There are two more items in Ilam’s menu of sightseeing: Thumke, the hill in Naya Bazaar, which is also a Red Panda habitat, one of the endangered species of the Himalaya. The new hill station is also the place for viewing beautiful sunrise while observing the activities of the shy animals in one go.[break]
Earlier, four hills – Sri Antu Danda, Chhintapu, Sandakpur (Sandakphu in Lepcha), and Siddhithumka of the district were famous destinations to observe sunrise and sunset.
We reached the new destination a month ago. Our seven-member team reached Naya Bazaar after two hours of drive on the fair-weather road from Ilam Bazaar. Naya Bazaar is to the northeast of Ilam Bazaar.
It was already 8 o’clock in the evening of a chilly winter day, and we went to bed after having dinner. I shared the bed with Dharma Gautam, a senior journalist, and Umesh Gurung, another journalist. Being the smallest and youngest member, I slept in the middle.
“Wake up!” Dharma Sir said. Getting out of the blanket in the chilly winter morning was the most difficult thing for me. Anyway, I managed to brush my teeth and wash my face. By then, a jeep for the rough road was ready to take us to Thumke, a hill, located five kilometers away from Naya Bazaar.
Superb views of sunrise can be seen from here in September and October. But it was January, and viewing the sunrise is chancy due to mists. In 15 minutes, we were atop Thumke. A crowd was already there, waiting eagerly for the sunrise. We also joined them.
We saw red lines on the far horizon, a sign of the sun rising.
“I’m absolutely lucky at my age to view I (Sun God) rising,” whispered an octogenarian woman to her friends. The sun rose, slowly from the base of the mountain. It looked like a beautiful red ball. We did enjoy the sight though it wasn’t as good as those we had observed earlier from other hills.
After the sunrise, the formal programs began. Speeches were delivered on the plans to develop the site as a new tourist destination. Personally, I was rather greatly impressed by the beautiful landscapes. I saw the Sherpa hotel of Sandakphu, a popular destination for closer views of the eastern Himalayan peaks and sunrise.
“Look, that’s Chintappu, and there are Mabu, Pyang, Mai Pokhari, and Ilam Bazzar.” Freelance Bishnu Kafle showed me the beautiful places of Ilam District.
Umesh Gurung and Khagendra Sapkota were busy airing a live program for Ilam FM, a local radio station in Ilam Bazaar.
The local team had arranged our meal at Thumke. It was like a picnic. After enjoying it, we rested as we were tired. Meanwhile, I heard, “Kanchha, hurry up!” Umesh gestured at me to run to the parked van and said, “They’ve tracked the red pandas, so we must be there in 15 minutes.” It was 1:30 pm and we headed to the vehicle.
We reached the entrance of the Choyatar Community forest where Red Pandas are a protected species under the Red Panda Network Nepal (RPN). Choyatar has a women-led community forest. We headed to a small alley, which was quite steep. After 10 minutes of walk in the dense forest, we saw watchman Shyam Tiwari waiting for us.
And after a couple of minutes of steep walk, he pointed to a tree where a dazzling, small, red-and-black-patched white-faced panda was sitting still on a branch. We started taking photos. Due to the crackling sounds of the bushes and dry leaves, the Red Panda climbed up to a higher branch and opened its mouth and stuck its tongue out at us.
After viewing it for 20 minutes, we returned to our hotel.
“We have five pairs in the forest,” said Gopika Gurung. “We’ve planted bamboo and I (Schefflera impressa) for their food.”
The nocturnal and crepuscular Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List (2009). In Ilam, it is found in Maimajhuwa, Mabu, Jamuna, and Jogmai villages. It is also found in the neighboring regions of eastern China, north India, Bhutan, and northern Myanmar.
Red Pandas are solitary animals except during the breeding season. It eats mostly bamboo shoots. Its diet consists of about two-thirds bamboo, but it also eats berries, fruits, mushrooms, roots, acorns, lichen, and grass.
In captivity, it readily eats meat. The Red Panda is an excellent climber, and forages largely in trees. It does little else than eating and sleeping due to its low-calorie diet.
That, in sum, is what Ilam is all about. More surprises and discoveries await visitors in Nepal’s “Paradise of the East.”
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