NO STRINGS ATTACHED | Feature

SAMEER TULADHAR

Everyone knows about The Last Resort, the one near the Nepal China border, the one where you can bungy, swing, go canyoning, rafting and the like- the ultimate destination for all sort of activities for every type of adventure action sport junkie.

The Last Resort again, not another article about standing on a tiny platform jutting out from a suspension bridge, heart in your mouth, adrenalin pumping, fighting your most basic fear--- voluntarily jumping off a 160 metre bridge- no this is not about that.

We did not jump. We did not do the swing. We did not perform any death defying activities and we certainly did not face or battle any of our fears. It was the simplest of events- a family outing/ a mommies and babies day out- made magical by being at The Last Resort.

Three moms, six kids ranging from a pre-teen to an eighteen month old baby and at best what can be called an eclectic group of people set off one wintry morning in the resort bus for a weekend of… well there were six kids! The bus drive is a pleasant one past Banepa and Dhulikhel through beautiful countryside on winding roads, a roaring Bhote Kosi accompanying us from Dolalghat and past lush green pine laden hills. Three hours later we find ourselves disembarking from the bus to cross the bridge. The only privately owned bridge in Nepal; it stretches over the mighty river and sways perilously. It is an adventure in itself for the kids to go across, to skip and jump and to show off.

Lunch awaits and the kids are already thrilled at getting to sit on the lawn and have a picnic. Then there are the tents to go and unpack in, the plunge pool to jump into - the freezing cold water notwithstanding, there are shrieks of laughter and sheer glee and the adventure just continues. The hammocks become the Narnian ship- the Dawn Treader with strangers giving into the unabashed joy joining in the fun and games and quickly becoming honorary aunties and uncles. Explorations around the compound unearth a hoard of treasures, sticks and stones and interestingly shaped leaves and twigs, all quickly transformed into the most interesting toys these city born and bred jaded kids have ever played with. As evening sets in and the moms decide that they need some mommy time, technology takes over and the kids are temporarily zombified with Toy Story 3 while the moms get massages, take a sauna and jump into the plunge pool. A sumptuous Nepali dinner is served that evening that everyone digs in to enthusiastically and is declared better than anything their mothers cook. The bonfires have been lit by this time and the kids lie on mats looking up at the stars before being herded to their tents for an action-packed bedtime tale. End of day 1.

We take a walk up to the village above the resort the next morning. The kids are delighted by… the goats, the buffaloes, the hens, the mustard fields, the potato fields, the little streams, how far the village kids have to walk to reach their school at the top of the hill, everything. A local tells us that a stream is populated by tiny freshwater crabs and so shoes are off with everyone making mud pies and cakes and trying to find those little critters… we didn't even see a single one. Back at the resort, Sam Voolstra, who is just uberamazing, has fixed activities for the kids on the high ropes, harnesses to strap into, ladders to climb and then swinging from tree to tree like flying foxes. A four year old declares that this is the best day of his life and he will remember it forever.

And that ultimately is what The Last Resort is about- creating memories. The bungy jumpers and the thrill seekers have theirs, as do the thousands who come here every year to enjoy the myriad possibilities that the resort offers and also all those who just want to relax and escape, even if just for a little while, the pressures and stress of city life, do consider The Last Resort.