On September 18, 2009, everyone at the office were completely engrossed in their work through out the day because it was the day for the company excursion and all of us wanted to finish our work on time. At 5 PM, we wrapped up our tasks and headed towards the vehicle we had reserved for the trip. The trip to Nagarkot.
Nagarkot is a village located 32 km east of Kathmandu, Nepal in Bhaktapur District. It is famous for its view of sunrise in the Himalayas including the Everest and is a common holiday destination of tourists from abroad and the residents of Kathmandu. Passing through the crowded streets of Kathmandu we headed towards Nagarkot. There were people crowded in the shops along side the roads, all festive and joyous, shopping clothes to wear in Dashain, the biggest festival of Nepal. After a drive of about two hours we saw some hotels and shops. Some tourists were strolling in the roadsides. After looking at the sign boards and advertisements we found out that it was Nagarkot.
After we passed a resort that was named ‘At the End of the Universe’, quite aptly named, or so we thought, at 7:30 PM, we reached our hotel, Country Villa. It was dark by then and the surroundings were wet due to the afternoon rain. Drenched in the moonlight, the droplets in the leaves of plants were glittering with utter freshness. The cool wind made the environment cold and we had to wear jackets to keep ourselves warm. We registered ourselves at the counter and headed towards the rooms. The rooms were lot more better than our expectations. We gave ourselves some time to freshen up and then met at Ashay’s room. As Dashain, a festival of joy and celebration of success, was approaching so we had planned to play cards to celebrate the festival. We had bought some snacks and drinks on our way to support the game. The holiday mood reflected in all our faces as we enjoyed the game that went on for an hour or so.
At 8:45 PM, we were all hungry so we decided to halt the game for a while and go for the buffet dinner at the restaurant of the Hotel. The food was tasty and the soup of bamboo shoot made it that much better. The classic ambiance and the dim lights of the restaurant made the evening more relaxing. After the dinner, we went around the gardens of the Hotel and clicked some photos. The garden was full of beautiful flowers and the walls and flower pots reflected Nepali culture. After the pleasant break, we headed back to the hotel and continued with the card games.
The view of Himalayas from Nagarkot during the sunrise is much renowned and people come from distant places to take the pleasure of this sight. We all were excited about it because most of us had no experience of it. So, with midnight we hit our beds and went to sleep so that we could get up early in the morning.
It was 5 O’clock when Saroj, our office manager was knocking at the doors of our hotel rooms. Everyone gathered in Saroj and Aabhushan’s room to view the sunrise except Bishnu, who was still sleeping. After the sunrise most of us took shower and started hiking towards Mahankal temple, which was around 6 Kilometers from our hotel. We walked past village houses and paddy fields. There were children’s playing stones in front of the thatched roof houses that came en route. There was an old man walking with his grand-daughter who showed us the right direction in the trail. We clicked photos and took short rests when we were tired.
When we were a kilometer near the temple, we found some shops that sold snacks, noodles and cigarettes. The floor of the shops were painted with the red soil and the houses represented old form of Nepali architecture. The simple form of lifestyle of the people living there reminded us of our modern way of living, which was more stressful and complex. After more than 2 hours of walk we reached the base of the Mahankal temple.
Mahankal temple is an old temple of Lord Mahankal. We all gathered at the temple and paid respect to him. After a short break at the stairs of the temple, we headed back to our hotel. The trail was uphill now. Some of us, read Ashay, were tired and had to take long breaks in between. The fresh smell of the morning and the beautiful nature gave us encouragement. We reached the hotel all tired and hungry at around 10 AM. We were relieved to see buffet breakfast being served at the open air restaurant. We woke Bishnu and called him for breakfast. The breakfast was delicious and had variety of delicacies. After the breakfast, we took rest for a while.
Later, after the rest, we went around the hotel area. We visited the organic farm and enjoyed the natural beauty. The fresh air and the green vegetation of the area was invigorating which was hard to see in Kathmandu city. At the hotel compound there was a badminton court, where we all lined up to play the sport. The bright sun was disturbing the game play. Still, with full enthusiasm we played till our last strength.
