Clubing PKR Style | West | wavemag.com.np

When one imagines Pokhara, the picture that comes to mind is often a relaxing weekend on the lake-side, or the starting point of a great trekking trailhiking or paragliding. It has always remained a popular holiday destination for tourists and locals alike in Nepal. But over the last few years, the quiet lake city of Pokhara has experienced the growth of a new culture, the club culture. With tourist arrivals down to a trickle, the city's entrepreneurs are dancing to a new beat. The clubs, once an exclusive domain for tourists, are now filled with locals, mostly youngsters. Parties have become regular fare and likewise, there are many who have taken up event and party management on a professional basis.

As Amrit Gurung of Zero Kilometer say, "Clubbing and partying have become very popular among the locals in Pokhara. The dance floor if full especially during weekends." Although parties are crowded with youngsters, the security situation doesn't allow most parties to run till late. There is no doubt that the club scene in PKR is bustling and it's the youth population of the valley making it happen. On this issue WAVE brings you five very popular clubs from the Lakeside, where all the action is.

Club Amsterdam
Ganesh Bhattarai and Ram C. Bhattarai opened this bar nine years ago, with Ram later moving on to manage Boomerang, another bar in the lake side city. According to the club's manager Manahari Chalise the business is not doing bad, but it is nothing close to being as good as it used to be several years ago. Although tourists and visiting Kathmanduites make it a point to visit Amsterdam, the regular clientele has now shifted to being mostly locals.

Manahari admits that times are tough and sees no immediate improvements, mainly because of the unstable politics. One positive change though, has been the decline in juvenile hooliganism. Bands and artists like Robin and Looza, Cobweb, 1974 AD, Axis, Dr. Pilots, Nima and Axe band have performed here in the past while Local band Zero Star is a regular performer on Wednesdays and Fridays. Events like these help maintain a regular group of patrons.

A compact but nice place, Club Amsterdam is not to be missed when you are in Pokhara.

Club Paradiso
Gopi Bhattarai, a Hotel Management Graduate from Sydney, is the owner of Club Paradiso. He left a well-paying job in Australia to pitch camp in PKR. Business has been challenging but he has overcome his earlier blues. "Pokhara is a wonderful destination and if tourism booms again, we'll have nothing to worry about," he says.

A friend suggested the name Paradiso to Gopi and he has literally made his joint into one. With a lounge, a dance floor, DJ and live band, Paradiso is definitely happening. "This is the place where politics don't matter and just sit back and enjoy," Gopi adds. Private parties usually keeps Paradiso booked on Saturday afternoons.

Busy Bee
Business in general has seen a slump the last few years but Busy Bee seldom sees an idle day. With various innovative themes and events that happen regularly, locals and tourists have been thronging to the club. From Latin American music to Cuban dances to Costa Rican storytelling, Busy Bee has done it all.

"Even though dance restaurants are much more expensive than our place, the locals prefer them because of the girls who are in service there. One stumbling block for clubbing in Pokhara may well be these dance restaurants," Jack Gurung, observes about local patrons.

Live music is an important element of the Busy Bee. Local bands Woodstock, Zero Star, Stranger and Mokshya play there through the week.

Old Blues Pub
Opened by Lalkazi Gurung, Old Blues Pub is now owned by Jojo of the Upstairs fame. Despite the change in ownership, the pub has not lost its classic feel – good food, good music and a friendly family environment. The pub has recently witnessed a spurt in business, the patrons largely composed of locals.

The dip in elevation as you enter the pub gives the impression of entering a different realm. The ambience and the décor make this place a favorite joint for easy conversations or just hanging out.

Magic Club
Magic Club was opened a couple of years ago by Purna Gurung and two other partners where the old Club Lotus used to be. The normal crowd at the pub numbers at about 30 to 40 people, but the weekend parties see as many as 200. Most of the patrons are teenagers who are out to have a good time. The in- house DJ Shanker churns our some exciting hip-hop mixes keeping most people glued to the dance floor.

Namaste:
Namaste is a fairly new club in PKR. It has a Rastafarian feel, which shouldn't come as a surprise, since its owned by the one time break dancing punk turned Rastafarian Pokhareli music star Ishwar Gurung of Namaste band.