Avinna Pandey
Avinna Pandey
Grade: 11 ‘Khumbutse’
Roll: 26035
Introduction:
On September 21, 2024 we the students of grade 11 set out to explore Namobuddha located in the heart of Panauti. This report describes the experiences and fun we had in our one day hike to the southeast outskirts of Kathmandu valley intertwined with ancient Buddhist practices.
Hike Overview:
At around 8:30 am we left our school, and arrived at Panauti after one and half hours via bus. While on the way there we had a lot of fun on the bus singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow. While the ride was fun for some but for others it was a challenge coping up with motion sickness. The bus was parked nearly half an hour away from the trail. With the beginning of our hike we started to collect the plastic wastes scattered along the trail. We all were assigned with a garbage bag to collect the garbage along our way. The path was really beautiful, covered with greenery, and the weather was also perfect. Soon we were greeted with a long set of stairs leading to our destination. Carrying the garbage bag on one hand and climbing up the steps was quite challenging and exhausting. Upon reaching the top we stopped by to catch our breath and for pictures. We encountered a foreign tourist with whom we had a great conversation. Our group went on exploring the place and soon we realized that we were on the wrong path. Upon reuniting with our other group we clicked some group pictures and then went for more sightseeing. The beautiful architecture of the Tibetan Buddhist monastery was mesmerizing. As it was situated atop a hill the 360 view of the valley beneath was appealing. It is believed that one of the princes of that region was once out on hunting. While he explored the jungle he came across a cave with a mother tiger and her cubs. The prince was quick to notice that the tiger had just given birth and was really weak and needed food. The prince without any hesitation sliced up bits of his flesh to feed the mother and her young ones which lead to the prince’s death. His family built a stupa over the place he was buried to honor him.
At around 12 pm we moved to another hill which was covered with prayer flags. We gathered there for lunch. After lunch we started entertaining ourselves with music and dances. Some danced, some sang and some fell. This part of the hike was my favorite part. Time flew fast and we soon packed up and proceeded to move. The location seemed to be a perfect picnic spot as hikers before us had littered a lot. We decided to also clean up their mess and left the place spotless. We then proceeded down the hill on foot avoiding the scorching sun. This took us about an hour. We then got on our buses at around 3pm but this bus travel ws not as energetic as the one we had when we left the school. Every one drained of energy, some half a sleep, some hiding from the sun and some bored of the traffic. We tried entertaining ourselves for 2 hours but nothing seemed to work and at 5pm we reached the school to be greeted with an early dinner.
Hiking Experience:
Definitely this is one of the most unforgettable hikes I have ever been to. The time I spent with my friends shall be cherished for a lifetime. Looking back at this hike I have zero regrets. We all were able to create a new bong or strengthen the bond between ourselves and with our teachers. We definitely got to know each other better. The hike was a mixture of entertainment, tiredness, quality time, travel sickness, scorching sun, cool forest and absolute fun.
Highlights:
- The view from the top was photogenic.
- We got to learn more about Buddhist culture, their beliefs, their architecture and we got to learn about the sacred history of the place.
- Encountering a tourist helped us exchange our cultures and got to know a little insight of foreigners' opinions on Nepali culture and tradition.
- The 7-8 hours we spent with our friends and teachers is definitely going to be memorable as we spent a lot of quality time together.
Learning Outcomes:
The hike helped us learn a bit more about the religion with the second largest faith in Nepal. We were able to know about their beliefs and culture. We got to explore the rich culture of Panauti. Exploring the monastery gave us a bit of details on Tibetan Buddhist monks, their culture and architecture. And with the trash collection it showed us a clear picture on Nepali people and their love for mother Earth and how crucial it is to protect our nature.
Conclusion:
The hike to Namobuddha as mentioned above will be cherished my whole life. Alongside hiking I was better able to spend some memorable times with my friends and we were able to somewhat pay back mother nature by cleaning up the trail.
