In life, there aren't many moments that aren't many moments that are memorable as the ones made spontaneously. With this mindset, my dad and my friend and I decided to go on a trip to Jiri, which turned out to be anything but ordinary. In this blog, I have talked about our adventure in the highlands with a rejuvenating experience. The memory will remain with us and it will be cherished forever.
When confronted with the gorgeous hills of Jiri, we came to realize that Nepal is more than just the two peaks of himalayas. Visitors were cycling, running around the hills, immersing themselves in the environment. We shared a collective appreciation of nature, which gave me a warm feeling.
Turns out Jiri has been noted as the highly praised and popular trekking route to reach the Everest Base Camp. I told my dad may be we could also try, but he laughed and retorted that it was not possible as I couldn't even walk a mile. Upon further exploration, we saw a pond where fishing was made commercialized. A boy screamed with joy when his dad caught a fish, which probably will be their meal later on. The local people were more than happy to guide us around the place. While roaming around, I also saw vendors selling cheese and durkha, a special delicacy of Jiri, yum! Overall, Jiri is one of the big towns of Dolakha which is very strict about cleanliness and security. Unfortunately, the journey in Jiri only lasted few hours as we had to descend downwards to reach our next destination 'Charikot.'
We planned on staying one night in Charikot as it served to be a mid point on our road to Kalinchowk. After sleeping in a wonderful climate without mosquitoes, it gave us a fresh start to travel in the morning. The road was jerky and uncomfortable but the expectation of the glorious Kalinchowk kept us going. On the way up, I noticed white colored rhododendrons blooming, which surprised me. I thought that rhododendrons were only red in color. However, the entire valley was covered in white rhododendron. The walk to the top of Kalinchowk was going to be a long one so we prepared ourselves by stuffing ourselves with locally prepared food 'Chana' and chiya. At first, our bodies were shivering from cold, but eventually our body started adjusting to the cooler climate and we were pumped up for our adventure for the day.
After panting and gasping for what seemed like forever, we reached to the top of Kalinchowk temple. The breath of icy fresh air, made it seem like paradise. Devotees were praying and offering sacrifices. I cherished my existence and opportunity to be in Kalinchowk as I felt like I was on top of the world. Although the views of the Himalayas were covered by fog, we did get a glimpse of it and it was a wondrous sight. Though we wanted to stay and marvel at the beautiful scenery, we had to return back to Charikot. The ride on the Bolero again became thrilling and our motion was out of control. Although, this rickety ride caused our body to be sore, the view made it worth it.
The journey only lasted two days but we experienced many places. We are so close to the touch of the heavens regardless of our occupation as city dwellers. The need to escape to such wonderland every once in a while could easily be fulfilled if we ventured outside our bubble. Even though the journey only lasted for two days, we travelled and saw many highs and lows. The mountain passes of Jiri and the picturesque hill of Kalinchowk were heavenly. For someone who was born and raised inside the walls of a city, this escape made me understand the expression, "Nepal is heaven on earth." I have so much to explore and so much of this beautiful land to see. Now I wait to get to my next destination.