Aaja bhanda 5 barsa ra ek din aghi, December 29, 2000 arthat 2057 saal ko Poush 14 gatay. Tyahi din ko samjhana ma yaha kehi kordai chu I had started this thread about 3 years ago but never got to complete it. Yespaali chahi tukra tukra gari bistarai paskine sur gardai chu.

I was scheduled to leave for Pokhara along with my Japanese and Malaysian friends (from here on, known as J and M) who were visiting me in Kathmandu at that time. We had planned a short trek in the Annapurnas. Well, it happened to be during the time of the Hritik Roshan kanda. The previous day was the “Upatyaka Banda” called by the CPN ML. There were rumors that the same party was calling the following two days as “Nepal Banda.” Of course as usual, there was no word regarding this issue from the state controlled media. However, there were also rumors that other parties, including the CPN UML, had been negotiating with the CPN ML not to call a strike on the King’s birthday (ironically the last one for King Birendra). Without knowing for sure whether the strike was called off or not, the three of us left home around 5:45 am. As we walked through the Gusingaal ko galli, there were a couple of chiya pasals open but that was far from confirming that the strike was called off since shops away from the main streets are usually open anyway. As we reached Hanumanthan, we saw a taxi that appeared to be waiting for passengers. That sight gave a little boost to our worried spirits.

As we crossed the Bagmati bridge and headed west towards Tripureswore, we saw a few more vehicles. By now, we were thoroughly convinced that the strike was called off. Tespachi pabitra Tukucha paar gari Rangasaala ko chewai bata Uttar haniyo, walking along the sidewalk raised high above the street. Tudikhel ko cheu cheu hindai we arrived Sahid Gate around 6:20 am, where we were supposed to catch our “tourist bus” at 6:30. All the tourist buses were supposed to leave Thamel and come that way. There was one European looking dude smoking a cigarette. He asked us in his barely comprehensible English if we were headed to Pokhara, I replied on the positive. It was a cold and foggy morning, and time seemed to pass very slowly. Many local minibuses, microbuses, and tempos stopped and passed by. However, no tourist bus was to be seen. While the three of us were talking and shivering struggling to keep ourselves warm, the grumpy looking European dude, who was apparently the only other person waiting for a Pokhara-bound bus, kept smoking one after another cigarette.

It was almost 7 am when one tourist bus finally arrived but that was not ours. Showing our ticket (with the bus # endorsed as 101), I asked the conductor “Ek saya ek number ko bus audai cha ki chaina?” “Audai cha” was his reply. Other tourist buses, some bound to Tandi and some to Pokhara arrived after that and I asked the same question to the conductors of each of them just to receive the same reply. Eventually the chain smoker got into his bus. I now started having doubts. I was thinking that may be the operators of that bus did not know that the strike was not called off and therefore decided not to operate that day. The two started teasing me, “You screwed us up. That bus #101 does not even exist. See, even that chain smoker is already on his way.” At the same time, I was thinking of a contingency plan of taking a minibus run by the Prithvi Highway Syndicate should our bus not arrive within the next hour or so. After repeating the same question to a couple of other bus conductors, finally one of them said “la yesai ma aunus.” So finally around 7:15 or so, we were on our way to Pokhara.

Bus pheri khataray paraycha. It belonged to Monica Travels. Unlike other tourist buses we saw, it did not have tinted windows. The two got the relatively better seats but I got the only other of the two remaining 2*2 seats. The aisle seat beside me was out of order; the backrest was tilting all the way back making it almost a flat seat. I used it to place my backpack. The window was missing a knob and was not stable. Banda garyo, ekai chin ma khyatrang khyatrang gardai khulihalne ani cheeso sireto le attack dinthyo. Tesmathi tyo knob hunu parne thau ko pwal bata aune chiso hawa ta chadai cha. After exiting the valley at Nagdhunga, we got a brief glimpse of the Ganesh Himal. After numerous twists and turns, and greeting numerous night buses and trucks headed towards Kathmandu, we reached Naubise. Dr. Harka Gurung, in his renowned book “Vignettes of Nepal” states that the road between Thankot and Naubise turns 52 times. However, I have always been forgetting to make the count myself to verify his statement.

Kramasha

राम्रो लाग्यो चिप्लेजी। फोटु स्क्यान गरेर टाँसुम्।

तर KTM मा इन्टर्नेट सस्तो लाग्यो, १ घन्टा झुन्डिएर रु २० तिरेसी पुग्ने। जब कि २० रुपियाँमा अरु केही आउँछ भने भन्नुस्। स्लो त स्लो नै हो। थाइल्यान्डको एयरपोर्टमा २० मिनेटको १०० भाट ति-यो यही ज्यानले। त्यो पनि साझा खुलेन। अनि यताउता गरेर settings मिलाएँ बल्ल बल्ल, हिँड्ने बेला भैसक्यो - This is final call for Dada Giri भन्छ बा।

अब अर्का ठाममा जाँदाखेरिको स्मरण लेखुम् न। एकदम मुन परो।

लौ सकिइसकेछ!!
चिप्ले जी, हब पूर्व तिरको जावस न मिल्छ भने, तपाईँले पाख्रिवास र हिलेको तुम्बाको कुरा गरेको याद आयो के!
:)

एकैपटक सबै पढ्दा अर्कै मज्जा आउँदो रहेछ। नेपाली कुरा अंग्रजी रोमनमा देख्दा शुरुसुरुमा पढ्न अलिक कठीन भए पनि संस्मरणको अन्ततिर नेपाली मै पढ्न पाँउदा खुशि लाग्यो।
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ओके

ाम्रो लाग्यो चिप्लेजी

scanned photo yet?

