Prayatna Mishra

The date was November 13th. The two-day hike to Helambu, organized by the DWIT-Media Club in collaboration with the DWIT-Hiking Club, piqued our interest. We got to the college on time at 6:45 a.m. and departed for melamchi at 7:30 from the college premises .At 8:45 a.m., we stopped for breakfast at Keraghari and ordered a standard Nepali breakfast set. We continued our trip to Melamchi after a full breakfast.

On the way to Melamchi,we had glimpses of the disastrous flood that had occurred in Melamchi a month earlier. Because our driver (Nakul) dai was from Melamchi, he took us around the local temples and explained their historical significance. Later, we went for a walk along the riverbank and took photos with the rest of the party. We arrived at Sipaghat at 10:45 and had afternoon tea at Nakul's dai relatives' chiya pasal. The chiya was exceptionally good.After some chit-chat with the shop owner we continued our journey.

At 1:15 PM we reached Melamchi Bazar, we checked into the hotel that we were staying at.  We freshened ourselves and met in the dining area after arriving at the hotel. We were then served traditional dal, bhat, and masu (for non-vegetarians), which we all found to be really delicious because we were all starving. We talked and rested for a while after that.

Following that, we all came together for a barbecue and had a great time dancing and eating some deliciously cooked chicken, which provided us with the energy to go for a walk the next day. Throughout the night, we were all busy sharing our own stories and bonding with one another.

We ate our first meal of the day and went hiking the next day as the sun rose higher in the sky. Due to the flood that occurred a month ago, we learned that going to Helambu was not possible, so we designed an alternate hiking trail. Then we hiked from Melamchi to Lokmarga and back to Majhigau. During the hike, we traversed the woods, muddy roads, and over bridges. We also went to Nakul's dai house, where we were served wonderful bhogate sadeko and refreshing lemon juice. We returned to the bus after finishing our hike after several hours of walking.

After arriving in Kathmandu at 7:00 p.m., we had dinner at Thakali Bhansa Ghar. We took the college bus to campus and reminisced about the times we spent together, both with happiness at having completed our journey and sadness at the fact that our time together on the trail was now only a memory. 

At the same time, the hike was tough, interesting, and adventurous. Regardless, it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of our lives, as well as the moments and memories we met along the way will be treasured for a long time.