Boarding Bajura

When I was assigned for Bajura District for Measles-Rubella (MR) campaign I was excited to visit this district because it was my great opportunity to visit Bajura officially otherwise I may not be able to visit this place personally. After completing some administrative procedures I set out for Bajura District. Driving down to Kohalpur, moving through Bardiya and crossing the Karnali Bridge, we stopped by in Chisapani where we took lunch with fish curry in an eatery. Thereafter we moved towards Dhangadi where we entered the field office of WHO-IPD and talked about technical activity about MR campaign in Far western development region. FWDR consists of 9 districts and one of them is Bajura, a rural district in FWDR where vehicle is yet to reach there. Motor road is on the way of construction. 

Martadi Bazar, the HQ of Bajura

At 14:00 hour we headed for Dadeldhura where we planned for night stay. While moving towards Dadeldhura, we felt as if we were heading towards Surkhet from Kohalpur- similar terrain, similar jungle, similar set up and similar road. After 2 hours we were already in a segment of Doti District. We saw small pile of the snow at the side of road. We took some snaps with sudur paschim's (Far west) snow. It was sweet cold feeling while touching that snow mass. This was my snow, my motherland's snow. Though I have played a lot with New York's snow it did not impress me 'coz it was not mine.

Crossing Budar(a hangout place) in Doti, we moved ahead towards Dadeldhura. When we reached there, we got chance to visit Ugratara Devi temple. Its premise is fascinating and it looks beautiful when we see its area from the road before we reach there. While we were moving towards this temple, it was red glowing in sunset. This temple is highly potential for tourism. The night in Dadeldhura was so cold that I needed some liquid blankets. Though its terrain is not so good but most expensive land we can find here in the country. That's quite unexpected at least to me.

Next day, we moved towards Bajura via Syaulibazar of Dadeldhura. The serpentine road was moving towards Doti paralleled to Seti River. We halted for few hours in Doti DHO to drop one of our colleagues there. We drove towards Sanphebagar after taking lunch there. We halted there in Sanphebagar and wandered for some time there crossing Budhiganga. I met one of our colleagues there who was assigned for Achham District. 

Malika hill in Bajura

Early in the morning next day, we moved towards Bajura parallel to Budhiganga, sometimes going closer and sometimes getting away from it. Many of the times, the Malika hill caught my eyes. It was full of snow like big old lady sprawling her hairs on the top of hill. The road has been on construction and same for bridges also. When we reached Phalasain, we halted there to have tea. When I tried to chat with the son of pasalni sahuni (lady owner of a micro motel), he was so shy that he buried his flushed face with his hands. 'Don’t be shy like lady,' her mother said to him. I mumbled, 'He's yet to have androgen.'

On the way, the EPI supervisor for DHO Bajura hitched a lift in our vehicle. Discussing about upcoming MR campaign, human resources and their attitude, we reached Rapka after crossing Budhiganga. We halted there for tea and moved ahead. Since my driver feel that it was not possible to move ahead, we took the help of 11 numbered vehicle from there. After walking half an hour straight, we ascended the half an hour steep road, we took rest in the middle of that steep road. While taking rest, a small boy stole the limelight.

The boy with his cattle

He was trying to send his cattle into the cowshed but he had not been able to do that. It just came into my mind whether he goes to school or not but I could not ask him about it. Leaving him there we moved up slowly. When we reached Martadi, I took a long breath, 'Martadi, I caught you finally.'