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The western hills are Nepal at its most outstandingly typical: roaring gorges, precariously perched villages and terraced fields reaching to unsupportable heights, with some of the most graceful and accessible peaks of the Himalaya for a backdrop. In this, Nepal's most populous hill region, people are the dominant feature of the landscape. Magars and Gurungs, the most visible ethnic minorities , live in their own villages or side by side with Tamangs, Hindu castes and the usual smattering of Newar merchants. Life is traditional and close to the earth, but relatively prosperous: the houses are tidy and spacious, and hill women are festooned with the family gold. The prosperity comes, indirectly, from an unlikely quarter, as the western hills were historically the most important recruiting area for Gurkha soldiers . It's an often-quoted statistic that Gurkha salaries and pensions were, up until the mid-1970s, Nepal's biggest foreign-exchange earner; in many villages here they still are, and they're arguably the major source of development financing as well. Ex-Gurkhas command the highest respect within their communities, and young men look up to them as role models. They also speak English, happily, and wherever you go there will probably be an ex-Gurkha to help you over the language barrier. History , too, figures prominently here, for the foundations of modern Nepal were laid in the western hills. While the kings of the Kathmandu Valley were building temples, the princes of the hills built forts - many of which still stand - and it's the hillmen who rule Nepal today. The chief destination here by far is Pokhara , a restful lakeside retreat as well as Nepal's major trekking hub. On the way there, you can detour to the magnificent hilltop fortress of Gorkha , the pilgrimage site of Manakamana or the charmingly neglected backwater of Bandipur . Beyond Pokhara, on the road to the Indian border, lies laid-back Tansen and its picturesque countryside. All of these make excellent bases for day hikes - which can be almost as rewarding as trekking, without the commitment and red tape. Rafting on the Trisuli, Kali Gandaki, Marsyangdi and Seti rivers also brings many travellers to the western hills. Two main roads cut a swathe through the hills: the Prithvi Highway (Prithvi Rajmarg), running west from Kathmandu to Pokhara, and the Siddhartha Highway (Siddhartha Rajmarg), which carries on from Pokhara to the Indian border. These and three spur roads (to Gorkha, Narayanghat and Baglung) are literally the only paved roads in this region, and they're not always paved. Elsewhere, most journeys are made on foot - and you don't have to go far in this area to appreciate how blurred the distinction between "travelling" and "trekking" can be.
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