Nemjala Bajracharya
A group of enthusiastic first-graders were prepared to hike from Changunarayan to Telkot. For
Grade 1, it was their first time hiking. They were looking forward to the hike and were
inquisitive. They were excited for the day as they had prepared themselves well for the upcoming
challenges. Altogether, 23 students, 4 teachers, and 1 supportive staff member were ready to
hike. At 9:30 a.m., we had lunch at the school and after lunch, we took care of all the hiking
gear. At the school gate, we waited for our bus to come. The bus came at precisely 10:30, and we
were all ready to leave.
We sang songs, listened to songs, traveled for almost 1.5 hours, and finally reached our
destination, Changunarayan. We saw handicraft shops and old-style houses on the way to the
temple. The place was peaceful, and we found that it was Newari village. We also knew that this
was the oldest temple. We roamed around, worshipped God, took photos, and observed the area.
The temple was double-roofed and in pagoda style. We even saw the Chinnamasta temple and
took blessings. After the sightseeing of the temple, we walked towards our destination, Telkot.
We began our walk. First, we walked through the pitched road and then the graveled one. The
students were singing and enjoying their walk. The weather was fine, and the walk was pleasant.
Even the weather was favorable to us, and we reached Pani Tanki at 1:30. The place was quiet
and very peaceful. The cool air was bridging us. So, we decided to take a rest there. We bought
delicious snacks, so we ate snacks and enjoyed our time there.
The Buddhist prayer flags were hung everywhere, making the environment look beautiful. After
the food, we started to hike again. Some students got tired but got motivated and started to hike
again in the small landscapes, watching the mesmerizing scenery from uphill. Even though we
were enjoying our hike, we were getting out of our allocated time, so we decided to take a
shortcut way uphill to the main road. We went down through ladders, crossing the jungle.
Finally, we reached the road. As we had pressure to reach school on time, we decided to call the
bus to pick up. We boarded the bus at 3:00 p.m. and reached our school at 3:40 p.m. As the
students had to catch the bus to their homes, only a few students enjoyed their potluck lunch at
school. We enjoyed our day, and it was wonderful.
The next day, our students shared their hiking experiences in the class, and at that time, we
realized that taking them hiking was a good decision.
