Temples, Transitions & 24 Years

A row of Shiva Lingams. The point of the female part always points north, and the top represents the male

Happy 24th wedding anniversary to us!

We started the day early, heading out at 7am to visit Pashupatinath Temple, one of the complimentary activities offered by Dwarika's Hotel. While the tour itself was included, there is an entrance fee of 1000 rupees for foreign visitors. Fortunately for us, there were no other takers, so it was just us and the guide which made it extremely informative and efficient!

Set along the banks of the Bagmati River, Pashupatinath is one of the most important Hindu temples in the world, dedicated to Lord Shiva and dating back to the 5th century. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, drawing pilgrims from across the Indian subcontinent.

Only Hindus are permitted to enter the main temple complex, so we viewed it from across the river — which, in many ways, offered a broader perspective of the rituals and activity unfolding along the घाटs (ghats). It was a fascinating, and at times confronting, glimpse into a deeply spiritual place.

A large complex or collection of temples, the grounds are also used by locals for exercise

Welcomes but not allowed in

Some old architecture still around

The Bagmati River and the cremation sites on the right

Lots of monkeys here...rhesus macaque if you're interested in the type

Hundreds of smaller temples

View of the larger complex

The main temple, 5th century Pashupatinath Temple

Complex dedicated to Lord Shiva

We returned to the hotel to shower, pack and prepare ourselves mentally for the long journey home.

After checkout, we were transferred to a “day hotel” where we spent the afternoon in a state of quiet limbo, not quite travelling, not quite resting, until it was finally time to head back to the airport for our 11pm flight to Sydney via Singapore. From here, fingers crossed that very little goes wrong. I’m not entirely sure I have any more Plan Bs left in me.

From gorillas in the forests of Rwanda to the stillness of the Himalayas in Nepal, this journey has been one of contrast, challenge and quiet perspective.

Next chapter: Japan in May, hiking the Nakasendo Trail with friends.

Stay tuned.

Kathmandu

Dwarika's Hotel

Another short post today as we flew from Pokhara to Kathmandu.

Fortunately the delay wasn’t too long and the flight eventually departed. We arrived at our overnight hotel, Dwarika's Hotel, just before 2pm.

By the time we had lunch and explored the property, the heavens decided to open properly — lightning, thunder and torrential rain. Other than Mal bravely venturing out for a street haircut, we stayed firmly in the comfort of our room.

On first impression, Dwarika’s has a beautiful old-world charm. The hotel is built around intricately carved wooden architecture inspired by traditional Newari design, and the courtyards and brickwork give it the feel of stepping back into another era.

But while it certainly looks the part, parts of the hotel felt a little dusty and tired, and the service didn’t quite match the aesthetic. Perhaps we had simply been too spoilt along the way.

Tomorrow we begin our journey home. You might be able to tell I’m not feeling particularly inspired today. Perhaps it’s missing the quiet peacefulness of the mountains, or the traffic and pollution of a crowded city. Maybe it’s just a touch of the post-holiday blues.

Most likely, it’s all three.

Finally we could see the mountains in Pokhara. Our guide did name all the peaks...

Modern airport

The plane to take us to Kathmandu. It was a short but bumpy ride!

We could see features out of the plane today!

Old world charm of our room. Massive!

Also a very large bathroom

Tiger and goat! We know this game

Hotel grounds

Farewell to Mustang

Phewa Lake in Pokhara. Still can't quite see the whole horizon clearly...

Mustang turned out to be far more than we expected.

What we found was a place of vast valleys, ancient monasteries and villages that seem suspended somewhere between Nepal and Tibet. Staying at Shinta Mani Mustang allowed us to experience a small slice of the legendary Annapurna Circuit in a way that felt both adventurous and remarkably comfortable.

The lodge offered the perfect retreat after a day exploring the valley. By mid-afternoon we would return to a beautifully appointed room, unwind in the spa with its sauna, steam room and mineral bath, as well as a customised massage. Evenings unfolded slowly over thoughtful five-course dinners and good conversation, a rather civilised way to experience the Himalayas.

What elevated the stay even further was how thoughtfully the days were organised. Activities were curated and paced to help with altitude acclimatisation, and we had our own local guide accompanying us throughout the week. His stories and insights added depth and context to everything we saw, from ancient monasteries to remote villages tucked into the valley.

More often than not, we found ourselves completely alone in these places, wandering quiet trails, exploring centuries-old villages or standing at viewpoints with nothing but mountains and prayer flags around us. Our experience here has been nothing short of wonderful.

Sadly, today, we had to farewell Mustang and made our way back towards Pokhara. Our original plan had been to fly out of Jomsom, but once again the weather had other ideas and all flights were cancelled. The upside was that we got to sleep in. And perhaps more importantly, we had time for one final proper sit-down breakfast overlooking the stunning snow-capped Nilgiri Mountain. After several days of haze, seeing the mountains clearly felt like a quiet farewell gift from Mustang.

The drive back down the valley was noticeably quicker than the ascent. Leaving Mustang at 9:30am and with only a single toilet stop along the way, we rolled into Hotel Barahi at 13:45.

