मैले साझा प्रवेश गरेका शुरुका दिनहरुमा यो संस्मरण लेखेको थिएँ। आज झण्डै साढे चार बर्षपाछि यसलाई पुन: प्रस्तुत् गर्दैछु। बिशेषत: नेपाली र अङ्ग्रेजी मिसाइ लेख्ने आफ्नो पुरानै शैलीलाई कायम राखेको छु। नेपाली शब्दहरुलाइ unicodeमा रुपान्तरण गर्नु बाहेक अरु कुनै परिवर्तन गरिएको छैन।

यहाँ आएदेखि सबैभन्दा पहिला १९९५ को गर्मीको छुट्टिमा म नेपाल गएको थिएँ, त्यो पनि ३ महिना लामो छुट्टीमा। साथीहरु कोही जागिरे, कोही पढ्दै, कोही बिदेशिएका। खास गरी weekdays को दिउँसो त आफू एक्लै पर्ने, बोर नै हुन्थ्यो। यसो मनमा लाग्यो, अरुले मलेखुको माछा खाएको भनी सुनाउँथे। तर आफूले त आफ्नै आखाले जनकपुरको नाइट बसबाट राति माछा झारेर त्यसैलाई त्रिशुलीको माछा भनेर दिउँसो बेच्ने गरेको। I was pretty sure that was not the case of Dolalghat. So I set my mind for the day: दोलालघाट गएर ताजा माछा र बियर खाएर फर्किने।
बिहानको त्यस्तै ९ बजेको थियो होला, my parents had just left for work. घरमा थाहा पाउन पनि भएन। एक जना साथी आउला कि भनेर फोन गरेको, मोरो घरमा थिएन। ल जा त एक्लै भए नि जान्छु भनेर घरबाट निस्कें। अनि एउटा मिटर टेम्पो चढेर बस पार्क गएँ। त्यो मोराले मिटर पनि कति tamper गर्न सकेको होला। एक छिन smoothly अगाडि बढे पनि खित्रिक्क पैसा चढ्ने, जोल्टीन खाए पनि खित्रिक्क चाढ्ने, ब्रेक हाने पनि चढ्ने, दाँया बाँया जता मोडाए नि चढ्ने। के किचकिच गर्नु भनेर मनमनै "ल घिच् मोरा" भन्दै पैसा तिरेर ओर्लिएँ। For the same distance, I must have overpaid at least Rs 20.

त्यसपछि समाउनु पर्यो बार्हबिसे जाने बस। थोत्रो बस थियो, सिट पनि 3*3 configurationमा। पहिला त त्यस्तैमा कति यात्रा गरेको हो, अहिले त बस्नै अप्ठेरो। अचेल म सोच्छु के, in the western world, प्लेनमा economy class syndrome (DVT)को कत्रो issue भैरहेको छ। जिरी, which is about 10 hours or so away from काठमाडौं, जाने बसको पनि त्यस्तै सिट छ। I could only hope that buses with "2*2 folding seats" would be introduced on that route soon.

खलासीले शिकागो बुल्सको Tshirt लगएको थियो। ढोकाबाट कराउँदैथियो "बारबिसे दोलालघाट।" Surprisingly, the bus left with quite a few unoccupied seats including the two beside mine. भद्रकाली छेउबाट बिस्तारै सिंहदरबार, माइतीघर हुँदै बानेश्वरको चोक नपुगुन्जेल बस ट्राफिकमा परेर अलिकति स्लो भो वा रोकियो कि कराइहल्थ्यो मोरो "ल बार्हबिसे दोलालघाट।" यात्रु चाँही खासै पाएन। त्यसपछि चाँही अलि कराउन कम गर्‍यो। I was wondering all the time, why isn't he saying "Dolalghat Barabise" instead, since Dolalghat is on the way to Barabise and Barabise is the final destination of the bus. जुन ठाउँ पहिला आउँछ त्यसैको नाम पहिला भन्नु पर्ने होइन र जस्तो लाग्यो।

