Travel Notes from Sankhu, Nepal

Back in the days, there was no In Drive to book a driver. You just hail a taxi cab in one of the many busy streets of Thamel and pray that you get a nice driver. Well, everyone’s nice here in Nepal. Never had a problem. Now, going from point A to B has become painless. Last time, i was going over my draft itinerary trying to figure out where i will go today. I am sleeping overnight in the mountains outside of Kathmandu, and Sankhu is on the way. I might as well pay a visit. 

I’ve been reading my past blog entries and Sankhu has been mentioned countless number of times. It’s one of the most highly recommended places to go to in the Kathmandu Valley, and yet i haven’t been there. What the heck. Reading my travel notes, i reckon it’s either i missed the bus going there or i am losing sunlight to go back to Kathmandu that’s why i always forego the trip there. This time around, i surely made time.

Raj Baruwal was my driver for the day. He will take me to Sankhu first. If the taxi cab i rode before was bad, today was worse. The white Maruti Suzuki i rode today should retire. It’s that bad. My driver didn’t speak any English, but was very polite, timid and shy. He’s quite aggressive as a driver, and very eager to tour me around. I was actually surprised later on because i thought he would just drive - not realizing he’s willing to guide me all day.

The route took me to Boudhanath Road again, where it’s traffic and polluted. But once you’ve passed by the area, the trip becomes faster and the mountain ranges appear from the horizon. You’ll feel as if everything’s already moving fast. I am still trying to study the route the driver took to Sankhu because all in all, it took us about an hour to reach the place. We surely were in for a treat. 

There must be a festival of some sort because throngs upon throngs of people come and go to the Vajra Yogini Temple. Later on, i found out that it’s the Madhav Narayan Festival. The driver told me he would come with me which again is a nice gesture. With too many people going in, this chap helped me in the maze going to the temple. I took about a thousand photos because festivals in Nepal are a different league. If you can, time your visit during one. You won’t be disappointed. Later on, i realized that all throughout this particular trip, there’s always a festival wherever i am going.

Even for a non-Hindu, this visit has become a meaningful, albeit unforgettable. Coming from the Philippines, and even for Asia, a Hindu festival is always mind blowing. One thing i enjoyed during the trip was observing life as it happens. Walk around, look around. There were many people bathing in the holy river, lighting butter candles, worshipping the Hindu gods, asking for blessings from Sadhus. The infinite sound of drums and bells, the chatters and clapping still ring in my ear as i type this. 

As i look back, it must be the right timing for me to visit Sankhu. Reading about it the other night, i thought it’s a sleepy and quiet town. Well, after today, it was the exact opposite. Today reminds me of Diwali which i was lucky to experience in Varanasi in India back in 2011, only today was daytime. I realized there are really so many Hindu festivals, and the interest is growing on me. More festivals to visit soon, perhaps. 

Upon further research, i discovered that in India celebrating the same festival, and about 30 people died during a stampede. Truly a heartbreaking news. At Sankhu, heaps of people gathered and for a bit, i got worried that there might be too many people around. But once you see the police manning the place, it’ll keep you calm.

Back to Raj Baruwal who takes the worse photos. Sorry dude! But when i take his photos, it’s always perfect. Now that i think about it, maybe it’s a sign for me to stop taking selfies or asking some to take my photos. Instead, i should just take photos of places and people. This has more meaning. You don’t always have to be the center of attention of your world. It’s not always about you. You see, you get lessons from anywhere and everywhere, if you only look with eyes wide open.

He made a sign, holding his pinky finger which means he wants to go to the toilet. I never heard of that. Earlier, he didn’t even drink water when i offered to buy him one. Today, i am in a limbo. I don’t know which made a more lasting impression to me — Sankhu and the Madhav Narayan Festival or my driver / guide - Raj Baruwal.

In In Drive, you can check how many kilometers the ride was, and it’s 103.5 Kilometers in total. Wow! It seems paying 4,785 Nepalese Rupees for the ride to Sankhu and my final destination for the day was such a bargain.