Pragya Ratna Bajracharya

On Friday evening, after 12 hours of work, 17 hikers from D2 were ready to move towards our destination, Ghandruk. Usually after a hard day’s work, everyone seems to be tired but on this Good Friday, every individual had a smile on their face. We were all mentally planning to capture the most comfortable seat in the van, but we three girls had to settle on a seat meant for two. But none of us really slept the whole night. The songs and all the jokes kept us going. It was really memorable. Ghandruk means “Ghana Jungle” in Gurung language. Ghandruk is a famous Gurung village, overlooking the picturesque lake town of Pokhara as well as the breathtaking Himalayan panorama. It is one of the famous trekking destinations in western Nepal. At 1,951 meters, the Gurung village offers excellent opportunities to experience the unique and colorful culture of the Gurungs and breathtaking views of Annapurna, Machhapucchre and Dhaulagiri. Ghandruk is referred to as a living cultural monument in that it continues to showcase the unique culture of the Gurungs. Our hiking route turned out to be just that and a bit more. Waterfalls, river, mountain, Himalayas and jungle all seem very beautiful. Our Hiking was a challenging one, as it is a 5 days trekking route. But we planned to shorten the hike by only trekking to Ghandruk from Nayapool. For this we had decided to depart from ktm on friday evening so that we can start hike on early in the next morning. As planned, we started our hike from Nayapool. After hiking for about half an hour we reached Birethaanti from where route is separated for Ghorepaani and Ghandruk. Planning Ghorepaani for next hike we moved towards Ghandruk. Hiking by the side of gurgling Modi River was very pleasant part of the hike. The sound of the soothing relaxing river was a truly remarkable relaxing experience. Exploring well preserved culture was fascinating. We met plenty of tourist most of them were Korean. After a tiring walk through the steep hills, we stopped at the hut to take some rest. As we were listening to the songs, we encountered a Korean girl. We played the Korean song as well as its copied version in Hindi and she was surprised. Each and every part of hiking trail was enjoyable and full of adventure, there was always something interesting to see on next destination. Each and every house was ready to serve you as a guest with great hospitality. Waterfalls, white water of Modi, paved hiking trekking trail, smiling tourist and beautiful house-cum-guesthouse with slate stone roof on the way were very much pleasing. All the houses were constructed in such a way that it resists the extreme cold. After all day walk, finally we got to relax at the lodge where we had camp fire at night along with singing and gossiping. Since there is no roadway, the means of transportation is through mules. So the goods seem to be more costly than that on the base. The next morning we made our way back off the hilltop and headed back through an easy walk downhill. There are enough waterfalls, interesting rock formations and hills worth climbing to fill two days of exploring. We couldn't resist ourself to go to the Modi River to capture beautiful moments. The gentle touch of ice-cold water of Modi River worked like a pain reliever for us which took all our tiredness away. As Pokhara was on our way we couldn't just pass by it because all of us had strong desire to go there although we had limited time of 3 hours. This was Geetika's first visit to Pokhara so she was most excited to explore one of the scenic beauties of Nepal. Thakali ko khana was what all wanted. After having lunch we headed towards to Fewa Lake. The boating at the lake was our favorite part of the journey. The lake surrounding by the hills, those flying birds rejuvenated our spirit. It was so much fun being on the boat and being hit by the cool breeze and watching people sailing. Sleeping fearlessly on the tips of the boat, splashing water to one another was really a fun. "Study nature, not books" you will surely be the poet Befriending the mountains is a wonder you feel like a child walkin around with your mother no one can hurt you then, no pain can you not endure, the vastness and the beauty all does its magic i made friends with them and felt my heart grow i walked around with them for a while and witnessed my soul smile The White Giants blushed red From the touch of the morning Rays Like the cheeks of a Sherpa girl Smiling with youthful perseverance Our world is sleeping somewhere But had it been awake, It wouldn't have been lucky enough As we were, To feel this emotion So rare That nature has been Exhibiting silently - shyly