smulmi

[smulmi]

I hate marigolds. I really do. They smell weird and the rear end of the petals get stuck on your shirt, pants, and socks and pierce you. They won't come off my frizzy hair if some happen to end up there. But I've found their use now. For this. To frame mountains. Especially Dhaulagiri. This picture, I love wholeheartedly. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqcj0TIgjhjU5mgO0ZiId2e6qPCAw7NYreuadk0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1asnwlj2v9dc0

[smulmi]

We leave our legacy behind at another of those places that we fortunately find. Alas! https://www.instagram.com/p/BqW1dykgeYbYXfOUumNOd78LYasFwNW6rIuFI80/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5hzln0ikr2om

[smulmi]

Time has come for linear memories to become fragmented yet complete. I don't know how it happened. Though it's important to know that one action led to another, remembering it as that is optional. Especially when all of it is so pleasant. Especially when each day we walked different paths, met different people, and felt a variety of emotions. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqcim9Gg3tbawWayqeqqRUKylsIdt85M_mtas80/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mxa8ma1zkpm2

[smulmi]

Met this passionate mule who, for some reason, found the taste of dirt and stone irresistible. Just went on licking for the full minute that I stared at him. Wonder how Stephanie Meyer would have written about the moment. 🤔 https://www.instagram.com/p/BqW09gOAC5NPEJ2nlfB7bTGOf0O1-YAKJ53XnY0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6702pa8a79c3

[smulmi]

Inside her kitchen, we didn’t dare step. We didn’t have the energy, you see. The last of it had been expended climbing the stairs. The two men – boys? – we met on the way said that the hotel which was supposed to be preparing our lunch didn’t exist. Before despairing, we noticed two young ladies looking our way. We asked. We had indeed come to the right place. Relief. . The food she made went right to my heart. I think it was the best khana set of the entire trip. Sated, I stepped inside the sauni’s dining hall to drink in the decor. She had left these akbares to bask under the mellow sun. For a moment, I stared at them. Then I took a photo and came back. No, nothing happened between us. Please go ahead and cringe now. 😐 https://www.instagram.com/p/BqWy7pfAVjEVTvWTeHHZWGI-FXKoqlRKjrzosE0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dlh6ltbugikq

[smulmi]

A naglo full of elliptical planets that gravitated too close to each other. They were let out in the sun by the Maker to kill the little vampire insects that died under the rays. Good. Because they smushed and created a fluid world which were sucked into the black hole of individual stomachs. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqW0ctbgAyprZ4A11FDHXM4qcA_uAEtKlWaGXo0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kxv7o4ikv3iz

[smulmi]

In Ulleri are houses and stone steps of idyll dreams. Colors come together to give relief. I thought about how the people made living here look easy. I wondered - If I just accepted the growing pressure on my knees as a reality, will I gain the perspective of the local? Or maybe, I was just falling into one of those tourist traps again. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqWxRhGA56yE_7s1_0evwC50R8WGoUKVHLmNWY0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=3wlpwo8ubdjv

[smulmi]

The walk uphill to Ulleri, everyone said, was a tough one. We saw it, too. The trail looked threateningly zigzagged. But it was strewn with cherry blossoms. . Yes. In November. . I was surprised. But yesterday @poudelsubarnapoudel dai said that these are ‘barha mase’ – present throughout the year. All the better for suckers like us. Di and I tried to take pictures under and near them. Cherry blossoms are always photogenic. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqPr-9fgGEgDYfZRzVgrwxjgYYNuP_S3rFDWTQ0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=19h4p22sb4699

[smulmi]

