Man on a Mission~ Amrit Gurung

Amrit Gurung, the man who has travelled over 70 districts in Nepal, most of them on foot shares his travel diaries.

Traveling, it feels like a middle name to me. I love traveling and if you are looking for a reason for why I travel so much, I really don’t have any! The things I see, hear and understand while on a trip are awesome and nothing compares to that feeling.  I started by traveling a little since childhood. Being a Gurung, we have a tradition of traveling and walking all the way to see our relatives. But my real travels started from 1984 which was a small trek to Yangjakot that wasn’t planned. I may not remember the math formulae I studied during my school days but I remember every face clearly and the tiniest of details by heart till date. And after that short trek, there was no stopping my travel diaries.

I asked inquisitively, “What are the places you have not been to then? Visiting 70 districts is something wonderful!”  He answered with a smile, “Why not ask me where I have visited first?” Talking about my favorite places, Nepal is so beautiful that one life is not enough if you want to see all of it. You will need another life if you really want to travel through the whole of Nepal. It’s a beautiful country and the people are beautiful with diverse features and the various Nepali languages spoken all over the country amused me. As a child, I always had an interest in geography but studying about Nepal in text books and seeing it in real life does make a difference. 

Talking about my trips, some made me ecstatic and made me jump up a feet high while some things drove me close to tears. I will tell you about trips to the  Himalayas because they have been much loved and walking between them make you feel like a yeti!   While walking to Humla once, we came across a place called Hilsa which is right next to the Humla Karnali River which acts as a border to Tibet. The police check post there is situated in a local hotel while there has never been a health post here.  Across the border is a small village in Tibet, Taklakot. People cross the river using an ill maintained bridge that could break down any time and as soon as you cross the bridge, you will see a black-topped road with trucks, jeeps, and busses lined up and Chinese soldiers dressed in smart uniforms providing high security at the checkpoint. Isn’t this the same world we are all living in? Why are we so under developed? We are both human beings, we eat the same food; we have the same blood running down our veins.  The only difference we have here is political leaders and the Government. This is the situation of the country- The geographical features are beautifuland the political/social issues are devastating. We claim to have the second highest resources in water. We do, but has that been utilized properly? While travelling I was shocked to see water everywhere, but people are dying of thirst. Why is that happening? Do we call it lack of system and technology or just lazy manpower?

Just to change the topic, I popped up with a random question, “So what are your favorite places?” He responds, “If I start telling you about my favorite places, Living Magazine will run out of spaces and you will have to print a magazine exclusively for my travel tales!”  Talking about beautiful places in Nepal, it is spread all over. If you want to go on foot, the Himalayas would be the best and if by car, riding through the Terai would be breathtaking.

While travelling, I came across a village that promoted Polyandry marriage. Larke, which is a neighbouring district to Kathmandu, has such practices while people are shouting out slogans for Land Reforms and Anthropology in Kathmandu.  From my travel experiences, there are times when you feel like asking yourself, “Am I in Nepal?” Because it is so beautiful and every picture you take could be published in the National Geographic Magazine.  If you take the same trail, you will reach Annapurna Sanctuary which is also known as the world’s best trekking trials. And this has been my personal favourite for the tasty pizzas, steaks and internet connection available there unlike other places. I would love to have travelled alone but after Kanak Dixit’s accident, my colleagues don’t allow me to do so and I travel with porters and friends. 

The Forbidden Valley in Mustang is like a desert, a Tibetean plateau where you have to hunt for people. The only visible people there are old people grazing their cattle. From the outside, the place looks like nothing but once you are inside a person’s house, you will see that every house has a Gumba of its own. And what you look for, there are high chances that you will get it only if you have cash. During my stay there, I even wrote a song called, “Yesto Thauma” where I sing about the life in this trans-Himalayan region which is very harsh. I wrote it out of respect for the hardship and tolerance of people of Mustang living closely with nature. One of my favourite places in Nepal is the place which has been featured in the movie Caravan as well, Phoksundo Taal which is a dead lake. It is so beautiful that I can assure you  that anyone who visits that place will be mesmerized by its beauty. Personally, I feel Caravan movie has portrayed the beauty of Nepal better than any promotional video ever made.

If I have to give advice to the Tourism Board of Nepal, -instead of making plans for NTY 2011, they should first try to see what problems prevail all over Nepal- from roads, to water problems to employment and what not? I cannot go to places as a tourist and be happy about places, take pictures and smile all the time; I am a Nepali and seeing my country in such a devastated state makes me want to cry but doing so too would not solve anything.  If you are making plans, try implementing them first rather than jumping to another new plan.