Everest Uncensored

Title	Deerwalk QA Team Outing to Sauraha
Route	Kathmandu >> Sauraha >> Kathmandu
Date	Dec 22, 2012 – Dec 23, 2012
Coordinator	Balkrishna Pandey, Neelam Shrestha
Participants	Abhinav Regmi, Awanish Ranjan, Balkrishna Pandey, Bibek Dahal, Bibek Lal Shrestha, Jeevan Timilsina, Lava Kafle, Mani Raj Gole, Manila Raut, Manish Man Singh, Neelam Shrestha, Neeraj Sharma, Prajwol Shakya, Prakrit Joshi, Prativa Shrestha, Ragunath Pathak, Rinesh N Bajracharya, Samrat Karanjit, Sangita Maharjan, Saroj Dhakal, Sulekha Bhandari & Suraj Pant.
Photos By	Awanish Ranjan, Bibek Lal Shrestha, Mani Raj Gole, Manish Man Singh
Report By	Balkrishna Pandey, Bibek Dahal, Neelam Shrestha
Creative Support	Kanchan Raj Pandey, Rinesh N Bajracharya
Edited By	Rinesh N Bajracharya

Bibek Dahal

It has only been a few weeks since I joined the Deerwalk QA team, and I was off for a team outing to Sauraha, Chitwan; one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal. The day was Dec 22, 2012 and the weather was cool and promising for an outing. I got to the office premises at 6:30 am, really excited about the trip.

Our first stop was the museum which held an impressive exhibit of dead animals and their significant body parts.

The journey began with everyone getting picked up at their respective locations before a congregation at Kalanki at 8:40 am. The team headed off from Kalanki then after, and the trip officially started. In the bus, we were singing, dancing, playing Antakshari while munching on some snacks along the way. Gangnam style was at the top of our playlist, and each and every one of the members was dancing to it. The drive was approximately 4 hours long.

Around 1:30 pm we stopped for a lunch. While the food was getting prepared the gang was off for some photo and video session in the banks of Trishuli River. The river side was very beautiful and the QA members did not hesitate taking poses in front of the amazing backdrop. After lunch we continued the journey with reinvigorated zeal.

The dancers used sticks and fires as props and by the end everyone were left in awe.

At 3:30 pm we were at our destination, Chitwan Safari Camp- Lodge, Sauraha. The resort owner and the staff members warmly welcomed us with pleasant greetings and welcome drinks. We chose our rooms and freshened up. Our first stop was the museum which held an impressive exhibit of dead animals and their significant body parts. Then we went to see a rescued baby rhino at an elephant stable which was close to the museum. The rhino was apparently rescued from a tiger in the Chitwan National Park. After that we all went to the banks of the Rapti River and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. We saw a lot of foreigners and local tourists congregated there for the same purpose. The view was simply magnificent.

It was getting late, but not late enough to stop us from having fun. Some headed back to the resort while the others went cycling. After all the cyclist got to the resort, we witnessed Tharu cultural dance. The dancers used sticks and fires as props and by the end everyone were left in awe. The movement of the lights was simply amazing. Finally the event came to a close with the team members joining the pro-dancers in a circular dance; it just added to the whole Tharu dance experience.

They happened to see some rhinos in a different location in the National Park, or so they said.

Soon we were around a bonfire. The team started on a game of Antakshari, while the resort staff members grilled chicken over the fire. We enjoyed the delicious barbeque while singing and dancing around the fire. Later in the evening we had some dinner, and hit the bed right after it.

On Sunday we got up at 6:00am and had some tea. Then a van took a few of us for the Elephant Safari. Twelve of us were on for the safari while the rest went for the jungle walk. Each elephant carried 4 people along with a mahout. We took 3 Elephants in total for the safari. The name of the elephant I was on was “Champa Kalli” followed by two other elephants named “Ram Kalli” and “Laxmi Kalli”. We saw lots of animals including Krishna Saar (Spotted deer), Ratuwa Mirga, wild chickens, peacocks, monkeys and some birds. After a while in the safari, all three elephants went separate ways.

