We were a group of eight, but with one of the so-called guides from our bus tagging along, we’d now become nine!
Our first destination was Raju Hotel, a place most of you guys probably know about. Even a politician we had met the eariler day had called ahead to confirm our booking here.
Don’t know if he genuinely wanted to help or if it was just for some commission—let it be.
Finally, the eight of us started our journey, totally unaware that this trip would become an experience of a lifetime.
Meeting strangers and turning into friends in such a remote place—it’s like something out of a movie, right? It’s the kind of thing you or I would probably just daydream about, but this time, it actually happened.
Maybe all the plans we postponed were meant to lead us here. Arjun’s famous line from ZNMD came to mind: “Sab likha hua hai.” That phrase would echo through the entire trip.
The original phrase had come up when the ladies had asked the driver, who was driving continuously for two days without any sleep. He pointed a finger to his head and replied, “Yahaan lekhya cha vane nindra aaucha, haina vane aaudaina.”
Even though we were now a group of eight, we hadn’t really bonded yet. We kept going, clicking photos along the way.
Up front, our beloved Anup Sir was with the guide, taking incredible shots with his Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Everything was going smoothly. We got our tickets from the checkpost (just Rs. 100 per person) and continued our hike.
Of course, I was dancing along the way and clicking videos for my reels. All of a sudden, we came across a landslide zone.
I spoke to myself, “Yeh videos aur vlogs mein kahan tha be?” Rocks were actually falling since it was the afternoon and the wind was in full force.
Anup Sir and the guide had already crossed, but they later told us they were nearly hit by a rock!
One detail I forgot to mention: me, Ram, and Samundra were in our flip-flops! “Chewing gum chapaudai, chappal pakdaudai,” we joked, carefully finding our way through.
Just as we were about to cross, some pretty big rocks fell. We were like, should we go back or wait? The answer, of course, was to wait. But for how long?
I remembered a video from Tilicho that said you need teamwork in such situations—two people at a time!
So, there we were, five of us waiting. Ram and I went first. I signaled to Samundra and the ladies to wait for my cue.
Ram managed to jump across quickly. I got stuck in the middle, looking up to see small rocks falling down and glancing down to see the river calling, “Aaja beta, tuje lejati hu.”
No proper foothold. The guys were already waiting right behind me, so I had to make a move fast. I jumped, and so did everyone else.
We were all safe. It was an adventure we hadn’t expected, with laughter we hadn’t imagined sharing, and a sense of accomplishment we couldn’t put into words.
We continued onward as it started getting dark. Anup Sir and the guide had already reached Raju Hotel and made the arrangements for us. The five of us arrived, and our doctor friends were still on their way.
With no proper sleep the night before, we were all ready to crash, and honestly, the room exceeded our expectations. Three king-size beds for the five of us (including the guide who joined us)—“Ghode bech kar sosakte thein!”
But come on, who sleeps early on the first night? It was time to socialize, especially with our four new friends.
Raju, the hotel’s owner, was a young guy and surprisingly popular. The ladies had already hit it off with him.
Since we were on a budget trip, we had brought along a carton of chow chow and asked Raju to cook some of it for us.
That night, we enjoyed an amazing bonfire (sorry, Raju, for burning some of your precious firewood). We laughed, shared stories from the bus, and finally introduced ourselves:
- Bhishu: That’s me, the one writing this story.
- Anup Sir: My colleague, though he missed this party and went to bed early after a sleepless night. We’ve done some amazing things together these past few months.
- Samundra: My college buddy who speaks at random, gets grumpy when hungry, and always comes to me whenever he wants to travel. He’s an incredible friend, even if he starts babbling—especially when he’s drunk.
- Ram: The “Mugling guy.” We became friends recently after he joined the office. Loves to travel, has been to most districts in Nepal, and is amazingly polite (no kharab bani found yet).
- Nisha: My hiking buddy on this trip whom I also gave the nickname “dhakal ji“.
- Binita Didi: We didn’t realize just how energetic she was until the end of this trip. She kept the group together while her baby was at home.
- Sahil: One of the future doctors, recognized as the group’s “slow walker,” but after taking some meds on the last day, he was practically flying. A cool guy who bonded with us in no time.
- Prashosan: Our second future doctor. He’s polite, loves to walk, vibes with nature, and even joined in on our dances. We made tons of memories together, and I’m sure there’s more in store on our next trip.
We hadn’t yet met the ninth member, so his introduction shall come later.
One downside to the Lower Dolpa region is that there’s no network, so calling home was out of the question.
But Samundra, who’d watched a vlog, told us there was one tree with network. To our surprise, he was right! The guys were ready to climb it to let their families know they were safe.
As for me, I had already told my mom about possible network issues, so I was unbothered—I was on this trip to rediscover myself. The past few months had been rough, and I wanted a fresh start. This Phoksundo trip felt like just that.
We were almost ready to leave when Raju joined the party, adding his own vibe to the night.
He started telling us about Dolpa’s culture. In some parts, it’s like those movies where “kta harule mann pareko kt chopera lane”—guys capture the girl they like.
And yes, it’s still happening in Dolpa. The thing is, once a girl’s taken, no one else will ever look at her. She’s trapped, with no choice of her own, locked into a life she never asked for. Imagine what it would be like to be in that situation.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but reflect on how girls in urban areas have freedoms that are often denied to girls here.
These girls don’t even get to choose their partners, instead being forced into things they never imagined.
We could all place ourselves in their shoes and wonder what that would feel like. Even as a guy, just imagining being born as a girl and captured by some random dude sent shivers down my spine.
This isn’t just about gender, though—it’s about harmful cultural traditions that persist through time. There are good men and bad women, just as there are bad men and good women. It’s about stopping the wrong kind of culture from continuing.
Raju also shared some positives, though: young people in Dolpa are challenging these traditions and raising their voices, showing that change is slowly coming.
With that, we called it a night—a night of bonding, nonsense talks, laughter, and the excitement of meeting new people in a place where barely anyone knew us.
We were so thrilled that we were even imagining trips to Rara and Mustang together. It was only the first of many nights.
Finally, we promised to wake up early and start the trek together. Tomorrow was going to be another fun day, one filled with new challenges, more people to meet, and maybe a few surprises we never saw coming.
Recommended Reading: How to reach Dolpa from Kathmandu? Bus details here
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