Dreams are made of….

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One of my cousins wanted my guidance on how to apply to universities abroad for her MBA. As I was talking to her, I realized I was sharing my own experiences and what I learnt from my time abroad. I thought I might as well share this online, if you ever wish to go through my two cents.

I think every human being should leave their native nation and explore the foreign land. Not because it’s cool to do so, not cause you want to show off, not cause you want to waste your time and money. Because the kind of experience you gain in a foreign setting is something you will never gain in your native environment. It is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and expand your horizons.

Before you go anywhere these are the golden rules you must be acquainted with:

Know Thyself
Ask yourself why you truly want to go abroad. Remember, university is just a medium. While you are pursuing your degree, you would be living completely on your own, away from your family. The life you would be leading, itself, would be an education of a lifetime. And that education will count more than the degree you gain in your field.

Go with an Open Mind
Don’t go with a specific set of goals that society has laid out for you. I have met a lot of people in my time abroad, who came to the US with an intention to make money, support family or get an education, find a job, get married, have children and settle down abroad. I’m not saying any of that is bad. In fact it could be great, if you can make it work. I have my own very good friends making that way of life, work for them. If that’s what you want, please go for it by all means. But keep in mind, these are the rules that your society imposed upon you. Nobody in this world, but you, only you, know how to live your life. Listen to your heart, follow your intuition and go for what you want.

Don’t be afraid to follow your desires. As the very famous saying goes, in life you’ll regret the things you didn’t do than those you did. If you are afraid of something, like talking to new people. Go ahead and do exactly that. Also, learn to enjoy your own company. When you are abroad, if you find yourself alone, just be your own best friend. Do not limit yourself to certain kinds of people, ethnicity or any kinds of boundaries. Learn to enjoy every aspect of whatever life throws at you and just go with the flow.

Change Your Mind, Change it All Over Again
Human beings by nature are meant to explore new things. We are born here to find our purpose. To discover ourselves. Enroll into all kinds of different classes and see if your interest lies elsewhere. This would apply more to those going for undergraduate studies in America. American universities require you to take classes relating to your major as well as those that are general. To tell you the truth, I learnt more from my non-major classes than from my concentration.

My advisor had advised me to take theatre class. I thought he was crazy, but I enrolled anyway. I discovered something I never thought was in me. We wrote our own plays, conceptualized stage designs, also got an opportunity to hide behind a character. It was the most liberating class ever. In the course of time, if you discover that you are in fact passionate about something else. Go ahead and do it.

Financial Woes
Everything I mentioned above may sound like a very utopian concept. I know, being an average Nepali will most certainly not allow you to have the luxury to take classes except the ones you need or change fields for that matter. It’s entirely up to you. You always know what you want to do. You can always work harder, pay the bills doing what you love doing. Or work less and continue doing what you don’t want to do. You are the choices you make. Look for colleges that will give you the best scholarship offers. Build a relationship with admission office members, faculty members. Try to get to the university that will offer you the maximum scholarship. Great! if you are accepted in Harvard, but if a lesser known college offers you better scholarship options. Go for it!

Endnote:

This is one life you have and the best time to take risks is when you are young. The application process itself will make you cry, will make you want to throw up, but then once you’re done. You will thank yourself for going through the ordeal. Looking for universities, writing countless SOPs, these will all be part of your learning curve. It won’t be easy, but doesn’t mean it’s not possible either.

Life is hard no matter where you are. Learn to take a leap of faith and see where life takes you! I wish you all the very best.

My Life Changing Journey to Upper Mustang

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I’ve traveled to many parts of the world, but nothing quite like what I experienced in upper Mustang. As I progressed towards Lo-manthang from day one – leaving behind lower Mustang, my journey transformed into all the more emotional and spiritual joyride. I still cannot fully fathom how these landscapes changed me. All I know is; it affected me, to the point I would almost burst into tears. It was unlike anything I had ever seen or experienced in my life.

