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Adventure

Dharan Basantapur and Bara- East Nepal

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In episode 5 of Heaven is Myth, Nepal is Real, we went to East Nepal to capture the unhidden beauty lying over the eastern part.

The eastern part of Nepal has immense tourism potential, but a few people know about it. It has limited the number of tourists visiting the Eastern Part of Nepal. We traveled to Bara, Dharan, Dhankuta, Bhedetar, and Tinjure. Many of us are well aware of Dharan, Dhankuta, and Bhedetar but Bara District and Tinjure are hidden and underrated.

Bringing known and lesser-known destinations to our viewers and readers in a different way has always been Nepal8thwwonder main goal. That is what we have been doing on for the last few years. We went to Manang in Winter, Psheyphoksundo, Sandakpur, and also worked on the mini-series to give the information of some known and unknown destinations nearby Kathmandu city. We are more than happy to get an opportunity to explore and show you some lesser-known places like Bara and Tinjure that lie in the Taplejung district.

Day 1- Kathmandu to Mainali Farm House, Bara

As usual, our first day of the journey started from Kathmandu. We took our Honda XR and New Toyota Hiace as our riding partner and set off to East Nepal. We planned to go to Mainali Farm House in Bara District from Daman and Hetauda.

To reach our first destination Mainali Farm House in Bara district, we decided to travel through Daman. Sometimes we get to see new things when we travel a different way.

The road to Daman was narrow but comfortable. Greeny hill and a clean environment were making us more energetic. The outskirts of Kathmandu are serene, perfect for a quick escape from the hustling and bustling city life. We reached a place where there was a unique Cauliflower and Potato statue. People from Daman used to export vegetables mostly cauliflower and potato to Kathmandu. That’s why the place was called Palung after the name of one kind of spinach.

As we continued our journey, I was thinking of having some self relaxing time. All of a sudden, I remembered some lines from the book called “पुष्कर शाह: संसारलाई साँढे पाँच फन्को “. Don’t know how I felt I was struck by lighting and made me think that I am also going to spend a week around East Nepal. Having that thought made me read the book and without having a second thought I switched for a vehicle ride and lost myself in the pages of “पुष्कर शाह: संसारलाई साँढे पाँच फन्को “. I was so into the book, I didn’t even realize that we reached Daman. Personally, I would recommend you to read this book. Someone said that A writer only begins a book. A reader finishes it. Its a worth reading and If you don’t know where to buy it, you visit Infi Store and buy it from there.

It was cold out there, and my team was singing and playing Manaslu guitar while waiting for lunch. Finally, the lunch arrived and after having me we paved our journey to Manali Farm House.

The road from there was narrow and curvy. For us who lives in the city, the road surrounded by green trees was always beautiful. We saw a few school kids hanging out near the road and joined them for a while. After traveling for a while in the greenery of Daman, we reached Hetauda city. It was evening. So, everyone was busy ending their day-to-day works and rushing towards the home. After meeting one of our teammate’s brothers, who accompanied us to Dharan; we headed towards Mainali Farmhouse.

Mainali Farmhouse

It was dark when we reached Mainali Farmhouse, Bara District, our home away from home for two days. We felt so heartfelt that we were welcomed by the wonderful grandmother and parents.

Day 2- Mainali Farmhouse

We have seen the sunsets of terai many times. But we want to experience the early morning view of winter in Terai. We woke up early that day. A land covered with fog, above it a sky painted in red. Mustard-filled fields and plain fields where small streams were flowing were the things that introduced Bara to us. Sometimes we think, as we try to groom ourselves whenever someone is visiting us. In the same way, does nature groom itself whenever someone is there to visit? Nature is truly magical. I don’t know whether I will see the same scenic view again or not, I was enjoying the beauty of Bara fullest. Probably bara knows its answer well. All we knew was that the welcome bara’s morning offered us touched our hearts. It was something that I could not forget till the last.

Dharan Basantapur and Bara- East Nepal

The bustle at Mainali Farm House had started in the morning. The mother started her day worshipping. After the worship, the mother went out to pick vegetables grown in the field. When I saw her, I knew that everything cooked here was going to be organic.

We saw potatoes brought from the field, we saw them washed, we say them cooked and within a few moments it was there before us. To observe the journey of potatoes from the field to our tummy was something unique for us. It was so tasty. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

In a cold winter, basking in the sun and enjoying our organic breakfast was lit. It was indeed a new experience for us and also the most luxurious and comfortable feeling that one could ask for. But at the moment, a brisk wind added a bit of “masaledar” Terai dust to our food. The food was tasty. I don’t know whether it was the farm owner’s magic or the little extra bit of Terai dust. Joking by the way. ?

After having breakfast at Mainali Farm House, we set out to see one of the largest forests in Nepal and to enjoy the river walk at the Patal Ganga river. The water in the stream generates from the ground itself and the river takes care of all the irrigation systems in the village.

