I wish the time would just stop and today never got over. There is no such reason but the alarm of marking another day in life is ticking soon. Yes, I am going to turn 27. There is an excitement as always, nervousness on not wanting to be old and  fear of reaching the latter twenties at the same time. I have always been super excited for my birthday each year, but this time seems to be a little different. This is surely not a sign of growing older but trying to love myself more. I have always been one of those who plan crazy for the day each year.

Every year has been so beautiful with different experiences and I feel so blessed with so many amazing people in my life. Last year was so much fun as these little girls made a treasure hunt for me. They made me run around the town to my best places, at my favorite restaurants and I was given a clue for the next place as I entered the former. The 25^th birthday tops the list as it was epic, 25 crazy list of things on my 25^th which had to fall on 25^th October. There were times when I had to escape from my exam mode and make the most of the day and there was a time when I wished myself on air at one of my shows. The birthday nights at the hostel have been amazing and so have the surprises that are planned each year by my closest.

There are lists of things as always that has been planned myself for my birthday. One of them got completed today where I wanted to help people who work hard throughout day and night and earn very less. The other set continues till last week of December as the celebration goes on for more than a month.

And to think about it, it’s the way a person leads his/her life determines the number of years they have truly lived. I am super happy of the decisions I have taken, and choosing the path in this journey called life has been tough, yet awesome. I had a plan and a graph when I was 18; each stage was figured out at that young age. Now when I think about it, I innocently smile and register the things which were never thought of. Working in an advertising agency just happened and so did hosting shows at RVL Radio. Writing and travelling were my passion and I discovered and got involved in it at a later period. So did The KTM Drive which initially started with an idea. So all in all, the career changes, the travel experiences, the love for choosing the things that I love doing has made each day perfect. Hoping that the work of travel presenter takes me around the world. As I mark another year, I look forward to achieving these new wishes, still attracting the older dreams~

P.S:- Just got surprised with muffin cakes, calls, messages as the clock struck 12, and turning 27 doesn’t seem bad at all .

I am sure you were waiting for the new food blog and the wait was twice as much as I wanted to share it with you guys. So here we present you the places where you can eat till you drop around town, not just shop till you drop. These are the eateries which have the yummiest food and do not burn a hole in your pocket. In fact you can eat and relish the food without looking at the menu for the price.

And not to forget, do read the previous food corner blogs. Here are the links:-

http://shikhabahety.com/to-slurp-or/

http://shikhabahety.com/hello-how-can-i-help-youd/

And as I say, share in your experiences and the places that you have been to, so the other foodies can have a great time visiting these eateries. Also, I was thinking about other food blog topics, if you have any suggestions and choices you are welcome to let me know.

So, coming back to places where you can eat for four, the first which stands on the list is Tastemakers Home, Ekantkuna. This restaurant is pretty small but is crowded any time of the day. It is famous for momos and aalu dum. The service is very quick and the price on the menu will make you try each variety of dishes. This is one of the must go places if you are fond of Darjeeling momos.

The next restaurant that would be on the list will be Dega at Kantipath. The Newari cuisine is famous at this place and the food is really nice. The ambiance is not extraordinary and the settings are placed well. Similarly Tama, a restaurant which is at Gairidhara is always packed. This eating place is occupied by professionals during lunch. The location is central and the food when ordered reaches the customer in no time. The other day a bunch of us visited Tama for lunch and we ordered a lot of food. We were shocked when the waiter got the cheque and the figures were really less. A lot of difference is made when the service tax is not included on the bill and that’s exactly what happened at Tama.

So are these places where one can eat for four: Royal Rolls at New Road and Burger Shack at Jawlakhel. Royal rolls are placed on the first floor in the building on the main road whereas Burger Shack is a small café which has the most varied burgers in town. How could I forget Syanko at New Baneshwore, a place which has the best rolls in town? The eatery has a seating for three groups at once and there are many who don’t mind waiting or grabbing a roll whenever they can.

The next food blog is going to be about the places which should not be missed by KTMites or tourists who are looking out at the best restaurants from a local perspective.

