Jiri: The Switzerland of Nepal - Wondervibes

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Jiri: The Switzerland of Nepal

Jiri : The Switzerland of Nepal


Nothing can stop the time ticking away as well as a bunch of teenagers who have made a plan for a trip. This is a travelogue of eight teenagers who planned a trip to a unknown land without the consent of their parents.

Me and some of my classmates had made a plan to go to Jiri Village during the mid-session vaccation of last year of our middle school. Though we made independent plan for the trip in the end we had to consult our Parents before leaving the house and getting their permission was the toughest part of our trip. We somehow convinced our parents that we will return safely to home and finally got the permission
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We hired a TATA-SUMO for रु.14000 for two days. My friend Sushil was the one to manage the vehicle. He picked me up from my home at 5:00 in the morning and then we set up the journey. By the time we picked up all my friends it was nearly half past Six O'Clock. After traveling for about 15 KM from Manthali we reached Khimti . We had light snacks there while we waited for our friend to join us. The engine again roared after resting for about 30 minutes and then we didn't stop before reaching Jiri.

We had a great time in the way too. We could see pine trees everywhere in the way to Jiri. We sang song , cracked jokes took photographs of the scenery and planned a lot about the journey onward. We reached Jiri Bazar at noon. One of my friend's uncle who was residing in Jiri had managed breakfast for us. We went to the hospital where he worked. The cook told us that the food will be ready in about 20 minutes . So we decided to be fresh by that time.

We all had been tired when we were inside the vehicle but as soon as we set our foot in the land the blood rushed all the way from our heart to our brains and our toes. We forget all about tiredness when we saw the beautiful views of the green mountains with white crown of snow surrounding the valley. Everywhere we looked , we could see the beautiful creation of nature. Even the cucumber and pumpkin vines attracted us to take photographs. We got down to the flowing river and washed our face and hands. Touching the cold water of the river gave an amazing sensation to my skin. Lying flat on the ground gave us the sensation of lying on heaven .

After enjoying the nature for a while we had breakfast and made our way upto the Jiri Bazar. We had to make plans for accommodation so I made a phone call to one of my friends who had been to Jiri before in order to ask him where had he stayed when he was here. He took the name of "Ramechhap Hotel" which was located in the farthermost corner of the Jiri Bazar. We rented a room with 6 beds for रु 1000 . We took all our luggage inside our room and rested for a while.

After a rest for about half an hour we came out of the room . We had seen a bicycle renting shop while we were searching for the hotel. So we went there and rented some bicycles. Abhinesh, Roshan, Susil, Rajiv and Rupesh went cycling and Om, Me and Anish went to a cafe instead. We ordered coffee and a Hubble-Bubble. We enjoyed the hot coffee in the slightly cold weather and played cards that were lying on the table of the cafe. We spent about 2 hours in the cafe waiting for our friends to return.

My friends said that they had a wonderful time cycling around Jiri . If you ever happen to visit Jiri, don't forget to rent the cycles and go cycling around Jiri. A small amount of money (रु 120 per hour) can give you unlimited amount of happiness .

At about 3 O'clock in the afternoon we decided to go to the hilltop called "Ramailo Dada" (Devanagari: रमाइलो डाँडा) from where we could see almost every part of the Jiri Valley. There were a lot of stairs to climb before we reached to the top of the hill. I actually forgot the count of the stair but it was a huge number. As we ascended from Jiri Bazar , we were once again surrounded by greenery. The green color of Nature always gives me a warm feeling and a positive vibe inside. The positive vibe was made stronger when we reached the Monastery . It was a very peaceful place. There was a hippy who had been living here since the past 3 years. He said that he could attain the peace which he had been seeking here in Jiri. We spent some time in the monastery and then ascended toward the top. It was a very long walk to the top . Though I was very tired, every time I looked around me and saw the beautiful mountain peaks some sort of energy rushed through me and then I walked towards the top hoping to see a more beautiful scenery.