My Stops

Planning to visit upper Mustang? my friends have built this awesome map, please do check it out!

As I left for Chele from Kagbeni, that’s when it slowly began to dawn on me, this journey was going to be one of a kind. Just a few minutes walk towards Chele in the break of dawn – I find myself all alone. If an alien abducted me, or if I fell off the cliff and died, my body would remain untraceable. Nobody would know where I took my last breath. The isolated nature of this place was terrifying, at the same time deeply moving. Turns out, it was just a beginning, the best and the most thrilling part had yet to come.

I took the last flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu on May 16, 2014. Stayed overnight and flew to Jomsom the next day. I cannot talk about this trip without mentioning the Jomsom flight, cause it was mind-blowing. The airplane literally flies in between the hills. You can see the trees so up close, it is ridiculous!. It was the very first flight to Jomsom and I started trekking pretty much right after I landed.

Jomsom Flight

Jomsom Airport

At Jomsom Airport Runway

Outside the Airport – Jomsom

Given below is a synopsis of all my stops:

The hours mentioned is the time it took me to get to the destination. Depending on your pace, it may take you shorter or longer. On top of that, I also got lost on the way so, if you know where you are going, it shouldn’t take you that long.

Jomsom – Kagbeni: 3 hours
This was the shortest walk and still one of the most tiring ones for me. I got the taste of what the trek would be like on the way to Kagbeni. This was still a busy route with a lot of people going back and forth. So, it felt pretty normal. The first hotel I went asking for room said they were full. I freaked out and I immediately agreed to stay at the second hotel I checked; with a fear that I may not get a place to stay. There was an old lady – when I asked about the wifi, she showed me the router. So, I thought it would be cool. But nobody knew the password. In the entire trip it was the worst hotel I stayed at. Clogged toilet/bathroom. Didn’t get to shower. They were having some puja. I was so hungry – but didn’t get to eat until the Lamas did. Still having said that, it was relatively cheaper.

Kagbeni

Kagbeni – Chele: 6 hours
The moment I left Kagbeni – that’s when I started getting lost. I got lost almost everyday, then on. But Chele wasn’t too bad, considering there were other people near by as well. After walking for hours I was glad I was very close to Chele. But then, I realized it was on a top of a hill. I took the longer route that jeep takes cause I did not think I could conquer the hill. I asked this guy about the path to follow, who was washing his jeep. He said- I was taking a longer route obviously (pointing at the sheeps grazing) he continued, “just follow the sheeps.” Those sheeps were walking uphill almost on a 90 degree angle. I was like, are you serious? After a lot of fuss, I managed to conquer my fear and got all the way to the hotel called Bishal Guest House. By then I was so hungry, I ate a plateful of rice. And it was the best food I had tasted in the entire journey.

Chele

Chele – Syanboche: 6 hours Syanboche – Ghilling: 2 hours
Chele to Syanboche is an absolute thrill, this is where you get the most awe inspiring views but not so easily, you’ll have to first cross a few hills to get the best views. This was the hardest one for me. As I had to climb up and get down multiple hills, it seemed like an unending journey. But the views were just amazing! Syanboche has just about 10 houses. Only stopped there for lunch, then trekked another 2 hrs or so to Ghilling.
Spent a night at New Kunga hotel.

Way to Syanboche leaving behind Bhena

Ghilling – Ghami: 4 hours
I was extremely tired by the time I got to Ghami and the fact that I got lost (again!) and had to climb one extra hill, wasn’t very happy about it. It was from here that my back started bothering me quite significantly. But all that changed when I got to Royal Mustang Hotel. The weather was perfect. If I could show the world what happiness means, it was that moment. When I was sitting on the chair, with the sunlight on my face. Feeling relieved that there was no more walking to do, no more back pain, soaking in the beautiful scenery, accompanied with great food, a total bliss!