It was 1 PM and the lunch was ready at hotel. So we cleaned ourselves and headed towards the restaurant. The lunch was served at the table and the hospitality of the waiters was appreciable. The lunch menu for the day was Chinese delicacies. The three course meal was delicious and all of us enjoyed it. The vehicle was arriving at 2 PM to drop us back to Kathmandu. So, we packed our bags and waited at the lobby.
At around 2:15 PM, our vehicle arrived. We conveyed our thanks to the people who served us at the hotel and started our journey back to Kathmandu. The excursion was over and we were back to our modern form of life, full of responsibilities to carry out.
Recollections of some of our hikers:
Anjan:
On the occasion of dashain, our company took us on an outing to Nagarkot. For some time there was some confusion on what side was our resort Country Villa. Finally going beyond “the end of the universe” we were able to find our resort. Playing cards and partying started and continued until midnight. Except Damber who went for bed at 9, I noticed everyone were nocturnal humans :) .
In the morning, we were unable to wake up Bishnu. Right after breakfast, we decided to leave him behind and started our hiking to the Mahankal temple. Guys with several cameras started snapping the scenery and other friends. We reached the small temple and returned back to the resort at around 9.30 AM. Although we had planned to go to the tower, everyone was reluctant to go there after getting tired after the walk to the temple. The vehicle arrived after a while to take us back to Kathmandu. We reached home at around 4 on Saturday. The hiking was a memorable and exciting experience. :)
Dambar:
Our Nagarkot Trip was a real fun. The hotel had good hospitality and we had good times there. We did many entertaining things with our colleagues. Among them, hiking was the real fun. We went on a hiking for about four hours in the morning. I had never been to hiking before with friends so the hiking was a memorable one for me. In overall, we enjoyed a lot at the trip.
Prabesh:
It was the first outdoor trip from the office. Just outside the valley, the sceneries were outstanding. More than the trip, we needed a break from the tedious office work and that was exactly what we got. It was a moment free from the work pressure and in the natural calm environment. Hotel Country Villa was just the right place of my imagination which had a whole hill in its compound . All we needed was good food, welcoming staffs and some place to pass the time and we got all of that. Trip to nearby small temple was a good experience. We got there not through the main road but through the slopes taking shortcuts.
Roshan:
I love travelling. I was overjoyed when I heard that Deerwalk Team is travelling to Nagarkot for hiking. I got more excited when I came to know that we will be there for a night stay to view the mesmerizing sunrise of Nagarkot, for which it is renowned. The journey from office to Nagarkot was wonderful with lots of heckling and booing and Antakshari game . Saroj’s romantic and tragic songs of 80s were unstoppable and inevitable. We played cards at the hotel till midnight. I wrapped up with Rs.50 gain in my pocket and moved to bed.
The long awaited morning was there with wonderful view of sunshine. I captured few good moments with my camera. We started our hiking down the hill with full excitement taking snaps on our way. Our destination was “Mahankal Mandir”. Lakesh frequently slipped over the slopes and I recollect him saying “Oh no! I am slipping more than Ashay Dai does !”, which turned into a boisterous laugh. I was completely exhausted after the hike but felt relieved when the waiters at the hotel welcomed us with wholesome breakfast. We were planning to go to the Tower as the next hiking destination but we were too exhausted to meet the plan. We decided to stay in the hotel and move back to Kathmandu after the lunch. Finally we were back to home with full enjoyment. The trip was unforgettable and will stay in my life long memories.
Saroj:
Deerwalk Nepal Team were on the way to Nagarkot for hiking. Due to the Kathmandu’s Traffic, it took us almost 2 hrs to reach the destination. On the way to Nagarkot, we divided into 2 groups and start playing “Antakschari” and we did not realize the passage of time. The next morning I went to all the rooms and knocked the door to wake up other member of the group. At around 5:30, we all gathered in our room to see the sunshine on the mountains. Even though it was raining the previous night, the morning was quite clear and we were lucky to see the sunrise on the mountains. I talked with one of the staff from resort; he suggested us to go for Mahankal temple, which is almost 6 km far for the hiking. Not everyone was quite interested to go all the way to the temple but grumbling, or otherwise, all of us did get there. On our way back it became hard for Ashay; sorry mate, from next time, I will try not to make it hard for you and will consider your problem as well.