Off drove the bus to Naya Pul. This bus ride was better than the KTM-PKR. One, @bsewa was in a better health. A good night’s rest had done us a favor and our bodies and spirits were uplifted. For a while, we chatted as we rocked to the motion of the bus. Then the screen in front started playing current Nepali songs and our attention diverted. . A while ago, Sewa di, @suprasanna_aryal, and I had watched ‘Romeo & Muna’ because di really liked previous works by the director. I ended up liking the movie more because of a song, ‘Pal Pal’ by Sukmit Gurung which had lovely animations. A song from the same movie not included in the official screening called ‘Kina chahiyo baruli kammar…’ was playing which we found quite nice. "You can dance even though you don’t have zero figure." We discussed for a while about the music videos, some of which were thoroughly enjoyable. . Minutes went by like that, until we stopped for a cup of lemon tea. They had amazing marigolds bursting out near the road – you may have seen the picture I posted a few days ago. Then without further ado, we continued. . Naya Pul came with an unexpected stop, with the view of dozens of tourists setting off on their journey. “Dai, hamilai Ulleri ko gaadi paune thauma chodidinu hai?” requested Sewa di. They suggested where we could get the vehicle. While we found a young driver ready to take us to our destination, we didn’t have enough passengers. Rs. 3500 was the total cost and that was an unnecessary amount to pay for a two hour ride. So we waited for more people like us to show up. . 20 minutes went by, then 30. We decided we could wait no more. Since there were no passengers, we exchanged numbers with the driver – in case he found some, he would call and pick us up. So we bid him farewell and started walking down the stone steps, asking didis the way, they in turn, asking about us and the lives we have led. . A few minutes’ walk showed us this clean, green river. We admired the view for a while. Oh if only we lived here! A didi passed by and Sewa di asked her the river’s name. “Modi". Sewa di's expression said it all. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqO-ZBIgHS9dyLbCtqKsJg6a_31I2u2OpYT6Ig0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qo5b2e8g7mlo

[smulmi]

I saw a watch-seller with a tub full of cheap watches. I couldn’t resist and got one, hoping when my phone died, as I knew it eventually would despite the power-bank, it would keep us going. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMuQiKg_P0CwhZovEXOGpSNiSEuB9CVnAboXU0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15cjv7a0kntuy

[smulmi]

Once we reached the stop, we found a bus to Naya Pul easily. We got favorable seats and waited. I had the window seat. Outside, buses collected living goods, piled up, stuffed itself, and left. I kept myself occupied by looking at a wide-eyed kid. I waved. The kid just stared back. But the female passenger behind started laughing. The next time I looked, the bus had gone. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMuAIygYAfKt4bwriMT7AFHEoMZFowZwrYb5M0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dxf8hqfi3se9

[smulmi]

We had to leave for Naya Pul soon and so we did. But not before we haggled with the taxi-drivers for the fare. Rs. 400 for 4 kilometers. Mentally I cursed them and hoped that Tootle and Pathao would catch up to four wheelers so that I wouldn’t be cheated by them. Pissed off, we walked away. . . But someone called us from behind. Without giving any bhau, we carried on. A persistent middle-aged taxi-owner tried to make his case. Time is of essence, “mero ni bohni huncha ni”. So we gave in. Rs. 350. @bsewa di was having a hell of a time teasing me about my ‘glowing’ face because of the golden hour and ‘glowering’ face at the taxi drivers. . . On our dust-free, open way, the view of Machhapuchhre and the clear horizon made me begrudgingly admit that maybe, maybe the fare was not just for the ride, but also for the iconic scene. The more I looked at them, I realized that I didn’t feel so angry anymore. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMthZjgrykvISB4Fotkm612yaCTckELNAK-7M0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16xy0wxdhyvs9

[smulmi]

Kathmandu – Pokhara – Naya Pul – Ulleri – Nangethanti - Ghode pani. . . Day 1 started when we made a quick visit to the Lakeside right after breakfast. I’d been to the city a fair few times but had never seen the mountains and hills it had to show like that. I was mesmerized. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMsywHgW7wgPFKqNkP3_iPQ63Bj5BIhB7goQc0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12zpugl3arsfh

[smulmi]

Lucky

Lucky are those who know what they want from life Who know what they want to do What they need Who they need Me? Oh, this whirlpool of confusion is too interesting I might spend my entire existence here.

[smulmi]

If you were here

If you were here

If you were here where I am right now, You’d enjoy the cool shade of history Visible in the carvings all around me.

If you were here where I am right now, You’d be amused at the languages they speak And the melody it gave.

If you were here where I am right now, You’d have admired the art, the calm, the cool breeze that passes through your shirt, into your heart.

If you were here where I am right…

[smulmi]

@mountainandmoon #mountainandmoon #earrings #accessories #obsession

[smulmi]

Wishing for this delicious and heavenly cup of hot chocolate right now... #acupofhappiness #hotchocolate #aromacafe