Day 4: Indrasthan to Kakani
6:00 am – 6:00 pm (Wednesday. April 14, 2010)
9
Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
And it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
And your heart will never unclench.
Care about people’s approval
And you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.
Indrasthan to Nagarjun (Click to enlarge)
Sunrise from Indrasthan. Kathmandu sleeping under a blanket of fog.
To get to Nagarjun forest (now a part of Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park) from Indrasthan one has to take the dirt road that approaches Indrasthan from the north. Climb down to the road from the bamboo clumps and continue along this dirt road past Girigau village (the village is so named as all the people living in this village has Girias their last name).
This dirt road passes through reforested pine forest near the top and then through habitation.
You should come to metalled road in less than an hour. If you take right, it will take you to Sitapaila (just south-west of Swayambhunath) and if you take left it goes past Bhimdhunga Bhanjyang to Deurali. Take left here and once past Bhimdhunga Bhanjyang where the road starts to go downhill keep an eye out to the right for a dirt road. Take the first dirt road itself. This dirt roads snakes through the hill at incredible climbs to reach Thaple in about an hour. You should encounter the wall protecting the forest along the road. A little more climb through a trail should bring you to an army camp. There are no ticket counters for the national park here. You should arrange for these beforehand. Inside past the helipad, you should come to a motorable road of the national park. If you take left it passes through one of the most beautiful forests in Kathmandu and will bring you to Mudkhu Gate in around 2 hours. You will however miss Jamacho, the top of Nagarjun Hill. Taking right, the road passes through good forest and a very pleasant walk as the climb is almost imperceptible. After around half an hour, the road merges with another road that comes from Phoolbari Entrance gate (ticket counters available here) and climbs Jamacho. Take left at the intersection and another half hour should bring you to Jamacho.
Stupa of Guru Padmasambhava at Jamacho
There is a stupa dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava (the lotus born) also known as Guru Rinpoche (precious guru) in Tibet. Hindus and Buddhists alike come to this shrine to pay homage to the guru on Baishak 1, the Nepali New Year.
There is a view tower and campsites here. However, due to the garbage at the top, it is frequented by wild boars at night.
One can take one of several routes to get down from the top. There is a wide trail that separates from the road just below the top and goes stop the ridge to the east of the top. The trail is mostly through reforested pine forests. Or one can walk back the way one came and take the road to Mudkhu Entrance. This road, though extremely long is extremely interesting from a natural history perspective. It is also possible to walk down the road to Phoolbari Gate. However, this option lacks both brevity and flavor.
Once on the metalled road to Trishuli it is advisable to take a bus to Kakani. Buses leave frequently from Balaju bypass to Kakani. There are numerous restaurants along the way. The ride on this road is an adventure in itself, as the road is a single lane road. Once near Kakani you should come to eateries offering trouts. There are also places where you can fish for them. It can take anywhere from one and a half to two and a half hours to get to Kakani from Balaju. At Kakani there are half a dozen lodges. To the east of the British ambassador’s bungalow (right next to Tara Gaon Hotel) there are campsites too. However, the best place to camp in Kakani has got to be the International Scout Training Center that lies at the end of the road. It is a very well kept area far off from the bustle of central Kakani and it also has beautiful views to the mountains to the north. However, it is not everyday that one gets to camp here. It is advisable to check beforehand. Tickets to Shivapuri are also issued here. However, it is not until 8:00 am that the ticket counter opens (as opposed to 5:00 am at Panimuhan, Budhanilkantha). It might make sense to get the tickets a day prior here.
International Scout Training Center, Kakani
International Scout Training Center, Kakani
International Scout Training Center, Kakani
Sunset over the telecommunication tower at Kakani.
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Personal Notes:
Came down to Girigau frm Indradaha. Filled up water bottles. Finally got to brush teeth. Breafast at a local teashop with Madhav Giri. Got on the road coming from Kathmandu at Bhimdhunga. Walked up to Thaple. Walk pretty steep. Got to the army camp above Thaple (Sunargau) at around 9:00 am. The incharge in there Mr. Dipesh Shah agreed to let us enter without tickets. After the weird VDC roads with the most ridiculous slopes every imaginable, it was a great respite to walk on the gentle slopes of the Nagarjun Road. Beautiful forest. Great walk. Got to the junction and then off to the top around 11:00am. Was a new years fest at the top with a lot of people at the Padmasambhava Shrine. Came down the E-W main ridgeline of Nagarjun. Interestingly after all that bushwhacking in Chandragiri Range got lost in Nagarjun. Trails being turned at steps @ Nagarjun. Lower part complete. Sucked. Got down around 1:00 pm. Came back to Bajalu bypass to board a bus to Kakani. Ride on the roof was good. Got to Kakani around 6:00 pm after boarding the bus at 4:00 pm. Very narrow road. The bus almost crashed into a whole lot of other vehicles. Balaju bypass- Ranipauwa – Kakani. Lot of timber stacked net to the road near Ranipauwa. Kakani filled with people, lot of them. Camped at the Scout International Training Center. Dinesh Lama. Very well made, neat place. Very good gundruk ko achar at a place we ate. Beautiful night sky. Went to bed at 10:00 pm
Animals/Birds seen: Lot of steppe eage on the way to Kakani. Peregrine Falcon.
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