एउटा बुढो बुढो मान्छे चुरोट खाँदै चढ्यो सल्लाघारीमा। सिट खाली हो भनेर सोध्यो, I said "खाली हो तर बस्ने भए पहिला चुरोट फाल्नुहोस्।" Thankfully he complied. बसको भुइंमै चुरोट निभाएर put it in his soiled white shirt को खल्ती, अनि मेरो छेउको सिटमा बस्यो। सूर्यविनायकतिर पुग्दा conductor म कहाँ भाडा उठाउन आयो। Just for the fun of it, I thought about showing my US college id for a student discount. यसो ओल्टाइ पोल्टाइ गरी दुई चार चोटि हेरेर छुट त दियो बिचराले। जगातेबाट नलीनचोक हुँदै उकालो लागियो साँगातिर। उपत्यकाको रमाइलो द्रिष्य देखियो, अनि बाटोको तलतिर धानको ब्याड र झिङ्गटीको छाना भएका घरहरु। अनि भञ्ज्याङ्को तलतिर एउटा पुरानो मन्दिर, माथि पट्टिको बाक्लो नेवार बस्ती पनि देखियो। त्यसको एकै छिनमा बनेपा पुगियो।

क्रमश:

lau khoi ta aru? Kyaaaa maja le aafai bus ma basera dolaalghat ma maacha khana gayeko jasto bhaan bhairaako thiyo. Bicchhaima pwakka KRAMASA re.

:-(

Hi Chipledhunga, your memoir reminds my visit to Nepal last month. Keep on writing more ..........

Banepa must be one of the filthiest highway towns I have been to, लाहान र लमही जस्तै। It just smelt "uric" as the bus stopped. There was a wide open drain beside the road where some pigs were doing लडिबुडि", and nearby was a huge pile of trash. Small children were selling food to the passengers. One of them started yelling "ल फराइ फुल् फराइ फुल फराइ फुल।" येसो त्यसको भाँडोमा हेरेको, it looked like boiled eggs that were fried and then marinated in spices. They looked interesting but I was a bit scared to try them due to the roadside conditions. अनि कोहि सेलरोटी कोहि चहिं bakery products such as cakes, cream roll, doughnuts आदि बेच्दै थिए।

एकै छिनमा बनेपा छोडियो र got back to the beautiful country side. धुलिखेलसम्म ठाडो उकालो लागेर बिस्तारै घुमाउरो बाटोमा खावा र केराघारी हुँदै तिनपिप्ले झरियो। बादल नलागेको भए हिमाली द्रिष्य देखिन्थ्यो तर I was not lucky that day. After descending for 10 km (and traveling 40 km from Kathmandu), came the tropical valley of पाँचखाल। It must also be the transition point between tropical and sub-tropical vegetation, marked by the presence of sal and mango as well as pine trees. अनि चाक खोला (really that's what the stream is called) को छेउ छेउ गएपछि दोलालघाट आइपुगियो।

For those who have not been to Dolalghat, let me give you a brief introduction of that place. It is located at the halfway point between Kathmandu and the border at Kodari, (57 km from both places) at the confluence of the Indrawati and Sunkosi rivers. At Dolalghat, the highway crosses the Indrawati and circles a ridge to follow the Sunkosi to Barabise and then the Bhotekosi to the border. The dobhan is just about a 3 to 5 minute walk from the bridge, depending on the volume of water.

After unboarding the bus, I walked across the bridge and turned right to the गल्ली which seemed to be dominated by Newars (heard quite a few people speaking Newari) and carried a strong smell of local alcohol. After passing a few houses, I was on the cliff over the इन्द्रावती। Soon I was on the बगर right before the दोभान। I washed my hands on the इन्द्रावती, then walked to the actual tip of the दोभान, washed my hands again, and then washed again on the सुनकोशी side. At the same time I had collected some small pebbles which are still on my desk as I am writing these lines.

क्रमश:

Ritenji, दोलालघाट त पुगियो तर माछा खाएको पढ्न चाँही भोलिसम्म कुर्नुहोला है। :)

Abodh, thank you for your encouragement.