 

There is every reason for me to be around you,

It’s more about the times that we have been through,

Sharing more stories of our lifetime,

A decade has been very less for some time.

So just asking you for the wand,

As you would never do it grand,

I love the stage we are in,

At each step in the counting.

I am still hung over you

I can see the eyes so true,

The affection will be forever,

Since the reminiscences are clear.

As I get up with this pleasant dream,

Craving for some berry with cream,

The thought makes me smile,

This in itself is worth-a-while.

The blockade at the borders of Nepal has been going for more than two months now, which has made everyday lives of citizens of the country difficult. Things have come to a standstill and like every other problem; the citizens are waiting for things to be better and are hoping the situation to improve.  As much as we are united during this time, the circumstance is similar to what our country experienced six months before. We had a fear of not being alive as the earth shook, an earthquake which occurred continuously, and a jolt which made us run for our lives. On the same note, at the present scenario, we have a fear of when the existing crisis will resolve.

Individuals have already started finding options for cooking other than using Liquefied Petroleum gas. People are preparing food on induction heaters, wood pieces and other ways as the cost of the gas cylinder has gone exorbitantly high. We all know how price fluctuates when supply does not meet demand, but the way the prices are being quoted at this situation of emergency is crazy. So is the story of fuel, the predicament has made people buy petrol on the price which is five times of the original rate. As much as we should not be encouraging black marketing, the situation has compelled many to do so. There have been individuals who have been standing in the queue of petrol for more than twenty four hours and come home disheartened. There have been numerous fights at the petrol queue. Some who were lucky to receive fifteen liters of petrol for their cars soon realized that more than half of it was air. As a friend of mine said, we could have petrol coupon been provided via SMS, which would be a win -win situation for everyone.

It is nice to see people helping each other to get to their destination. Some are using the Carpool application  or their Facebook group while others are helping people on the road  who are waiting for a ride, but there are millions of people who have been having the hardest time to live. The factories which are in the Terai region have been shut, and the industries in the country have been hit badly, resulting in an economic loss of ten thousand crore.  Some schools have been closed for more than two months and people who have been earning on an everyday wage have been suffering majorly.

There are many who have managed getting fuel from other districts and are stocking up. But these questions are yet to be answered. Our constitution has been made and we have our new 38^th Prime Minister, but when will the time come when citizens will not have to worry about basic necessities of life?

When are we going to realize that we need a permanent solution for this, and not temporary? When are we going to think for our nation as whole than just ourselves? Why aren’t we coming out on the streets and protesting? As much as we wish our country is spelled with a magic wand which will overturn the situation and get things to normal, it’s time for us to fight, fight for what is ours.

This is a situation that all of us have been through, and I have experienced this scenario many a times in my life. This is when one does not like waiting, yet has to wait for their turn. I am sure by now, the readers are inquisitive about what scenario am I relating to and talking about. This is about the strangest activities individuals have as they wait for their turn to take some cash out from the automated teller machine. These are some on the list and the readers are welcome to add more.

1. There are some people who take an entire lifetime inside the ATM area. Once could be their negligence towards their pin number or the other could be that they do not know how to operate the machine. Either way they should understand that automated teller machine is fast money and they are many who are waiting outside as they are still figuring out how to use it.
2. How can I forget some customers who are in a rush, that they would not give two minutes to a person who has just walked towards the machine? They are half way through the door while the customer is still counting or receiving his cash from the teller.
3. Some simply love to make small talk as they are waiting in line with the fellow peeps and hearing these conversations is the most entertaining.
4. There are probabilities of cash machine having an internal problem in its system which might not work at certain locations some time. I have seen people being scared when the machine does not give out cash of the amount inserted and they are terrified on what is it, that isn’t working. That is when they try their pin code time and again, which still does not solve their purpose.
5. One needs to know that checking ones pin if correct or not on the phone for the tenth time will not dispense out cash from the machine.
6. The most annoying are individuals who wait in the queue and constantly look at each activity the customers are involved in. They remind me of stalkers who are glued to each move of the customers and is definitely creepy.
7. The last ones are the categories who are smartest yet dumb and try hurrying with the automated teller machine which gets their card stuck inside the machine or withdraw an extra zero than the figure required.

