This book neither expresses my life experience nor any other person's life, nevertheless, this enables you to go through amazing moments of an unbelievable journey, for you definitely desire to experience someday in your life.
As an author, thinker, and traveller, I would like to lead you on an adventure to a strange place through this book, where you can reach and experience beautiful moments of your life. You can go somewhere and make a journey, but you cannot deal with such a perilous situation when you come across. You can but only in a dream. Trust me, this incredible journey of three friends will take you to a place beyond your imagination.
The book is all about the journey of three friends who always have extreme longings just to travel or go on adventures since they like to explore new places.
The three fictional characters of the book; Som, Sami, and Jeetu are different from each other in every sense, but they apparently have some common things that bind them with each other. So, they are good friends indeed.
In the book, Sami is the main protagonist among three as well as the narrator of the whole story who is twenty eight now by age but still unmarried. By profession, he is an artist who paints beautiful pictures which are sent to the exhibitions and markets for sale. Besides this, he gives the children arts and drawing lessons at the institution. Sami's professional profile doesn't end here. He gradually wants to earn fame in the field of literature also as an author, and he soon is thinking of a book to pen down, for he would like to explore a new place and wants to go on an adventure for some days. He decides some places to go for trekking upon the suggestion of his friends.
Initially, he plans only one place to visit, but when he begins his journey, his longings rise to explore and encounter some other places. They experience some incredible situations and incidents on the way to their destination. They reach a place where they lose their ways back home. The journey of three friends sets in the hillsides and mountains of Nepal, especially from Chautara to Jugal Himal ranges in the year 2064 BS (2005 AD).
Chapter One
One scintillating morning I awoke when the clock chimed almost seven. The sun shone audaciously and its early light sneaked into the room through the window curtains. I slid the curtains and peeked out of the window. I noticed that it was fine weather with clear clouds outside during the best season of the year, but the weatherman forecasted for some windy rains too for a couple of days. It was the month of April.
It's the time when we feel neither too cold nor too hot. The sky gets clear and open, and meadows and valleys are full of yellow, red, and white blossoms. We just smell splendacious fragrance of the blooming flowers and mild weather at this time.
To me, it's always a perfect time to go on an adventure somewhere alone, encounter new people, study nature closely and spend a chunk of time in the lap of nature
I have been an intense traveller and often like to go on adventures with my chums or I sometimes go even alone because I believe when you go alone on your way, you can get plenty of time to yourself and think of yourself that brings inexplicable ecstasy and pleasures to you.
I prefer to go to the countryside, where living in the changing canvas of weather and foliage, of birdsong and playful wind, even the subtle shifts in light patterns could bring a bit of relief to my restless eyes. and spending time in the lap of nature could make my mind calm and fill with thousands of magical words that help me draw a few words on paper. On the days of rains, on the top of the hillside, each leaf has a glossy shine as pretty as any magazine photograph when some rich droplets fall on them.
I'd had breaks from my work and wanted to be away from brushes, palates, and paint colors for a week, and I was carrying sufficient money in my wallet for holiday expenses. In addition, the fine weather of Spring season added an extra charm and enthusiasm to my plan to visit a beautiful place regardless. Everything was in favour of me, so I was anticipating to have some good time, being away from the suffocated city for a few days.
I eventually decided to go on a long holiday to the countryside in pursuit of self pleasure after a long hiatus, for I wanted to go to an utterly new place where I've never been to. At first, I thought of going alone but instantly dropped the idea as I reckoned I might have needed a good companionship to make some productive conversations.
I would tell you that I have been to several places for amusement and adventures with friends since I came back to Nepal. I did visit some of the places twice and even thrice, but this time, I wanted to make my long recess really worthwhile, reaching and exploring an out and out adventurous place.
While I was diving into a deep river of my imagination, lying on my bed, all of sudden my mom shouted, "Sami, come for breakfast."
"Just a minute, mom, I'm coming," I replied back.
At home, we usually have the habit of eating an early breakfast before we go for lunch.
