The morning the lake disappears

You wake in Lakeside to a sound on the roof that is not quite a drum and not quite applause. By the time you reach the window, Phewa Lake has gone. Not dimmed, not misty: gone, folded into a grey so even that the far shore might be a rumour.

This is the monsoon in Pokhara, and it is easy to think the day has been cancelled. The paragliders are grounded, the hills are hidden, and the plan you made over last night's dinner now looks optimistic. We would like to suggest, gently, that the plan was only ever a draft.

Why a café is the right answer

A rainy day asks for a particular kind of room. It should be dry, obviously, but also warm in the way a room is warm when people have settled into it and no one is checking the time. A quiet corner and a leather chair to settle into do their best work in rain: outside, the rain keeps its own time, and you get to let it.

There is a small pleasure in being indoors while weather performs outdoors. On the walk in along Street 16 you might see umbrellas bob past, or someone jump a puddle with more commitment than grace, or a dog decide, wisely, to stay under a shop awning. None of it needs your attention, which is exactly why it is so restful once you are inside.

A long coffee, properly long

Rain slows everything, so let the coffee slow too. This is not the morning for a quick cup standing at the counter. Order something hot, take a quiet chair and let it go lukewarm while you read, write postcards you will never post, or simply listen to the rain.

If you want more on how we think about the first cup, we wrote a whole letter on it: Coffee & Slow Mornings in Lakeside, Pokhara. It was written with a clear lake in mind, but it works just as well with the lake missing.

Something warm to eat while it pours

A rainy morning suits pastry. Our croissants are baked fresh each morning, and there is something very right about tearing one open while the rain keeps up its steady rhythm outside. If you want the full story of how they are made, it is here: Croissants in Pokhara.

If you are hungrier, a slow plate is the better plan. Rain is a fine excuse to linger over a proper sit-down breakfast rather than grabbing something on the way. A few ideas from the menu, as general suggestions rather than a promise of what is on any given day:

  • Mushroom Delight, for when you want something warm and savoury.
  • Light & Healthy Breakfast, for when the weather is heavy and you would like the plate to be light.
  • A croissant and a second coffee, which needs no justification at all.
  • A smoothie or cold-pressed juice, if you prefer a bright note against all that grey.

What to do in Pokhara when it rains

People ask what there is to do in Pokhara in the rain, and the honest answer is that the best things are quiet ones. Read the book you carried across the country and never opened. Write to someone. Plan the next trek with a map spread across the table. Listen to the rain.

Rain here rarely lasts all day without a pause. There is often a lull, a thinning of the cloud. If the rain eases while you are lingering over breakfast, you can step out and catch the lake coming back, without having spent the whole morning wet.

And if the rain stays, stay with it. Nobody ever regretted a long breakfast on a wet morning.

A small note on arriving

Bring a jacket rather than a grand plan. Wet feet are forgiven at the door. Come early if you like the room quiet, or later when the morning has run into afternoon and the rain has settled into a steady rhythm. Either way, the coffee is happy to be slow.

Until then, keep dry, and let the lake have its day off.

Yours, every morning,
— Dear Breakfast