Asmit Ojha This was my very first 2 days hiking since joining Deerwalk and I was blessed with this opportunity to coordinate my colleagues over the 2 day period. Sending out participation email, selecting the hikers and managing transportation over the previous 3 days period had already provoked a certain sense of responsibility as well as excitement in me. After finalizing the hikers list on Friday, I went to bed with excitement for the next Day. As we had a long travel route by Vehicle (5+ Hours from Deerwalk), we had already made proper plans and sent out notifications that we would be leaving very early from Deerwalk Premises at around 5:30 AM. As expected and as our punctual colleagues always do, everybody arrived exactly on time at Deerwalk Premises. All of the other members who were to be picked en route to Kalanki were also on time and we were off from Kalanki at 6:05 AM. We took a short break at Naubise for a quick breakfast. Then, we took a break again at the new bridge on the verge of opening at Mungling and continued our journey. The journey was full of enjoyment and talks about country, sports, politics, world, Deerwalk and what not. As expected, leading the charge was Suraj Dai. We reached Damauli at around 11 AM. The place was very hot which was already tiring people out. Due to the extreme heat, we made a sudden change in plan after a short discussion and decided that we would stay overnight at Bandipur instead of Damauli. However, with due respect to our religion, we were determined to visit Chhabdi Barahi Temple pretending ourselves to be determined pilgrims. So, we took a short ride further of about 20-25 minutes, visited the temple and made quick return. In the bus, the heat was such that people had started to feel like they are in a desert (minus the water availability). We had proper lunch as everyone was hungry and our proper hike started. Our target was Manung Dada which was about 4 hour walk from Damali Bazar. We were already terrified just by looking at the steep slope. Manung Dada Peak was laughing at us and the goddess of Light was blessing us with her powerful sun rays when we could do without any. Thanks to God we had a wonderful group of colleagues who were determined to make the mark. Also, the beautiful forest, stone steps and some Aiselu which we got for absolutely free made our journey a little less hectic. We took countless breaks along the way, a lot of photographs and drank a lot of water. The group which has started as one had already been scattered. After a lot of hustle and bustle, it was already 4:30 PM by the time we reached the Top. At the time, the sun was setting and the beautiful view of the hill top combined with a large Peepal tree and the mysterious stones made everyone feel the determination was worth it after all. The top was full of greenery, a wide area with plenty of grass and these spiky mysterious stones. Just when we were thinking this could not be any better, both the rain and wind gods blessed upon us this time. Just imagine, a group of 15 people at the hilltop after a tiring and scorching hike, with a very strong wind and light rain. It was a heavenly experience. After taking some rest under the tree, we decided to return back as the rain showed no sign of stopping. After all, rain was a pure blessing after the heat we had suffered on the way. All of us were re-energized and the uphill journey that took about 4 hours for us was now only 1.5 hours. Along the way, the way had become slippery due to the rain and some of us slipped along. No one was hurt though. We took some rest, drank loads of water from a natural tap, had some snacks and headed back to Damauli where Deerwalk Micro Bus was waiting for us. We had some refreshment drinks and headed towards our stay place Bandipur where we had already booked a hotel. We reached the Hotel late at around 8 PM. Even in Bandipur, we had to hike for around 20 minutes from Tundikhel to Tindhara and rain was pouring at this time of day too. Lucky us. 

Ashmita Poudel As the cold breeze of Bandipur had all of us feel quite refreshed, we woke up early in the morning. We had some light breakfast at the same hotel and checked out at around 7:30 AM. We took some photographs in and around Tindhara/Bandipur Bazar/Tundikhel and started our hike towards siddha Gufa. This was a cakewalk for most of us compared to the previous Day. And, abundance of free ‘aiselus’ made everyone delighted along the way. We walked through the jungle listening songs, seeing the greenery and of course taking some photos. After walking a steep downhill for about 2 hours, all of us reached Siddha Gufa. Then we visited the gufa which is the second largest cave of Asia. Everyone was shocked and excited after seeing the guff. After seeing the beautiful and creative architecture that is made by nature itself inside the cave,I felt Nature itself is so creative and beautiful and Our country has full blessings from nature. We really had one of the most unforgettable moments inside the cave as it was so amazing that it is very difficult to explain via the writings what the cave has and how amazing this cave is. I believe this cave is one of the caves that everyone of us needs to visit and click the photo of that cave on their mind. This place is a hidden gem and is surely lacking enough promotion. Should it get enough recognition, there will be a lot of tourist flow in and around just for this cave. Deerwalk Van was waiting for us at the hill bottom near Bimal Nagar and after getting fresh from local tap, we started our journey back to Kathmandu. We had a delicious lunch at Mungling and we headed to the city of Dreams. Taking a short break at Malekhu, we continued our travel and finally reached the city of dreams at around 5 PM. Suddenly then, I realized we were back to LIFE. With the joy and experience collected, the van reached Deerwalk Premised at around 5 PM. The 4 of us who were there had refreshing Lassi at 109 and headed to our Home Sweet Home. What a weekend it was. I look forward to another one with these wonderful people. Happy Hiking!