Feeling lazy, I got up and scurried to the bathroom. I grabbed a lean toothpaste which was almost to run out. I spread the remaining quantity of paste over the brush. I took around fifteen minutes brushing my teeth and washing my face.
Quickly, I moved to the kitchen where mom had kept ready breakfast already on the table. The breakfast served by her contained my favourite food items-- poached egg and four pieces of bread with tea. I gulped it all in less than five minutes since I'm used to eating in a hurry.
"Mom, today I'm going on a visit for a few days with friends," I said, hesitating.
"For how many days?" She asked surprisingly.
"4-5 days"
"You have taken leave from your work, haven't you?" She said,
"Yes! I'm on leave for a week, mom, I want to go somewhere to be refreshed."
"Okay! But where are you going and with whom?"
She askedwo natural questions in a single sentence.
"I think two of my friends will go with me, but the place hasn't been decided yet. It may take 5 days to get back home," I replied.
"Ok! Come back soon."
I just nodded and picked up my phone to make calls to my friends.
My mom has always been a modest and generous lady who did not inquire this time. I guessed my mom also wanted me to have some breaks and rest from work so that I could reboot my mind and look fresh and energetic, and of course happy too.
I dialed my college friend, Jeetu's number, hoping he must have been free from his daily work and would go with me. He picked my call after three late rings.
"Hi! Jeetu, are you free these days?"
"Yes I have holidays. Why?"
"Then it's nice. Actually I've made a plan to go somewhere for a four days visit. So, pack your bag and be ready right now. We will meet within half an hour and leave Kathmandu today."
"What are you saying, man?" He asked surprisingly.
"Aren't I clear? We will go for a long holiday for about four days. Be ready quickly and meet me within half an hour," I repeated.
He thought for a while and said, "All right! But, where are we going?"
"Yet, the place is not fixed, but we will go to a new place. We'll meet at The Country Coffee to finalize the place," I said. "Make a call to Som also, and convince him to come with us."
Som sometimes behaved impudently about going somewhere owing to the matter of instant plan, and I thought of him that he might pretend not to go with us though he also liked to go on adventures. But this time, I had two minds whether he would be ready to go or would pretend not to go. I knew that he would rather stay home with his boring books instead of walking miles. And, I thought if he would not be ready, I had to drop the idea.
But, I was astonished, when I got a call from him.
"Just now, Jeetu called me up, and talked about your sudden plan. Where are we going?" said Som.
I repeated the same words that I spoke to Jeetu.
"Okies! I am also ready, I will be there within half an hour," he said.
I made a quick plan in a minute to paint the town red and luckily two of my friends also were ready, but I did not have any idea which place we had to go, so I needed to be ready with some names before they arrived. I was absolutely clueless, however, I knew Som would certainly give a suitable name because he studied geography and history of Nepal thoroughly.
Thinking of the visiting spot, I opened my closet and picked my favourite clothes out. I got a small bag and packed with some clothes, such as a couple of t-shirts, one pair of pants, track suit, a warm jacket in case of cold, including sunglasses, perfume, toothpaste, diary, pen, and a book 'When We Were Orphans' written by a famous Chinese author Kazuo Ishiguro which I had been reading currently and still some pages were remaining to turn on.
I dressed in greenish casual pants and blue t-shirt with boots.
"Put on a jacket, it's cold today," Mom shouted with worries, but I ignored and replied,"No, I needn't, but don't worry, mom, I've carried one in a bag."
I didn't put on a jacket even though it was cold outside.
"Bye mom!" I said as I was in a hurry and came out of the home as early as I could.
"Take care! Go safely and come back soon!" Mom said, coming out of the gate to see me off like everyone's mom does.
I reached the coffee shop walking in a few minutes, where I usually used to enjoy sipping coffee with my buddies but sometimes alone as well. I occupied a comfy sofa and waited for two nutty friends of mine.
