Random hits on the keyboard

Not an extraordinary weekend, but a simple and joyful time. My morning began, as it often does, on the road. I had a nearly 20 km run. As the saying goes in Kathmandu , "All roads lead to temples", so I found myself running past many of them,  Pashupatinath Temple , Naxal Bhagwati Temple , and Aakash Bhairav Temple , among others. It was the nicest way to start the weekend. After reaching home, we discussed lunch and decided, with a two-thirds majority vote, to drive toward the hills for lunch. The path led to the Dakshinkali Temple route. Passing the winding roads, ahead of Chovar, there were a few restaurants built along the cliffs, looking down toward the Bagmati River . To the north, there was a wide view of the valley. That day, sadly, the Himalayas were shy, hiding behind the clouds. Although there was a nice resort nearby, we wanted to enjoy lunch at a small local restaurant. Choosing one among four or five was not easy, as we were unsure about the quality. My son qu...

Okay, okay! I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that I am thinking of nothing else but running. Many of my blogs are about running. And you wouldn’t be entirely wrong—though not entirely right either. Currently, many things are going on. Pre-festive office work and end-of-year deadlines have piled up with their own urgency. Feast and festivals arrive one after another, and the kids, with their homework and their deadlines, are priorities among the priorities. And yet, somewhere between all of this, I managed to steal a few hours for myself, to have a long run on the weekend. This week, I chose to continue where I left last week, Tika Bhairav - Dakchankali route.  I started running from home toward Tika Bhairav, and picking up the trail from where I had left it last time. By then, I had already covered about 11 kilometres. From there, I joined the trail running route of the Manjushree Valley Rim. Compared to last week, the hills felt gentler (or maybe I am stronger). The ...

I decided to go to Dakchinali on Saturday. Friday night was a bit of 'Friday night' - a few pegs and I was on Pathau to drive home. I woke up a few times at night, waiting for the morning. Finally, it was four and I was ready. I took the Bhaisepati trail - it was dark and dogs were looking at me suspiciously. The GPS app was set wrongly and showed me the long vehicle route. I had to return, about a km back to the dusty, dark and empty road. Down from Baisepati towards MagarGaou to Khokana and Bagmati river. Passing by the paddy field was full of nostalgia, the smell of wheatfield and the chilling air rewind my good memories to those good old days. I was enjoying the narrow routes, a suspension bridge, uphills and downhills and chautari.  The smell of the Bagmati River was awful. The sin of the sinners in Kathmandu was evident. The river has turned sewerage, which is open. All the devotees visiting Pashupati have no meaning. The planners of Kathmandu Valley are naked.  Ok, on t...