Hey you! Yes you, the one whose eyes cultivates sudden spark and a radiant smile the moment a sweet memory is cherished. You roar with merry every time you ears absorb the whisper “travel” don’t you? I bet you do. Well, I wouldn’t deny, I feel the exact same homie. Let’s raise a toast for this immensely rare desire we share. Just kiddingggggggggg, in fact travelling, trips, vacations are most recurring agents that skyrocket heartbeats and command sweet adrenaline rush to every rational, fun loving human breathing. I know you’ve dug deep into those core memories by now and carefully polished those stories of your wild buddies on that trip! Well let me do the honors, may I present you my favorite people and my favorite time. So, Grab some popcorn, cuddle that marshmallow pillow and yea a little caramel did no harm anyway.
This is our journey, our little piece of paradise I behold and love to the grandest pedestal. Me and my buddies landed on King’s around 7 in the morning on the 8th of April. Fully packed bags, slick hairs, flashy clothes but an empty corner in the heart to be filled with memories of days to come. I whispered ‘ oi kati dherai naya manche haru? Hamrai college ko ho”? my friend in a deep calm tone replied “tei bhara ta chinjan badauna Pokhara gaira solti.”I mean technically that was the ultimate objective, no denial whatsoever. Soon we tuned into our luxury bus and the atmosphere was one heck of devil’s dance. Speakers blasting the grooviest beats, sky tangled with oddly shaped clouds, minds wandering with utter excitement and expectations. We sang, we vlogged , we devoured packets of food, pulled off little pranks just to banish the monotony and invite peace and fun. Approximately every 2 hours the bus stopped for refreshment purposes and around 5 hours in the trip we stopped for lunch at malekhu where we filled our hungry stomachs and 6 hours in the cozy meadow shaped bus seat that felt like heaven, half the crew dived into temporary coma while my curious spirit seaked information on how long the boring bus ride was going to last. A few more hours and few dizzy droplets of rain later we finally breathed Pokhara’s thrilling air. It was raining, it was amazing, it was cold but our hearts were warm as we rushed in a chaos wetting the hotel lobby that looked nothing like Nepal. Trust me, you land a toe outside that billionaire setting hotel you’re in Nepal, but the moment your toe slides that shiny hotel lobby you better exclaim your identity as a foreigner. So, this marks our journey from king’s reception to hotel white pearls lobby but wait there’s more. This is just the trailer, the movie is yet to set theatre on fire.
As planned, we were supposed to participate in an icebreaker but the icy cold and wet weather granted us a free premium pass to freedom that evening while “bhok lagyo k” was everybody’s initial word as if a new born baby spoke their first precious words. We wandered around the hotel for a while then sailed to the nearest shop for groceries and man, I wish I could put into words the thrill circuiting my veins, I had never felt more alive. Pratyush, Neelah,Reeja,Anusha, Shreya, Isha,Punit,Lokesh, Rishav,Ujen, Divij and me knew exactly that the world was ours the very moment, we were the conqueror, the dictator so we did as we felt, amazing things! Half an hour to walking, awing and opening our eyes as wide as it could through the streets of Pokhara with pure emotions Isha screamed “Disneyland ayoo”. Her excitement made the park light up and we yelled and cried riding those nasty rides. The 1st one being Ferris wheel and when I tell you it was the least scary, please expect rides that inject chills throughout the spine to come. The faster and higher the wheel escalated the faster and in higher tone I narrated hanuman chalisa while Divij sang songs to keep his frightened self calm. Isha and Reeja were just one column ahead us and I salute them for screaming very little unlike me and Divij who were trumpeting opera scared to death like little sissy girls. Next ride was 360 and I believe it was devils own idea, crafted by lucifer himself with the finest metals and wood. One second, we were straight the second 360 turn was made I felt my time had come, my blood freezed and so did my other friends who accompanied me through this ride’s yelling journey. Youtube it and I assure you’ll will never dare even naming the ride in a million years. The breeze was light our heartbeats still evidently fast but one thing was sure, the fun had just kicked off. Later that night, we shared stories, haunted texts, played card games but most supremely socialization was bubbling up.
The very first evening and night summed up to be gracious. Next fine morning we were ready for some mad adventure, nerve wrecking affairs so we snacked up those buff sausages, juices and our teachers took us to a nearby hotel for icebreaking session. Also, our dear teachers must have enjoyed to their fullest as well since we could time and again spot them flashing their super white smiles. Teams were divided, a bit of awkwardness was invited, task was decided. I can rap pretty well!haha , lets skip to the good part. Teams had to build such a structure given a set of materials, that an egg when catapult from the roof would protect the egg from breaking. Well, the results were biased I must debate. While all the genius teams managed to guard the fragile egg one team failed to do so but most importantly my team i.e. team 7 had the smoothest landing. Landing as smooth as Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, yet we didn’t even embrace the top 3. Somewhat dramatically heartbreaking result but it is what it is. So, Soon, we packed our bags, put on those shades, rode on classy bullet bikes and headed to lake Begnas. Did some boating, clicked goofy pictures while rain started pouring. I am sure other students were doing the craziest thing as well, exploiting their opulence and why not. That night we dangled around the streets met Mr. Alex Nepali, danced like lunatics spoiled in the lights of Pokhara howling like drunkards. It was fun, life felt easy, the trip had just begun when reality struck, it was the last night in that Greek godly sculpted piece of land. Every moment came right Infront our eyes, we dozed off with cheerlessness, longing to stay there for one more day, one more hour, one more second, one more memory to collect!
For those wandering what Pokhara is like, you better ask your self after a fine trip. Clean roads, bright lights, romantic weather, the best hub for delicacies, food and what not. You can’t help but fall completely in love with those sparkling water and my eyes still shimmer the moment I recall those days. Then 10th of April 2022, kings’ family shed tears of happiness, gratitude to Pokhara as we travelled back to Kathmandu. Watching the rivers that sang along, birds that chirped far from, minds still wandering, hearts still searching for the fun. I could narrate and endless story and an endless experience but let’s leave it to this, let’s not fill the book, rather save some fresh pages for more travels, greater joy and millions of moments to marry and capture. Pokhara was just the beginning the end is yet to come!
