Nepal: An hour from quake epicentre, tourists enjoy boat rides, paragliding

For the adrenaline-junkie tourists of Pokhara, just an hour’s drive from the epicentre of Nepal’s earthquake, it’s business as usual with boat trips and paragliding in a town spared the destruction wreaked elsewhere

Pokhara: For the adrenaline-junkie tourists of Pokhara, just an hour’s drive from the epicentre of Nepal’s earthquake, it’s business as usual with boat trips and paragliding in a town spared the destruction wreaked elsewhere.

All is well: Rick Tul and Mariana Hoake from the Netherlands enjoy a boat ride on Phewa Lake in Pokhara on Monday. Pic/AFP

Thousands of visitors flock to the picturesque destination every year, attracted by its scenic mountain views, clear, dry winters and abundance of adventure sports, which also include zip-lining.

Pokhara sits 73 km  east of the epicentre of Saturday’s quake, but the only evidence of a disaster that has killed more than 5,000 people in the country were a few cracked walls.

Also read: Death and destruction as massive earthquake hits Nepal

Two days after the nation’s deadliest disaster in more than 80 years, foreigners milled around a scenic valley lake, shopped, ate at cafes and signed up in groups for their next sporting pursuit.

“It was quite scary but to be honest I barely felt it and I only realised what was happening when I saw people around me,” said Rick Tul (20), from the Netherlands, putting on a life-jacket for a boat ride on a Pokhara lake.

“Everything here is great. Of course, you can sense that the locals are tense and worried but otherwise, everything is normal,” Tul said.

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre was actually four kilometres closer to Pokhara than the capital Kathmandu, large parts of which have been reduced to rubble.

But New Delhi-based quake expert Milap Chand Sharma said the township, which does not have a large number of high-rises, is most probably located on a solid rock base and not sedimentary material that shifts during tremors.

Some 70 kilometres away in Gorkha district, a village of nearly 2,000 people was almost wiped out by the earthquake, according to locals.

But in Pokhara, shops and businesses were running as normal. Only schools were shut for five days after strong tremors and aftershocks on Sunday.

Pokhara was not spared completely though. Some homes were destroyed and there were injuries, with more than 50 people admitted to a local hospital.

Also read: Things you must know about earthquake

Dutch traveller Mariana Hoake said she was in Kathmandu when the quake struck before leaving for Pokhara to escape the devastated capital, which now lies in ruins.

“It was terrible. I stood still and saw the temples and buildings I had just visited crumble before my eyes. It was just unbelievable,” said the 51-year-old.

“I couldn’t stay there any longer since everything was down. There was no electricity or phone connection, so I left for Pokhara. Thankfully, this was untouched,” she added. “Pokhara is peaceful, nothing compared to Kathmandu after the quake. Here, everything is normal — people are back to work, kids are playing around, there’s power, Internet, everything.”   

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