Pharping, the place of many posibilities

Thus far, I have only written about the places I have travelled to from my current location in Nepal. Today, I would like to tell you about the charming little town that has been my home these past few months. Although Pharping is no metropolis, it provides all that one could need both on a physical and spiritual level.

My accommodation is located on the outskirts of town right on he edge of the incline from which tiny roads meander down to the base of the kathmandu valley. My favorite spot is on the roof which thanks to nepali architecture, is flat. On a clear day, you can see the snowy peaks of the himalayas in the distance which turn pink as the sun goes down. Ok, so my room is no great shakes by european standards but with the price of full board and food being around 5 euros, I can hardly complain. I even have hot showers on occasion which as I have mentioned in my previous post, is quite a novelty in Nepal.



What to do? 

Pharping is probably most famous as being the place near which the buddha, Guru Rinpoche is rumored to have attained enlightenment. Walking to the cave requires a certain amount of physical exertion which certainly increases the level of gratitude one feels on arriving at the quaint entrance.

The handprint of Guru Rinpoche

Like most temples in Nepal, there is a place where you can offer money in exchange for lighting some butter lamps. In Tibetan buddhist culture, it is believed that by offering material things you will accumulate merit which results in what they call "good kharma" meaning that something positive will happen to you at some point in the future. The best time of day to go is either early in the morning or just before six in the evening when it closes. These are the times when there are the least amount of people.

In my opinion, there is only one place to eat out in Pharping, Kumar's Sikkimese restaurant in which I am a frequent occupant. My favorite dish would have to be his special chips chili which is a beautiful concoction of spices and my favorite vegetable of all time, the potato. Kumar was kind enough to impart me with the recipe and even a little demonstration to boot! The food is simple but flavorsome and fresh with a wide range of dishes to chose from. When the electricity is out, the tables are illuminated by candles providing an ambient atmosphere. Sometimes, some of my friends will join me and we'll indulge in a jamming session which Kumar and his family always find greatly amusing.

above: Kumar's spice selection below: chips chili in the wok

Kumar's Chips Chili

- A few potatoes

- garlic 

- ginger 

- a few shallots

- tomatos (preferably cherry) 

- carrots

- timbur (spice powder) 

- masala spice 

- vegetable sauce/tomato sauce  

- salt 

- sunflower oil (for frying)

Cut the potatoes into wedge size pieces. Heat up the oil meanwhile prepare the veggies and spices. Blanch the potatoes and then drain most of the oil. in a separate pan cook the onions until soft and then add them to the potatoes. Add the spices and then all the other ingredients and then allow to cook slowly for a few minutes. 

Take a hike!

The only reason I do exercise is for the reward of eating something tasty afterwards. Crystal Earth is a restaurant, a guesthouse and a charitable organization. All of their produce is organic and really delicious. It's about an hours hike from Pharping if you're in good shape but if you like walking at a more leisurely pace on the steep incline, it would probably take you about half an hour longer. The food is layed out like a buffet with a selection of meat and vegetable dishes. The highlight would definitely be the mushrooms which are grown on site and absolutely delicious especially cooked in butter with a bit of lemon, salt and freshly cracked pepper. The food is not cheap, but it's the atmosphere you pay for anyways and that is definitely worth the money!

below is a link to the webpage for crystal earth. Here you can find about more about the project and buy some of the products including their extremely expensive clothing range if you're interested.
http://crystalearthfamily.com/visit-us/

Another place to hike to from Pharping is the Hattiban. The food is not as good but he view is even better in my opinion. It takes just over an hour to hike there and expect to be breathless at the end. Below is a picture of the kind of view you can see from there. That line that looks like fog is actually pollution from the city. I would recommend checking the weather before going in case you miss out on the view. You can also access both places by taxi if you're feeling lazy. I'm not sure how much it costs but I imagine it's quite cheap.

view of the himalayas from the Hattiban.