From boating on Phewa Lake, to paragliding over the
Annapurnas, to hanging on for dear life in cabs, this trip did not
disappoint, especially in the food department.
On the five hour drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara in an SUV
that handled third world mountain roads better than I expected, we
stopped off at a roadside restaurant cloaked in trees. Several levels
of balconies and tables were stacked like Jenga pieces, and we were
able to see the landscape for miles. Parched, we ordered a few beers
before snacks.
Did I mention the beer? For three American dollars you
are served a large format beer, the most popular choices being
Carlsburg, a German pilsner brewed in Denmark; Tuborg Gold, a
lager from the Carlsburg family; and Gorkha, a Nepali beer made in
recycled bottles.
Now the most pressing question, what to eat? Enter the wonder
of the veggie pakora.
Full of carrots, celery, burdock root and other veggies, these bites
are slapped together with dough and egg, and fried in hot oil. They
are crispy on the outside, and steaming and soft on this inside. I
lived off pakoras for the majority of the trip, a s