Ghami

Ghami – Tsarang: 5 hours
The way I got lost on the way to Tsarang; it was truly into-the-wild kind. I was supposed to get to Tsarang in three hours. But I had already crossed 4-hr timeframe and I wasn’t seeing a single settlement. Then it hit me, I am royally lost.
Funny thing is, at a time like this your brain works both ways. It tells you, now you will die. Also, it triggers survival instinct- gives you all kinds of ideas to find a way to survive. Thankfully my survival instinct overcame my fear and of course, like every day with a little sobbing and still with a lingering thought of death – I kept walking and walking and walking and saw a few houses miles away. Turns out it was another small village called Tarang, I kept walking straight up the cliff – then I spotted a bigger village on the right. That was Tsarang. Saw an old man listening to a radio. He confirmed, the one on the right is Tsarang. Now, all that I had to do was keep walking. Here I stayed at Maya’s Inn.

On the way to Tsarang

Tsarang – Lo-Manthang: 4 hours
Finally after walking for hours I got the glimpse of Lo-Manthang. Picture below shows the very last leg of the journey. In Lo-Manthang I stayed for two days at Himalayan Guest House, before heading back to Kagbeni-Muktinath.

Overlooking Lo-Manthang

This was technically a solo journey; hence I cannot emphasize enough how safe this place is, considering I came back alive and well. I didn’t have a guide. If you are going on your own I would recommend you to hire a guide. It’s only been a few months that road was introduced to upper Mustang. It is still at an early stage. Only jeep runs on the traditional trekking route. The bus or trucks take the path of Kali Gandaki, away from the trekking route. If you want to enjoy the view, trekking is still the best way to get to Lo-Manthang. I took the jeep on my way back to Chuksang/Kagbeni/Jomsom, cost me Rs 1200. What took me days, took only 5 hours on jeep. From Chuksang, you have to walk about half-an-hour, take either private jeep or public bus to Kagbeni/Jomsom (If you are traveling close to Monsoon season, as you have to cross Kali Gandaki). Public bus leaves two times a day at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Chuksang. Transportation would not be an issue on your way back.

Mustang is a kind of place that can either change you or not. Its landscape can fill you with awe or leave you feeling empty. No matter where you go in Nepal, each place has the potential to change you internally. But I’m pretty sure, Mustang experience is one of a kind. If you open yourself up to this place, it will embrace you. It will take you inside-out and leave you so bare, exposed – with just you, allowing the truest part of you to experience the magnificent beauty of this barren landscape. Its vast dessert mountain, sparse vegetation, its wild animals, birds, everything I saw affected me. It was a kind of place where I just wanted to quietly sit and be awed by the surroundings; as barren as it was, it was equally breathtaking. If you plan to visit a part of the world next year, make it upper Mustang. You will not be disappointed.

Get a glimpse of my trip:

Upper Mustang Trek from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

Having issues with Vimeo? The same video is also available on Youtube.

Top 10 Things to Pack for Upper Mustang Trek: http://wp.me/p2ImKX-hB

What You Need for Upper Mustang Trekking?

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Month of the year (I went trekking): Mid May of 2014
Starting point: Jomsom
Destination: Lo-Manthang
Elevation range: Approx. 3000 – 4000 meters

Planning to visit upper Mustang? my friends have built this awesome map, please do check it out!

Top 10 things to pack:

Stick
Windproof Jacket and Sweater/Fleece
Walking/Running Shoes
Scarf/Shawl
Sunscreen Lotion
Water Bottle
Energy Bars/Snickers
Sunglass
Mini First Aid Kit [Basic medicines (such as: Cetamol, Tylenol), Handiplast etc.]
Camera

On May 17, 2014, I flew to Jomsom from Pokhara. Jomsom was the starting point of the trek. Considering I had never in my life done anything like this – I had no idea what to expect. Given below were the only two trekking gears I had bought. Windproof jacket (cost me about Rs 2000 – North Face knock off) and an adjustable stick (Rs 500) – both I got from Thamel.

