It was the cold foggy morning of December 30, 2007 when we (students of Class XII) started our journey to Pokhara. The journey was going smooth until we got stuck due to a strike. We expected the strike to be called off in a few hours, but we never thought that the strike would last for almost a day. We felt a bit troubled but the excitement in us overshadowed this lacklustre situation. Finally, after a long wait, we were able to move ahead towards our destination.

Without wasting any more time, we visited important sites of Pokhara. Our first choice was the Davis Fall. The large boulders, the depth of the falls and the force of water were attention-grabbing. Then we went to Gupteshwor cave. Early next morning we marched into the Mahendra cave and the Bat Cave. The Bat cave was the most adventurous of all. We had to tread steadily in darkness helping each other to come out of the narrow exit. After a short break, we went to SOS Pokhara and then to the Mountain Museum. From the Mountain Museum, we got a lot of information regarding mountaineering and great climbers. For a moment even we could imagine how difficult it would be to conquer the mountains. In the evening, we visited the lakeside of Pokhara. Boating in the Phewa lake gave us an incredibly pleasant feeling. The exotic views of Mount Machhapuchhre and Annapurna were worth seeing. The famous monuments, Bindhabasini and Tal Barahi were also not left unvisited. On the final day we ascended the hills of Sarangkot. The heavenly panorama of the mountain range and the Pokhara valley seen from Sarangkot captivated us. Ultimately, we had to leave for Kathmandu but sweet memories of our stay in beautiful Pokhara city still persist in our hearts.

— Debesh Shrestha, Class 12, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Higher Secondary School