In conclusion, the hike was worth it and I would really like to thank DSS and the organizers for making my Saturday memorable. I hope there are more events like this to come.
Recommendation:
This hike was one of the easiest yet the most memorable hike. If you also wish to go somewhere with your friends to spend a whole day then this trial is definitely for you. The best time for this hike is September to December and the max altitude of this trail is 1750 m which means “no altitude sickness”. If you are curious about cultures and traditions and have a set of amusing friends then this hike is definitely for you.
Saiman Ghimire
Grade: 11 (Khumbutse)
Roll: 26033
Introduction:
On 21st September 2024, we the students of grade 11 along with 4 coordinators headed out on a hike that took us from Sifal to Namobuddha.The following report describes what happened during our hike to Namobuddha and the events that unfolded after we reached there.
Hike overview:
At around 7:30 am, the students on cloud 9 due to the hike that was going to take place had started to reach the school premises. For the next 40 minutes or so the students slowly but surely were arriving and at around 8 the coordinators had already started gathering students in one place to begin our journey. About 15 minutes later the students were already getting on the buses and preparing to start the journey. The journey to Namobuddha,Panauti started shortly after and it took the bus around 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Panauti. In the time that the bus took to get there, the students inside the bus were trying to make the journey as fun and as memorable as possible by doing various activities like singing and dancing etc. Although not everyone was as hyped up because some of the students were not feeling that well in the journey due to being car-sick but regardless the environment was relatively positive.
We reached the beginning of the hike trail and parked a little bit further down the trail and thus began our hike. The coordinators had assigned us to collect and dispose of any garbage that might affect the environment that we encountered during our hike. So geared up with all the necessary supplies like water, snacks and a trash bag to dispose of the trash we started walking. The trail itself was relatively simple as the roads were properly paved and there were alot of shops that could be used in case we ran out of supplies. There were lustrous greenery that had surrounded the trail and those made the hike just that much more refreshing and more fun to walk. After walking for about an hour or so, we reached the top where we encountered breathtaking and mesmerizing views of the clouds that sat beneath us and of the skyline that made us feel like we were in a place where heaven resided on earth. We freshened up , clicked a few pictures and also met with a tourist who was on his visit from his homeland, Denmark and was going to different places in Nepal. We got to know more about his culture and shared a lot of our own and it was a lot of fun doing so. We also visited a beautiful monastery that was seated beneath the top.
After that we walked for a little bit more before reaching another hill. This didn’t look like just another hill as it was covered with Lung ta/Darchog styled prayer flags. We decided this mountain would be a good place to have lunch as it was spacious. We sat down for lunch and after we were done with the lunch started entertaining ourselves by dancing and singing. We clicked a lot of photos and started cleaning up. After we had cleaned up we then proceeded to head downhill where our buses were waiting for us. At around 3pm, After the grueling downhill hike under the sun we finally reached the bus. TIred from our continuous walking , dancing and singing, the bus ride back to home was not the most enjoyable part. Everyone was tired, no one was dancing there, just little chatters from students who had some more energy to spend. After a long way back which did not seem that long in the morning, we reached our school at around 5pm. Then we ate dinner and headed back home.
Hiking Experience:
Looking back, this was one of the most memorable experiences that I have had in my life. The things I have done and the time that I have spent with my friends during the hike will be a core memory of my life for sure. All of us were enjoying it to our fullest and not only that we also got to learn about the cultural significance of the place and not only Namobuddha, we also got to learn about the culture of Denmark from the tourists we met on our visit. On our way downhill the sun definitely was not favorable but that wasn’t that bad.In short, the hike was a great experience for us all and allowed us to create memories that will last a lifetime and I have zero regrets over the fact that I decided to go there.
Highlights:
- The view that we got to see from the bus while reaching there and the view that we saw after we reached the top were nothing less that mesmerizing,
- We met a lot of new people and also had chances to enhance the bond among ourselves,
- We got to learn so much about the Buddhist cultures and the significance of Namobuddha as a place in both historical and cultural perspective.
