Plums, Rice Fields, and Bamboo Tunnels

Adventuring around Bungamati

by Eena Shrestha

8 November 2017

Last Sunday we went on a hike to Bungamati. We ate our lunch at 9:30 and left. There were three adults, Pallav, Bhagwati, Sabita. There were four of us who were older Utu, Anita didi, Shila, Tina and there were the three young ones Vidheha, Amulya, and Bishesh.

We had gone by Khokana the week before and did some research on mustard oil but did not have good photographs. Today we would have to get those as well. We stopped by a vegetable garden on the way with mustard plants. We took pictures but none came out too well. Hopefully, we would get to more mustard fields while hiking.

Past Bungamati township which is very old and very important and also has the Machhindranath temple, we got past the proper pitched road and onto the rough road. Because our van cannot do too much rough road, we chose a place where there were beautiful terraces and jungles and got off and started adventuring down into the fields.

I slipped and fell down a terrace and Vidheha was scared to come down so I went back and helped her. The terraces were empty as rice had just been harvested. We soon ran out of a path and figured out the steps that farmers use and jumped down most ways. The purpose was to go through to the forested areas and enjoy some good work out.

The sun was shining and it really was an excellent day for a hike. Soon I heard the word, Kuro in the conversation. Pallav sir, Utu, Bhagwati maam, Anita were all mumbling and grumbling about the Kuro and since they are more experienced, I supposed that Kuro was not all that good.

The path had ended, below us was either a dead end or some planted fields through which we definitely did not want to go in the fear of damaging the harvest ready rice stalks. We turned away from the kuro, the dead ends, the fields and wanted to go through a forest but we could not find a way into a forest without going through thorny bushes.

This was my first real hike and as if the climbs and the jumps had not been intimidating already, Pallav sir wanted to take us right through the thorny bushes, the bamboo groove, and goodness knows where else.

Since the seeds of Kuro could get stuck on your clothes, Utu scouted the area but Pallav sir found a way into the forest before he did. Pallav sir said in the past, he had young people who would be scouts and screen the area before the really young would go in. This was Utu’s first scouting experience, I think. He was really not very good at it.

We entered the forest bending down. It was dark and bushy and I really could not see a path through. Just then, someone found lapsi! Lapsi are also called the hog plum and very popular in Nepal, I believe and certainly very celebrated at Spiny Babbler Evolution. Sabita di, Bhagwati maam and Utu all started talking about having a separate lapsi collection trip.

We started gathering lapsi and Bisesh, Vidheha and Amulya gathered so much that they could barely hold all of them as did Anita, Shila and Tina. While we were looking for the plum here and there in the dark cave like bushes, Pallav sir had disappeared and had taken Utu with him.

We heard his voice and Utu came excitedly calling us to follow him. Hearing the happiness in his voice, I already knew in my heart that whatever was planned was no good. Pallav sir had found a small hole in the dead bamboo pile where we could crawl through and we could not really say we couldn’t do it as he had already crawled through and he is much bigger than us.

     

I followed and then saw what had been found. Like I said, it was not anything good at all. There was this big cliff before us, maybe 18 feet high and Pallav sir was standing there saying, now you go down. I had to take photographs while Utu took off his bag and put his foot down. Pallav sir told him to slide to a tree and hit the brake with his leg on it. They he had to hang on to a branch and swing down. This is a part of a different blog.

All of us, including Vidheha, Amulya, Pallav sir, ended up going down the pretty steep and scary cliff. While I was very nervous doing it, I did feel pretty brave having done it. After all of us got down we went through a small tunnel that was full of thorns so we stepped on them so that the kids would not get hurt. After all of that we had a small break. We were carrying lots of water and water is heavy.

Pallav sir asked that two bottles be taken down and we had to finish all the water so the load for two of us at least would be lighter. Then as we had already done a bit of adventuring, found two huge grapefruit bhogatey that had fallen off a forest tree, we started climbing up back through the terraces.

We took a different path from which we had come. We went sideways into the sun again and then we had a race going up the terraces to the top where there was a haystack. It was a pretty tough climb and Bishesh and Amulya as well as the others did wonderfully well. They got no or very little help and they caught the grasses and pulled their legs over and clambered up.

After reaching the top, we got to another kuro area again. Then we went through the thorny spikey plants that would get stuck on your clothes. We made it through and drank water again. Perhaps to lighten his load, Utu drank far too much water and he felt he was going to puke so he had to lie down for a bit in the really nice wonderful sun on the terraces.

The choice now was to go to the township or back down into the fields and the jungles and forest. Sabita didi said we have the grapefruit and the lapsi and had already gone into the jungle so why again? Pallav sir really wanted to go down and be in the forests again! So down we went past fields of kuro and reached a grass meadow. The grasses were taller than us and very close. We had to push through their flowers and stalks. It was really nice!

Then we reached farmlands again where cauliflowers, mustards had been planted. We found some women farmers who were separating the hay from the rice seeds. We sat with them and talked to them. Then we had a bhogate and shared them with the ladies. They, in turn, offered us some of the very special rice beer that they make in this area only. I kinda liked the taste. Anita and Utu were invited to help them and they did work with the ladies carry rice stalks, taking them and smashing them on the ground to separate the seeds from the stalks.

Shila, Vidheha, I and the others got our flutes out and serenaded the ladies with our

melodies. It was really nice. Bishesh, Vidheha, Amulya, Bhagwati maam lay down on a freshly made haystack and listened to us, ate grapefruit and tasted the rice beer. The area was in the valley and shaded, it was very cool.

Soon Utu got itchy from all the work he was doing and decided that we should go around the fields for a bit to play and it was fun. Two of the ladies went to deliver the heavy sacks of rice seeds while the third asked that we stay with her so she would be safe. We stayed with her playing and enjoying the beautiful day.

     

When the ladies came back, we went down a small path and ended up at a mustard field and Anita and Utu went down there to take pictures. When they came back we were almost at the top of the hill so they ran up to the top.

We stopped by to say hello to some cows in a shed. They were very pretty. Then we came out on a chautara. We were getting tired by now. We met an old man who was bringing goats back home from the day’s feeding. Pallav sir talked to him and we were with him and listened with great interest. The man said he had sold three goats for 14,000, 16,000 and 15,000 and made 45,000 rupees. They were less than two years old.

As we walked on, we talked about how good it was for farmers and what a good life they had here among the fields with animals and birds and many many butterflies. Much better than in an office with windows looking out to other boring buildings. We then had a big break when we reached Bungamati bus park. We ate spicy chatpate and papad. Pallav sir and nanu went to another shop and got cookies and chips. The van came to get us and after dropping off the other kids to a picnic area, we went back to Khokana because we needed to photograph the mustard oil mill we had written about. We met the mill’s president and interviewed him. Please read our mustard oil mill blog to learn more.

When we got back to our friends they were sitting on the porch of a cracked house instead of where we told them to go. We walked to the beautiful wide fields nearby and there was a Nepali high swing made of bamboo and very thick rope! We ate yogurt and chiura beaten rice. We had great potatoes and lots and water. We ran around and played and all the kids got to swing. There was a line of us and the local kids wanting the get on. It was very rickety, I felt, so I myself did not get on. Maybe next time! The sun was setting and the wind began to be chilly. We got on the van and came back to school.