Both of my friends, Som and Jeetu, whom I became friends with at college during the first year of graduation, appeared at almost the right time. They came with their backpacks which were a bit heavy. Jeetu was a normal looking guy with average height, dressed in grey pants with pullover while Som who was tall man with short hair, wore black pants with blue shirt inside and covered with a sweat jacket. He put on heavy boots as he was going to scale the mount Everest, looked handsome as he had always been.
Jeetu was a normal looking guy with average height, dressed in grey pants with a pullover who was hanging a big camera around his neck while Som was a tall man with short hair who wore black pants with a blue shirt inside and covered with a sweat jacket. He put on heavy boots as he was going to scale the mount Everest, looked handsome as he had always been.
They both were younger than me by two years.
Jeetu belonged to a good and wealthy family who had been living with his parents in Kathmandu. His father was a retired government headmaster who had worked in the school for a long years about two and a half decades and now had been involved in local garments business. And, if I talk about his mother, she was a very kind lady who also worked as a teacher.
Jeetu was also a generous and honey-tongued man, really honey-tongued who used to speak less but was worthwhile enough. He had a part time job and held a dream career as a professional photographer since he had been very fond of photography and always liked to capture moments in his camera, therefore he was pursuing photojournalism.
On the other hand, Som was a sensible as well as funny man who sometimes put logically his philosophies across with some tastes of humor. His parents lived in a rural village of Rasuwa district on their own way while he had come to Kathmandu for higher education four years ago and lived with his elder brother. In view of job status, he had no job and was looking for a better opportunity in a finance company
We had different character traits that differed us from each other, but we had similarity in thinking, hobbies, and choices to some extent. But the most common thing is we three always had a desire for fun and adventure all the time like you all do.
When our discussion began over deciding visiting places, both of them came with different opinions. Som advised a few, but Jeetu had already visited those places, so he wasn't ready for them. And, the places Jeetu prescribed were either too far or did not click our minds, so I and Jeetu did not agree with his ideas. I also came up with some names, but they did not agree with me either. In this way, we just contradicted each other about a fixed place but did not come to any conclusion.
"Guys! We are wasting our time," I spoke furiously, "Hurry up! Let's decide quickly, We must leave within a while."
"By the way, how many days are we going for?" Som asked.
"I'm planning for four or five days. Are you both ready?" I said.
"All right! We are ready," They both said together.
Both of them nodded their heads for my plan as they also looked excited to go on a long holiday.
Som placed his cup of coffee aside and started to think. After a few seconds, he broke his silence and said, "Let's go to Chautara first and then to Panch Pokhari from Chautara. I guess none of us has ever been there."
"I've heard these names. Which district do they situate in?" I asked curiously.
'Sindhupalchok " Som replied,
"It's about 82 km away from Kathmandu and may take around 3 and a half hours to get to Chautara by drive. We must stay at Chautara for one night, then we can move to Panch Pokhari via Syaule gaun and Gunsakot the next day. I also have never gone to these places. One of my friends had referred to these places as the best places for Spring holidays."
"Do you know about the place wholly? I mean to say, routes," I said.
"A little," Som said.
"Som, are you serious about it?" I said.
"Yea, of course. Why?"
"You suggest places that even you don't even have complete information about. How is it possible to go then?" I added.
"These two places can be the most exciting visiting places so far we've ever come to know. For this, we will be going to have a map and I'm sure that there will be no hazards in finding the routes as local people will certainly guide us. I think we should go for it without delay."
He spoke so flamboyantly that had tempted me ready, and I thumbed up to go to these places.
But Jeetu, who was just listening to us, said hesitantly, "Are you guys crazy? It's just crazy and dumb idea."
"Don't worry! You will not be lost, silly boy," Som said, smirking a little.
"Well, there is no fun where there is no adventure. I know these are new places for us and we have nominal ideas, but they are beautiful places, and we'll have an amazing time being there" he continued.
"All right! But how and which way do we go?" Jeetu asked.
"We have two ways; one goes via Melamchi highway and another goes by Arniko highway via Dolalghat to the east direction. We'll go via Arniko highway by bus."
