Business as usual in Pokhara – one hour from Nepal quake epicentre

Two days after Nepal’s deadliest disaster in more than 80 years, foreigners mill around a scenic valley lake in Pokhara, shop, eat at cafes and sign up for their next sporting pursuit. 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. Thousands of visitors flock to the picturesque destination every year, attracted by its scenic mountain views, clear, dry winters and abundance of adventure sports.

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.

Dutch traveller Mariana Hoake

Pokhara sits 73 kilometres (45 miles) east of the epicentre of Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake – according to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre was actually four kilometres closer to Pokhara than the capital Kathmandu – but the only evidence of a disaster that has killed more than 4,000 people are a few cracked walls. 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.

Asia-Pacific