Reflection #1

Today, January 21, I appeared for the entrance exams for MA in English at a college in Mid-Baneshwor. As expected, there were questions that dealt with cognition of the English language along with writing that invited the student to think creatively and critically. While I was poring through the paper for revision before submitting, I thought about the decisions I had taken on my undergraduate convocation day. I had decided that I would take a gap of one year, just because I did not want to face the day to day hassles of being part of an institution anymore. My previous university had given me more than enough things to ponder about and I had planned to take my time to think things through, do a job or two here and there and most importantly travel. But, as it turned out, I skipped all those plans and enlisted for the Master’s program.

I had not planned on studying at all. But my dad had other plans. He agreed that taxing me again would not be productive at all. So he suggested that I search for a degree that I could easily obtain but not waste another year just for nothing. In short, he requested me to waste my time productively! And, the Masters program at that university just suited my needs, it conducted its classes in the morning (oh my god!) but as I had more or less come across many different types of Literature at my home the course would not be a mental burden for me. It seems perfect, but my dream of camping out on Rara lake has had to be postponed to a later date, maybe during the holidays perhaps.

My previous job is giving me a lot of headache as the manager has been less than willing to pay me my last salary. I am afraid of being a victim of a fraud and not being able to do anything about it. But, this event in turn has taught me a valuable lesson as to what kind of bosses I might come across during my professional career, in which I am just taking baby steps as of right now.

Escaping Dustmandu Part 2

A lake-town just outside Kathmandu? 2 hour drive? I pity my own pathetic ignorance into believing that to enjoy great scenery I had to travel off to far-flung places. Markhu! If you miss Pokhara but haven’t been able to visit, then Markhu will be an ideal destination for you. A 2 hour drive through Dakshinkali-Pharping-Fakhel-Chitlang and you will enter Makwanpur District and the lake will peek at you through the trees. The roads are not too smooth but not too rough as well. Just the right amount of asphalt, gravel and graded roads lead you to Markhu, a small town with a humongous artificial lake at its side.

A hotel or two, the famous lake side, a hiking trail around the lake itself, various ancient temples dotted around the whole VDC of Chitlang and the lake itself are the main attractions of the town. A 30 min walk above the town will lead you to One Tree Hill where you can take selfies and wefies to your heart’s content. Markhu isn’t a totally touristy area or a haunt for the adventurous. It’s a resort type of place, where you go to just laze around, watch the clouds and escape the tumult and the dust of the Valley.

My trip meter showed 51 km from my home in Hattiban and we had noted the time and the it had taken us exactly 2 hours to reach there with relaxed riding. Make sure you have the whole day to yourself when you plan to go there. Try to reach early in the morning, lunches are dirt cheap in the local hotels and there is even a restaurant with Wi-Fi for those so inclined. However, the best way to enjoy that place would be reach there Friday evening, enjoy campfire and barbeque at the hotel, wake up early the next morning (what!) and walk up to the One Tree Hill to enjoy the majestic sunrise.

Cars and bikes of any kind will be able to reach the place without any hassles (in dry weather of course.) Markhu is ideal for any and all kinds of persons, except for my hyper-active friends who complain “tyaha kehi chaina!”. Of course, for the active and the adventurous kind, Markhu has little to offer. But, if you, like me prefer looking at the mountains instead of climbing them then Markhu is the place for you.

Escaping Dustmandu Part-1

Ever since a friend took me on a wild bike ride to Bhimphedi, I hankered after my parents to get me a motorcycle, and not just any motorcycle, the (dated) legendary Pulsar 220f DTS-i. After month long protests, emptying my bank account, bullying and flattering my mother in turn, I finally got the much sought after machine.

I had been commuting on a scooter for the past two years, and the limitations posed by the tiny creature and safety issues had long been something I worried about from time to time. But it finally hit home, when the brakes and the small engine started to give way with wear and tear; I was adamant that I wanted a new machine. And not just for commuting, I wanted to tear past vehicles on the highways and go to far-off places that I only saw on my Facebook feed.

The machine was waiting and the first destination that would test the beginner abilities in me was Namobuddha. And there it was. Just a small 1 hour drive outside the Valley and lo and behold, clean air!! The majestic monastery sits alongside a hill rumoured to have been used as a meditating spot by the Buddha who was reborn as Siddhartha Gautama.

The gateway to Namobuddha lies on the Japanese-built Prithivi Highway to Sindhuli. The roads are better than what we are used to seeing on Nepali highways. Turn right from Dhulikhel Bazar and follow the winding two lane road until huge billboards announce that continuing on will lead you to Sindhuli and beyond while turning right will lead you to Namobuddha.

The first thing that you notice is the peacefulness of the small settlement that sits at the base of the long staircase that leads to the monastery. The second thing that bodily hits you is the smell of the local alcohol! After conquering the steps, you can either visit the hilltop that the Namo Buddha used or the monastery first. Outsiders are allowed limited access to the monastery. If you are a photographer, I would recommend an extreme zoom lens to capture the majestic mountains that peek out from the curtain of the dust-haze from Kathmandu.

Later in the evening as I was going through the photos that I took in the day, I realized that I did not miss the place, the food or the people that I met. I missed the actual air of that place!