After two peaceful days in Nagarkot, our minivan bumping its way down the winding gravelled road, dropped us off halfway at the little hill town of Telkot, the starting point of the trek to our next destination, Changu Narayan. A flat stretch of trekking – Mr B, our local guide assured us.
A huge bamboo arch that was the frame of the traditional Nepali swing, Ping, marked the start of the trail. Set up to usher in Dashain and dismantled at the end of Tihar, it is ingeniously crafted (just five stick of bamboos and a rope!) with a superb trajectory giving one a feeling of being catapulted high into the air!
Passing under this arch, we started on the two-hour trek and soon discovered Mr B’s idea of flat was very different from ours! We were trekking up slopes and hilly terrain that one had difficulty associating with the word “flat” by any stretch of imagination!
Fortunately the surroundings gradually morphed from a woodsy pine forest into an opened dusty dirt road that made for easier trekking while offering a sweeping view of the valley below. We had the road mostly to ourselves with only the eagles that flew low overhead and friendly dogs for company, encountering local folks only when we passed through villages and harvested agricultural fields terraced into the hillside.
Engaging some village children in conversation along the way, we discovered they had excellent command of English and enjoyed practicing it on us tourist folks while we learned just a little bit more about life in the hillside. We also met an old lady transporting a huge load of cargo with her strong neck and back. My heart went out to her. While it may be a way of life here, but you could see the strain on her as she was almost bent double under the weight of the load.
Further down the road, a family was busy preparing for an upcoming wedding in the family. Peeking into a huge barrel, we saw the swirling pale watery Nepalese brew, tong ba, being made from fermented millet. Good to try, but would categorize it an “acquired” taste.
The path was sloping downwards now, leading us to the center of a large village where the public well equipped with modern water taps was situated. Such common watering area existed even in the olden days in the form of the traditional stone water tap, Dhunge Dhara, to provide water for public and private use. It is a community gathering spot for the local folks to gather in the morning to catch up with gossips and daily water-related chores.
Leaving the village, we finally reached the walled perimeter of the artisanal village that flourished below the temple.
Looking back, who would have thought we would have actually trek so many kilometres to reach this historical site when a bus was readily available to bring us here. And yet we did, and it was an immensely enjoyable, enriching and satisfying trek!
