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~

We reached our destination exactly on time; and our train journey of ten hours passed in a jiffy. We had booked a Tavera for next 4 days, and as we got out of the station, we could not locate the driver or the car. After constant follow up and wait of half an hour, our chauffeur arrived. He wasn’t apologetic on being late; neither did he give us a valid reason. We weren’t pleased with his behavior and knew that we needed to get a solution soon. The way he spoke wasn’t welcoming. Being from this part of the world where everyone is soft spoken and hospitable, it felt a little strange.

As we got ourselves at the nearby hotel for breakfast, we made our itinerary for the day.  We were to wait for our cousins for a couple of hours as there train delayed. If you haven’t heard of Pathankot, it is the army and air force station for the defence of India. After the partition if India, many refugees came from newly formed Pakistan and settled in Pathankot. It is relatively smaller town and there is nothing much to do. We went to the nearby mall to spend time, where our last resort was watching a movie. The movie was super annoying and I wanted to blame myself for getting my parents to watch this one, especially when they hardly watch movies.

After we were done with two hours of nuisance, we headed towards the station to pick our cousins up. On my way I met this person who was from Rasuwa, Nepal and was working at the mall. He had so many stories to share, and told me that lot of Nepalese work this side. He mentioned that they work on double duties to earn more and also when I asked him if he likes it here. He replied by saying: “I don’t enjoy my life so much because I miss my family but this place has stability to survive”. I thought to myself and his words gave me a reality check on how hard it is for families to live in Nepal. The salaries for the skilled and unskilled manpower are the same, which is one of the reasons for people to leave the country. He was really sweet and asked me if we needed something, he would arrange. This character of ours sets us special and I realized that each place and people is different. The tone of residents and locals on the Himachal side was loud, so I figured that everyone was impolite.

With lot of thoughts still running, I was happy to receive my cousins, and we left for Dalhousie. The way to Dalhousie is full of twists and turns. There are local buses which depart from Pathankot in the interval of 3-4 hours. On our way we crossed a dam and as we passed the hills around we knew we were in for a treat.

It had been long since I had taken a vacation and the wait was coming to an end. For someone who made her trip once every three months, a year of not exploring a new place outside the country was a crime. Travel for me is a different potion altogether. Meeting various people and interacting to a new face each day gets me recharged in life. To add to the rejuvenation the travel blogs and videos that I get to make about the locations are the best. These are memories stored forever.

So, our itinerary was set and we were ready to visit the two towns of Himachal Pradesh,
Dalhousie and Dharamshala. There was something which was different about the journey as we started. I wasn’t sure if it was the gap that made me more excited or was a series of delay waiting to happen. We were set for our journey and as the plane took off, I promised to see the beautiful hills and mountains again in a week’s time.

I have always been lucky with amazing co-travelers and met best of people while travelling by myself. I have made lot of friends in my flight from different parts of the world. This time as I was going for this mini –vacation with mom and dad, there were hardly chances of meeting interesting co travelers. My time just went by as I was playing with my new camera, and trying my hands on the perfect picture of clouds, from up the sky. As we landed at Delhi, I did not miss the opportunity to click some pictures of the cockpit and get more questions answered from the pilot. We had ample time to spend as our train was in the evening. We collected our baggage, and headed to the railway station where our next destination was Pathankot.

Gadgets are surely a boon, but there are times when we are dependent on it not realizing that a click can make a lot of difference. Similarly, as I was editing my pictures on the camera, I mistakenly deleted all the pictures. With my disappointment, I promised myself to be more careful and as we know we all learn from our own mistakes.

P.S:- If you haven’t seen the travelogues yet, search for “Travel with Shikha” on the YouTube    and subscribe the channel for some fun travel dose.

All of us have been to various eateries and restaurants around K-town. We have had good experiences at some and not satisfying at the others. I have tried compiling different views together and started a food corner in the blog. The first one was “To slurp or ….” It talks about the food joints we have had bad experiences at and given a choice we would want to skip going there again. Be it the food or the service, something seemed unpleasant about the place. Give it a read if you haven’t and also share your incidents and add your stories to the blog. The whole idea is to get to know the best of places and not to miss out on any. This goes out to people who love hanging out at the coolest places around town and sharing their list with the others. If you are a foodie, you would definitely love it.

There are particular joints famous for various cuisines and eateries which will burn a hole in our pocket; it is way expensive for the deliciousness the food doesn’t have (Pun intended).  These will come in later section of the food corner. For now we would love to share with you the place which has the best customer service around town.

As much as we appreciate the food and ambiance, some of us look forward for a good service. We want the service to be perfect and the waiters serving us to be hospitable. We would really appreciate if they knew the answers to the questions asked. Some do not know the details of the food items being served properly. These are small yet significant things which are a turn off for some of us and we would not suggest the place to anyone. These are the places on the list where customer service is at its best.

