Traveling To Escape

Published On: March 22, 2019 09:47 AM NPT By: Rakshya Khadka


Rakshya Shrestha attests to being studious. She did well in school and chose to study mechanical engineering. Although she loves her subject and decided to become an engineer at a very young age, the pressure gets to her every now and then. And this is where traveling comes in for her. Over the last three years, Shrestha has hiked through all the trails in Kathmandu and gone on long treks, most notably Gosaikunda. She often travels with small groups of friends and also ventures out solo. 

Born and raised in Palpa, Shrestha was never the one with an air for travel. Mere bus rides gave her motion sickness so she avoided traveling anywhere altogether. But she joined high school in Pokhara so traveling became inevitable. Concerned about her health, her father made the long ride from Palpa to Pokhara on his bike to drop and fetch her. Shrestha appreciated his efforts but eventually felt burdened and decided that she would make the whole trip herself henceforth.

So she boarded large tourist buses and started traveling from Palpa to Pokhara and back by herself. “It was uncomfortable at the beginning but my bus companions made the trips unforgettable. I suppose people feel the need to make solo travelers comfortable. That worked out in my favor, everyone was really nice and warm,” says Shrestha. 

It was on these rides that seasoned travelers shared with her their travel stories. Of walking difficult trails in unflattering conditions, of beautiful sunsets, they told her funny stories and informed her of the thousands of places she could visit. Hearing them made Shrestha want to travel so she began from where she could. Because she was living in Pokhara, she had hundreds of places she could start with. So, along with her friends, she started hiking to Sarangkot, the World Peace Stupa and all the major trails in Pokhara. The more she hiked the more she wanted to. “In fact I often told myself that I had to come back, but alone. The experience is always different,” she says.

Because she always took photos she ended up with many pictures on her phone so she decided to post them. She opened an Instagram account (her_travel_diaries) as a photo journal of her escapades and also to share her experiences. When she came to Kathmandu for preparatory classes she kept her traveling streak going. She would travel anytime she got a break, adjusted her routines as well to allow for traveling. Many trails she hiked with her friends, some she hiked alone. 

“I travel with very less preparation. I search for the starting point and that’s it. That’s the thing with traveling. You don’t think much, you just walk. You’ll eventually find people along the way to help you navigate the route,” she shares. Now that she has joined engineering classes, traveling isn’t easy. But you can always make time for things you really want to do, she asserts. Shrestha especially goes on long treks during the two month Dashain/Tihar break and hikes around Kathmandu during the weekend. 

Shrestha says that she has come to this point where if she’s in a room, she feels the need to get away. Staying still and in a room are impossible for her now. Just recently she trekked to Gosaikunda with two of her friends, on a whim really. Their plans to travel to Mardi Himal had been cancelled due to scheduling problems so they didn’t go anywhere in their two month vacation. But once their term was finished, there were too many holidays so they decided to make use of it. When they decided to go to Gosaikunda, they immediately bought the essentials and the tickets for it.

They were to leave the next day.

Their fellow travelers were surprised to see just the three of them. They warned them of muggers and suggested that they carry a knife and torch light. The full gravity of their undertaking hit them then. But the trip, although very difficult, was a success anyway. Surrounded by giants (as Shrestha calls the mountains) and amidst all the naturalness, Shrestha felt at peace.

“I have a thing for sunsets and the sunset I saw that evening in Gosaikundawas the most majestic thing ever,” recalls Shrestha. The trek to Gosaikunda was her first long adventure and the most memorable. She may have traveled with limited information and on a tight budget but she made unexpected friends, watched the most glorious sunset in her life, missed a bus to Kathmandu and spent wonderful nights by the bonfire dancing and laughing. The same happened in Kalinchowk which she visited just a few weeks ago. For someone who had never seen snow, Kalinchowk was a dream come true.

Shrestha shares that one shouldn’t get too caught up with the logistics when traveling. “It is okay to go to Mustang even now. Don’t wait for Dashain. You should go wherever you want to even if it’s off season. The experience will be different every time,” she says. Shrestha’s also learnt a few tricks of her own during her travels. She noticed that most people tend to make hiking a race, burning themselves out very fast. Foreign travelers start off slow but reach the top the first. “It’s because they walk slowly but never stop, I learnt of this from them,” she says. Bargaining is another trick that will get anyone far without incurring huge expenses. Be persistent, she adds.

Traveling has been a confidence booster for Shrestha. “Because I travel so frequently and often alone, I think I have the ability to do everything else as well. Everyone should give it a try,” she concludes.




Leave A Comment