Rest were what I already had, didn’t get a trekking boot either. I utilized my old Under Armour walking shoes that worked out just fine. If I were to recommend you the most essential gear, a stick is a must. Especially, if you have a back problem like I do and also scared of height. Doesn’t need to be fancy. Just a simple wooden stick would work too. Will come in handy for steep uphills and downhills.

I would also recommend a rucksack – that helps equally distribute the weight all over the body. I didn’t get one. I just had a simple backpack. Because my back almost gave up on me, I really wished I had gotten one. My goal was to carry only the essentials, to keep my backpack as light as possible. But no matter how light my bag was, the weight did bother me a bit throughout the trek.

By mid-May, Kathmandu and Pokhara was extremely hot. But Jomsom was quite chilly.
That very day I made it to Kagbeni. The greater the elevation, colder it will get. So make sure to pack a sweater or a fleece if it’s not too heavy and a trouser as well. I didn’t carry my sweater, I found the weather noticeably cold as I moved upward from Ghami to Tsarang, eventually Lo-Manthang. Also, every morning I would begin trekking at 4:45 a.m. Even though it was cold in the morning – when the sun was up it would burn my skin like crazy. Make sure to pack sunscreen lotion.

Another thing, don’t forget to grab some snickers or energy bars to get you going. Also, water bottle to keep you hydrated. It gets windy as the day progresses, a scarf would come handy, including a sunglass that will protect your eyes.

When you are taking the trouble to go all the way to upper Mustang; it would be foolish to not capture the moments. Another vital gear: camera!

Things to keep in mind while trekking:

Be present, be in the moment
Enjoy the breathtaking sceneries
Rest
Capture the surrounding in your camera. I guarantee you, it’s nothing like you have ever seen anywhere in this world.

My future posts will contain additional details about this trek. Until then, I want you to bask in the beauty of the picture below. It was the last leg of the journey, very close to Lo-Manthang.

More about this trip: http://wp.me/p2ImKX-ik

Last leg of the journey. On the way to Lo-Manthang

Get a glimpse of my trip:

Upper Mustang Trek from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

Having issues with Vimeo? The same video is also available on Youtube.

Make All Your Stories Love Stories

Hiking in Style

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Of all the explorations that I have been doing lately; from hiking to traveling to recording people, places, and moments. I thought I must dedicate a post on this blog as well as on my tumblr exclusively about hiking in style.

Then, I created one!

Hiking in Style

Visit my style for more.

Tatopani Trip

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Some important things to keep in mind prior to traveling to Tatopani:

If you plan to take a public bus [Kathmandu – Tatopani]
1. Buy the ticket in advance.
If you plan to visit Khasa, China
1. Make sure you go all the way to Liping (about 5-km further away from Tatopani main bazaar. Liping is also the last stop of the public bus.
2. You must have Nepali citizenship card to enter China.
3. Before you enter the border, get the 1-day pass from Nepali border office. Will cost you a few bucks.
4. Border closes at 3 p.m. NST [There is no time limitation for your return provided you get back within 24 hours.]
5. Nepali Rupees is accepted in Khasa, China.

When my friend suggested that I should go to Tatopani which is only about 3 hours away from Kathmandu, he completely forgot to mention that he had gone on a motorcycle. Cause 3-hour seemed way too tempting to try it out on a single day. And so we went – my brother and I early in the morning straight to Puraano Bus park (Ratna Park) – just to find out that the bus that goes all the way to Tatopani was already full. Then we took the one that went up to Barhabise. From there it was supposed to be 1 and a half-hour to about 2 hours to get to Tatopani. But eventually the entire journey took almost 8 hours [Lesson learnt: buy the ticket in advance].