The top on the list is the Red Mud Café, Jhamsikhel. The people serving have been trained so well and the best gesture that has left an impact was on a rainy day. My friend and I reached the cafe drenched and as we parked our bikes, the attendant walked towards us with an umbrella. The servers are welcoming which makes me visit the café time and again.

One of the places which can be counted as a place for good customer service is Tamas Laya, Naxal. Some of us might not like the price for the food  but one can return the food order if the taste unlike the previous occasions. There are moments when the order makes us wait, time is short, and the food order cannot be cancelled. At tamas laya, it’s possible.

Bricks at Kupondole, is another restaurant which gives a good service, and so does Sports Café coffee shop. Café soma at Jhamsikhel is pretty quick too and Sam’s Bar is one of the best places in Thamel.  What do you guys think?

All of us love exploring new places and trying out new eateries. It could be for the food, the ambiance, spending time with loved ones, chilling on a Saturday evening or making the most at the end of a lengthy week. We are on a look out for the newest lounge or a coffee place yet some of us are particular about dining at our favorite restaurant and not trying a new joint.

With growing culture of eating out, the number of cafes, pubs, bakeries, restaurants is increasing and we can see crowd on stalls in front of departmental stores. After visiting and living in K-town for almost four years in a go, I can list out some place which disappointed me so bad:-

The list starts with Mezze. If you have not heard of it, this place is at Durbar Marq and is a part of Roadhouse. It has an open space wherein one can enjoy the view of the Narayanhiti Royal Museum. The ambiance has attracted many; but people have given unsatisfactory reviews on food. The worst was when I reached there on a rainy evening to enjoy some Italian, the water was leaking from the roof at two spots. They emptied the sitting at one and kept the ice bucket on the other. We were surprised to see a place like Mezze operating this way.

I cannot stop mentioning Fire and Ice on the list, which is the best-est place for the majority. One of the worst customer services can be found at the place where we drool for Pizza. The other day we waited half an hour for the menu card to reach us, and the next half an hour for the food to be placed. As we were waiting as hungry birds, we were eyeing on the waiters to get our dishes. When he walked towards us, we realized that the order was wrongly taken. This was not the end of our discontent, when the cheque was handed over; the total was twice the things that we ordered.

Attending the customers in the friendliest manner should be the most important aspect which definitely helps the business to grow. This is lacking at lot of places in town. Sumai Ghangri café being the busiest and the only place for open momos lacks this quality and so does Baker’s Den, the confectionary in Baluwatar. Mirrors, a lounge in Jhamshikel has been on the NO-TO-GO list because of the same reason.

Irrespective of the high brand names, The Yellow Chilli in Tripureshwore does no justice to the food that is served and Bu-ke-ba is just an organic name. “Falcha, at Jhamsikhel is one of the messiest places” says one of my friends who visited just recently.

These are just some places which are off my list now. With the critical reviews on one side, we have the next blog coming to you which is going to be on the best places that you have to go, while you are in K-town. You cannot be missing them at all.

And how we would love if this trend begins:-

P.S:- Do add in your experiences and let us know your stories.

As each year, on the third Saturday of July, we saw thousands of people gathered at Mangal Bazar at 7 in the morning. All of them were there for the love for cycling, nature and had pledged different routes that they wanted to cover. Participants were meeting their group friends, individuals were waiting for the flag to roll down and hundreds of people were wishing luck to the cyclist. The aura around the place was full of energy, enthusiasm and liveliness. The area was covered with people from different age groups coming together at the same platform. It was amazing to see varied people from diverse walks of life involved for a common cause. It surely was amusing to notice young kids participating too.

The weather was clear as it was a sunny morning with no signs of rain. The blue sky looked beautiful as always as the birds flew in a fleet. Since Patan was one of the affected areas during earthquake, some monuments around the place were missed but the zeal of the people who were a part of the Kora Cycling challenge was noticed at the highest. Each rider wearing a red and white colour jersey was set with their cycles to complete the ride.

A quick breakfast was arranged for the participants. The flag went off for the first round of 100 kms at 7.30 am followed by 75 km and 50 km riders. The narrow lanes of Patan experienced thousands of individuals starting their rides. Each one of them pledged a distance and raised money from friends, families around the world for contributing to rebuild health facilities.