We had been hearing the name Charkose Jhadi ( Forest ), but we were unaware of what it was like to walk inside the forest. Bara made it possible. Our whole body felt refreshed walking on the cold water of the Patal Ganga River. I felt like am I was shooting on one of the episodes of Man Vs Wild. I missed Bear Grylls though.

There was litter in the river and surroundings. So, I humbly request to all of you that please be a responsible traveler and keep our environment clean. I feel so sad to see beautiful destinations and mother nature got distorted by piles of plastics and garbage. So please, let’s preserve what mother nature has given to us or else, the place will not be the same in upcoming years. ✌️

Returning from the little bit of adventure, we packed our things for camping. That day we planned to camp in the terai plain right beside the bank of the river. We started cleaning and was already dark when we finished setting up the tent. After the tent was set, we boiled milk tea for all of us. The setting sun was in front of us, a small river was flowing by the side and we could see a never-ending land surrounding us.

As we were engaged in our talks the dawn turned into night. We created a bonfire to fight the chilling cold. As usual singing and dancing started and we were lost in the moment. We were creating memories. No memory is written without the peg of Yarchagumba whiskey and it worked as a medicine in that chilling weather. A small peg of whiskey and tangy BBQ made our night more awesome. As the night was getting darker our friendship was getting stronger. We talked for a little longer nothing but usual things about our previous things and the ongoing trips.

Day 3- Camping- Kayaking- Mainali Farmhouse

We woke up early to capture the early morning beauty of Bara. The vapor from the river was trying to move higher in the sky in the light of the morning sun. There was a different kind of peaceful and calming morning vibe. The melody of the birds and the river flowing was soothing. It felt like I want to leave everything behind and just indulge in the beauty for the rest of my life. Slowly the sun started to show its face and with it, the landscape lost in yesterday’s darkness showed up. A beautiful morning was printed in the book of our memories as a memory that would never be erased.

We started our day with a cup of tea and some cookies. We came to the farmhouse to collect tubes and kayak boats for swimming. After making the things ready, we went towards the river which was just 10 mins from the farmhouse.

Dharan Basantapur and Bara- East Nepal

We reached and started swimming in the Jamuni river. We were thrilled to be able to swim in the cold water while the sun was shining. Kayak is one of the must-do adventures when you visit Bara. Kayak introduced us to the water around Bara and the land around the river. We believe that kayaking is one great way to know Bara. We enjoyed tubing for a while, enjoyed fighting for the tube with our friends, attempted to kayak, and took full advantage of what Jamuni River offered. We were back into our childhood days. After the tubing was done, we set our for cycling in the plains of Terai.

That was the first time, I felt that there are so many things to do in the Terai Region of Nepal. We always thought of terai plans, lands, unique festivals, culture, and Terai Cuisine. But, that trip was an eye-opener, and came to know there are lots of hidden and underrated things one can enjoy to make the tour more memorable.

We had so much fun in Bara that we even didn’t know when morning turned into day and day into an evening. It was already dark when our cycling was over. The sun was setting in the sky and was spreading its beautiful colors like the day before. To make the beautiful day even more beautiful, I started our little conversation in the field seated on a mat with the owner of Mainali Farmhouse. He thanked us for our work and was also motivated further to promote other hidden destinations of Nepal.

Day 4- Mainali Farmhouse to Dharan

It was a day to leave Mainali Farmhouse to move ahead Dharan. We thanked the mother and grandmother for the immense love they have showered upon us for 3 days. When we leave home and head out for a few days, there is always a kind of unpleasant feeling in our mind. We experienced the same feeling when we were bidding farewell to Mainali Farm House that day. It was as if we were separated from our own mother and Grandmother.

We hope life gives us a chance to visit Manali Farm House again. We will have these memories to talk about when we visit here next time.

We stopped at Bardibas for a lunch. After having delicious lunch at Vinayak Hotel, we started our journey to Dharan.

Especially in Kathmandu, Dharan is known as a developed place of the East and as a city of Gurkhas. In a way, It is true, but apart from that, Dharan has its unique beauty. We were heading towards Dharan to explore that beauty.

The road to Dharan was straight and easy. We stopped for quick snacks as we were very hungry. It was late when we reached Dharan. Arriving at the hotel, we left our luggage and went out to see Dharan Bazaar. The statue of Adikavi Bhanubhakta and the clock tower were visible due to the city lights.

Day 5 – Dharan City

The next morning we set out on a Dharan tour. Dharan belongs to the Sunsari district and there are many famous places to visit here, including Budhasubba Temple, Gorkha Memorial Park, Pindeshwari Temple, Dharan Clock Tower, etc. So, we started our day at BudaSubba Temple, which is the most famous religious place in Nepal. Many people from other districts also visit there. We met Anil who helped us to roam around some know and unknown places of Dharan.

Dharan Basantapur and Bara- East Nepal

BudaSubba temple is a religious place famous for the tipless bamboo. It is believed that many years ago when BudaSubba and his sister came here to play. BudaSubba fired his Slingshot and broke all the tips of the bamboo which made the tip never grow back again.

