Aabhaas Malla
The trip started around 8 AM with a warm and hearty breakfast at the Deerwalk Complex. Despite the chilly morning, our spirits were high, and as soon as we boarded the van, the jokes started rolling. The Sunday gloom didn’t stand a chance against our lively banter.
As we made our way towards the destination, Rudra Dai had a classic reaction to our driver dai ignoring the pedestrians at zebra crossings. He made sure to remind him loudly to stop at every crosswalk. What followed was an amusing series of confused pedestrians hesitating to cross, unsure of this "random" act of kindness from a microbus-lookalike. Watching their puzzled faces sent the whole van into fits of laughter, triggering even more jokes from all corners.
Not long after, we hit unexpected traffic. Instead of waiting around, we ditched the van and officially began our hike just outside the valley. The downhill trek started slippery, forcing us to slide, jump, and occasionally hold onto each other for balance. The journey wasn’t just about the terrain, though—along the way, Rudra Dai ran into some of his childhood neighbors, giving the rest of us a much-needed breather. After a quick meet-and-greet, we continued on, capturing the moments with photos, videos, and lots of laughter. We even shot a video of us yelling, “Go Deerhold!”
Just before reaching the school, we encountered a particularly tricky downhill slope, and that’s where our beloved Nirmal Dai had an unfortunate slip. A true highlight of the day.
At last, we arrived at Deerwalk Dhading School, where the caretakers welcomed us warmly. They gave us a tour, showing us the badminton court, futsal ground, and mini-basketball court. But the tour quickly turned into a playground moment, the inner child in all of us woke up, and before we knew it, we were playing futsal. A spontaneous 30-minute match later, we recharged with steaming hot masala tea, which tasted even better after all that running around.
With goodbyes to some of the students, we braced ourselves for the real challenge, the uphill hike from Dhading to Thankot. Armed with chocolates, apples, and oranges, we powered through the steep climb. The only thing keeping us on track? The calming sounds of nature and Binod Dai’s signature whistles doubled as our location tracker.
Reaching the highway felt like stepping into another world—gone were the peaceful trails, replaced by the dusty, chaotic reality of "Dustmandu." Despite the smoke and endless honking, we kept pushing forward, reaching our next rest stop: Spider Tower. The music, the company, and (most importantly) the best masala tea we could find made it a perfect break.
Just as we thought we were done, we realized there was still more to go. Walking along the not-so-clean highway wasn’t the most exciting, but the conversations and bonding made it worthwhile. Up ahead, two figures were already leading the charge—none other than Binod Dai and Milan Dai, who had decided to pick up the pace. Naturally, we took it as a challenge and rushed to catch up. With that, the hike officially came to an end.
We were greeted at Deerwalk Complex with drinks and a satisfying Thakali meal. The jokes continued over our late lunch, with some of us playfully embodying Rudra Dai’s fasting—at least a fraction of it. Full and exhausted, we finally wrapped up the day, leaving with tired legs, happy hearts, and memories that would last long after the dust of the hike had settled.
