“STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE POTHOLES IN THE ROAD AND JUST ENJOY THE JOURNEY” that’s what I said to myself when we reached Kalanki. Little did we know that this is going to be one of those memories that will send chills down our spine whenever we think about it. On August 24, 2019, I, Pratiksha, and Roshan left Deerwalk Complex at around 8 AM to start our fun-filled two days hike to Bandipur. Before this gets misinterpreted, we were supposed to pick up the rest of the hikers Susan, Utsuk, Sujan, Smriti, Roshan, and Sumit on our way. We had with us musicians and musical instruments, singers and songs, and lots of snacks for the journey. We stopped at Dharke for a not so light breakfast and continued our concert inside the van. it's an unspoken norm to make a stop at Mugling for lunch, that was not the point, also because travelling does make one hungry. It was around 5-6 hrs ride to Bimalnagar from where we started our march to Bandipur. Everything was going according to plan until the “climb-steep-hill at 1 PM” which was definitely not a good idea. We climbed the hill for about 3 hrs to reach one of the most beautiful creations of nature Siddha Cave. The cave was probably one of the best experiences we all had. By the time we got out of the cave, the evening dark and cold. This ambience was the cure to all the blisters we got. The cave was a mystery in itself. The insightful carvings on the wall the snow made was a simple demonstration of power that nature beholds. Time for rock-climbing. We climbed the rock and of course rocked that climb. Having said that, I personally felt like a victorious warrior to come out all muddy hands and dirty clothes by the end of the day. Those who are thinking about rock climbing can train themselves walking through the cave and beyond. As the saying goes, it is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times (Yeah I meant GO SEEEEE IT). After a roller coaster walk of around 2hrs (at this point I've stopped keeping track of time so this is just an estimate) we reached Bandipur (finally). Our hotel was located near Tindhara so, we dropped our belongings in the yard of the hotel and headed for the sightseeing of Tindhara (we thought 3 but there were 5 taps but that's not the point). We took a well-deserved break to gobble our snacks and decided to walk down to Bandipur Bazaar. This bazaar was a combination of Basantapur and Durbar Marg (yes, I'm referring to the place in Kathmandu). It was a scenic short journey back to the hotel. The night went by with lots of peals of laughter, foods, and endless chit-chats. Did I mention musicians and musical instruments or singers and songs? The next day, as the rustling fog woke us up (or maybe the wind) we walked up to Tundikhel. Bandipur was hard to bid farewell to but we did it anyway. On our way back to Kathmandu, we stopped at Jalbire to visit Lamo Jharna. The waterfall was worth the 30 minutes clumsy parade from the highway. Everything being said and written above include lots of pictures and videos being taken partially for the official blog but mostly for our profile picture and albums in Social Media. We had to flaunt it but again that's not the point. It is not the destination where you end up but the memories you create along the way. Thank you CAC for this abundant bundle of joy. 

Finally, the day I was so eagerly waiting came. August 24, 2019, the day of hiking. I was waiting for my team at Chabahil. The bus arrived at around 8 am. Roshan dai, Bhumika and pratiksha were in the bus. On our way, we picked up Utsuk, Sujan, Smriti, Roshan and Sumit dai. Then we move further towards our destination, Bandipur. We all were so excited. Little did I know that there were musicians and singers in the team. It was like a small concert inside the van. Firstly, we stopped at Naubise for breakfast. Then we moved further. We arrived at Mugling for lunch. Not because it's mandatory to have lunch there but because we were hungry. We reached Bimalnagar after about 5 hrs of journey. It was so much fun until we arrived steep hill. For anyone wearing a cap, the cap would fall if you look into those high hill ways. It was a difficult path but the view and greenery around were giving us the boost to climb the hill. After climbing the hill for about 3 hours, we reached Siddhababa cave. It was like one of the wonders of the world. It was a very big, cold and astonishing cave. It structure made us all awed. We entered the cave as a normal person and came out as rock climbers. Another 2 hours and finally we reached the top of the hill. The birds eye view from the top was simply majestic. It made us forget our tiredness for some time. We then headed to the hotel at Tindhara where we would be staying. It was almost night when we reached there. We all were tired but still how could we miss the sleeping Bandipur bazar. So we went to see the night time view of Bandipur bazar. It was such a beautiful place. We arrived back to out hotel. Till midnight we were eating, laughing and talking and then some more laughing and talking. Next day we had breakfast, roamed around Bandipur and it was time to return. On our way to Kathmandu, we stopped at Jalbire to visit Lamo Jharna. It was really long. After a 30 minutes uphill walk, we reached there and it was so totally worth it. I wished the journey would never end but as they say “Every good thing must come to an end” and sadly the journey ended with all the good memories. Couldn’'t thank enough to each and every CAC members. You guys are just awesome.