TRAVEL FEATURE - NEPAL
LEIGH WILKINS
PEOPLE ON A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY
“
Hello , my friend ,” a voice rung out from the dark depths of a ‘ hotel ’ side kitchen . The voice belonged to a man we ’ d met the day before .
Somewhere deep within the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve a handful of our group had ventured to a nearby hotel , nothing more than a dining room , come kitchen with another cooking section outside . Over too many local beers and good natured passing around of a hookah we ’ d made friends with the local people , something easily done in this part of Nepal .
Established in 1983 and gazetted four years later , the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is the only such area in Nepal . The reserve is a conflict of systems , the initial purpose is to allow ‘ sports ’ hunting of blue sheep and other indigenous animals and while open to foreign hunters , it is mostly the domain of the local people . Secondly the area is reserve aimed at protecting the high-altitude ecosystems represented in the area .
Beckoned in , I sat with my friend as he casually stokes a small fire , heating a kettle , ready for more tea in the hotel . It ’ s cramped and smoky yet welcoming and comfortable . Just a few hours earlier we ’ d been welcomed into homes of the local villagers , an experience that will remain etched in the memory for a lifetime .
Walking the streets of Taka is a step back in time , an almost medieval feel as streets give way to roof tops where produce is dried , stored and milled . The people , a mix of Magar , Gugung , and Thakali backgrounds are welcoming and keen to explore the foreigners as we are of them . A community feel like no other one that is inviting and caring , although I suspect that it ’ s similar of all villages in the Takasera area .
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