Just over the river bed, there is a small Shiva shrine of दोलालेश्वर महादेव। त्यहाँ दर्शन गरे पछि I was so tempted to cross the suspension bridge over the सुनकोशी which was just a few hundred meters away. I walked along the trail carved high above the Sunkosi and reached the झोलुङ्गे पुल। त्यहाँ पुग्दा आनन्द आयो। There was no sound from the highway despite being within a 5 minute walk away and there was virtually no pollution. I crossed the bridge looking at the swollen waters of the Sunkosi, and followed the trail for a few minutes where a makeshift चिया पसल existed. Now it was time to return to the highway, accomplish the mission, and return home before it was late. I reluctantly crossed the ridge separating the rivers and returned to the bustling market.

एउत पसलमा छिरें where साहूनी was busy frying fishes. एक सिसि San Miguel मगाएर I watched the street activity. There were several buses traveling between Kathmandu and Barabise, Jiri, Chautara etc. Many children were busy selling snacks to the passengers. Soon my order of माछा र चिउरा arrived. एक घुट्का बियर and a bite of सानो सानो crispy fried fish followed by some चिउरा, के चाहियो र अरु? अर्को हाफ प्लेट पनि थपेर खाएँ।

घर त फर्किनै पर्यो। I reluctantly boarded a Kathmandu जाने बसको छानो। I imagined being in the business class of a Boeing 747, owing to its position on the upper deck as well as the availabilty of fresher air and more space. Another reason I chose to sit on the roof was to take a better view of the Panchkhal Valley where I had spent a week running a camp to promote environmental conservation awareness just a couple of weeks ago.

Soon after leaving दोलालघाट and passing through some huts along the चाक खोला, the bus stopped at लामिडाँडा, the first major bazaar after Dolalghat. It was also the site we had spent half a day for "Lamidanda Cleanup" where we had tried to educate the locals (through the local school children participating in our camp) on proper methods of waste disposal. Our campers had worked very hard to remove the trash beside the highway as well as to remove the plastic pieces and bricks from the drain while educating the locals to do the same. We were quite irked at the locals' indifference on our campaign. During the camp counselors meeting that evening, we wholeheartedly praised our participant children while terming the adults as "bhedas." Well, to my disappointment (although already expected from the day of the clean up), the bazaar looked as dirty as before.

क्रमश:

I have never been to Dolalghat. Thanks chiplu for giving me a brief introduction of that place and next time nepal gaako belaama ghumna jaaula :D

hey post some pics too kyaa

Thuli, I don't have any pictures scanned from there but here are some from Google hai.

This picture shows the Indrawati bridge. To reach the Dobhan, you need to take a right turn after crossing the bridge.

This is presumably from somewhere between Dhulikhel and Tinpiple.

Indrawati River

Fish Kitchen

wow nice pic. chiplu can i tell u something i really dont like seafood. tara ghumna jana chai dolalghat ramro hola jasto lagcha.

La uptowngal, tyo kaha seafood ho ta? tyo ta riverfood.

Chiple-ji, tapai ko kura padhera malai pani atti fried fish khana man lagyo. Arko pali Nepal jaada, paaiyecha bhaney Dolalghat janu parla tareko macha khana. Mao-badi khao-badi ko chakchaki kattiko hola ni tyaha?

Riten u r so funny :P. lu lu aba tapaai ra m sangai dolalghat ghumna janu parla. ani mero bhagko macha ni tapainai khanus la.

Riten, you are absolutely right, river food nai ta ho ni :)

I am not sure of the current situation there but I assume that it is better at least for the time being. I have, however, read in the past that the abandoned police post was bombed (or arsoned?) about two or three years ago. The police station has been reinstated since then. The Maoists also once arsoned a couple of taxis on the bridge for defying their strike.

Thuli, timi chahi ke khanchau ni Dolalghat gayau bhane?

chiplu maybe chiuraa ra masu khanchu hola. tara Ritenlai chai mero bhagko tareko macha dinchu.

आफु मात्र माछा खाएर अरुलाइ कथा सुनाउने चिप्ले को पेट् दुखि जाओस्। :P

ठुलि, तिरुले सरापी मलाई। तिम्रो भागको माछा उसैलाई देउ न रितेनलाई दिनु सट्टा।

How you insert pictures?? Any Suggestiosns??