Trip to Pattale, Solukhumbu

My work requires me to mostly spend my days sitting and working in front of my computer. My job perfectly matched my introverted nature, it was a perfect match. I never had to leave my comfort-zone.

Nepal is famous for its natural beauty and people from all around the world came to visit. Yet here I was not truly realizing how beautiful my country really is. Only thing stopping me was the fact that Nepal was famous as an “adventure destination”, walking for days in a trekking trail to get unfathomable view of the Himalayas or climbing the snow-capped mountains to seek incomparable thrill or sleeping in the tents at remote parts of the country. Which were all unquestionably out of my comfort-zone.

I recently came back from a trip to Australia, undeniably one of the most memorable few months of my life. The relaxed beaches with beer and barbeque, laid-back visit to famous monuments, mesmerising dolphin watch, etc - all were more than what I could have wished for during my visit.

As I returned and pondered upon all the fun I had during my trip, I had a guilt building up in me. Few people(foreigners) I met kept reminding me how lucky I really was to be born in such a beautiful country. I questioned myself if I was really that lucky. “Have I ever been in a position to truly appreciate the beauty of my country”?

I have to admit that this guilt combined with me reluctant to leave my comfort-zone gave rise to some frustration and blaming bad infrastructure and bad governance to make it so hard to travel in the country.

Amidst all this, I met Mr. Nimesh Sitaula, CEO of Tapobhumi Travel and Tours who had recently started his venture and was putting an great effort to promote tourism in Nepal without leaving local tourists. He truly was a good man who kept his intentions of promoting tourism in Nepal before making profits for himself. I had become good friends with him. Being friends with him, I also met an experienced travel guide, Mr. Kevin Rai. He came from humble beginnings to become an expert guide with unmatchable knowledge. He was beloved by every member of every trip that he had ever guided. And I could see why, as we became good friends. As I became good friends with them, my dream of being in the Himalayas of Nepal was getting ever closer.

They offered me few trips. A flight to Lukla - one of the most dangerous airports in the world and then hike for around a week to reach Everest Base Camp. What could be better than reaching the base of the tallest mountain in the world. But as fascinating as it might sound, it was way out of my comfort-zone. Then came another offer of few days trek to reach Poon-Hill from Pokhara. This was right at the edge of what I thought I could do. Yet I was little indecisive and few work issues swayed me to decide against it.

As I was looking forward to end yet another Nepalese calendar year without realising my dream of visiting the Himalayas, I got a very good offer. Kevin was going on a trip with Mr Edward Gallagher, a Canadian living in Thailand who had come to get a glimpse of highest mountain in the world. As Kevin was planning and arranging a trip with help of Nimesh to visit Pattale, Solukhumbu, I was offered to join them.

The plan was quite simple, eight hours drive from Kathmandu to Pattale, stay one night there and drive back. Pattale was a new and upcoming tourist destination in Solukhumbu, a district in Nepal where Mt. Everest was situated. We could just drive up to the heart of Himalayas and get brilliant view of Himalayas including the Mount Everest. Even though we had to leave the very next day, the offer was too enticing and I would have drowned in the guilt had I missed this opportunity. I got 2 days leave from my work and went home to prepare for the trip.

I was very excited as I joined the team early in the morning of 11th April 2018. They had arranged for a very good SUV, that could tackle the rugged terrain of Nepalese hills and yet have the comfort of good seats and air-conditioning. The team was very welcoming and the driver was very nice who made sure we were all comfortable. As we traveled along the bendy and narrow roads of Nepal’s Hilly Highway, the astonishing view of the jungles and hills kept me gazing out of the windows. These views never made me moan about how bumpy the roads were at times. Plus Mr. Gallagher’s rock music playlist did a huge favour too. We eventually reached our destination, a nice and cozy lodge in Pattale named Nice View Hotel and Lodge. Only disappointment was the weather was quite foggy and visibility was poor as we reached there. Nevertheless, we walked around the village, and came back to our lodge to enjoy very well cooked local food. As the night grew, the temperature dropped but the taste of tongba - millet based locally brewed alcohol, made it all forget. After all that, we all set an alarm for 4 AM in the morning and went to bed to end what was a very memorable day.

I’ve always hated the sound of morning alarm, but this was the day when I could not wait to hear the sound of it. As the alarm rang, I quickly woke up and was ready to leave my room and join the team. After we gathered, our trip guide, Kevin guided us to the top of a hill near by - a viewpoint. It was supposed to be a quick hike but in the cold morning it proved to be little challenging for me. So we eventually reached the top after hiking for around 40 minutes. I was trying to catch a breath as I reached the top but as soon as I gazed around, I was left in an absolute awe. I was actually in the womb of the Himalayas and had all around view of the mighty Himalayas and the Mount Everest. Words couldn’t describe how I felt at that moment. As Kevin started showing us the mountains and their names, the sun started to rise and turn the snow-capped mountains golden. At this moment, I was not sure if this was all true or I was just dreaming about it. This couldn’t be dream, as the view and the feelings were far too good than the dream itself. One could dream about it but being at that moment and actually experiencing it would easily be far better than the dream. We stood there as we watched the sun rise and kissed the mountains. We all wished we could have stayed there all day, but we had to go back. We went into a local tea-shop and enjoyed the local tea made out of butter, salt, flour and water. The taste seem different than what I was used to but I enjoyed it.
We then went back to our lodge, took our morning breakfast and prepared to leave. As we set off I realised what Nepal had to offer in terms of Natural Beauty and how lucky I was to be born here and finally be in the Himalayas and view the majestic mountains.

So many people from all around the world could only wish what I not only viewed but experienced that day. It was an experience of a lifetime. And I am truly lucky to be in the position to do this again and again. I would honestly suggest anybody to try and get glimpse of the Himalayas. It’s not just about the view but also about the experience of being in the belly of the mountains, enjoying the local culture and food. When it comes to experiencing the expeditions / treks around the Himalayas, the Nepalese living in the cities or south of Himalayas think that it’s not for them. As they can be expensive and mostly for foreign tourists. They might think that they’ve seen few mountains and experienced hilly terrain but believe me, viewing the mountains by being amongst them is quite an experience and view to behold. If you’re skeptic about the trip services and pricing, you could contact Mr. Nimesh and Mr. Kevin to get good services at very reasonable price. I would not only recommend them as they are friends but also because they are genuinely very good person and are the best at what they do.

Thanks Mr. Gallagher for welcoming me to join the trip with you. And thank you Kevin and Nimesh for such an unforgettable trip.