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If the view from Kahun Daada , the hill east of Pokhara, is a shade less magnificent than Sarangkot's, a lookout tower near the top gives you a better crack at it, and trails up to it are totally uncommercialized. The easiest and most interesting starting point is the Tibetan monastery 2km east of Mahendra Pul. At the top of a breathless couple of hundred steps at the southern base of Kahun Daada, the Karma Dhubgyu Chhokhorling Nyeshang Korti Monastery occupies a breezy spot - always good for keeping the prayer flags flapping - with valley views east and west. Around thirty monks and monklets inhabit the monastery, which is modern and contains all the usual Vajrayana paraphernalia. The trail to the lookout tower starts at the bottom of the steps, initially following a road that hugs the western base of the ridge for about 1km, and then climbs through several lazy settlements collectively known as Phulbari . Keep heading towards the tower (1444m), which is visible most of the way and can be reached in about an hour and a half from the monastery. From the half-finished concrete platform, you can contemplate the tremendous force of the Seti River and its tributaries, which tumble out of the Annapurna Himal clouded with dissolved limestone ( seti means white) and, merging at the foot of the Kahun Daada, split the valley floor in a bleached chasm. Descending back to the monastery, paths bearing to the left may suggest a longer circuit via the valley and villages on the east side of the ridge. Also eminently worth exploring is the tidily terraced side valley of the Bhalam Khola , immediately north of Kahun Daada. To get there directly from the tower involves some nasty bushwhacking, so it's better to backtrack towards the monastery until you pick up the first main northbound trail. It's also accessible by a rough (bikeable) track heading northwards on the east side of the Seti River. The power of erosion can readily be seen from this route as it passes the confluence of the Bhalam, Seti and Kali rivers, where they undercut old gravel beds, leaving sheer, mossy cliffs. The track continues at least another 3km to the village of Railechaur, and trails go further up the valley from there. This route can be linked with the one to Mahendra Cave by crossing two footbridges over the Bhalam and Kali rivers, but it's easier to visit the cave first.
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