We got up early to see the sunrise at Hotel Himalayan Villa. However, the clouds and the haze played spoilsport, and we were not really able to see anything. Apparently, the view of the Himalayan ranges from here is supposed to be awesome, and it was the main reason we had booked a night here. Anyway, things like the weather are not in your control.
We spent some time on the terrace, which was nice and pleasant, and then had breakfast. We packed and checked out of the hotel as we would be traveling to Pokhara today. It was going to be a long day of driving.
We drove northwest towards Pokhara and stopped at Hill Top Restaurant around lunchtime. We ordered the vegetarian Nepali thali here, and it was very nice. The food was freshly prepared, tasty, and very local.
After lunch, we went to visit the Manakamana Temple. Located roughly halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara, it is a popular stop for travelers moving between the two cities.
We used the Manakamana Cable Car, Nepal’s first cable car system, to get to the top to visit the temple. Our driver left us near the base station where we bought tickets for the cable car. We covered a distance of about 2.8 km in roughly 10 minutes.
The Manakamana Temple is a classic example of the Nepalese Pagoda style, featuring a tiered roof and exquisite wood carvings.
The upper station of the cable car was almost empty when we reached there. We took the cable car back down to the base station and then proceeded to Pokhara.
We reached Pokhara in the late evening and checked in to Three Jewels Boutique Hotel, where we would be staying for two nights. We stepped out for dinner and went to the nearby Nanglo Thakali Bhancha Ghar. It was there that we first had one of our favorite dishes of the trip: Peanut Sandheko.
🚐 Smile Car Rental
🍽️ Hill Top Restaurant
🍽️ Nanglo Thakali Bhancha Ghar
🛏️ Three Jewels Boutique Hotel