The view from the hilltop was more beautiful than I had expected. We could see the base of the Jiri valley to the top of the mountains at one glance. When we reached the top we forgot everything and started to play with the nature. We rolled on the green ground and we ran here and there . We felt as if we were small children playing on nature's lap.

There was a cheese factory on the top of the next hill which could be seen from the top of the first hill. We made a plan of going to the cheese factory . We begun to ascend towards the cheese factory but the weather did not favor us. Afternoon time in Jiri was not as cold as it felt in the evening. None of us had put our jackets on and we couldn't handle the cold wind. So we canceled our plan and decided to get back to the hotel. We decided to take a different route to go back to the valley. We went across the ground and descended back via next route. Though it took us about and hour and half to reach to the top we reached back to the valley within 20 minutes . We ran down the hill without caring where the path led and it felt so amazing . The cold air hitting our face felt good.

After reaching back to the valley we went to our hotel and grabbed our jackets. We again came back to the bazar. The whole marketplace seemed so welcoming at nighttime due to the gathering of people. Everybody there was friendly with the visitors. We made many friends :) within some hours. We had a wonderful day in Jiri . We spent the whole night playing cards and cracking jokes. When we got to the bed it was already two o'clock. The next morning I woke up at around 5;30 . All of my friends except for the driver were fast asleep. I went up to the hotel and drank coffee. Though I was wearing a thick jacket I was still shivering because of the cold. I went out to the marketplace and ran for some meters so that the blood could flow all around my body and make me warm.

My friends got up at around 6;30 in the morning. We had a debate about whether or not should go to the Jireshowr Mahadev temple. We didn't know anything about the way to the temple so we were in dilemma about whether or not it would be a good decision to go the the temple. The majority was in favour of going there so we set off the drive towards the temple. The roadway led only halfway towards the temple and the rest was foot travel .

If we had canceled the plan of going to the Jireshowr Mahadev temple then we would have missed the most beautiful place in Jiri. It was like a Jiri inside Jiri . After we entered through the welcome door of the temple the world seem to have changed. The plastered staircases were covered in greenish tint because of the moisture. Very little sunlight entered the place and it was more than just amazing. There were tall trees in the rivulet. There was a waterfall in between the two temples and the important shrine was located in the other side of the waterfall. Playing with the water of the waterfall felt amazing. It was  a difficult climb to get to the shrine but we did it. I felt a great feeling of accomplishment when I reached the shrine.

After returning back from the Jireshowr Mahadev temple we had light snacks and decided to move back home. We bought some cheese and Churpi which were the main export of Jiri. All together the experience of Jiri was a lifetime memo.

Jiri is a very beautiful place. I encourage every single individual out there who is reading this article to put Jiri in your bucketlist. Not only for the international tourists but the Nepalese brothers and sisters should also plan a trip to Jiri. I promise that it will make you a prouder Nepali <3 .

Travel Advice:


- A four hour ride from Koteshowr Buspark to Manthali (Travel Fare: रु.500) (*For people coming from Kathmandu)
- A group can hire a Jeep at around रु.14000 to रु.15000 for two days to go to Jiri and come back
- A individual can go to Nayapul and then take a bus to Jiri from there.

Highlights of the Trip

 
- Mesmerizing view of 14 mountains altogether
- Experience of diversified climate within some hundred metes of altitude.
- Tremendous environment made of decorative looking pine trees and sound of various bird species.
- Good sight of green forests and snow decorated

Trip Cost Details 

- It will take around (रु.1000/1500)*2 for bus fare for a individual
- A group can hire a jeep costing around रु. 20000
- Morning and evening meal cost around रु.100 each time
- Room cost are cheap so you will spend only around रु.150 per night

Recommended Materials 

- Warm clothes
- DSLR with wide lens will be best if you love photography but good smartphone can be kept as an option if you are not interested in photography.

Peace Out ✌

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