Text by : Ankita Maharjan & Saugaat Thapa
It is a hard pass when it comes to just packing bags and leaving the daily routine of life when the chance of being with nature is waiting for you at your threshold. How better can things be than standing in front of the mountains, and feeling that cool breeze! The pleasure of sharing your journey with the people who are yet to feel it firsthand and see the joy on their faces is a plus point. So, here I am again sharing my journey to Dudh Kunda.
Sitting on the lap of Mt. Numbur in Solukhumbu is Dudh Kunda at an elevation of 4560 meters (14960.63 ft). Dudh Kunda, locally known as Shorang Yul Lha, is called the “protector of the Solu region”, the abode of Lord Shiva and on the full moon in August, the lake sees pilgrims flock as devotees believe that taking a dip in the icy lake will absolve them of their sins.
The adventurous journey began when I felt the need to visit yet another heavenly piece of earth which reminded me why there was a void in my life. So without any further ado, I called a few of my buddies - who were searching for a chance like this as well- to just enjoy the beauty of the place.
We decided to leave at 6 in the morning from Charikot to our destination. We were so eager to hit the road, we had no time to have breakfast, so we made a quick stop at Jiri. After the quick break, we were back on the road again.
After lunch, without delay, we headed to our next stop- Kenza, where we stayed the night. It took us 3 hours to drive from Bandra to reach the Kenza bazaar. It is a small village with few tea-house, situated in a narrow valley where Likhu meets the Kenza river. This village is also known as the gateway to the Solukhumbu district, the homeland of the Sherpas.
Despite the adrenaline pumping in my heart for the journey ahead and a night of peaceful sleep, my muscles were still sore when I woke up. After having breakfast we were set for a 5 hours journey to reach Lamjura Pass 3500 meters (11482.94 ft) where we parked our bikes and had to trek, much to my surprise, downhill to reach Junbesi.
It took us 3 hours to reach Junbesi village which is a beautiful Sherpa village at an altitude of 2700 meters (8858.268 ft) from sea level in the lower Solukhumbu region.
After filling our hungry stomachs, we picked up our cameras and went to capture the beauty that Junbesi wasn’t shy to share. We got to visit the famous Thubten Choling Monastery, which is a retreat community and monastery established by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche in the 1960s. Over 900 monks and nuns (80 percent of whom are Tibetan refugees) live there
No matter how many times I come out to enjoy the beauty of our mother nature, she never fails to amaze me. Fresh air, clear water flowing from the mountains, and snow-covered forests will always be my weakness. We reached Yak Kharka, where we rested and had our lunch.
After an hour we began to climb again until we reached Saharsa beni village, where we found our shelter for the night. It took us a whole day to reach but the journey was worth it. I can’t explain how happy I felt when the villagers said that the path we had to take to reach Dudh Kunda is just a few hours of climbing.
Coming to our last climb we started our trek as soon as we had our breakfast. We just could not condemn our excitement. It took us nearly 2 hours to get to this magnificent place and the cries of joy when we got the first glimpse of the beauty were indescribable.
The lake is like a green emerald reflection of happiness and the tall mountains in the background are like the aroma of aurum.
Like everything comes to an end it’s the same for this trek which was inevitable as the sun was setting. The tremendous happiness we felt when we reached this place was slowly turning into a pool of sadness reminding us what we are going to miss when we go back to our day-to-day routine.
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