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Title	2013 Mar - Deerwalk Hiking from Thankot to Kirtipur
Route	Driving (Kathmandu >> Thankot), Hiking (Thankot >> Machhegaun >> Kirtipur), Driving (Kirtipur >> Kathmandu)
Date	March 17, 2013
Hike Duration	4 hrs
Coordinator	Kanchan Raj Pandey
Participants	Balkrishna Pandey, Bibek Dahal, Edward W Hausman, Ishwor Sapkota, Jeevan Timilsina, Kanchan Raj Pandey, Kiran Dongol, Narayan Sundar Sonepa, Lava Kafle, Subash Aryal, Sunil Manandhar.
Photos By	Sunil Manandhar, Narayan Sundar Sonepa
Report By	Bibek Dahal
Creative Support	Kanchan Raj Pandey, Rinesh N Bajracharya
Edited By	Rinesh N Bajracharya

Bibek Dahal It was 17th March, Sunday; I was very excited from the get go as it was my first time participating in a hike organized by Deerwalk. Our very own Kanchan Raj Pandey was the hike coordinator. Including me, there were 10 participants in total for the hike. I got inside the office premises at around 6:50 am. Some of the hikers were already there while a few arrived a bit later. We left at 7:10 am and picked up the remaining participants along the way, and by 8:00 am we were at Thankot. After a short snacks break we headed out for the targeted location, Machhegaun. Machhegaun is a village in Kathmandu District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. The organizers chose a challenging route for us. The way was through a jungle, down the valley with lots of obstacles. Getting up to the hill and inside the jungle was easy, but getting out was much tougher than I had imagined. It was a steep hill with lots of dried leaves along the path. The ground was slippery and everyone had to watch their steps while holding on to branches while walking. Then there was the part with thick bushes and thorns; every member carried scars by the time we were through. Our dear friend Edward Hausman had a nasty fall at a point, but he stood up unscathed to everyone’s relief. After all those ups and downs we finally got to a more comfortable road. We went to a small tea shop for some snacks and rest after which we continued on our hike. The road was better and it took us straight to Bhajho Chaur at Matatirtha VDC. The village was very peaceful and beautiful. On the way we passed by many traditional yet beautiful houses. We were surprised when Edward read Nepali letters on a notice board on the way. After a long walk, we arrived at Mache Narayan Temple. We did not enter the temple and continued to walk uphill to see Lord Buddha’s Statue. The view of Kathmandu valley was very nice from atop the hill. We stayed there for a while enjoying the view and taking pictures. After a short break we climbed down, continued walking till we got to Kirtipur. By the time we got to Kirtipur it was already 3:00 pm. Overall, it was not a long hike albeit we felt pretty tired by the end. We stopped for a lunch before heading back home. I was glad to have been a part of the hike, and I shall cherish the memories made on the day for some time to come.

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