Balanced, Beautiful and Simple

Dubar could be the gateway to an alternative trekking route to Manaslu

FROM ISSUE # 160 (April 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Text and pictures by Malin Gurung

Destination: Dubar, Lamjung.
How to get there: Take a bus to Dalaal (en route to Besisahar) then start hiking. You can also hire a jeep but we'd recommend hiking up.
How much to take: Travel fares aside about Rs. 500 per day.
What to take: Lots of drinking water, a good pair of trekking shoes and a good windcheater as it can be pretty windy once you start hiking uphill.

From Dalaal, we started walking past the Mid-Marshyangdi Hydropower project. Manaslu, on the north, casts a domineering shadow on the calm Marshyangdi below. A row of neatly packed houses exude serenity, in stark contrast to the bustling power plant beside. From here, the hike takes about 6 - 7 hours, depending on one's physical condition. The first part of the hike is steep, but the path is neatly paved with rocks, which slices right through forests and numerous streams and rivers on its way.

Half way through the hike, we struggled to keep up with the locals. A bunch of tourists greeted us, brandishing their camera while they captured everything they could. From here, Marshyangdi looked like a thin streak of white, running between the hills. We got our first glimpse of Dubar, a small cluster of houses scattered around the slopes with motor-able roads meandering through the hills.

There are no standalone shops along the way until Chiti, which is situated midway through the hike. The wounds of the decade-long war are still fresh here. The police post that once stood here only remains in ruins. The regional branch of Nepal Bank, which was closed during the war, is yet to start its operation.

After a fulfilling lunch, we geared up for the trip ahead, which now mainly consisted of plain paths. It was a walk in the park as compared to the first leg of the journey. We reached Dubar at dusk. After a long and tiring day, all of us dozed off; thinking of what Dubar had to offer to us in the morning.

Sun rises early in Dubar. Manaslu stood tall, glistening with the radiant glow of the morning sun. Everything seemed calm. The roaring of the river Dordi far below heightened the tranquillity. After a hearty breakfast, we went out for a trip around the village, not heeding the terrible pain in our feet due to the hike the day before.

One thing you notice right away is that the place is strikingly beautiful. The little houses scattered all over, the vast crop fields, the neatly arranged fruit orchards, the lofty mountains, everything seemed to complement each other, creating a beautiful balance that only few other places could emanate. The relatively small village, of about 50 households, is located far off to be free from the unwanted complexities of modern civilisation. The locals here lead a simple life. The simplicity of their lifestyle is also reflected in the house they live in, which are built with local materials that are easily available. A network of neat, rock-strewn stairs crisscrossed the village. Wild flowers in a variety of colours added warmth to the place. 
 
With no modern amenities, life is hard. But the locals here don't sit idle. As part of a local campaign, a motor-able road was constructed last year with all the locals pitching in. With the aid of Gorkha Welfare Socitey, an INGO, villagers now have access to drinking water right outside their houses. People here are hopeful that by next year, the village will have electricity too.

Life here is slow and even time seems to have its own pace. People seem to move on their own pace, even the cows do the same. Another interesting sight is how people raise their mobile handsets towards the sky to catch a signal because the village is located right outside the national mobile coverage. But one thing, that the villagers are not complaining about, is that the land is fertile and the productivity is high. Everything seems to grow here. Locals here harvest cash crops to seasonal fruits and vegetables and even herbs.

Although the village is not frequented by tourists, the villagers feel it has a huge potential for being a trekking hub to destinations that have not been mapped out yet. One such is Khemjung Gurung, member of Lamjung Tourism Development Forum. Khemjung has prepared a proposal on the development of village tourism in the region, and opening alternative trekking routes to Manaslu, with the technical aid of Nepal Mountaineering Association. The proposal has already been provided to Nepal Tourism Board and the Tourism Ministry and is waiting for the green signal of these authorities. Once opened, Dubar along with other villages of the region can benefit from village tourism and tourists can trek through alternative routes, other than the overcrowded ABC circuit and its like. Many glacier lakes like Barha Pokhari, Dudh Pokhari and Meme Pokhari can be reached through the village. The village can also serve as an alternative trekking route to Manang, the present one being the Besisahar-Chame-Manang route. Some old-timers even tell tall tales of mystical places high up in the Himalayas.

But all these can come with a cost. Once free from all the worldly hullabaloos, the region can also fall in the clasp of globalisation and all the complexities that comes with it, as the major appeal of the region lies in the simplicity and the naivety that the place and the people there have to offer. The region will lose all its charm, unless precautious steps are taken to curb the onslaught of the imminent hazards.