Food stuff part 2, Pokhara, Nepal July 2014

Nepal meat, eat with caution....

Away from the tourist strip breakfast is a pretty mediocre affair. The locals are not big on the first meal of the day. What's available off the strip varies only slightly from the rest of the day with the addition of eggs and bread - the famous (or infamous among the west) bread omelette, or quite simply an omelette sandwich. Rice of course is the main constituent of any meal, breakfast included, and  so when it's not eggs typically expect to eat that popular Nepali dish of Dahl baht, just not quite so spicy. Although widely available in supermarkets cereal tends to be limited to the tourist strip, along with fruit juice, yogurt and occasionally, bacon! Yes, breakfast is expensive on the strip but timid westerners are hanging out there much to the delight and relief of restaurant owners - rents and overheads are high on the strip, according to Mr. Pandey at Lumbini's. 

Meat, not consumed in big quantities among locals and in my opinion should be avoided altogether. The local scene is limited in choice - chicken, goat or Buffalo, take your pick. Trouble is meat preparation is not given any consideration in terms of hygiene and cleanliness with vendors routinely chopping and segmenting those buffalo portions in the open air. If that hasn't put you off then get this. Meat is left for hours in hot sunshine, and yes, the local fly population dive in to take their chunk. It that's not enough to make you balk, then just consider the air pollution - diesel fumes and dust adding to the contamination. Meat is dirty, no other way to say it really, and particularly in Kathmandu. Not so bad here in pokhara as I have spotted a traditional butchers where meat is pulled around on marbled slabs situated high off the floor but I didn't see any refrigeration - which would be useless anyway during the power outages. Oh, and the fish. Being a landlocked country there isn't a huge supply of fish and what there is here in pokhara comes form a dirty lake - the same lake locals wash their cloths in, bath and spit in. Yes, you guessed it, I don't eat the fish either! And so when that sign on the strip cites fresh fish from lake as a special dish - well, it could end up you taking a special trip to hospital!

Well, part 2 seems to be rambling on more that intended so I'd better go away and return with part 3, how I reduce the possibility of getting poisoned. Just before I go though a quick word about chicken the way locals have it. Well, you can't say it's not fresh because 10 minutes ago the bird was running around happily pecking in the pile of nearby garbage before getting the chop. And when chicken is served up, well it's a struggle to actually find any meat. Yes, just like in Vietnam, all bone and no chicken, no exaggeration! So there you have it. I wouldn't trust the origins of any meat prepared in Nepal, and I only ate the chicken because Mr. P was giving it to his Kid. Vegetarians have it easy around here, locals seem to prefer them and the variety isn't bad, but more on that next time, possibly.

Food stuff part 1

Food stuff part 1

Locally produced food in Nepal is tasty enough and there is plenty of it but to the casual tourist eating as a local, there is a distinct lack of variety away from the tourist strip. Those beef steaks, lasagnes, bangers and mash or lamb chops are not easily found among the local network of cafés and restaurants in downtown Pokhara hence a definite lack of white skins sampling the delights of Momo, Dahl Baht and a Nepali Thali.

So, before delving into what constitutes a Momo, a quick word about food on the strip. It's expensive, that's inevitable and reports suggest quantities are small, also inevitable as restaurateurs seek to maximise profits - just like it is in England! Despite this however, the variety of food on offer is exceptional with all corners of the world represented, although I haven't spotted 'Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding' yet. The dining surroundings are somewhat more inline with Western standards and judging by the numbers hanging out here, food quality must be reasonable. So, if your budget is big but appetite small then eat on the tourist strip. Be prepared to pay 3x more than local prices for just about everything, except the beer!

