A Shot of Nepal
A roller-coaster of emotions and learning
Just like every year, My friends and I decided to gift ourselves a bag full of memories for the new year 2022. We went on a trip into the bosom of snowy peaks, The Mighty Himalayas, NEPAL, home to the highest peak in the world, and many eight-thousanders.
It all started with a crazy thought of doing a road-trip, it didn’t matter where we go, all we wanted was to hit the road. At first, the plan was to explore the south-eastern ghats, but the destiny had mountains for us once again. We ended up being in Nepal somehow, and this time with a large group of thirteen.
Yeah you read that right, 13. The number said to be unlucky in many cultures, traditions and astrological beliefs. It is often related to pain and suffering, but I would like to see the good part in this otherwise bad coincidence — ‘if you don’t hit failures, you won’t savor the taste of success’.
Day 1 started with all of us gathering in a beautiful Airbnb, which happened to be a penthouse and a perfect place to start the journey ahead. Since many of us were meeting for the first time or after a long while (courtesy: COVID), everybody was excited and full of positive vibes(pun intended). We started the day with a lean breakfast of bread, butter and coffee. With hearts high on adrenaline and tempo traveler brimming with rucksacks and joy, we set off for our first stop — Janakpur, Nepal. Little did we know at that point of time that the number 13 was in play against us.
We reached the Indo-Nepal border at around 8:30pm to realize that border rules have changed due to COVID and no Bhansar(the pass for Indian vehicles to cross borders) is issued after 5:30pm. With ~25kms to go before we reached the stop for the day and no vehicle to travel the distance, we shredded the cloth of possibilities, but all in vain. We had to settle for a small lodge(Indrani) in the Jaleshwor area. By far this was the worst night of the entire trip, and certainly something that the group wasn’t prepared for. This turned out to be a long drawn evening, with people developing bonds and small comfort zones within the group.
After pulling through the cold and not so comfortable night, the group was looking forward to a better second day. We were scheduled for our first travel destination: Kalinchowk. Before moving onto that we decided to explore the Janki Temple at Janakpur and buy SIM cards to keep us connected throughout the journey. Once we were back to our traveler we found out that it hadn’t snowed in Kalinchowk yet. Hence we decided to move our next destination to Kathmandu as it didn’t make any sense going to Kalinchowk without it snowing there. Was it another devious game of 13?
As we moved towards Kathmandu, beautiful landscapes welcomed us, lightening up the mood of the crowd. We had a pit stop in Sindhuli region, where we devoured on the mountain fruits like Avocados, Kiwis, Oranges and staple food of explorers — Maggie. The sky walk gave a magnificent view of the hills and we savored every moment of it as we inched towards the beautiful Airbnb — The Tulaja Hotel, located in the UNESCO world heritage site(Durbar Square) of the old town of Bhaktapur. Although it was late night as per the town standards, we were able to get first good supper of the trip at the Vajra Guest House & Restaurant. The Nepali Thali was well prepared and served hot with great line of beverages. We called it a day with warm food in our bellies, cozy blankets and Chinese bed warmers to sleep in.
Day 3 turned out to be another bummer with Nagarkot not being so impressive due to the fog and mist. We were expecting a panoramic view of several Himalayan Ranges, but all we were able to catch was the thin mountain air.
Next stop, Kathmandu! The heart of Nepal, a bustling city with town like vibes. Mesmerizing snaking roads with no cars honking despite a packed traffic.
After not-so-great 3 days, the group had learned a lot about the approach to take. I woke up at 4:30 in the morning to visit the Lord Pashupatinath Temple. For the next 3 hours I was in the temple premises, soaking in the blissful aura emanating from the Shivlinga. Temples like these have the capacity to bring about transcendental changes in a person. Sitting on the shore of river Bagmati, with those finely cut stones, shaped into various gods had so much piousness to it. Even the cremation ground on the shore had a unique feel to it which no other place of last rites has ever been able to channel.
All of a sudden, things started falling in place after we paid visit to Pashupatinath’s Temple. People were more relaxed, planned and happier with the entire situation now. After all, this was the first thing that had gone according to the plan. Next adventure on the list was rope way to Chandragiri hills, but after seeing a long queue we decided to leave for Pokhara instead. We reached there around midnight, and settled in a Dorm. This was a first time where I had ever stayed in a Dorm, I simply loved the setup at Om Gaura Hotel. We stayed there for 3 nights.
Pokhara was the highlight of the trip for most of us. The group had split up into two and was enjoying in their own ways. On the last day of the year, many of us were literally flying high on life, 10 of us went for paragliding from Sarangkot. It was a life changing experience for me. I was on cloud nine, away from all the worries of life, gliding and soaring high like a bird. Before flying I was scared a bit about the choice, but once I was off the slope, the world in front of me transformed. Everything seemed full of life, gleaming in the afternoon sun. I felt I could conquer the whole world and be in harmony with every feeling I have ever had, may it be love, anger, loss, success, failure — anything and everything. It was kind of meditation in itself.
After landing, I basked under the sun with my pilot, and discussed about our lives; the good, the bad and the ugly parts of it. I hadn’t felt this comfortable in my life for long. Rest of the day mostly went by strolling through the beaten streets of the town and shopping for folks back at home.
Then came the new year’s eve, never had I witnessed such a lively crowd on the streets for new year celebration. The long stretch of the lake side was well decorated and one could see happy souls ready to march into a new year with utmost enthusiasm and hope. Yes, that’s Pokhara Carnival for you. And that’s how the group welcomed 2022, hugging, clapping, dancing, fighting and just being together.
It was already 4am when the night concluded, and Pokhara still had a lot to offer. We rented bikes to roam around the city next day, that started with hunt for first meal of the day after a crazy night. 1st Jan was dedicated to Mahadev as we went off-road to reach the statue up top on the hill. The ride was quite an enthralling one, each of us enjoyed it thoroughly and loved the view from the top.
Another evening went by shopping and having some Nepalese cuisine.
We left Pokhara at 3:50am early in the morning to reach Patna by 5pm. We had another 12 hours of travel to reach our hometowns. Everybody left with a heavy heart and a mixed feelings, back to the old world outside the Tempo Traveler where COVID(Omicron) is still taking a toll on health, wealth and peace for many.
This trip further strengthens my belief as to how the definition of happiness is very subjective. It’s always the People, not the Places. It’s always the Journey, not the Destination.
ज्ञान पुस्तकों से प्राप्त किया जा सकता है,
लेकिन अनुभव स्वयं करने पड़ते हैं।Meaning: Knowledge can be gained from books, but experiences have to be gained by oneself.
