ROTI KHANCHHAU? (Would U like to have bread?)

After a few months, I planned for trekking in Kalikot for orientation about vaccine preventable diseases. We started out our trekking early in the morning from Manma to Sukatiya VDC. EPI supervisor from DHO Kalikot joined me for trekking. We tried to find out shortcut way to reach our destination but we were lost at the very beginning of our journey. With some difficulty, we found the sparse impression of goreto (passerby road). We followed that road and reached the field where wheat buds were just emerging from the ground. On the way, we passed by an old temple in the middle of field and found a pandhero (water place). We gulped some water that was very cold that sensitize my teeth but it was delicious and natural. On the way, we found a ditch made for irrigation.

Me, on the way

EPI Supervisor, Kalikot DHO

 We got a chautaro (sitting place at the base of tree) after one hour of our journey. I took a long sigh and put off all the warm clothes and enjoyed the cool breeze there. I watched back to Manma hill,' When will I return there?' After sometime, we walked out from there though I wanted to stay there. From there, we followed the goreto in the middle of hill where if stumbled by a slight mistake, we would have fallen far down to Tila River where you cannot even imagine getting the relics of body. When I tried to look down, I felt that I was going to get vertigo and suddenly I released my eyes from there.  

We crossed that killer road and stepped down and caught a cottage. We were attacked by hunger by then since we walked on empty stomach from Manma. We took noodles from there to kill the hunger. We again stepped down from there to catch hanging bridge over the Tila River.

Tila River from Sukatiya

 Crossing the bridge we took rest there to accumulate the energy to climb the hill of Sukatiya. While ascending up the Sukatiya hill, I asked myself, 'What the hell is here to live for?' Big and large rocks were engaged there in the body of this hill but growing fields were soaked with water. Farmers were engaged in the fields and bullocks were pulling the plough. Some villagers were coming back home from jungle bringing grasses and firewood. I got the answer to my question while I was ascending.

I was really tired at middle of hill. Lots of salt was coming out along with sweats. This became synergistic for my tiredness. I was wondering about ORS but we did not have ORS to replace the salts lost from the body. In one house, we asked for some water but only five small children were there. One of them brought water. I took some gulp of water and asked for mahi (remains after churning yoghurt) but they said they did not have. The eldest girl of 11 years said, 'Wait, I will bring it from my neighbor.' She brought the mahi. I took mahi  full of one lohota (jug). Looking at my somber face, she asked me, 'roti khanchhau?'(wanna have some breads?) I smiled back to her, 'No, thank you little dear; mahi is a lot to me.' She just smiled. We left them thanking a lot. Every fifteen to thirty minutes we walked up taking some gulp of water from tap water found on the way. We asked some of the villager how much time they would take from Sukatiya to Manma. Most of them mentioned 2 to 3 hours. We were quite surprised with that time. Taking water from the tap and walking up for a while was the regular part of ascending up the hill. Going down and coming up and walking easy road are just the parts of life. They come one after another.

We finally reached the Sukatiya Health post in Rarakatiya tole of Sukatiya village. When I saw my watch, pointers showed 14:15 hour. When I recalled the time we started our journey, it took almost 6 hours and asked the HP in-charge, 'How much time do you take to reach Manma?' He said,' Five hours almost.'  I was relieved by his answer. People were waiting for us. After having meal we started meeting about surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases.

Nine Kilo Nine Hour

It was raining while coming back from Dullu VDC situated in Dailekh District. The road was steep and slippery, still we manage our movement. While moving down to Pali, Far at the distance we saw a beautiful falls. I asked my driver, ‘where is that?’ He answered ‘on the way we will ride.’ I was excited to ride past that falls. We finally we got that but it was difficult to cross that falls. We dared the devils and passed through it. We were almost swallowed by that falls. After crossing it, we took some snaps on its background. Thereafter we moved on. We halted there in Tallodungeshor on the bank of Karnali River and the cross point of Karnali river and Lohore khola. Here in Dailekh there are two dungeshors- one is Tallo another is Mathillo.

After having lunch in Tallodungeshor, we moved towards Dailekh bazaar at 9 AM but someone told us to not go ahead since there was landslide nearby. We defied him and we moved. In no time, it turned out to be true there was a landslide, a slow landslide but we crossed it. After few minutes, there was a caravan of vehicles. We stopped by. We saw a large landslide and people were waiting for excavator to come. The raining was just stopped. The drivers were playing cards beside a truck. One pick-up jeep crossed that large but shallow landslide. We also tried and were able to cross it. We drove ahead. People coming from opposite side mentioned us there was a landslide and one tractor was stuck there. Despite their saying, we drove the vehicle. We found them true and there was one tractor stuck at the site of landslide. It was almost engulfed by the loads of the mud. There was big rock beside it. There was no way cross through. While we were observing the tractor someone said from behind that the tree was moving. We turned back, yeah there was tree sliding down along with land slide. This was next landslide spot. We ran back crossing this spot and waited to see the tree falling.

There was no way until excavator come, so, we returned towards Tallodungeshor. We came back to the same spot where there was a caravan of vehicles and drivers were playing cards. We heard the excavator is coming up. We see some hope to reach our destination Dailekhbazar. Finally the excavator came after 2 hours’ waiting. The excavator was moving ahead we were following it. It was clearing the obstacles and we were driving on the clear road. We again reached the same spot where tractor was stuck and the tree was moving down. The tree was already there fallen on the road and the tractor already escaped- it was unbelievable for tractor to escape from. The tree was broken and the accumulation of mud on the road was cleared and the rock moved aside. We followed the excavator and crossed the Rati khola,(a brook that is crook) and moved ahead. We saw the same tractor that was stuck in the landslide but escaped parked at the side of road. The driver was basking the west sun. There was another tractor stuck ascended up the landslide. The driver was so young we cannot imagine he could drive. It was pulled back by excavator. The piled up mud was cleared. We followed the excavator. While moving ahead we saw the caravan of vehicles coming from opposite sides. There was huge rock falling from top of the mountain. It was our bad luck after bad luck. Had it fallen down crossing the road, this would have not been the problem but it was stuck there. With much more difficulty, the excavator moved that rock aside the corner. The vehicles from both sides passed through. We took long breath and wished there would not be any more obstacles. By this time it was already 6 PM. We just crossed the Siyakot, the place between Mathillodungeshor and Tallodungeshor. The flooded muddy Lohore khola was already got the current of clean water.

While we were moving ahead, there was a vehicle coming from opposite side. The drive mentioned there was road block ahead due to land slide. So they were moving back and he advised us to follow him. My eye brows drew up, ‘Again landslide!’ we moved nearby the landslide. Two buses were parked there and people were on the road. We took some snacks in local hotel, the Bhatti. Almost all the people were making calls for the solution. Finally the excavator came and cleared it. We escaped to Dailekh Bazar, it was 7 PM by this time. The distance between Tallodungeshor and last blockade was just nine kilometer.