The routes were similar to the previous year as we crossed Ekantakuna and head towards Bhaisipathi. The volunteers were around showing us the way towards our
next destination. While crossing the bridge at Chobar, and looking at the greens around, made me realize once again how blessed we are. The uphill rides were tiring and for the ones who cycle once a year it was getting tricky. We came across people whose cycle broke down; chains were giving a problem as they were getting them fixed. Everyone was helping each other around and as I was riding I met a cyclist who explained how the timing of change in gear has to be perfect. If one can grasp that, the ride becomes way easier with lesser effort he said. I was trying to follow the same, but after 30 kms the scorching sun made me weak and I took a detour. As I did not reach the finish line, unlike last year, the experience of riding was surely one of the most memorable ones.

Since this was the second kora experience for me, there was a difference in routes that I experienced unlike last year. A difficulty while riding downhill because of the potholes on the lanes and the rains of the previous day made riding a challenge. The previous year had more signage, volunteers compared to this time. Undoubtedly it was a bigger and amazing event and kudos to the participants.

If you do not know about Kora, here’s a little something 

So make sure that you keep yourselves free the third Saturday of July’ 2016 .

This weekend started with the fun hike to Changu Narayan temple. All of us were looking
forward to the architecture and history of the place since it is the oldest temple in Nepal. In spite of us being many in number, coordinating and planning was perfect as always by Saloni. We left the city at 7.30 in the morning and drove towards Bhaktpaur.

As we reached Telkot which is on the other side of the diversion towards Nagarkot, we were at our starting point. We parked our cars and head for a two hour walk. We were a little behind the schedule and it was getting warmer as the morning heat was at its peak. As we crossed the different shades of greens, we loved what the Mother Nature had to offer us. The view of the city from the hill – top looked amazing as that side did not have much residential but different terrain. The hike was easy as the way was not steep.

The most interesting part about the hikes near Kathmandu is the scenes that one can experience, the fresh air and an energy which rejuvenates each one of us from our busy schedules. The path led us into the greens and got us near the temple in no time. With the conversations and catching up with one another, the time went quickly. On our trail, we crossed a group of foreigners, and an old man who asked us if we had a smoke to give him. It took us by surprise that the man needed nothing more than a cigarette at that moment. We denied and walked ahead and reached the Changu village where we saw houses in a row. The houses had prettiest flowers around their area.

As we were nearing the temple, there was a huge parking space, and lot of cars was parked. Since it was a Saturday, it was crowded and many drove to the temple as the roads were pitched. As we crossed the
souvenir shops, we were directed towards the open sky museum. The museum was not as fancy as the name. There was a statue of Lord Shiva in between the four pillars. Then we went to the main temple courtyard. The two storey roofed temple existed as early as 325 A.D. The design of the oldest temple was magnificent and there was a museum which had details about the Licchavi period. The different festivals which are celebrated in the temple premises are Teej, Krishna Asthami, Nag Panchami as the shrine of Lord Vishnu is worshiped. As we got to know more facts about the place, we could relate to each structure of the temple. We clicked a few pictures and saw how the map of town was before hundreds of years. It amused each one of us as we noticed how clear and open the city was.

 

 

 

 

 

We then went to the nearby restaurant and chilled for a while, playing games before we head back to the town for a round of laser tag!

There are some situations where the emotions is seen outwardly in the same way as it is felt from inside. The expressions reflected in the eyes are certain and it is visible around. There is so much that the moment explains and there are many who do not realize about these circumstances. That’s right; we are talking about travelers and also about lot of individuals waiting for their loved ones at the airport.

The airport of any place leaves behind many stories and memories. It is heartwarming to see when a family unites with their children whom they meet after years, friends reunited after long. The happiness, tears of joy, the hugs, all of it expresses so much. There are many for whom the wait is too long and they get restless at the airport trying to divert their mind checking the information of arrivals on the screen continuously. Some listen to music in the highest of volume while some initiate a small talk with the person standing next to them. Waiting is tolerable for people with patience or else it is a pain, but in all cases, the togetherness is the key ingredient which shadows “the wait time”. There are many who hold placard to reach out to the person they have never met.

The feelings are mutual when the person is leaving the country for the longest times, which could be for work, studies or more. It becomes worse when goodbyes happen faster than thought. Goodbyes are pretty hard; nevertheless it is wishing luck for a new beginning. Some travel for a new hope, a new start whereas others might be on a tour or adventure. We all know that anything for the last time creates double the impact and so does the last meeting with the loved one for the longest time. This can be apprehended only when it happens in reality.

On the other note, most passenger especially foreign travelers get an odd and unusual thought when the airplane takes off. The stay, the people met, the places explored, adventures, learning of a culture, language and tradition becomes their strongest memory. Some get a patriotic feeling when they leave their homeland even if they are off for a vacation and coming back in some days.

The most amusing part to observe in an airport is when people run to join the line to board a plane when the announcement is made. They do realize that they are to get on the same plane yet hurry. The next is when they are loud and everyone can hear the conversation around them especially when the aircraft lands and they use their phone. It is surprising how people are off gadgets during the time of travel considering the impatience they possess.