I remembered the song of Sabin Rai where he has mentioned writing a name in Bamboo of BudaSubba.

After visiting the BudaSubba temple, we headed towards the nearby Dantakali temple. We came to know that the name of this temple was kept Dantkali Temple as it was established at the place where the teeth of Goddess Satidevi fell. It is well known as a holy land for Hindus.

Pindeshwar Temple is another important religious site in Dharan. Here every Monday in the month of Shravan, the devotees come barefoot and offer the water of the Koshi river to Lord Shiva.

After visiting religious places, we roamed around the city to know what’s Dharan is famous for? We know Sekuwa, but want to know more too. We asked the natives around there and some of them said sekuwa, momo, nimki and many more. And without wasting a time, we went for a hunt.

After tasting Dharan’s famous PotatoNimki, we spent some time at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. It used to be the small hospital of British. Later with the help of India, it turned into one of the big hospitals of Nepal. We asked the students about the ragging culture in the medical field as seen in many movies and stories too. But the students said there is no ragging culture and one can come to study over there without any fear.

In the evening we reached Bagarkot. The chilling place of Dharan is famous for pork sekuwa and legs. The place was also called Thamel of Dharan. So, we tried some of the famous dishes in the place like pork ear and all.

Day 6 Dharan City- Tinjure-Basantapur

Bhedetar is a famous tourist destination situated in Dhankuta district in eastern Nepal. Since this place can be reached by traveling only a few kilometers from the Terai, many tourists visit here to enjoy the cool air. The urge to experience the unpredictable weather and beautiful mountain ranges are what brings a lot of tourists to this place
during its peak season.

After waking up and spending some time in Bhedetar, we set out for Tinjure in Tehrathum district. On the way to Tinjure, we crossed the Leuti Bridge and stopped for a while to have our lunch. We reached Hile, Dhankuta Bazar in no time, despite traveling at a low pace. But we took a left turn from the mid-point of Dhankuta road and moved towards Basantapur. We saw tongba statue, and a cauliflower statue in the middle of the road. Basantapur city is a famous tourist destination of Dhankuta.

After our lunch, leaving the Rhodendron statue behind us, we resumed our journey towards Tinjure. After moving forward for a while, Muddy road started to be seen. The feeling that we will be reaching Tinjure after a short drive made us excited to see the destination. But due to the off-road, our Hiace could not go any further and my team hitchhiked in Tractor and I went in Honda XR.

We reached Tinjure. We could see a clear mountain range from one side of the hill whereas on the other side, was completely covered with fog. There were few Homestays. We moved towards the Tinjure height.

Tinjure

Tinjure Milke and Jaljale Route route are Known as the Rhodendron Trekking route. The starting point of this route is Tinjure. While traveling on this Route, one can see about 30 species of Rhodendron and at the same time, can visit three districts Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, and Taplejung. Similarly, one can see the beautiful sunrise and sunset as well as the scenery of mountains like Makalu and Mount Everest.

The railing in the trails made the walking much easier. After ascending a few rocky steps and 30 mins of walk, we finally reached Tinjure height.

The light was dim as the sun was about to set but it wasn’t affecting the beauty of the place. There was a small temple and the view from there was surreal. Standing above the clouds in Tinjure and looking at the beauty of the surrounding we thought. How many more places are there that are not even known by Nepalese. We still have a lot to explore and make those places available to people. Our visit to Tinjure has further strengthened our desire to explore new places and bring them to the people.

The floating cloud and sun bidding farewell to us was a magical view. We have seen such a view many times, but it always feels different when we see it through different perspectives and different parts of Nepal.

We have a short life and it is impossible to reach every destination, we wish to travel to. The only possible thing is to prioritize our destination and decide to travel there in this life. We hope Tinjure will be one of your prioritized destinations. We always want you to see what our eyes see more than what our camera shows you.

I would like to request my readers that you should travel to Tinjure Height once in your lifetime. The view was magical and the experience was out of this world.

We don’t know what people think when they are above the clouds but every time we see such people we have seen them happier than they usually are. They seem as if they have achieved something great. Probably they are happy to break the ego of the clouds which says I am always above humans.

Dharan Basantapur and Bara- East Nepal

Later, we returned back to Basantapur. We had a chitchat with the hotel owner and he really liked the taste of Yarchagumba whiskey. As always, we ended our last day of the tour with singing, dancing, and talking about the memories we have created so far.

We traveled to conquer the east, but the east conquered us. Mainali Farmhouse at Bara, City of Dharan, Temples of Dharan, Dhankuta, Bhedetar, and Tinjure all of them came to us as a beautiful experience. We consider ourselves lucky that we are born in such a country where beauty welcomes us in every step we take. Whether it is East or West, whether it is Terai, hills, or Himalayas, we have many amazing destinations whose one sight is enough to give us immense happiness. There are places where a lot have people have reached and there are places that are even unheard of. We express our love to all those explored and unexplored places. We will try to reach them in the future and bring them to you. Be with us on our Nepal Tour.

We have also featured in Baahrakhari, please have it a look.

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