The stupa towers high above lake and town, an ideal place to send a message of peace to the world. My bucket list for Pokhara is coming to an end, so I set out early in the morning to climb the hill with the World Peace Stupa.
But is a little-known stupa in a place unknown to most people suitable for a message of peace to the world? I doubt it, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.
A narrow boat and life jackets
The short trip across the lake costs 500 rupees, plus 70 rupees for the mandatory life jacket. On the one hand a lucrative business for the renting company, on the other hand it's probably due to bad experiences with the swimming skills of their clients. A young German couple is waiting with me for the start.
Now I finally feel like a real tourist.
The Island
The boat is small and narrow, the rower sits at the back and swings his tool with leisurely, professional, almost silent movements. Contrary to expectations, there is a stop on the small, apparently holy island in the middle of the lake.
Hindus in particular come here to offer their worship to the countless Indian gods in the small temple. The queue in front of the entrance is long, but the faithful wait patiently, chattering quietly. There is time to look around, to marvel at the gluttonous fish being daily fed by the tourists. They have obviously received good karma, perhaps they were emaciated beggars in their last life. The eternal equation must work out.
The climb
The way up to the Stupa offers again steps without end, but with the light luggage on the back it's all a piece of cake.
My German boat companions have left, apparently they prefer to move on alone. I can understand that. Especially because I am very slow, a stroller, someone who is not in a hurry, not like other tourists rushing past me.
It would certainly be nice to ascend alone through the dense forest, breathing in the spicy smell of the trees and bushes, to finally get rid of all the dust and dirt of the big city. But well, the solo ascent is denied to me, because in front of me and behind me and sometimes beside me whole armies are panting up the mountain.
Bad view and a good coffee
As expected, upon arrival at the very top, a whole lot of restaurants and stores offer their products and services. I sit down on a small terrace, sip a Black Coffee and try to make out the city below me. A rather difficult undertaking, because the air is so humid that the city shines as if through a filter.
But the coffee is really good for a change.
The lady at the counter enlightens me. Apparently there is a small coffee plantation in the area, of whose products I was just allowed to enjoy a cupful. I'd like to buy a bag, but remembering my overstuffed backpack, I'd rather abstain and stick to the Ferrari coffee in Dietikon.
The stupa
The World Peace Stupa at 1113 meters on the mountain ridge is one of the most beautiful destinations in the vicinity of Pokhara. It's 40 meters high but looks kind of wrong. I don't know what bothers me.
Of course, upon entering the stupa, you have to take off your shoes and refrain from making any loud noises. When I think of the comparable stupas in Burma, the object here seems decidedly artificial. But what the heck, since I' m already here ...
My concerns are confirmed. This building is anything but suitable for sending a message of peace to the world. But the essential thing is that the visitors believe in the fairy tale - one of so many.
The descent
There are several ways to get back to the city. Of course you can choose the same way back and take the boat across the lake again. I don't find it so attractive. There is also a short way through the jungle or a longer one, which is a bit confusing.
Since I always choose the worst of all alternatives, it is clear that I select the third variant. As it turns out, I've picked the wrong one again. At least in the upper part there's not much traffic, but this changes quickly, when it joins the main road, which runs from the valley back towards Pokhara. Now there's heavy traffic, stinking and smoking buses and trucks, honking horns and once again the danger of being driven over. When I finally reach the plain, two hours have passed.
A Fanta and red-dressed ladies
I sit down at a table in front of a shop, order a Fanta and once again, with a lot of pleasure, I enjoy observing everyday life on an ordinary Nepalese street. As always a play, an operetta, a drama, sometimes comedy, sometimes tragedy, but always life in all its facets.
Finally a group of beautiful ladies, dressed in all shades of red, emerges round a corner, walking past me with dignity until one of them lifts her thumb to the nostril and blows her nose, destroying all her proud dignity in one second …
Along the lake
In the afternoon for the last time the walk along the lake, still a particular attraction, but reminding me a bit of a senior vacation, which is supposed to consist mainly of long walks and even longer naps (as I heard).
A boat lies in the lake, overgrown with algae and other plants, a cow standing lost in thought in the water, one would like to be able to read its thoughts (if it had any).
Children are playing on the beach, their faces absorbed in their own world, and yet, the stranger is eyed suspiciously for several seconds.
Halfway I meet two boys, quite abandoned, long grown out of childhood and on a direct way to a future that is not a future. The younger of the two confronts me in kung fu pose, challenge and aggression in the already extinct, cold eyes. No good prospects …
P.S. Matching Song: The Veils - Here come the dead
And here the journey continues ...