After checking in, we did the obligatory wander around Phewa Lake, the calm centrepiece of Pokhara. Although the haze had improved slightly, it was only marginal, the mountains that normally frame the lake were still playing hide-and-seek.

We browsed through the many trekking shops selling suspiciously affordable versions of famous outdoor brands and, this time, managed to avoid the gravitational pull of the cashmere stores before calling it a day.

The last gift from Shinta Mani Mustang

Yup we had Japanese food in Pokhara. Large serving size and taste wasn't too bad!

Temples, Yaks & the Edge of Tibet

Jharkot

Today was our last full day in the Mustang Valley. There is always something slightly bittersweet about the final day in a place you have grown to love, and Mustang had quietly worked its way into that category.

Today we drove north, heading closer to the border of Upper Mustang, the restricted region that was once the Kingdom of Lo and remained closed to foreigners until 1992. As we travelled further up the valley, the Tibetan influence became even more pronounced. Prayer flags fluttered across ridgelines, traditional flat-roofed houses clung to the hillsides, and monasteries appeared perched in improbable places along the cliffs.

Our first stop was Jharkot, a small fortified village sitting dramatically above the valley. Jharkot is known for its ancient monastery and well preserved traditional Tibetan-style architecture, and wandering its narrow alleys felt like stepping back several centuries.

From there we continued on to Muktinath Temple, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Nepal. It was the first place we visited where we encountered crowds...Muktinath holds deep spiritual significance for both Hindus and Buddhists, who come from across Nepal and India to visit the temple. For Hindus, it is one of the sacred places associated with the god Vishnu, while Buddhists regard it as a site blessed by Guru Rinpoche.

There are several ways to reach the temple complex...horseback, human carriage (on a sedan) or helicopter if you prefer maximum convenience and you have cash to splash.

Today, we chose our feet. The cheapest alternative. 

The temple complex is known for its 108 sacred water spouts, shaped like bull heads, where pilgrims pass beneath the icy streams as part of a purification ritual. Nearby are small pools where devotees immerse themselves completely.

The scene was fascinating to watch. But as I observed the water flowing over the feet of what must have been millions of pilgrims over the years, I couldn’t help but think about the cumulative total of dead skin cells involved in the process. It was a hard pass for me.

I'm going to miss this breakfast view

First glimpse of Jharkot, a former palace turned hotel

Entrance gate, can you see anything interesting...

A village seemingly trapped in time

14th century prayer wheel

Belonging to the 14th century monastery

Horses ready to take pilgrims to the temple at Muktinath

Walking through the village

Yak!

Um...so many people

The temple that they all come to visit

108 of these that pilgrims run through or collect water from

To take home for those unable to make the pilgrimmage

Doing the run

Umm no thank you

The complex and buddha has incredible views

Solar cooker

These are the steps up and down

From Muktinath we continued hiking towards Jhong Village. It was a relief to leave the crowds behind and return to the quieter rhythm of the valley. Though it was also a little sad to see rubbish scattered along sections of the trail, a reminder of the challenges that come with increasing tourism in fragile mountain environments.

Waiting for us at the rooftop monastery in Jhong was one of the now-familiar surprises from the Shinta Mani team: a beautifully set lunch table. From our perch we had unobstructed views across the valley,  snow-capped mountains rising in the distance and the villages we had visited earlier in the day scattered across the landscape below. Not a bad lunch spot...

walking through another ancient village on the way to Jhong

Crossing rivers on suspension bridges

We can see our destination

Jhong

I do love the colours here

Ooh what can we spy with our little eye

Complete with relaxation chairs

Birthday cake!

Phenomenal views

4 course meal

E-bike time. For Mal at least

Ready to go

It was dusty!

This photo is for a sense of scale. There are 2 tiny dots on the right track. Thats Mal and Rishab

Our final stop of the day was Kagbeni, a windswept medieval village that sits at the gateway to Upper Mustang. For centuries Kagbeni was an important checkpoint along the ancient salt trade route between Tibet and Nepal. Today, however, we were there for something far more important.

Yak Donalds.

Mal decided to e-bike his way down to the village, enthusiastically embracing the dust, gravel and unpredictable terrain. I saw the road conditions and opted for the far more civilised support vehicle. At Yak Donalds we partook in a Himalayan"happy meal": a yak burger, complete with yak butter and yak cheese, seabuckthron juice and fries made from local potatoes. Yak cheese has a… distinctive aroma. But if you could get past that, the burger itself was surprisingly delicious. In fact, it tasted remarkably like beef.

From Kagbeni we returned to Shinta Mani Mustang for our final evening in the valley. Dinner that night was spent with new friends, a lovely couple from the US and the UK, sharing stories about other remote corners of the world that offer the same rare combination of natural beauty, cultural depth and meaningful experiences. Preferably with a splash of luxury thrown in.

Yak Donalds. When in Nepal...

Happy meal!

The theme this evening was steamed!

Almost Chinese...

Delicious

The final gift reflecting our experiences today