Learning Outcomes
We got to learn alot about Buddhism and the significance of preserving and promoting culture. Not only that, we also got to learn more about communicating by talking and conversing with strangers that we’ve never met before. We also set an example to society by doing something fruitful while on our hike by picking off any garbage that we came across. The monasteries and temples that we visited showed us just how good our nepali traditions and architecture really are. These just made me even more proud to have been born in the same country with such fine artistry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as I have stated beforehand I would like to reiterate the fact that this hike was one of the best and the most memorable hikes that I have been to and has been settled in my mind as a core memory. And it was totally worth it for me and I have zero regrets over it.\
Recommendation
I would like to recommend anyone reading this if you still haven’t gone for a hike to Namo Buddha, you should urgently book one and leave immediately. I can guarantee you that you won't regret it. You should visit Namo Buddha in the month of December as it is the best time to view the best views and also the weather makes the hike easier. I also recommend stocking up on a lot of water as things tend to get extremely sweaty up there.
Divyesh Bajracharya
Grade: 11 ‘Changla’
Roll: 26006
Introduction:
The students of Grade XI were taken on a hike on Saturday, September 21, 2024. The destination of the hike was Namo Budddha, which is one of the most sacred places of Buddhist people in Nepal.The destination stands at 1750m from sea level. The hiking was fun and adventurous.
Hike Overview:
Around 7:45 am, all the students in grade 11 gathered in the school. We left the school on the bus around 8:30 am. We traveled on a bus for about one and a half hours and reached Panauti. The environment in the bus was full of fun and dances. A lot of us were dancing/singing in the back of the bus. We arrived near Panauti and started the hike which was about half an hour away from the trail. Everyone was full of energy and were happy. Along our way, we were assigned to collect garbage we found on the roads. Then, after a while we arrived at the staircases which we climbed clicking pictures and carrying the garbage bags. We reached the top and we stayed there for a while clicking some group photos and buying snacks. Then half of us followed a different route and we were separated from the others. After some time we regrouped and we went on another hill which was covered with buddhist flags. On that hill, we relaxed, having a light snack we brought from home and had fun. We clicked some pictures, some of them danced and some were just enjoying nature. After a while, we decided to return. While packing up we decided to clean up the area where we were sitting. Then we walked down the hill for about an hour to reach our buses. Everyone sat in the bus and our journey back to school started. Everyone was quite tired after the hike and the bus was quiet when we were returning back.We reached the school around 5:00p.m and we had dinner.
Hiking Experience:
All of us definitely had a wonderful time during the hike. The nature filled with greenery, religious practices and Gumbas, everyone's energy truly made the hike great. We were able to create a great memory with friends and teachers. This hike will be unforgettable for me because of all the fun I had with my friends.
Highlights:
- The scenes and the peace of Namo Buddha
- We got to learn a lot about Buddhist culture, their beliefs, and the history and Namo Buddha.
- Everyone dancing and singing in the bus with a lot of energy
Learning Outcomes:
The hike to Namo Buddha helped us to learn more about the Buddhist culture, their beliefs, and the history and Namo Buddha. We learned the story of a prince who sliced his flesh without any hesitation to feed a mother tiger and her cubs who were starving to death. We learned about the rich history of Namo Buddha and the architecture of the Gumbas.
Conclusion:
Overall, the hike to Namobuddha was really fun. The memorable experience I had with friends and teacher truly made this hike one of the best. I also got to learn a lot more about the Buddhist culture, their beliefs, and the history and Namo Buddha. I had a lot of fun seeing the scenic views atop the hill.
Recommendation:
The hike is recommended for all. The hike is quite easy and it will be memorable. The hike is better to go with friends or family and if you're interested in knowing about the Buddhist culture, their beliefs, the history and Namobuddha. The scenic views from Namobuddha will really make you love the hike more.
