I was willing to travel Nepal since long time back. Time is a mighty factor and the wheel of fortune kept me driving here and here. I scheduled, rescheduled and postponed my Nepal visit three times concluding that one day I will get here when nature calls me as this Himalayan nation is a land of natural beauty and
innocence. It was the matter of then when I was single.
Later, I got married, had kids and the daily chores of life kept me indulged in various things. Once I shared my dream tour destination to my wife (Anna). She was immediately convinced with my ideas and we once again started planning Nepal.
In the meantime, shocking news in Washington Post surprised us. “More than 1,900 killed by the 7.8-magnitude quake in Nepal.” The news shattered our plan once again. It was the story on 26th April 2015.
When there is a will there is a way. This time Anna stepped up with the plan and we directly booked the Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trekking—a 19 days package— in Langtang Region in Nepal through Info Nepal Treks and Expedition. It is a local trekking company that one of my friends suggested a long time back when I was single then.
We landed in Nepal after around one year of the quake—2016. We were received by the representative of the trekking company and accommodated in a hotel in Thamel.
I selected Langtang Gosainkunda Helambu Trekking over others because it was the area that was most badly hit by the quake. And the other reason to choose it was that it is the comparatively easy trail with immense beauty.
We started the trek through Syafrubeshi. We observed the trekking trail that was hit badly by the temblor. But the local people revived the track themselves because the livelihood of the people of this area almost completely depends upon tourism. Most of the teahouses (where trekkers take rest during the night while on trek) were under construction.
The beauty of the trail was unmatched. It was a kind of majestic walk in the footsteps of mountains. Our timing to the destination was right. We were blessed to witness the blooming of rhododendron which blanketed the entire hills into the red. Probably, this was one of the best scenes of my life.
You can imagine a reddish hill with the white mountains in the background! It is mesmerizing. You can talk about it but could not make you understand the sense of happiness that I experienced by observing it.
It was a kind of Tamang Heritage Cultural Trek. The major inhabitants of this part of Nepal are Tamang. They are one of the indigenous groups of Nepal among 59 listed by the government of Nepal. Sonam Lhosar is their main festival. Their New Year begins from this very day and the festival falls in the month of January of Georgian calendar. They follow Buddhist and Bon Po. It (Bon Po) is older religion than currently existing Buddhism and is slightly different from existing one.
The place is popular for inhabiting different threatened species. The entire area is protected by Langtang National Park. Red Panda (cat bear) is one of the species found here abundantly. Moreover, you will get an opportunity to see snow leopard, musk deer, Himalayan bear, blue sheep and many more.
A destination called Helambu trek is a quite calm site here. It is renowned for sweet apples and Hyolmo culture. They are one of the sects of Tamang.
Similarly, Gosainkunda is a place here that is popular among Hindus. It is a pilgrimage site of Hindus. Many people having faith on Hinduism visit here every year on the full moon day of August. Hey, change their cord (janai) here after taking dip in Gosainlunda. It is a lake with religious beliefs.
As per legend, it is said that Lord Shiva created this lake with his weapon—Trishul. He created this lake to get rid of burning by drinking water of the pond. He had collected the poison in his throat. The poison was the product of sea churning process and it threatened this planet so Lord Shiva drank it keeping it in his throat to protect this entire planet. There are more than 108 lakes varying in size from medium to small in this area.
It was truly a beautiful trekking for us and I thanked my wife for supporting my wife in my dream tour which I had been planning before I met her. I suggest people across the globe to visit here at least once as the site is truly wonderful with natural blessings.
I also would like to Thank Rajufor making this trip easy for us.
I will surely catch you Raju in the year 2018. This time we both are planning Nepal for Annapurna Round circuit. And, I am sure I will make it before I get much matured…..