So, what exactly is a Momo. Well, it's popular with locals as a snack, seems to be available every few yards in downtown and can best be described as a rather big version of the ravioli. Refined flour mixed with water and formed into a crimped circular parcel stuffed with either minced chicken or chopped vegetables, flavoured with curry spices and served with handmade tomato chilli sauce. Dahl Baht is another local delicacy - in simple terms it's curried lentils, boiled rice served as an evening meal in the main. For that lunchtime snack locals can be seen tucking into veggie samosas, munching on chapatti bread accompanied by dahl or a vegetable curry concoction. Lightly fried noodles are another popular dish - the Nepali version of chow mien, and served with that delicious handmade tomato chilli sauce. Aloo paratha, a flat bread with curried potato rolled into the dough and cooked much like a pancake - delicious and comes served with that handmade tomato sauce. Sometimes, if they like you, a small cup of curried lentils will wind it's way to the table. Nepali thali is the evening dish of choice among locals. It's a silver plate segmented into compartments. The largest contains boiled rice while various kinds of vegetables or chicken pieces occupy the smaller compartments and the idea is to mix and match with the rice - well, I think that's what's supposed to happen!

So, as this article seems to be rambling on I'd better sign off and return with part 2 later. Read about chicken, breakfast and how I reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Kathmandu Post, Pokhara, Nepal, June 2014

An insight into life....

Glancing through the local newspaper of any country can provide an invaluable insight into the lives of its citizens. In Nepal, its the Kathmandu Post, paper of choice to be found at numerous western orientated coffee shops that populate the tourist strip here in Pokhara.

here's a quick glance at the more interesting headlines making the news in Nepal: You'll need to expand the images to read the small print.

Americano, 51p and free papers!

 

Nepal Airlines, A Tale of Woe, Pokhara, Nepal, June 2014

Nepal Airlines, a tale of woe, perhaps a blessing in disguise....

A paper ticket handwritten at the airline office, now that's pretty unusual in this modern era of air travel where everything is computerised and tickets are DIY (do it yourself) - except in Nepal!  My intention is to fly to Jomsom and return after a few days of relaxation in crisp mountain air. All smiles at the Nepal Airlines office in Pokhara where the staff are keen to get to work on my request, all 5 of them.

Two prices for seats on planes within Nepal - white skinned tourists have to pay considerably more than folk from Asian nations. This blatant pricing discrimination, down to the government by all accounts, is not limited to air travel either. Having said all that, it's off season and the kind folk here at the airline office hastily apply a discount as I frown at the official tourists price, about $110. Possibly the most expensive flight per passenger mile as it's only a 20 minute hop upto Jomsom. So, at $70 and with a Nepal Airlines paper ticket in hand, all set for a 6am departure on Monday - that's if the weather improves. It's been low clouds and rain for several days now as the rainy season approaches, not uncommon this time of year but hopefully there's is still a week or 2 left before it all turns into a monsoon proper.

300 rupees for the taxi to Pokhara Airport at 4.45am Monday.  Dawn breaks into low clouds and mist rolling off the, lake rising into the hills and obscuring visibility towards the mountains and Jomsom, When a plane crashes in Nepal it's usually down to the pilots loosing their way in clouds and coming to grief on a remote hillside so it's not without trepidation and slight disappointment that today there won't be any of those dramatic mountain views. Actually there won't be any views at all - my ticket is cancelled. The same guy who sold me the ticket has turned up, takes it and gives me back the same cash I used for the purchase on Thursday! He says it's the weather, looks quite flyable to me but of course Jomsom may be socked in!  Oh, I can take a flight with Tara for $40 extra, which actually brings the price back up to the discriminatory tourist fare. So why would I be offered a seat on another plane that appears to be going to Jomsom in spite of the weather? Well, not usually one for conspiracy theories but I suspect some dubious transactions somewhere along the line!

So there you have it - Napal Airlines pulled the plug despite those flights going ahead after all as I stomp away from the airport towards the bus stand and a 10p ride back to lakeside. Mixed emotions abound, it was a cheap flight on a plane not owned by Nepal Airlines, and why is that? The last of their planes they had based at Pokhara crashed a few months ago hence an already bad reputation made worse. I wouldn't have seen much of the mountains anyway, one reason for taking this flight so let's chalk this one up as a blessing in disguise.
 

A Very Wet Saturday, Pokhara, Nepal, June 2014

Its a Very Wet Saturday....

Yep,  today is turning into one of those stay at home days as the rainy season gets underway. So, in the absence of a wander around town here are a few photos taken from the house balcony....

As those rain clouds envelop the hills time to bolt for cover, yes I can feel the first few spots already.