BinodB, dhanyabaad!!

Pipalbot, not yet :)

यसो खोतल्दै गएको, आफ्नो पुरानो धागो भेट्टियो। अहिले चौतारीमा गफ गाफ हुने धेरै साथीहरुले प्रतिकृया दिनुभएको रहिछ। लौ त, एक चोटि अगाडि तानिदिएँ।

चिप्ले, मैले पढेको छैन, अब पढ्छु। धागोलाई माथी तान्देकोमा धन्यबाद सहित पढ्ने वाचा गर्दछु।

धन्यवाद ठुल्दाइ। पढम् अनी पर्तिकिर्या पास गरम्। तपाईंले जस्तो त के लेख्न सक्नु। रोमन र नेपाली बीचको transition मान्नु पर्छ यो लेखाइलाई। यसैबाट बिस्तारै बिस्तारै नेपालीमा लेख्न थालेको हो।

चिप्ले, पुरै यात्रा संस्मरण पढियो। मानौं कि त्यो यात्रामा म पनि थिएं। यति जीवन्त यात्रा गरेको छुइन र पढेको छैन।
आफ्ना पनि संझनाका पत्रहरु पल्टिंदै गए। ऋतिक रोशन काण्डमा झन्दै मेरो नि बाइक चिलिम भाको, बेलै मा बिच बाटोबाट फर्किएर अफिस भित्र हुलें र ज्यान र ज्यान जस्तै प्यारो बाइक बच्यो। त्यति बेला म मेलम्ची खानेपानी आयोजना ( अन्तरराष्ट्रिय सम्मेलन केन्द्र भित्र)मा काम् गर्थें।

ठुल्दाइ, धन्यवाद पढिदिनुभएकोमा। मेरा ती दुई साथीहरु भैरहवा भएर नेपाल प्रवेश गरेका हुन्। रितीक रोशन कान्ड हुनु अघी त्यो क्षेत्रमा यातायात बन्द भएर दुई दिन अलपत्र परेका थिए भैरहवामा। बल्ल बल्ल काठमाडौं आइपुगे, अनि रितीक रोशन कान्ड। अमेरिकाबाट नेपाल आउदा मौसम र Delta Airlines को कर्मचारी हड्ताल दुइटैले गर्दा ४ दिन ढिलो आइपुगेको थिएँ। Atlanta बाट LA हुँदै हङकङ पुग्नु पर्ने, Cincinnati, Toronto, Anchorage घुम्दै बल्ल हङकङ झरिएको थियो। यता कान्डकै समयमा पनि ढुङ्गाहरु छल्नु परेको थियो एक दुई ठाउमा।

NEPALI MA KASARI LEKHNE RE...?

हुन त यो धागो सुरु हुँदा म नेपाल मै थिए तै पनि पढे पछि रमाइलो लाग्यो यात्रा संस्मरण ।
मलाई पनि गार्हो भएको थियो त्यो बेलामा केही थपौ कि
अफिस को काम ले गर्दा वीरगन्ज अनि जनकपुर सम्म जानु पर्ने थियो । त्यो बेला को तराई पहाडे लाइ देखे पछि के होला । अफिस् बाट अर्जेन्ट रिपोर्ट बुझाउनु पर्‍यो अनि चेक पनि लिएर आउनु पर्‍यो भनेर हाकिम ले भने पछि नजाने कुरा भएन । फेरी काठमाडौं बाहिर गए पछि यसो खर्च पनि धेरै नै आउने ल जाउ न त भनेर गएको भर्खर खुलेको तराई को वीरगन्ज नपुग्दै सातो जान थाल्यो ।होटेल जाने त कुरै भएन बल्ल बल्ल गोरु बेचेको साईनो लएर एउटा आफन्त पर्ने कहाँ सम्म त पुगे काम चाँही गर्न सकिएन । अब लाग्नु पर्‍यो भनेको त फेरी एक्चोटि जनकपुर पुगेर आइज भने पछि लागे । धन्न त्यहाँ चाँही साथी नै ईन्स्पेक्टर थियो र पुगेपछि १ हप्ता बसेर भत्ता समेत पचाएर आए ।
पछि सम्झिदा पो डर भयो ज्यान जोगाइयेछ । त्यती बेला चन्द्र निगाहापुर अनि पथ्लैया मा सबै भन्दा खतरा थियो । अहिले पनि शायद त्यस्तै त्रास् होला

पर्बत्याजी, यो कहिलेको कुरो पर्‍यो? रितिक रोशनको समयको कि हालै शुरु भएको तराइ बन्दको बेलाको? जे भए नि यसै त कङ्गाल देश, यो निरन्तर बन्द हड्तालले कति अरु कङगाल पार्ने हो, कति अशान्ती ल्याउने हो।

It was in 2001 (in Hritik Roshan Kanda). I think the same or worse situation now .

आज भन्दा ठीक आठ बर्ष अघि यो यात्रा गरेको थिएँ। अनि करीब ३ बर्ष अघि चाँही अंग्रेजीमा शुरु गर्दै नेपालीमा अन्त्य गरेको रहेछु संस्मरणलाई। एक चोटि खरर् पढेर अगाडि तानिदिएको।  

Good story...I had pretty bad experience on that day too...

नेपाली ठिटा, धन्यवाद।  त्यो बेलाको आफ्नो अनुभव यसो हामी पनि सुनौं न।