Tour Guide, Pokhara, Nepal
| 5 mins read
Not that far from Pokhara metropolitan city, a small Gurung village called #Mirsa living in the lap of the foothills of Machhapuchre and Mardi Himal, surrounded by lush green forest. Beside it, there is the famous river Seti flowing with its milkwhite ingredient that is why it's been called Seti Nadi or in English, the white river. I joined a group of hikers today to investigate or to inspect the area and to understand the locality and landscape.
Regarding the name of the village Mirsa, in their local Gurung language, it means night. As they have the traditional culture of singing and dancing at night typically, we call it "rodi" here. In this trend in the past, a group of boys and a group of girls sing songs answering each others song. Sometime during this kind of performances, some boy and girls like each other and have fallen in love and gotten married also.
From this reference as the village used to awake at night from singing and dancing. That is how it was named Mirsa. Another analysis of the people is hidden also. Normally when the rest of the world is sleeping under the tent of night, this village used to be vigil from singing and dancing secretly at night. That is another perspective of its name.
So, here our programme to visit the aforementioned village started at 1:30 hrs, a delay from estimated time from Bagar of Pokhara metropolitan city. We use a local bus to get to Bhujrung Hot Spring. It took almost one hour to get to Kharpani then we cross the Seti river on the suspension bridge. Then organizer announced to handover a disc TV to a local school. We just visited there and some of them start fixing it. Some of us out of 23 members starting to walk.
It was steep up prepared on the rocky cliff. It remains interesting to follow through. It took almost an hour to reach the top due to a slow pace. Hiking is not an unfamiliar subject to me as trekking and touring professional. I am already used to different terrains. After reaching uphill, some of us took a short break under a bodhi tree placed on a turntable of platform normally prepared for the people to rest in every intersection of the path. To which we call "chautaro". I took some pictures of a temple located right after completion of a steep uphill section.
After spending some time there, we continue. After walking some minutes, we reach to homestay house they start welcoming us with flower garland and tika. Then we were provided whatever they have. It was cucumber and was very delicious with Piro (crushed chilly, salt and garlic together) and then we have our lunch prepared from whatever seasonal vegetables available. They were Tusa (small bamboos) fern, fermented spinach fried, rice and ghee. Then the introduction programme started. We exchange our names, professions and so on. Then the welcome dance was performed. Some of us join to dance or participate.
Then slowly we start walking down to Kharpani to change direction to Ghahaachowk. After descending, we change direction landscape of nice green paddy fields where we could see ladies weeding. As soon as we arrive Ghahachowk, start raining heavily and we took shelter in a tea shop. Then we caught a bus to Pokhara to end the day.
In general, the performance and warm respect and traditional Gurung hospitality remain the highlight to all the hikers today. In every respect, wearing traditional costume, offering welcome tika and flower garland offers a different feeling among us. And welcome snacks of local cucumber provide a cooling effect. From the short sweating walk, then we were offered the meal. Whoever wanted to taste local millet beverage called raksi could as it was also offered. So it is experienced the best example of Nepalese hospitality. As this kind of activities is attracting to our own country people. In one hand, it is promoting domestic tourism to promote our own heritage, culture and tradition. Which is not only promoting it is, in a way protecting our culture and tradition keeping it living.
As this concept started from a retired Gorkha soldier as a new idea plant the seed of it in Sirubari village of Syangja district; now it is a countrywide new concept to promote village tourism. And also attracting many domestic tourists and foreigners as well and even our hikers' team was delighted from this. As it was started connecting tourism and health together and as a fun generating and recreational purpose. For the country like ours, it is a new business tool we can offer even for foreigners, to keep active our tourism industry fruitful as most of the charm of old popular trekking routes #Annapurnacircuit #GhorepaniPoonHill #Ghandruk is diminished from the effect of road access. This kind of concept would be beneficial.
So let us modify our tourism from a different perspective as much as to the western visitors and for domestic tourist also. This will give some option to the villagers to earn something in their village utilizing their local products which have its authentic taste also. And will bring tourism to different height from a different angle. so saying #PromoteVillageTourism #PromoteNepal ending up here.