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Kalinchok is a sacred religious site for the locals. Especially on full moon day of August, every year there is a wonderful gathering of devotees. So we 3 friends also decided to go at the time of the fair. One day before the fair, we took a bus from Kathmandu to Charikot via Araniko Highway and then started trekking to Kalinchok hill. We slowly climbed up, meeting many pilgrims one after another on the way. Although we didn't have enough time, we ate eggs and noodles soup at Deurali. There were no villages after Deurali, just dense forest along the way. But along the way, there were other pilgrims and visitors, so some were singing and some were shouting. It was a kind of fun. Because of rainy season, as usual it was quite foggy, the forest was full of greenery and flowers of different species. After walking for about 3 hours we reached a tea shop, there was no place to stay as there were many people inside, we ate tea and biscuits sitting outside. Then we climbed up again, it started to rain. Some people with umbrella and some with plastic bag looked colourful scenes on the way. The
cold weather, the steep trail made it a little difficult for my friends to walk. I went ahead to book a room because there were so many visitors. As i was trekking, after walking for another 2 hours, I easily reached the lodges. It was not difficult to find a room even though there were many visitors. Although there are only 6-7 lodges, the place is called Kuri Bazaar. As Kuri was occupied by an open step area, there were many Yak huts around it. About 1.30 hours later, my friends finally arrived. I was busy watching the shamans coming from different villages. After resting for a while, we headed towards the nearby Yak huts. As the shepherds were milking, we didn't get a chance to taste the butter tea and cheese as we had hoped. After that we went back to the lodge. The main Kalinchok hill is about 40 minutes above Kuri Bazaar. The fair will start on the hill from that evening.. Exhausted from the day, my friends decided to stay in the lodge, but I went to see the fair for a while. The road was not as smooth as I thought, it was muddy and
slippery. Coincidentally, I met two local boys, so it was not difficult to find the way. When we reached the top of the hill, the atmosphere was different, there were some temporary huts of small shops. Irrespective of the fog and rain, the young men and women were dancing and singing in groups here and there. Since there was nothing else, I visited the main place of Kalinchok goddess at night and returned to the downhill lodge. My friends were doing body massage. Fortunately, the weather was very clear the next morning. Other pilgrims and shamans started climbing the hill early in the morning to see the goddess on an empty stomach. We also hurried up the hill to see the view of the mountains from the top. The view from Kalinchok hill was truly amazing. In the background, to the north, Gauri Shankar, Pathi Bhar, Dorji Lhakpa and various other mountains were visible very closely. Even though it was far to the south, Shailung, the highest hill in the Mahabharata range , was clearly visible. In the same way, in the lower part, thick white clouds seemed ready to rise up. After taking a lot of photos, we also
lined up with the pilgrims to pay homage to the Goddess. The place of the goddess adorned with innumerable tridents and bells at the top of the hill is truly special. As usual, the sun came up and gradually the clouds began to cover everything. We also got down and after having breakfast at Kuri Bazaar, we went down the same way and stayed in Charikot. On the morning of the third day, we returned to Kathmandu by bus.
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