Kids from Barhabise, Sindhupalchok

With public bus, I’m not going to sugarcoat- it is kind of a nightmare. As very few buses run to and from Tatopani; people don’t mind cramming into whatever little space they can find because that is the only choice they have. In terms of simply the bus ride, it was a great adventure. Barhabise onwards I stood all the way to our final destination cause there was no seat available. The upside however, I got to talk to the locals. Sometime traveling with locals add a whole new flavor to your travel experience that you cannot get when you are simply driving on your own on a private car.

Our mission that day was to get to Khasa, China. The bus had left from Puraano Bus park at around 7 a.m. towards Tinkune, Bhaktapur, Banepa. After crossing Dolal Ghat, Khadichaur, finally made it to Barhabise by 11 a.m. then had our lunch and the bus to Tatopani finally left at 12 noon. By the time we got to Liping the border town, it was already 2:30 p.m. Nepal – China border closes at 3 p.m. Reached the border just in time to fill up the paper and cross to the other side. You have to have Nepali citizenship card to enter the Chinese territory. Need to display the card multiple times, get your bags scanned. And don’t be surprised if Chinese officials speak to you in Nepali. To get to main Khasa bazaar- it costs us Rs 300 from the check post. On our way back to border Rs 800. [Good luck bargaining]

I really wished I knew a little bit of Mandarin or Tibetan language when I reached Khasa. Because – they don’t speak English or Nepali and I don’t speak their language. May be because we got there kind of late – Khasa looked very desolated. We were so hungry – after taking few clips we returned right away to Nepal for some food.

I have to admit, I didn’t find much to do in Khasa, whtaever fun I had was in Liping. I was so worried about not getting a seat on the bus the next day, we stayed overnight in Liping. Didn’t bother eploring the main Tatopani area as it was quite far away, additionally there was no way to easily commute and it was already too late. I wanted to make sure that I could sit for another 7-hour travel back to Kathmandu.

My brother and kids from Liping, Sindhupalchok

I don’t know how much Liping is talked about in the landscape of Nepali tourism, I loved the place. It was probably the best border town I had ever been to. It might have to do with roaring Bhotekoshi that added to our adventure. The room we got was just by the shore. From the inside of the room it felt or sounded like torrential downpour of rain, that’s how loud Bhotekoshi was. I have never seen a river run so fast, so dangerously, in such a hypnotic manner. Weirdly enough, I found serenity in that river rush. Just that site alone made my trip worthwhile. Also, some local kids who insisted on singing and made sure that I captured them on my camera. Like any other obedient and curious traveler, I thought it would be wise to listen to the [junior] locals. Below is the result of that recording along with a few glimpses of the trip:

Nepal – China border [Liping – Khasa] from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

Why I love traveling in Nepal

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Let me tell you what I like about traveling in Nepal. It is not always the overtly romanticized natural beauty of this country. Not because it is comparatively cheaper than traveling to other parts of the world. Not because majority of Nepal is still untouched by the world outside. Well, yes, all that plus – what I like the most is the warmth of the people.
It helps me connect with the place much faster and makes my travel a more meaningful experience. This is something I really miss when I go outside of Nepal especially in the western region. They have a great tourism industry, very well developed infrastructure. They have everything you need to make your travel a luxurious experience. But they lack the intimate connection I seek when I’m traveling, which has nothing to do with money. It is something I feel from inside that I cannot explain.

Chisapani, Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park

2013: A Recap

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I remember writing my 2012 year-end post, was talking about how eventful that year was. 2013 turned out to be even extra eventful, this year marked a beginning of a lot of important aspects of my life personally and spiritually. Traveling was my top priority and I managed to do that. Hope to continue traveling in 2014 as well. My mission this year is to travel across Nepal.

I moved out of the US – it was completely my decision based on my priorities. Somewhere I hope I have sowed the seeds of entrepreneurial bug in me as well. The consequences of all the steps I have taken will only be known in future. I have no clue where life will take me, the best I can do is listen to my intuition and follow my heart. Even if I make gazillion mistakes, I hope to learn from them. I hope to fail, fail fast and move on to my next mistake. I hope to keep moving and never stop.

