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Fish Tale Lodge is located just five minutes away from the Pokhara airport. Fish Tale Lodge blends modern comfort with quick access to lakes, mountain treks, golf, rafting, shopping, fine dining, bars, and bird watching. Fish Tale Lodge is encased in woodlands with bungalow styled rooms that overlook Phewa Lake towards the Annapurna Mountain. The lodge also boasts spectacular views of Fish Tale Mountain.

Fish Tail Lodge’s facilities include conference rooms, swimming pools, and bars. The lodge also provides easy access and booking to the numerous outdoor activities available in the area.  Fish Tail Lodge ideal location, comprehensive facilities, and tasteful layout comfortably accommodates adventurers, tourists, newlyweds, and business people. Their on-site restaurant that has garnered acclaim as one of the finest restaurants in Pokhara and the staff’s service has been positively reviewed. Fish Tail Lodge has hosted numerous world leaders, including Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger. The Fish Tale Lodge staff takes pride in their commitment to service and comfort. They will ensure your stay, whether for business or pleasure, is comfortable, tranquil, and enjoyable. Fish Tale Lodge has received positive reviews in Lonely Planet and other travel guides.

Fish Tail Lodge donates their profits to the Princess Jayanti Memorial Trust. The Trust provides free cardiac care to underprivileged Nepalese people and to raise public awareness regarding the causes of heart diseases in Nepal.

Hinduism is most common religion in Nepal, and is considered the world’s oldest and third largest religion. This 3,000 year old religion is not unified and does not have a single founder or prophet. Hindus believe there are many deities.  Hinduism is the conglomeration of a variety of different religious groups, which come out of India.  Many believe Hindus worship many gods, however many Hindus would claim to believe in one eternal god (Brahman), which is indefinable and celebrate other deities. They recognize the other gods as different aspects of the Brahman.

Karma is central to Hindu faith. America’s concept of Karma is basically reaping what you sow.  According to Hinduism the soul goes through a cycle of lives and the next incarnation depends on the previous life. Our actions in the previous life keeps us in this world, this bondage is known as “Karma”. While good actions can cause us to be reborn to experience good results, bad actions can cause us to be reborn again and again to undergo suffering and pain.

Another concept many of us are familiar with is the Caste System which is based on  The four castes are - the Brahmins (educational system), the Kshatriyas (military), the Vaishyas (economics), and the Shudras. (workforce) are described in Hindu texts, but have been exploited by some Hindu societies to oppress lower castes.

These two websites provide a good overview of Hinduism

1. Thamel.com : Provides an excellent overview of Hinduism in Nepal. Check it our here

2.The Himalyan Academy: This site is filled with details about the practices and beliefs of Hinduism. Check it out here

There is no doubt that trekking through Nepal will connect you with the beauty of the Himalayas and provide amazing views of snow capped peaks, clear lakes, and a connection with a rich and ancient culture, but like any outdoor activity there are some risks.

Nepal’s rivers may look clean and pristine but just like in the US and other parts of the world invisible parasites are a danger. What this means for you is that you’ll either need to choose between purchasing water, which is expensive and environmentally unfriendly because it is sold in disposable plastic water bottles, or investing in some type of water filter or purifier on your trip. We believe a water filter or purifier is better for your wallet and the environment.

The main difference between a water filter and water purifier is that a water purifier uses a chemical reaction (usually iodine) or ultraviolet light to eliminate viruses from water, where a filter eliminates dangerous bacteria, but not viruses. Another difference is that purified water has a chemical taste and you may have to wait 30-60 minutes to consume, while filtered water does not. Both methods eliminate Giardia, which the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recognizes as as one of the most common causes of waterborne illness. The germ is found in every part of the United States and the world. The Center for Disease Control recommends using a filtration system that meets the industrial standard of 0.2 microns, which filters out most harmful bacteria. The CDC’s website provides information about the most common parasites, bacteria, and viruses found in water and lists compelling reasons for international travelers to invest in a water filtration or purification system. Check it out here.

There are many companies that produce water filters and purification systems and each has there own advantages and disadvantages, you should make your choice based on your own preference for weight, money, and other needs. The REI website has excellent information and reviews of water filtration and purification systems Check it out here.

There are also various methods for filtering and purifying water, ranging from hand pumps to gravity filters. Gravity filters filter a larger amount of water, but take longer than hand pumps and may require a group effort to set up. Outdoor magazine has an excellent and detailed article discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various types of water filtration and purification systems. Check it out here.

Investing in a good water filtration or purification system, will ensure that you enjoy Nepal’s natural and cultural wonders in a healthy and environmentally friendly way.

With over 10% of its people practicing it, Buddhism is the second most practiced religion in Nepal. Buddhism was founded around 6 century B.C.. by Prince Siddhartha , who after years of wandering and meditation became the Buddha – also known as the Enlightened One, in northern India, which borders Nepal.

Buddhism has four Noble Truths:
1. There is suffering in life
2. There are causes of suffering
3. There is a way to end this suffering
4. There is a condition of existence without suffering, known as Nirvana.

The Buddha believes there is an eight fold path to achieving Nirvana. This path consist of eight practices: right perception, right conceptualization, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right religious effort, right mindfulness and right concentration (or contemplation). The religion has numerous gods, but they are not viewed as supreme beings, rather they are seen as bodiless state in a heavenly existence. The religion is also guided by ten precepts, which are similar to commandments, but are practiced as ethical recommendations to guide those on the path.

These precepts are to abstain from:

Buddhism provides a fascinating insight into Nepal’s architecture, people, and culture. For a basic primer on the Buddhism, we recommend these two websites:

An interview with Dr. Su onasekera, which is an excellent primer on Buddhism
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,6016,0,0,1,0

The Big View website has an easy to follow and detailed summary of Buddhism
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/precepts.html

Marta and Bruce trekked with iTrekNepal to Annapurna Base Camp in October 2008.  They describe their trip at travelblog.org.  Clearly yoga in Bhaktapur was a great way to start the first full day of the trip. Read more…