“Uff…No trekking!” was the first thing that came to my mind when one of my friends suggested a hiking trip. It was a two-day outing led by Nature Lover’s Group Nirogdham (NLG), a group of nature lovers, established in 2001 with the motto ‘One’s Health, At Own Hand’.[break]
After mulling over it for a while, I said to myself, “Well, I could afford a little break from my hectic schedule.”
“Please be on time,” reminded Umesh Shrestha, the president of NLG, a day earlier. “Be at Sundarijal at 8 am sharp on Saturday.” It sent waves of chills down my spine.
Getting up early is not my cup of tea and that too, for something I dislike. It was not any easy task, but I managed. In fact, I happened to be the first to arrive in our team of 36 people, which included five foreigners.
“Good to see you on time,” greeted Shrestha, passing me a bag containing a blue cap and a grey T-shirt with an insignia of NLG. All hikers were requested to wear them. I put on the blue cap only.
We started walking uphill with Shrestha as the leader.
For the first few minutes, I took the trip as a new adventure, but as my body began perspiring, I failed to maintain my enthusiastic pace.
“Dai, it seems you’ll have a tough time ascending,” said Asim (name changed), a fellow hiker.
Asim, who recently completed his BE from Kathmandu University, revealed that he had shed three kilograms after participating in a two-week yoga session at Nirogdham.
I could not keep up with the conversation because my heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would burst open any time. I smiled back at him.
By the time I reached the army barrack at the entrance of Sundarijal National Park, after walking nearly 25 minutes (15 minutes for others), I was drenched in sweat. But little did I know that the journey had only begun.
After paying our entrance fees (Rs 10 for Nepalis and Rs 250 for foreigners), we moved on. The variation in lifestyle of Kathmanduites and villagers is noticeable after an hour’s walk from the entrance of the Park.
Many traveling the same route refreshed the journey. Locals ferrying daily needs, couples in quest of privacy, a few others taking photographs and some on an outing away from the crowd, noise and pollution of Kathmandu.
“The only thing that matters to a girl during college days is how to look prettier than others,” shared Anjana Gautam, another member of our team, upon seeing a girl walking in high heels some 10 meters away from us.
Gautam, a mother of two girls, lives in Golfutar of Kathmandu. She shared her memories of exploring the countryside with her husband. We became friends along the journey.
“We can tour our country, Maldives, in just an hour,” put in Hasan. Referring to the hills, he added, “To climb a mountain like this was a dream for me when I was home.” Hasan, a diplomat working at the SAARC Secretariat, is planning to go for an EBC—Everest Base Camp—trek.
We reached Mul Kharka at 1 pm. I was excited that it was time for lunch.
To my dismay, ‘lunch break’ was only for a few minutes and it didn’t help when I saw my team members being served chiura (beaten rice) and boiled vegetables.
Shrestha hastily clarified that team members had to abide by all rules and regulations. One of which stated that the diet should be divided into three parts—vegetables, salad and grain. My plans of eating some delicious local kukhura (chicken) for dinner went down the drain.
THERE
It was past 4 pm when we arrived in Chisapani, which lies at a height of 2,194 meters above sea level, north of Kathmandu.
I was lucky to get a glimpse of the Himalaya, thanks to the clear weather. Buddhist flags fluttered atop the roofs of houses scattered a few meters away from each other. There are only few houses in Chisapani, each providing accommodation to travelers.
After being given a room I had to share with two others at Hotel Annapurna Mountain View and Restaurant, I thought of wandering around to chat with some local folks.
“Other places around here don’t have cool waters like Chisapani. It’s the sole reason why our ancestors named the village so,” narrated Khet Raj Khatri, 64, on how Chisapani got its name. The word literally translates as ‘cool waters.’
“A survey conducted by a team from Kathmandu concluded that the water of this place is far more pure than those mineral bottled waters,” claimed Khatri.
A number of children gathered around me when they noticed a camera in my hand. Many insisted me to take their pictures.
NLG did not have any special sessions for the night since we were expected to rise early the next day.
and BACK
It was around four in the morning when I awakened to the laughter and noise of my teammates.
I got out of bed two and half hours later, with swollen eyes, while our group was preparing to return to Kathmandu via a different route—Chisapani, Alche, Duin Mane, Bagh Dwaar, Nagi Gumba and finally to Pani Muwan, covering around 20 kilometers.
We left Chisapani at around quarter past seven.
The first hour of the journey was relatively easy as we walked on a straight path. But I began to have a tough time as we trekked up to Duin Mane and that too through the deep woods.
Another hour of uphill climb and then we descended continuously from Bagh Dwaar, where we stopped for lunch. It took around 40-50 minutes to reach Nagi Gumba from where one can get a glimpse of Kathmandu, if the weather is clear.
When we finally arrived at Mulpani, I had a cup of tea and a few biscuits, even though I wasn’t supposed to.
“I did it,” is what my heart says. I have completed my two-day hike. When I recall it now, a sense of satisfaction and joy fills me. I now understand why foreigners are so eager to explore our country.
Thanks to my friend who referred this trip to me. Had I not taken up his suggestion, I would have missed a lot in life. Looking forward to the next hike!
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