Chitlang had been in my mind for some time. I had heard of the goat cheese that melts in the mouth, the exciting four hours hike from Thankot and some mystery which every place to where I haven't visited for me bears.
However, we were not equipped with enough information to reach there despite the fact that it was close to Kathmandu. Only later we realized that every place is led by crossroads and how much important it is to be able to chat with locals amicably. This would be a hike where we would ask women, children and men at every crossroads as to which road led to Chitlang
The houses in Chitlang are so widely spread out that to walk from the first home stay to the last takes almost an hour.
But this also accounts for the large free space one sees around here which is pleasing to the eye. Most of the land here is taken up by farming which makes this valley so beautiful.
To our relief, it wasn't long before we came upon a little hut, a makeshift tea and snack shop. Very much in need of a breather, we decided to stop there for a rejuvenating cup of tea and a bit of a rest. It was a good idea too; a half-hour later, we were good to go, braced enough for what the remainder of the journey would demand of us.
As we resumed our hike, I noticed that the scenery was evolving gradually, intensifying, the further we got—not just in terms of what we were seeing but also the smells and the sounds around us. The trees and the other plants that lay in our path.
This ensures all vegetables served up are fresh and more often than not from the hotel owner’s own vegetable garden. Many of them also keep chicken and these are not broilers.
The eggs and chicken meat here are of the rural variety, and are far richer in taste and food value than the normal produce in Kathmandu.
There is nothing like eating dal bhat with freshly plucked vegetables and homegrown local chicken cooked over roaring firewood.I nearly fell down 3-4 times as the trail was very slippery due to the rain shower earlier that day. Heart was happy in one way that we will we reaching home shortly but was sad at the simultaneous time as we were to miss the time we spent in Chitang and around its periphery.
After marching down for 3 continuous hours we finally reached Matatirtha and ended our 3 days trek to Chitlang. The last day walk was quite remarkable as we all residing in Kathmandu could walk 28-30 kms in a day. We all embraced each other and made our way back home. Finally reaching home a thought came into my mind - A Man Travels to the World in Search of What he Needs and Returns Home to Find it!!!
