The hike up the ‘hill’ to Shanti Stupa, better known as the World Peace Pagoda was far from easy.
We met a couple from Canada on their way to the top who also decided to follow the seemingly unmarked track that led from the Sidhartha Highway.
The climb was not easy. In the heat of the middle of the day we began to melt.
Poorly sealed roads turned into dirt tracks, which turned into rocky trails, which turned into sheep runs that got lost in the thick, grassy undergrowth.
Eventually, after a series of psychic twists and turns, by little more than pure luck we found our way to the World Peace Pagoda.
A stunning landmark, this was the first stupa erected by Nipponzan Myōhōji in Nepal, and the seventy-first in the world. A beacon of hope to enlightenment and peace, this stupa holds four figures of Buddha, one of each from Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal.
The sun pounded down on us much harder up in the higher hills than at any other time it seemed. We stopped to take in the amazing views from the pagoda and pondered the effect of this place on the world.
Even if it only impacted on those who visited to be more peaceful in how they live their lives, it’s effect would be worthwhile.
Pokhara lay below us, a maze of tiny streets and alleyways, some hiding gems that visitors will never find, not unless they look with a keen eye.
The beauty of an afternoon in Pokhara carried us into the evening and the next few days. What was intended to be a couple of nights here turned into a week.
Pokhara is a place that we often look back to with fond memories.
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