After the safari we headed back to the resort. Other members who went for the jungle walk joined us shortly and shared their experiences. They happened to see some rhinos in a different location in the National Park, or so they said.

The chocolate distribution was marred by some mob activity initiated by Jeevan, but fortunately everyone got a piece.

After a while we all got together for a team building game. The game was the “Musical Chair” and Suraj Pant was the last man sitting. The chocolate distribution was marred by some mob activity initiated by Jeevan Timilsina, but fortunately everyone got a piece. I stood surprised for a before getting involved myself. I didn’t know that it was a popular tradition of the QA team. We then had some breakfast and eased off in the shades of the resort.
Then around 1:00pm we bid farewell to resort people as we started our journey back to Kathmandu. The fun time never ceased as our “Bus Party” resumed once again all the way back home.

It was an amazing outing and I am glad to have been a part of it. I can’t put into words all the fun that we had; it’s something that everyone has to experience it for themselves. I am so looking forward to other outings in the future.
Thanks everyone, thank you Sauraha.

( p.s: When playing Antakshari, I noticed that Saroj Dhakal and Awanish Ranjan were too good on the game; they knew the lyrics to almost every song they sang and they had great vocals too. Hats off to them; I am a fan.)

Balkrishna Pandey

Does heaven exist? Nobody has the answer. The dictionary defines the word Heaven as “any place of complete delight, bliss and peace”. In that sense I think we just had our Deerwalk QA outing there.

I learnt a new slang that day, “Welcome to facebook”; and I replied Thank you.

It was a cold morning doubled down with a cold shower, and I was as fresh as I have ever been. One of the van consisted of the dark and handsome Awanish Ranjan, the computer “Purohit” Saroj Dhakal, the “Tata+Dada” (i.e sister+gangster) Prativa Shrestha, the miss short temper (but still sweet) Sangita Maharjan, the new comer Bibek Dahal and obviously the blog writer, me; while the other van had everyone else. We started making our own dance steps and even thought of opening a dance club in the future.

Winding corridors, stone floors, grand archways and gardens, and a welcome drink; that’s our lodge in a nutshell.

Was that heaven? I say if it wasn’t, then it was pretty close to it.

What more could a guest ask for! The short visit to the banks of Trishuli River to view the sunset was taken full advantage of by the QA photographers as amazing pictures were captured. Tharu Cultural Dance and the BBQ were amazing. I learnt a new slang that day, “Welcome to facebook”; thank you Jeevan.

To me the best part of the outing was being in the wild. Being there made me feel as if I was one with the nature. As the animals moved around their natural habitat, it was us that were the strangers; and that was a whole new experience for me.

Was that heaven? I say if it wasn’t, then it was pretty close to it. It all lies in the eyes of the beholder. Words can’t explain what we experienced; you have to be there to know it. I would like to end my piece with some stanzas from a poem by Seamus Heaney:

As a child, they could not keep me from wells
And old pumps with buckets and windlasses.
I loved the dark drop, the trapped sky, the smells
Of waterweed, fungus and dank moss.

(p.s the anthem of the outing, as Bibek Lal put it, KISS-KISS-KISS-KISS. Again, you have to be there to understand it.)

Neelam Shrestha

I have always had a good time in any of the outings with the Deerwalk team, and this time team building outing to Sauraha was the best.

This was my first trip after having joined Deerwalk and I can’t wait to be involved in more.

The fun began with a sip of tea in Kalanki and never ceased till we got to Sauraha. Things only got more exciting ones we were at our destination; with cycling, walks, elephant rides, barbeques, Tharu dance and many more.

As I know, the main goal of team building is to get to know your team members in a more personal level; and we were able to achieve that goal while enjoying the beautiful place, Sauraha. This was my first trip after having joined Deerwalk and I can’t wait to be involved in more. This is a very good tradition that the company has about team building outings; it just makes the teams and thus the company stronger and more fun.