs for our family and enjoyed looking at the various displays of the famous apple cider, brandy and wine that is famous throughout Nepal. Stuart had previously sampled Marpha apple brandy in Jomsom, noting its 40% alcohol content. Ewan, upon tasting it, described its flavor as a blend of apple cider and vodka.

Dinner back at the hotel was great. Most of us went for burgers every meal came with apple slices which Irene enjoyed! Bev tried some of the local apple cider, but it was way too strong for her. Thankfully, Utsab stepped in and got her sorted with some of the sweeter apple wine instead.

Marpha Apples and Tibetan Refugees

After a simple breakfast, we headed towards a Nepalese government assisted farm on the outskirts of Marpha. They had 8 varieties of crops, including cabbages, beets, apples, apricots and walnuts. The crops are mutually beneficial, meaning that one crop will benefit the soil for another.

After exploring the apple farm we headed down the road to a Tibetan refugee camp. The homes were built from brick, they had a cafe, a large monastery and everything you would expect a small village to have. The Nepalese government helps keep them here with financial and building support but because they often don’t have the correct papers, there is no chance of them getting Nepalese citizenship and they obviously don’t want to return to Tibet. The whole atmosphere of the area is light and fun, and not really what anyone expected. We have a cup of tea and a rest before we spot some ladies putting out bracelets and necklaces for us to look through before we leave. Bev has to buy some bracelets, apparently for the children, and we head back down the hill to the cars.

A Quick Dip!

Not long after we left the refugee camp we arrived at the hotel we were having lunch at. We had pre ordered our lunches, which sped things up when eating on the road. The pace over in Nepal is very relaxed, which means food can arrive really late if you aren’t careful!

Before lunch we went to visit a natural hot spring. Ewan supported Harry over the suspension bridge while he closed his eyes (a very bad case of height-phobia). A skill he perfected helping Bev’s late grandma, who was blind, navigate her way through M&S towards the children’s section! The hot springs were lovely, and a great way to relax for 20 minutes before lunch. The water bubbles up through the ancient rocks below and is funnelled into two baths. This part of Nepal right in the shadow of Annapurna I is where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates butt into each other so is rife with earthquake and geothermal activity, hence the natural hot springs (this sentence was Ewan’s contribution :D). We got out and headed back over the bridge, where Ewan supported Harry again before tucking into a Diet Coke with his lunch.

Lunch was ok, probably our least favourite meal but a beautiful hotel to stop at. With added entertainment of power cuts every 10 minutes!

Arriving in Pokhara

At some point on our long journey to Pokhara, Ewan realised that we had managed to leave some of our charging equipment and AirPods at the previous hotel. This was because we had used a socket on the wall as well as the main one by the bed, and hadn’t checked there before we left. We immediately told Utsab, and as it was our mistake we figured they would be gone forever. However, one thing about Nepal is everyone helps everyone. Utsab told us not to worry, and after a few calls we were told they would arrive at some point that evening. Apparently the hotel owner had wrapped them up and left them in a bus station in Marpha to be picked up by a public bus heading to Pokhara. Like Royal Mail but without the stamp required and everyone doing it for the good of someone else. We followed their journey behind us using ‘Find My’ on our phones.

We stopped at the highest suspension bridge in Nepal, the Kushma Bungee Footbridge, which is roughly 200 meters (656 feet) high. It is a well known spot for bungee jumping and other experiences, being the world’s 2nd tallest commercial bungee jump. Ewan and I decided to walk through the village before joining Stuart for a drink, but the others went on the bridge to experience the height.

Finally, at around 6pm, we arrived at our hotel in Pokhara. As this was our penultimate night as a whole group, tonight was our farewell meal for a few in our group. We had an hour to kill before dinner so we joined Dan and Stuart on a walk through Pokhara. We much preferred Pokhara to Kathmandu! The shops had much better varieties and when you walked down the main road you had a beautiful view of the lake in the misty evening sky. It felt like a much better balance than the tourist and non-tourist areas in Kathmandu, with both mixing nicely.

We continued walking through, after stopping for a few souvenirs, and reached the restaurant for the evening - Dunga Restro. The group opted for a beer tower and some bottles of wine. The food here was incredible and the atmosphere was great! We all got up when our favourite Nepalese songs were played by the live band. A great way to end the first part of our trip and say goodbye to Alex, Vadim and Dan. Vadim said a short speech before we all said a huge thank you to Utsab.

Before the end of the meal one of our drivers arrived with a package.. it was the charging equipment and Ewan’s AirPods! Ewan knelt down offering a tip to our driver for coming to our rescue. The Nepalese community are all about helping and serving others - it is truly inspiring!

We headed back to the hotel with Dan and Stuart but Dan left us to go and get a massage before bed. Ewan tracked his location to ensure he got back to the hotel in one piece. Him and Dan have such a sweet relationship!

Pokhara Adventure

A beautiful, foggy morning in Pokhara and we started the day with a very relaxed breakfast at the hotel to prepare us for a very full day of activities. After breakfast we headed out towards the boat point. We got on an 8-man boat and began paddling along the narrow part of the lake, towards the more open area to the west. As we travelled along the water we went over a few hose pipes, these apparently route from natural springs and rivers on the south side of the town over the lake and provide fresh water to the streets and people in Pokhara. On our way to the lake we had seen locals at public taps filling up their water containers, presumably for the days supply. We stopped at the natural island in the lake, which has an ornate monastery on it. They had a stall with people selling offering baskets, which we saw at most religious areas. These contain coloured powder, and offerings to the gods such as coconuts and beads. We stopped and got a necklace for our daughter and took some photos as a couple and as a group. On the way back we stopped at the southern bank and saw a kingfisher. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful away from the main road of the town.

