Sabita Khadka
Sabita Khadka The Deerwalk hiking destination was Chitlang this time around. Chitlang is located southwest of Kathmandu valley in the Mahabharat mountain range. It normally takes around four to five hours of walking to get there from Thankot - an entry point to Kathmandu. As is customary in Deerwalk hikes, we gathered at Deerwalk office premises for this hike as well. Out of the sixteen Deerwalkers that had signed up for the hike, only eight showed up. To make matters worse, we were told that the office van would not be available for driving us to and from the starting point of our hike, as there was valley shutdown that day. We were, of course, too determined to be set back by the situation. We quickly came up with a plan. We decided to take a cab to Kalanki, and then take public transportation from there to Thankot. Dambar, the hike coordinator, began to show his bargaining skills with the cabbies and finally got us a very good deal. Kanchan, one of the hikers, joined us at Kalanki. Sticking to the plan, we got on a public bus from Kalanki to get to Thankot. Hungry as we were, we began to search for a restaurant to get something to eat as soon as we disembarked the bus. Soon we found one – however, it did not look very hygienic. But, clearly we did not have a choice. After the meal at Thankot, we headed to PaniGhat, from where commenced our hike. As we began walking, it did not take us long to realize that the temperature had soared in the past few days and that the hike was not going to be easy. The climb up the hills in the scorching heat of the sun was taking a toll on us. Completely drenched in sweat, we prodded along, casually taking pictures on the way. Occasional jokes by some of the hikers were a real respite from the grueling uphill ascent at times. As we got higher up the hill, the tough journey seemed to pay off as enchanting and breathtaking scenery kicked in. Some of us simply enjoyed the view, while others were busy capturing them on their cameras. Some were posing for the cameras in the beautiful backdrop. As we did not have a vehicle of our own for a ride back to Kathmandu, we wrapped up the hike sooner than usual. To sum it up, it was really a short and sweet hike.
