Prabesh Satyal
On Republic Day, May 27, 2023, my wife and I made a plan to take a tour to Ghalegaun. Our trip from Kathmandu via the Prithvi Highway was tough with ongoing road construction and the challenge of dusty clouds. The trip was about 12 hours. We journeyed uphill from Besi Sahar to Ghalegaun. The roads were making me nostalgic about my village. The village I was born in is Fulbari (Namobuddha). What made it particularly challenging was when the Bolero jeep repeatedly slipped on the slippery hill. However, the journey unraveled the amazing things one after the other. We saw the eagle view of Besi Sahar. This city is now populated by immigrants from various hills surrounding the valley. The fragmented clouds were then just under our feet as if it was a new platform to the higher self. As we reached the top hill, we were received by the Ghale Gaun office in-charge. It was spattering and the surrounding was chill cold. We then arrived at a small building that we assumed to be the contact office for the homestay. We saw in several places the post for the Annapurna trekking trail. We both were puzzled with the system there. The list of village family members was displayed in a flex along with cell number. As I was about to make a call, I was stopped by the officer for I should not go such way. He explained that there was a system in place for visiting families in turns, ensuring each household received their fair share of guests according to their capacity.
Then we followed along the stone paved ways. The walls were also made up of stone. One is sure to smell the aroma of the pathways, stones, and walls as they wander through. The houses of Ghale Gaun appeared like a bunch of grapes. They were arranged in a group. We were taken to a two-story house. We also observed that most of the houses were only two stories tall.
On the way to our homestay, a middle aged woman dressed in her traditional Gurung attire, who had come to receive us, welcomed us warmly in the way. She made her brightest eye and passed the key of our room which was aside from the first visited home. Then we made a change after having a time spent in our room making our body experience some comfort and an unconscious nap. Soon, we heard a voice, ‘ Saar chiya khanaa auhaaii’ (Sir, please come an have tea). I tried my best to wake up but it was hard as we just had a six-hour continuous travel on bolero.
While I went to bring tea, I peeped into the kitchen through a small door and found the kitchen to be very similar to the one we used to have in our house during my childhood. The chuloo, the dekchi, the ankhora, the gwali, all things in the kitchen were making me feel like I am travelling to my past home. It was fascinating to see the bamboo chimney, ingeniously crafted to collect the sticky oil from the pyre (chulo) on a flat sheet. I asked the lady about how many years they have been there. She said the house was built by her grandmother in law. Then I scratched my head. Well there was a picture of the house too. The tea was served in a steel cup, and its flavor was delightful, with a strong presence of peppermint. We spent night there with our tired body and thrilling experience. The room stayed was of three bed but we only occupied the two and later the narrow one. It was nearly easy for us to have the single bed hold us together. It was a great experience. I was woken up by a call. It was Shyam Sir, whom we met down at Besisahar.
During our uphill travel, we split the bill of the fruits we bought which included a kg of apple and a dozen of banana. We shared them and ate during the travel. “Vai scene xuti sakyo yar chado auuunuus!” ( Brother, hurry up, else you will miss the scene), said Hyam Dai. My wife was very tired, so I didn’t bother to wake her and I alone went for the scene. When I reached the uphill just opposite our home after ascending the stone ladders, I found the breathtaking vista of the Himalayas to be the most spectacular scene I had ever witnessed. I was enthralled by such an amazing scene! The fresh shinny Himalayas; Nemjung, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri were prominently visible to our eyes. I took pictures together with Shyam sir’s family. We had a spectacular moment. Later, my wife and I returned to the same place that morning to admire the scene together and capture it on our cell phones. We visited the museum too. The museum had a cloth iron which could operate without electricity. The iron could be loaded with coal, enabling it to heat up and provide proper ironing. Such irons were common in our village during my childhood, and I remember that until electricity became available, our tailor used to visit our home to iron clothes.
Then we planned to go to Bhujung after meal. There we enjoyed delicious meal of Sisnu and dhido (Nittle plant curry and maize porries without adding sugar). After meal, we went to the same office with our bag packs. I took all my bags with me and I looked as if was I carrying the entire earth with me. However Ganapokhara’s hill and elongated road of Bhujung really measured our patience and stamina at the same time. Our diligence and hopefulness was tested time and again. Our vigor and mindfulness was revealed time and again. Our craze to take picture was the thing that made us to listen ‘chado aunu hai hami ta tala pugisakyo’ (Come fast, we have already reached the bottom’. I was trying to walk fast while my wife couldn’t resist capturing the beautiful scene with her device.
Finally we arrived at Bhujung. We were greeted by tender, welcoming hands. We remember meeting small kids on our way down to Bhujung. Those children were asking for chocolates and sunglasses. I let them wear my glasses and I complimented them saying, ‘Kasto rajesh hamal jasto’ ( You look like Rajsch Hamal) ‘Kasto karishma jasto’( You look like Karishma) ‘kasto ramro heroin jasto’ ( You look like actress). Children were delighted to hear my compliments, laughing and chuckling loudly. Two sisters held onto our index fingers and guided us to their village, while my wife was led by two brothers in a similar manner.
I hope that one day these little sisters and brothers will contribute to shaping their village into a place where everyone can live life to the fullest, rather than confining their world only to the valley below (Besi Sahar). I would like to encourage every Nepali to visit the countryside and experience the nostalgia and richness within our country. Let’s make it a tradition to embark on a journey within Nepal at least once a year.
