Tsogyal (meaning “Lake Queen”) is the proprietress of this new Tibetan handicraft shop in Pokhara.

I informed the Hotel Nirvana that I would be checking out tomorrow morning, with plans to spend tomorrow night in Sarangkot. On Friday I would go to Bandipur and spend the weekend there, returning to Kathmandu on Monday to be sure I would easily be able to make my Tuesday afternoon flight to Bangalore, India.

As I was wandering about Pokhara today a Tibetan shopwoman started a conversation with me. She explained that she had just opened her shop, and was eager to show me her merchandise in hopes that I would buy something. I was determined not to acquire more “stuff” and therefore was not a good customer but I did stop to chat with her and I took some time to appreciate the beautiful hand-made jewelry created by skilled Tibetan artisans.

As we talked we learned that we were both born in the same year! Her parents had left Tibet in 1959 as refugees and settled in Nepal, where she was born. Her name was Tsogyal, which she said meant Lake (tso) Queen (gyal) in Tibetan.

If you should find yourself in Pokhara sometime, visit her shop! The name is Vangpachen Tibetan Handicrafts.