Manish Kini
Travel stories

3–9 March 2026

Nepal

My first Nepal trip: momos and late-night walks in Kathmandu, quiet mornings in Ghandruk, time around Pokhara, and mountain views I still keep going back to.

013 March 2026

Kathmandu

I started in Kathmandu with two things I had been waiting for: proper momos and a walk through the city at night.

  1. A metal plate of steamed momos served with two dipping sauces

    01

    First plate in Nepal

    The first thing I ate after arriving was this plate of steamed momos. Exactly the kind of start I wanted.

  2. A small street shrine and prayer wheels beneath overhead cables in Kathmandu at night

    02

    Kathmandu after dark

    I took this during a night walk. The small shrine, prayer wheels, and impossible tangle of wires felt very Kathmandu.

024 March 2026

Boudhanath

I spent the morning at Boudhanath, then stopped for dal bhat before leaving Kathmandu.

  1. The white dome, painted eyes, and prayer flags of Boudhanath Stupa

    01

    Eyes over the stupa

    I had seen this view in photos for years. Standing under the prayer flags and looking up at the stupa felt completely different.

  2. A Nepali dal bhat meal served on a brass plate with rice, lentils, vegetables, pickles, papad, and curd

    02

    Dal bhat for the road

    Dal bhat before the drive west: rice, dal, vegetables, pickle, papad, and curd. Nothing fancy, just a very good meal.

034–5 March 2026

Pokhara & Phewa Lake

Pokhara was slower—an evening boat ride, a climb to the World Peace Pagoda, and long views over Phewa Lake.

  1. Manish wearing a life jacket during a boat ride on Phewa Lake

    01

    Evening on Phewa Lake

    We went out on Phewa Lake just before evening. The water was calm and the lights along the shore were beginning to come on.

  2. The white World Peace Pagoda in Pokhara beneath an overcast sky

    02

    World Peace Pagoda

    The weather stayed grey, but the white pagoda stood out from almost everywhere on the hill.

  3. A hilltop view over Phewa Lake and Pokhara

    03

    Pokhara from the hill

    This is the view back over Pokhara and Phewa Lake from the hill. The haze made the ridges look endless.

  4. Manish inside a cable-car cabin with Pokhara and Phewa Lake behind him

    04

    Above the lakeside

    The cable-car ride gave me a completely different view of Pokhara. I could see the lake behind me almost the whole way.

046–7 March 2026

Ghandruk

Ghandruk was the quietest part of the trip. Stone cottages, hot tea, cold mornings, and the mountains outside the window.

  1. Manish seated in the flower-filled courtyard of Gurung Cottage in Ghandruk

    01

    Arrival at the cottage

    We stayed at Gurung Cottage. Stone walls, slate roofs, and flowers everywhere—it was an easy place to slow down.

  2. Manish holding a glass of tea in a Ghandruk cottage courtyard

    02

    Tea weather

    The clouds kept moving through the valley, so the view changed every few minutes. I mostly sat here with tea and watched.

  3. Manish having tea beside a stone cottage with mountain valleys behind him

    03

    Courtyard and valley

    One more from the same courtyard because this was honestly how I spent a good part of the evening.

  4. Breakfast served beside a window overlooking the mountains in Ghandruk

    04

    Breakfast with a view

    Breakfast came with this view. The bread was warm, the air was cold, and I was in no hurry.

  5. Layered green mountain ridges and low clouds viewed from Ghandruk

    05

    Clouds through the valley

    The clouds finally lifted enough to show the layers of the valley in front of us.

057 March 2026

Pumdikot

I spent the afternoon walking around the Pumdikot temple complex and noticing the smaller details between the big viewpoints.

  1. A large golden five-faced Ganesha sculpture at Pumdikot

    01

    Five faces of Ganesha

    This five-faced Ganesha sculpture was the first thing that caught my attention. It looks even larger from below.

  2. A long row of stone Shiva lingams at the Pumdikot temple complex

    02

    A line of Shiva lingams

    A long row of Shiva lingams follows the path around the complex.

  3. Manish at Pumdikot with a golden Ganesha sculpture and red-roofed temple buildings behind him

    03

    Among the temple roofs

    A quick photo with the temple roofs and Ganesha sculpture behind me.

  4. A tiered metal stand holding rows of oil lamps in the temple courtyard

    04

    Lamps waiting for evening

    Rows of small oil lamps waiting to be lit later in the day.

  5. A repeating line of golden bird sculptures mounted along a stone wall at Pumdikot

    05

    Details along the wall

    I liked this repeating line of brass birds enough to stop for a closer photo.

069 March 2026

Mountains from the flight

The flight home gave me the clearest mountain views of the trip: Annapurna I first, then Kangchenjunga, and finally Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu.

  1. Annapurna I, the world's 10th-highest mountain at 8,091 metres, above the clouds

    01

    Annapurna I — 8,091 m

    The first clear giant I spotted from the window was Annapurna I, the world's 10th-highest mountain.

  2. 02Video · 0:17

    Kangchenjunga — 8,586 m

    This 17-second clip is Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain. I started recording before the view disappeared behind the clouds.

  3. Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu seen From left to right above an aircraft wing

    03

    Everest, Lhotse & Makalu

    From left to right: Mount Everest at 8,848.86 m (#1), Lhotse at 8,516 m (#4), and Makalu at 8,485 m (#5). Seeing all three from one window was the best possible ending to the trip.