"I think we have to go via Melamchi road if we're going to Panch Pokhari," Jeetu remarked.
"No! We'll not go by Melamchi road because if we go by this road to Panch Pokhari, there is nothing to view and enjoy on the way until we reach Panch Pokhari. But if we go via Chautara and Gunsakot, we'll have many other new places to explore and encounter. However, we may need to catch a bus to Gunsakot from Syaule gaun. " Som explained.
Finally Jeetu also stopped to contradict and nodded his head readily for the place.
We took much time deciding on the visiting point and their routes like a script of any new movie, but ultimately we three were ready to go to Chautara.
I was extremely excited to go to Panch Pokhari, for we had to stay first at Chautara. From Chautara, we had to climb uphill till Syaule gaun by walking for about 3 hours, then we'll catch a bus to Gunsakot, from where we had planned to walk till Panch Pokhari.
We spent more than half an hour discussing and deciding the place for our holidays, and each of us finished sipping two cups of coffee, arguing with each other.
We left the cafe and quickly hired a cab for the bus stop. When we reached the bus-stop, we could see a number of local and long distance tourist buses standing and waiting for passengers. Some buses were ready to depart full of travellers but just waiting for the driver, and some were still waiting for the passengers to fill all seats or for those who had already reserved their seats but had not come yet.
At the bus-stop, passengers were moving hither and thither, worrying and searching for their buses that would go to their destinations. There were some who just came to see off their family members or friends. At the same time, some tea vendors and hawkers were revolving around and asking for tea or water or other food stuff to every passerby. One of them came near us and begged to buy. When we forbade him, he sadly turned back and proceeded to persuade other passersby.
Some conductors and drivers were noticing us, in the meantime, two of them marched near us and asked,"Sir, where do you have to go?"
"Chautara, Sindhupalchok, do you have any bus for?" said Som.
"Yes sir! We have," both replied together.
"How many of you are?" the man who was in ragged pants and an old washed jacket asked.
"We are three," Som replied. "What time will the bus depart?"
"At ten," he replied.
"Okay!"
We did not need to go to the counter to collect tickets as the conductor brought himself for us. Som took money from his wallet quickly saying, "I will pay for the fare from here." He handed two thousand notes to the man, and he pointed out a local bus that certainly would go to Chautara, and I was quite sure that he must have managed comfy seats for us.
Until the bus driver had come, we roamed around other buses and got to one of the stalls to buy some food stuff.
I thought now it was the time to get on the bus. No sooner had the conductor called us than we proceeded towards the bus. We got in it and placed our tired asses on seats that were already a little weak, roaming around. Our seats were in the second row on the left side. I caught a window seat as I usually like to sit near the window and looked around the bus at one glance. There were many people inside. The bus was carrying nearly forty passengers. Among them, some were beautiful girls and some were adult and old people including ladies who might be going back to their homes. Besides them, some were youngsters, who were seemingly going to rock and enjoy the captivating Spring.
We had to wait some time for the driver who yet had not arrived, perhaps he was enjoying, chewing delicious breakfast.
We waited and waited for him about more than half an hour, and finally a man with an outgrown tummy appeared in maroone coloured shirt and old, ragged, and grunchy cargo pants. He actually was the driver of the bus. He got in the bus and sat on his large seat, wiping his mouth with a small green handkerchief as it seemed to have finished eating food just now.
"Guruji, isn't it time to go now?" Som asked, with a smile on face.
"Bhai, why are you in a hurry?" He said, "We will reach in time, don't worry!"
"Please, make a haste!" said Som.
Before he handled steering of the bus and pulled the gear, some more passengers including two beautiful girls got in the bus.
There were no seats available, however, the conductor managed seats for the girls in front just next to the driver, and others walked behind our seats to stand. Now the bus was fully loaded with passengers and now there was even no space for the air.
The driver started the bus, and our journey to Panch Pokhari began from here.
Some moments later, he had another gear, and the bus started to flow so swiftly on the smooth road like a serpent. And we left Kathmandu behind.