Back to Balthali

Heather Farish

Nepal/Australia

Visited Nepal: September 12, 2015

– September 13, 2015

A beautiful place to hike to not far from Kathmandu.

Over the weekend, myself and a couple of friends returned to Balthali Village Resort for our first stay since the earthquake. This is one of my favourite places in Nepal and maybe this was my tenth time there.

  The views were as beautiful as ever: terraced rice and corn fields, the surrounding green hills and an occasional snow-capped peak peeking through the clouds; the staff as friendly as always and great Nepali food. Many smiles greeted my “Namaste” greeting along the way.

  The journey began in rainy Kathmandu with a local bus ride to Panauti, where we changed buses to go onto Khopasi. After leaving the highway, we passed  through cloud-shrouded hills, between fields where splashes of colour were people hard at work and by houses in bright pinks, blues and greens. Luckily, by the time we reached Khopasi the rain had stopped.

  We then hiked for about an hour up to our destination after first crossing a high suspension bridge. The locals were soon just dots in the distance as we stopped to smell the freshness of the pines, admire the colourful butterflies and investigate the strange insects. Down and across another bridge before heading up the other side and through a very tall field of corn to reach Balthali village. Even though earthquake damage of houses was evident, people continued to go about their everyday life.

  Heading further up, the views got better, the heart beat faster as the stairs are climbed, but then we arrive, ready for a cold drink and just in time to order lunch while sitting back and deciding in which direction to look.

  All too soon the weekend visit was over. Will I be back again? Of course! It is just a matter of when.