I am equal parts excited and nervous about 2014. Whatever comes my way – be it the adversities, the failures, or the success – I want to embrace it all with open arms. I am what I choose and I choose to write my own story, I choose to follow my dreams, and I choose to just be – be me. Hopefully, I’ve grown a tad bit wiser than 2012, perhaps a little more humble, always open minded and always curious.

Here’s wishing you and me a great year ahead!

Happy New year 2014.

Shailiza

Ghandruk Trip

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I had been wanting to go to Ghandruk forever. This time when the opportunity knocked in, I wasn’t going to say no. So, when we finally got there unfortunately, we missed out on seeing the mountain range thanks to a thick fog that wouldn’t buzz. But we did get a few seconds view of Annapurna, that alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile. The fact is – Ghandruk is such a beautiful, peaceful, clean place to be, for someone who’s coming from Kathmandu-it’s nothing less than a piece of heaven.

On the way to Ghandruk

The view only gets better as you go up.

It’s a mule’s world in Ghandruk

I was very impressed with the community coming together to preserve traditional Gurung culture. There are a couple of museums dedicated to its Gurung natives if one wants to check out. The first thing I noticed about this place is how clean it is. Not surprisingly, it’s the women groups who regularly organize cleaning campaigns here with a special focus on recycling non-compostable materials. No matter where you stay in Ghandruk – it will cost you pretty much the same, as it’s run by a single entrepreneurial community. I thought hotel stay was extremely cheap – Rs 300 per night for a room with three beds. But food price was quite something else. We stayed at Hotel Sakura – it was extremely clean. I’m pretty sure it was cleaner than most of the hotels I’ve stayed in the US.

I found Ghandruk to be a great mix of old and new world. World is so ahead of Nepal – but here is this tiny village located 1939 meters above sea level. They finally have direct access to road. It’s almost so remote that it seems almost unreachable but at the same time it is so well equipped with the modern amenities. They have their own hydro plants that keep the electricity running, solar power to heat water. Women groups who actively participate in embracing sustainable development. On top of all this mule’s still provide the primary transportation service for this place. If that’s not cool, I don’t know what is.

Hello world!

Given below is a few snippets from our Ghandruk trip:

Ghandruk Experience from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.

Pick-Your-Own Fruits and Vegetables Farm

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There is a growing demand for handmade products in America. The culture is slowly but surely shifting from accepting homogeneous mass products to crafty meticulously handmade items. On top of that American consumers are also willing to spend more money for such products. With the subsequent advent of Etsy an e-commerce site that lets users buy and sell handmade items, and other similar online portals this trend is only moving upward. Not surprisingly, pick-your-own farm is growing equally popular in the U.S. Pick-your-own or you-pick (U-Pick) farm allows you to literally hand pick fresh produce directly from the farmer’s farm. It is as simple as going to a farm thats signed up for this program and hand picking produce you want to buy.

Picking my own vegetables directly from the farm is something I have never done. So, it seemed like an exciting opportunity to get in touch with nature and build that intimate relationship with the food that I would devour. Recently, made a trip to the farm near by and picked 3 pints of raspberry. The first and foremost reason this trend is gaining popularity is the luxury that gives people to hand pick their own fresh produce. Also it significantly reduces the carbon footprint when you cut out the middleman, making it very cost effective for farmers as well as the consumers.

Considering the fact that the farm was about half-an-hour drive – adding the fuel cost plus carbon emission and merely 3 pints of raspberry that I bought. It wasn’t necessarily a very ‘green’ experience for me. Had I bought tons of fresh produce, it would have perfectly fit the bill. Nonetheless, it was still a great experience. If you buy bulk products – this is definitely a great way to save money, reduce carbon footprint, and find fresh produce.

And what do you know! I managed to capture a few moments of my berry picking experience. Here’s the video for some inspiration:

Berry Picking from Shailiza Manandhar on Vimeo.