With dependability on plastic cards, people carry lesser money. This has resulted as a bane in lot of emergency situations. Be it while one has to pay smallest amount for chocolates or be it at the time of travel on a public transportation, one should keep cash in hand. Also, as online banking and transactions has been common among this generation, we need to be careful as there are lots of fraudulent cases arising with the easiness.

Today was the 55^th event of the The KTM Drive, and till this date we feel that each drive has been a different experience. There is a different level of enthusiasm that we have and there is so much to learn each time. We had been thinking of giving out free saplings at Bhat Bhateni complex since the longest time, but with what is happening in the country it made no sense. As I always say every event makes us meet new people and interesting instances happen, the thought of giving out saplings to the kids came from one of our last events.

Let me give you guys a flashback, since I have not been writing for The Ktm Drive for a while, here it goes. We had an event at Bhat Bhateni, Pulchowk as our previous event. We gave out tree saplings to lot of individuals for free and asked them to take good care of the green. When we were about to close the event, we saw three people discussing. We weren’t sure if it was about our event, but we went and approached them. We got to know that Katie was volunteering at Sagarmatha Boarding Academy, Kapan and as part of the course she was teaching them on how to grow plants in a bottle. She was looking out for saplings for her next activity at school. And there it was a destined meeting between us. We wanted to give out saplings and they were looking out at places to get them. So as we spoke we exchanged contact numbers and the same weekend we were at the school. We conducted a fun event with the students as we planted many saplings. We made groups and chose our plants.  As I was taking suggestion about the different locations where we could place similar activity, the principal of the school recommended us to give out the saplings to the kids. We loved the idea as that would create awareness at home and parents would love being involved with their children and their plantation idea.

So we went to Euro Kids, and collected the kids of upper kindergarten in the garden. We had fun conversations with them. As we asked them lot of questions, their answers were amusing to us. One said he had 1000 trees at his house and the other one said the trees if taken care of will reach till the clouds. These kids were naughty and their smiles and innocence melted our heart. We gave saplings to the kids who had an open space at their homes. We told them this was a Dashain gift from us, and they could give this gift to the elderly at home. The ones who did not have a garden, we made them plant at the premises of the school.

 

The best part about these little kids was they did not care about anything and were carefree in life. They would start a topic out of nowhere and suddenly jump onto something else. We loved their company and taught them how to plant a tree and made them name each sapling. There was this one kid who told me that she would plant this tree with her granddad. They wouldn’t stop telling us their plans which made us more excited. We asked them to click pictures for us and they promised to do so.

After we gave out eighty saplings to these kids, the smile on their faces were adorable. And with these events we wish that we could spread more laughter, smiles and love with our events. #sackfullofhappiness

All of us have had many airport incidents and stories to share. It could be while we were boarding our flights or as we waited for our friends or relatives to arrive, the hustle bustle at the airport has always left me with lot of emotions.  The wait that people have for their loved one is too extended at times and the look on their faces is worth a click when they see their own. As amazing as it is to receive your loved one at the airport, goodbyes are difficult for all.

As we are talking about the only international airport that we have in Nepal, the place which connect us to the world is lively all the time. It is amusing to see people’s reaction while they are leaving the country for the first time and the conversation that many have at the airport is interesting. The most annoying part is during the security check-ins where the officers are busy talking and least on their duty. There have been times when the restrooms of the international airport stinks more than a garbage pile. There is no escape then to accept that this is the situation of the airport where thousands of people depart and arrive.

There are many complaints for the conveyor belt not working by the passengers. There
are times when there are only two belts working out of four which delays the baggage’s of the flights landing around the same time. It sure is chaos during the late evening schedule where passengers have waited hours for their luggage and so have the members of the family who have come to pick them up. There are instances when suitcases are lost and misplaced and the authority concerned is nowhere to be found. Even if there are authorities around I have heard some baggage’s not reaching to the owner for more than two weeks. This has been a major disappointment for tourists especially when they have flown through transit via another country or vice-versa. There have been times when the airport is super crowded that there is no place to step on the escalator to get to the ground floor while arriving. The immigration is pretty lenient here as compared to the other countries. Lastly, our airports is the least engaging and entertaining, be it for the people on the waiting area, or at the departure section, the shops are not appealing at all.