Once docked back at shore we headed to the cars and to a giant statue of Shiva. The area is called Pumdekot. the statue is so big you can see it from miles away! A few of us walked around the statue and stopped for lots of photos with other tourists. People here obsess over Bev and her ginger hair! We visited a peace pagoda, we had to be quiet and respectful here, but we walked around while Utsab explained the different poses Buddha had been sculpted in. We then headed to Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave. It was crazy! It was a natural cave that had been converted into a monastery. Bev was not a fan of this with her claustrophobia, but we all worked together to get her through and back out. That's what's so special about the NomadMania community: we all work together to support each other.

Our next stop was for lunch. We drove to the Gandaki Rainbow Trout Farm, putting our lunch order in on the way, and it was nothing like we expected it to be! You could have easily spent a whole day here, and our children would have loved it! We were invited to try and catch some trout while waiting for our food to arrive, but the weight of the net and the speed that they swim meant that only Vadim managed to get one! Despite our failures at catching a trout, it was a great stop and lunch was delicious.

Quick Changes

We set off from the trout farm and headed towards the airport. Us British people were stressing about getting to the airport in time, but Utsab assured us that our flight would be delayed (this seems to be a common thing in Nepal…) and we would have plenty of time. So we trusted him, he is the expert after all! We said our goodbyes to the two drivers who had been with us since arriving in Pokhara. They'd been great fun and kept us all safe on the journey. It was a bit sad to see them go, but we knew our adventure wasn't over just yet!

On the journey to the trout farm up in the mountains what we assumed on a map would be a 20 minute drive ended up being over an hour, and so we knew that arriving at the airport back in Pokhara was going to be cutting it fine. We got to the airport at 4 PM for a 4:40 PM flight, checked our bags, and sat down to wait for security (In Nepal you don’t go through security until your flight is called). With only 40 minutes until takeoff, we expected to be called soon, but a long delay quickly seemed inevitable. While we made multiple trips to the little shop for chocolate bars and coffees, Utsab went to speak with Buddha Air representatives as the minutes passed. We could see from the news and from sparse information coming from crew that wildfires were causing visibility in the Pokhara region to be too low to fly. Utsab and Harry went into contingency mode and began making plans. If we couldn’t fly then where were the nearest airports for a flight tonight or tomorrow morning, could we even get a car/bus that big for all of us to fit in, would we just be better off driving to Pokhara overnight, or splitting it into two 4 hour journeys? Eventually more than 3 hours after our flight should have departed we got the news that all flights were canceled due to the wildfires.

With no flights leaving Pokhara that night, uncertainty for the next morning, and no other nearby airports unaffected by the visibility (the closest, Bharatpur, being a three-hour drive away), it was clear our only reliable option to get back to Kathmandu was to drive. This was an 8+ hour journey, and Bev was definitely not in the mood for it. She manages a chronic pain condition that's usually well controlled, but the challenging road conditions we'd already faced on this trip had led to a few nights of extreme pain. However, once Utsab got the go-ahead from the group, he sprang into action. Within a mere 10-15 minutes, he'd booked a hotel halfway to Kathmandu and secured a driver for us.

We set off, and our only stop before reaching the hotel was for a burger. This involved crossing a six-lane highway to get to a very run-down looking building. We honestly had no idea what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised when we went upstairs to find a well-decorated and clean place to eat! We all enjoyed a burger and a drink before continuing the journey to the hotel. Bev, meanwhile, slept the entire way, and we finally pulled in around 11 PM. By the time we were all shown to our rooms, had our chargers set up, and were tucked into bed, it was well past midnight.

What an adventure! We were very thankful for Utsab, Harry and their quick planning. Certainly something we have learnt from for situations where we need to plan alternative solutions in future.

Farewell!

We woke up at 7 AM and headed to breakfast. Getting there early meant we could grab Bev a coffee; she wasn't feeling very optimistic, as today was originally in the schedule as a relaxing and recovery day in Kathmandu. We all knew this was the only option when we set off from Pokhara, so we just had to get on with it. Breakfast was good, then we headed towards the minibus to continue our journey to Kathmandu.

In the minibus, a few people were checking flights, and it turned out Pokhara, Bharatpur, and at least one other airport were closed again for the entire day due to the thick smoke. The skies were completely filled with a dense haze. We could only imagine how beautiful the views would have been on a clear day!

We finally arrived in Kathmandu and at our hotel for the night, The Marriott Fairfield, around 3 PM. It was an emotional farewell to Alex, Vadim, and Dan, who were heading to the airport that evening for their flights elsewhere. Alex and Vadim back to Russia via Saudi Arabia and Dan on to Kuala Lumpur. This left just us with Harry, Irene, and Stuart for the remainder of the trip. After checking in, we headed out to find some souvenirs for the family. We managed to get some patches, which Bev has collected ever since she started Girl Guiding, but we had less luck finding traditional clothing for our children. We'd seen some gorgeous dresses in Pokhara and honestly, to this day, we still regret not buying them!

It was just us for dinner that night, so we went downstairs to the Japanese restaurant at the hotel. Between us we had pork belly, beetroot sushi, a green dragon sushi, a ramen bowl and mushroom rice. It was incredible! We headed to bed early that night after repacking ready for the journey ahead.

That wraps up the main part of our Nepal trip, but still to come was a 4 day extension to the lowlands of Nepal near Dhangadhi and the Indian border, and Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. As we went to bed that night, we were extremely excited for the next part of our adventure. Don't miss Part 5 – it's packed with even more memorable moments!

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Bev & Ewan

Got questions about Nepal or planning your own Nepal adventure? Drop us a comment or message over on Instagram — we’d love to chat and help you out!

Nepal - Part 4