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 .

If you love travelling and exploring new place, time is now,

If you are in love with cities you had never been to, do not wait,

If you are in love with people you had never met, do not hesitate,

If you cannot go to the same destination twice, enter a new boarding gate ~

Travelling energizes, refreshes and gets the best out of you. You exactly get to know when your heart is made to travel and the word wanderlust is not just a word.

Understanding different cultures and meeting people from various parts of the world can be amazing and amusing at the same time. There is so much to learn, so much to love and so much to give. So, do not wait because the list of places to travel is long, as it is “EVERYWHERE”.

It was a Wednesday evening as I got out of Pashupatinath temple after worshiping Lord Shiva. Since the temple was not crowded, I could quickly make my way out towards the parking. As I was heading to the gate, a little girl caught my attention. She asked for money to each passerby on a row. A lady walked in front of me and when she denied several times, she came running towards me and asked for cash. I was not carrying my wallet and usually I give money to the people who cannot help themselves.

As I walked on my normal speed, this little girl did not stop following me. Our walk led us till my bike and my inquisitiveness about her grew more. I wanted to know more about her and how long was she coming to the temple to beg. The conversation of mine started by asking her how much has she collected till now? She said it was 50 rupee in half an hour. What will you do with this money was the next question. She said the collection of money will buy her family dinner. The questions did not stop and I was taken aback when I got to know her sister who was seven was also in the premises of the temple asking for money.

She added that her mother prepared the food in spite of being ill and her dad had a drinking problem. I enquired about how much they collect in total. She did the calculation pretty fast and said it was around 200 in an hour on an evening. The fast calculation made me ask her about her school and subjects as she seemed very bright in maths. She said she went to school at Gaushala and earned her and her sisters tuition fees by herself.

I was amazed to hear that. A girl who is ten years old was taking care of her family, paying for her education and making her sister study. It was overwhelming to hear. She said on the day of Nepali New Year, she collected 2000 Rs as she sat in front of Guheswori temple. This is how she paid her school fees.

It was time for her to leave as she and her sister went back home with one of the members who stayed around Tilganga area. I wanted to see where her mother was, how did they stay and was that for real?? I asked her on what she wanted except money and she answered books. I promised her that I would meet her again on Sunday with another friend.

As I drove back with a name, that smile and a lot of thoughts in my mind I could not sleep thinking about the whole situation that she was going through. I discussed it with my uncle and many other friends. I wanted to meet her soon and get to know the reality.

I felt pity on the kids of this generation who did not value the smaller things in life and had no idea about what is happening around the world.

As promised I went on Sunday, but unfortunately I could not meet her. As we went around asking her name, the other kids got around us and we treated them with some chips and juices.I do not know if her story was true, if she went to school, if she paid her tuition fees or she had a sister, but all I know is there are many other like her who want to go to school, learn and not ask for money all their life.

The line which is frequently used: – the grass is greener on the other side stands totally true. Each one of us want things that do not belong to us; we love to follow traditions that seem more interesting. The amusing part is people from different cultures like the other culture. For example, westerners love the Hindu weddings and many Hindus love the Christian wedding. As much as the traditions and customs are declining there are people who love to experiment. People try new things when they are not abiding by the culture. I experienced this when a set of friends from abroad wanted to get piercing done.

They were deciding where each one of them wanted piercing. Most of them wanted to get their nose pierced while it was not fascinating for me. We discussed about belly piercing and people vouched that it does not pain after a month once it heals.

They were surprised to know that the ears of a kid are pierced on a size of a dot at a very your age in Hindu tradition. As I answered several questions for them, it made me realize the innocence of kids and how they would not understand on what is happening during the process of piercing.

Since I had seen many members around me with nose pierced, I never looked forward to it while I was a child. Piercings can be done at the most interesting places in the body as tattoos can. The only difference is the inking remains permanent while the pierce shuts off if one does not wear an ornament. To hear the various piercing stories have always been fun and I had fancied on getting one since a long time. My list had “anywhere in the body” except nose.

Since I had not decided where I wanted the piercing, it never happened. The plan got postponed time and again, and the options where I could get one kept on rising. After choosing from the several spots, I knew exactly where I wanted to get it done.

The experience of getting anything done for the first time is filled with excitement and nervousness at the same time. I had no idea on what equipment would be used as I was set for the piercing at the studio. It was just a pinch as the piercing through a needle got over in no time. The ears did become red and still hurts a bit while I happen to touch it when it’s almost three weeks now.

The events at The KTM Drive are so much fun and spending time with kids make us realize once again how we take the smallest things granted in life. The last two events were at Disable Rehabilitation Centre and Disable Newlife Centre. Both these places have around 45 differently able kids each. The structure and facilities at these centres are not the same but the experiences that we had with these children were similar and amazing.

We arranged for sketch books and crayons for the kids, and made them draw on a
Saturday morning at DRC. Some loved drawing, some did not know what to make while some kids made the members draw for them as they coloured. The creative images made by the children of different ages who were differently able were worth the praise. There was this little kid who drew how humans pollute the surroundings and the other girl made a house which was destroyed during earthquake and was being built. On asking her she said “The house will be built soon as our hearts are still strong”. These words not only got a smile but made us feel how positive and hopeful we should be in life. Some others who did not want to colour, we made them write jokes and poems.

The kids were enjoying the activities as much as we loved it. We gave juices and biscuits and then it was play time. As we had gotten darts, football, frisbee and housie, the kids formed groups among them to play the game they wanted. The older ones were wishing their numbers to be called out on the bingo while the younger ones compete on their aim on dart. The little girls loved playing Frisbee. As we spoke about the coming session and their tuition fees with the management we hope that we can find sponsors for five kids for this year.

We were waiting for the event at DNC since the longest. Imagine the one gift that we have wanted and it being fulfilled by someone gets in the broadest smile for us. The feeling was similar as we fulfilled the wishes of differently able kids. Their wishes were things we could have never asked for or imagined. They wanted sketch pads, geometry box, hair band, ball, story books, and cycle. We got a car instead of a cycle and the fun part was when the toy car was given to the kid. They loved their gifts and invited us for a game of football. Their love for music was extra ordinary.

There has been a connection with these kids as we had number of events with them:- Kite flying session, drawing, plantation. It is hard to remember their names but it is easier to remember their emotions. We made them play a round of housie. As we taught them how to play they were really excited and were looking forward for the gifts for the winner. The day ended with ice-cream treats for all on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The events went more amazing as we were sponsored by For Education Foundation bringing smiles to kids each day.