Nevertheless, there is different feeling as I depart from this place, as I bid goodbye to the
roads and try to find my house while taking off. It happens each time while I am departing and I promise myself to be back on this land, to look at the mountains and hills, while I near the country, which has taken my heart away.

Carpool Kathmandu is the best thing that has happened in K-town with around a lakh members in the group. The facebook group which was started before a few weeks has helped thousands of people reach their destination. The group has made it very easy. One has to be connected to their facebook group and check if a post related to the destination they are looking out at is offered.  The #ASK #OFFER #FILLED makes it simple for travelers to look for people matching their route and seek for a lift or provide one. When the #OFFER is filled the post is edited to #FILLED which makes it clearer for the person wanting to take a lift. Kudos to administrators of the group who put the idea together.  This has emerged numerous lovely stories and has initiated an act of giving in each individual.

There is a carpool story that is shared every other hour and it is amazing to see how people have come together at this difficult time. With every good side of the story, there have been some stories which have made people rethink about taking a lift with a stranger. Since there are two sides to everything, these stories can be neglected and we individuals should not hesitate on offering or asking for a lift. There are many who are not on the carpool group and have helped around in their own ways. A cardboard/ paper giving the route that they are travelling is kept in front of their cars/ bikes and anyone can ask for a lift if going to the same place.

There are many who have purchased bicycles and lot of people walk to their workplace. The public transport is filled with people more than their occupancy and the passengers are making themselves comfortable on the roof of the public buses which is a scary sight to see. There are many who wait for the public transport for hours and only if they are lucky they get a space.

As the group members are increasing, the posts in the group are doubling. The most amusing part is some individuals do not understand the value of the group and start unnecessary conversation. The idea was generated by these awesome individuals and now it’s our responsibility to run the group smoothly. It must be hard for the admin to control the number of posts, the least we can do is stick to the message this group was created for. Hopefully, after the blockade is over, we maintain carpooling each day. We thank the administrators (Sumana Shrestha & Manish Shrestha) for coming up with a wonderful idea which has made a change and a society of “car-poolians” in town:)

Never too late to be a part of a great cause, here’s the link :- https://www.facebook.com/groups/183696891965171/

Each one of us is wondering when the situation of our country will be stable and better, looking at the present scenario. The basic necessities of living are difficult to obtain. With every passing day the tolerance level of citizens of this country is maintained but not for long. There are thousands who have already lost their patience and given up on the land they belong to, and on the circumstances.

Let us rewind and see the small things that we are fighting for.  There is no stock of Liquefied Petroleum Gas in the market, the petrol pumps have been shut for the longest of time, and the increase in the prices of food products is making it hard for families to sustain. The schools are closed because the buses cannot ply without petrol and the government is planning on a fourteen day holiday for Dashain instead of seven. The prices of the flight tickets are double and the taxis on road quote an amount that comes to their mind. The public transportation is carrying passengers double their occupancy causing lot of accidents on streets. To add to it, hotels and restaurants are shutting down as they have run out of supplies. Were we having lesser problems already to face these new ones?

Just when we were getting back to normalcy after the devastating earthquake earlier this
year, we are back in the situation where we are struggling for basics for our everyday life.
The tourism sector which plays a vital role in our economy and now being one of the best times to visit our country will again pass a dilemma.

To think about it, every position and problem teaches us a lot and there is a brighter side to it. The strong jolt on 25^th April, 2015 made us realize how strong we could be, and how we stood together and united. Everyone was helping in whatever form they could and reached places and met people they never knew. We are people who have adjusted and compromised in each step. It has taught us to deal in any condition and make the most of it. A brighter side on the time now: – There are many who are travelling in bicycles to reach their destination which has made the traffic in the city one third of what it was and also an everyday exercise of a 10 km ride is a healthier lifestyle. With lesser vehicles, there is lesser pollution, which gives us fresh air and time to star gaze on a clear night sky.

As said:- No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the BRIGHT side of things~