Posted by: chipledhunga May 23, 2007
Dolalghatko Machhaa
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आज अन्तिम भाग पस्कँदैछु है।
 
After a brief halt, the bus was running on the 3 km stretch of the highway between लामिडाँडा
and तामाघाट passing through the army barracks (where the infamous Maina Sunuwar incidence occured a couple of years ago) and पाँचखाल.  It was where we had walked along with the school children playing games and singing songs.  I also took the opportunity to glance at the Tamaghat ko pasal which I and another counselor had visited to fetch our evening booze a couple of times.  As the bus slowly ascended from Tinpiple, I could see the Sarbamangala High School which was our camp site.  With some buzz and after-taste still remaining from the beer, I started humming the songs "छेक्यो छेक्यो देउराली डाँडा" and "कुखुरे बैसले आँखा देखेन" that I had learned there for the first time as well as the classic गीती कथा "त्रिवेणी मेलैमा भेट भाको नक्कली केटी" recited there by another fellow counselor from his recent camp in Chitwan in addition to many other songs we sang there.  I also remembered being eventually named "Doctor Saab" for being in charge of the first aid kit during the camp.  Additionally, I remembered the wonderful children we had trained and the evenings of brainstorming and discussing the accomplishments of the day as well as planning agendas for the next day followed by boozing and singing with the fellow counselors.

After a slow ascent of half an hour or so, the bus stopped at a bend right before the check post at Dhulikhel from where passengers were not allowed to sit on the roof.  The bus started moving again after packing everyone inside, and passed through the check post.  After about a more or less of an uneventful hour, I got off the bus at Maitighar and walked home.  It was about 5:30 pm and shortly after that my parents were back from work.
 

त्यसपछि आफ्नै मुर्ख्याइंले गर्दा अलिकति गाली खाइयो।  I had left the bus ticketd and the pebbles on my table.  My mother happened to notice them.  On the ticket (a thin bluish paper perhaps 3 by 3 inches), the conductor had written in barely legible handwriting काठ देखि दोलाल using his striped Mon Ami pen.  Aamaa must have figured out that I went to Dolalghat and brought the pebbles back.  She yelled at me, "एक्लै एक्लै भाँडिएर दोलालघाटसम्म पुगेर आउने!!" भनेर।  Nevertheless, I made the same trip a couple of times on my next visit repeating the same routine of washing hands and visiting the temple at the dobhan, crossing the suspension bridge, having beer and fish back at the bazaar, riding on the rooftop on the way back, cursing the "bhedas" of Lamidanda bazaar, and remembering the wonderful children and days at the camp while humming those songs we sang.  The only difference was that I was careful enough to conceal the proof of travel.


Unfortunately, I have been unable to repeat the trip on my subsequent visits to Nepal.  I do hope to repeat that experience in the earliest available opportunity in the future.

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