One of the saddest parts is experiencing a migrant worker travel. They only know their name, and have no idea what their documents are, where they are heading to, what is the procedure of travel. And at the same time there are officials who do not answer their queries and dominate them. This system should be abolished and the authorized should be given a training to regard each person as an equal. Nonetheless, it is interesting that the passengers travelling together are never distinguished by their creed, caste and color.

I was just thinking how”thinking” is one of the favorite for most of us. Some of us think on a particular topic and get in depth of it, trying to analyze every different aspect of the conversation or the discussion whereas some give it a thought about the everyday activity, things they see, situations that they come across, the surroundings they observe and experiences that they live. There are the rest who do not give it a thought and let situations take control. They are the ones who believe a little more in destiny. The thought process of each one of us is amusing as there could be moments which would strike one’s idea faster while the others will not be affected by it. There are a majority who would share their thoughts and get diverse information and sides of the same subject and there are some who would keep it to themselves. As these thoughts are kept to an individual, the emotions which come after a certain period could be uncanny.What kind of thinker are you?? Have you given a thought to that? I am sure this article will get a lot of thinking around people and make them question about their thought process.

All of us keep thinking in our idle time and also when we are busy (pun intended). Our mind is always occupied and even if there is nothing important which is going on, there are these random thoughts that we never thought would come to us. These feelings might not have a link with each other but they juggle in our mind. There are times when the idea vanishes before we can think about it properly. There is no end to thinking; some are taken to the extent of its action when it comes to a plan. The best is after the accomplishment when the direction towards it is exactly as designed. The worse is when we realize no output after a lot of thinking and energy used in it. We would not call it a waste but maximum are the times when the productivity does not match with the framework prepared.

An explosion of thought can happen anytime. It could be while taking a shower or driving or meditating or while one is on a vacation. It all depends on where we are and the circumstance or at times that is not required too. There are times when one thought leads to the other and so much gets added that one forgets where it all started. All of this gets me quizzical on knowing the best time that you give a thought to different matters, could be small or big. You can answer easily but if you need a little help, let us know when this piece that you are reading will get you thinking.

The other day I heard a series of unfortunate accidents been discussed in the group. I was shocked to hear about incidents where the innocent lives were affected badly. These individuals were not at fault and it was sad to hear them suffer. This has become a common topic of conversation as we keep reading about road accidents in newspapers every day. Who is to be blamed and who is held responsible? Are the careless pedestrians guilty or the reckless drivers wrong or should the fault go to the hasty riders? It is hard to put the blame on anyone and every accident depends on situations involved.

We should be extra careful and take precautions if we are walking or driving the wheels. It is our conscientiousness to analyze and calculate the risks involved. Most of the accidents happen due to speed as individuals are always getting late. No one wants to wait as everyone is in a hurry to reach their destination. It’s amusing how the vicious circle keeps going on. The drivers charge and get mad at the bikers, the way they ride and get their way out from the smallest gaps whereas the riders and drivers hate how pedestrians walk casually. When it comes to the pedestrian’s side of the story, they are annoyed how the riders and drivers do not follow the rules and how walking is a task for them each day. This has been going on for the longest times and to add to the misery there are the public vehicles which are the most irritating ones. The sudden halts, driving in a crazy pace, changing lanes, polluting surroundings with black smoke as they run, carrying double the number of passengers the vehicle can accommodate makes it more infuriating.

In spite of the strict rules and lot of effort by the police, there are cases of drinking and driving. The classes which are to be taken after one doesn’t follow the rules and fines imposed have made an impact among the younger drivers but at the same time, it has not been abolished completely. There are many different rules and laws that are being added for a smoother traffic flow. The traffic is a chaos if officers are not present for even an hour. So on that note, we should be thankful to the men/ women in blue who supervise and track the vehicles and maintain decorum. It is one of the hardest jobs to channelize and regulate the traffic with number of vehicles that we have around town and with no traffic signals. This is a duty which requires them to be on board not considering the weather conditions and the time of the day.

Some officers give in their best and some don’t, but we as responsible citizens need to be extra careful while we get out on the streets. As drivers and riders, we are responsible for ourselves and also for hundreds of people that we cross on our way. Also as pedestrians we should not be crossing the road except zebra crossings and walk on the footpaths and not on the road. It is maddening when people multi-task on their phones while wanting to reach the other end or when drivers use their phone while they should be concentrating on driving. These are small things that we are all aware of but do not follow them. Imagine if each one promises to leave ten minutes early, no one will be speeding and the ratio of accidents will lower, no one will be harmed, including us, all for those “ten minutes”.