Rescue Network Nepal
Trip to Kailali- Training Travel Log
Another first aid training program, organized by Rescue Network Nepal, was unfolding in Kailali from September 24th to 30th, 2024. The entire team was ready and geared up for the training. Manoj sir and I had to take a bus, carrying most of the heavy luggage and stretchers for the training, to make it easier for the office vehicle to navigate the off-road paths. The recent rains had made the road conditions the worst possible.
On September 21st, we went to look for the bus we had booked online. Since we had a lot of luggage, the bus conductor tried to scam us, asking for an extra Rs. 3,000 for the luggage. However, Sanoj dai and Jagdish dai managed to bargain and paid Rs. 1,500 instead. The conductor also threatened us not to inform the bus counter, saying he would charge more if we did. I was quite furious at that moment, but with no other option to avoid missing the bus, Sanoj dai suggested not to make scene out of it, Sanoj dai and jaggu dai returned home. Thus, the journey began under tense circumstances.
Our bus left at around 6 pm, and due to heavy traffic from Naubise, we reached Beni at 10:30 pm. We had dinner there and then continued our journey. It was quite hot in Kathmandu, but at night, due to the bus’s AC, we were freezing. Manoj sir, who easily catches colds, started sneezing and developed a headache, so I offered him my blanket. It became quite warm after that, and we were able to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast in Kusum, Banke, and our next stop was Kohalpur Bus Park, where Ps. Sukraj Roka, our coordinator, was supposed to pick us up. However, due to some circumstances he was unable to come, so we took an auto to his home, carrying all the luggage. We reached his home, where we were welcomed and had lunch at 11 am.
Kohalpur is a municipality in Banke District. The municipality was formed by merging two Village Development Committees, Rajhena and Kohalpur. It is one of the hottest cities in Nepal, so the heatwave was expected. It was quite hot there, so we went to the rooms we were given. I took a shower since even the air itself felt hot. However, when I returned from the shower, I found myself sweating again. It was only cool while I was actually in the shower. We were quite tired from the travel, so I fell asleep while resting.
I woke up sweating and couldn’t get back to sleep because of the room’s temperature. I went outside hoping for some fresh air, but it was still burning hot. The day passed restlessly due to the heat. The remaining team arrived in a Land Cruiser at around 10 pm, and everyone looked quite tired and upset because of the road conditions. Upon inquiry, we found out that some were upset because they couldn’t stay at the hotel as planned and had to travel until 10 pm. However, I was just happy to see the whole team, as I wanted them to experience the “beauty” of Kohalpur’s heat, haha. Our team shared that on the way in Shivpur Bhanjyang, Chainpur, they had to stop for a while as they saw an injured little boy aged 4 or 5 who was hit by the truck just a few moments ago. He had a serious head injury and was bleeding continuously. The injury was so deep that even his skull part was visible and his mother was crying. Manita didi tried to convince his mom not to worry and she even dressed the wound of the child. It helped to stop the heavy bleeding and the child was taken to the hospital in Tempo. Being the team of first aid training providers, I was very happy that our team could help that child.
The following day, everyone went for a shower and washed clothes from the travel, while Sanoj dai, who coordinates the team and training, went to his in-laws’ house, as his wife is from Kohalpur. He had a different joy and excitement on his face about meeting his in-laws. After he returned from their house with some gifts, we went to Rupadiya, India, for some shopping, hoping to find things cheaper. Some bought soap and shampoo, while others bought sunglasses and toys for their kids. It was a great experience riding a rickshaw, like in the old days in Hetauda, but now rickshaws are becoming extinct due to better transportation options.
After the return from the shopping, we had to reach our training destination which was Lamkichuha-1, Kailali. All the team including Ps. Sukraj Roka went on land cruiser whereas Manish dai and I had to go on a bike. It was nice until we were stopped at check post in Bardiya National Park. Bardiya National Park is one of the largest national parks in Nepal, covering 968 sq km. It is home to over 53 mammals, including Bengal tigers, Barasingha, Indian rhinoceros, and more. The park is famous for its wild cats, such as leopards and tigers. It is also popular for bird watching, jungle safaris, fishing, and crocodile breeding.
There have been many incidents where people were killed by tigers on the road passing through Bardiya National Park. An incident in which a mother and son were traveling on a bike, and the mother was taken away and killed by a tiger. Because of such incidents, there are now post checks and a time card system in place. People traveling on bikes must wait for at least five other bikes and two four-wheelers for safety reasons. So, the team in the Land Cruiser went ahead, but we had to wait for other bikes to arrive. It took around more than 30 minutes for five bikes and two four-wheelers to show up. After that, we passed through the national park and reached the Karnali Bridge, which was beautiful to see and was separating Chisapani Bazaar from the national park. Our team had a chance to take photos there while waiting for us, but we couldn’t because we were running late and continued our journey.
We reached Lamkichuha Bazaar, where Elder Govinda Singh Rawat came to pick us up and took us to the church. It was huge, with AC on every wall. However, stepping outside, it was hard to breathe for a moment because of the hot air and the sudden change in temperature. We decided to stay there for the night. After having dinner, the boys slept on the church floor while the girls went to Ps. Janmaya Bhattarai’s house.
The next morning, on the first day of training, we prepared the banners, stage, microphones, and everything else. We had breakfast at 8:30 am, which was filled with lots of masalas. While eating, it felt like we were mostly eating the masalas, and we realized that our meals for the whole training week would be like this, so we wished our tongues and guts good luck! After a short devotion led by Manish sir, our training began. We divided the trainees into two groups and conducted training in two stations, making it more effective and engaging for everyone.
After the training, we went in search of good snacks in Lamkichuha but couldn’t find a good place after roaming all over the bazaar. Manita didi, our senior trainer who was injured, was walking slowly with pain on her face. Finally, we went to a sweet shop and had lassi and chowmein, which were delicious. After returning to the church, we discussed the training overall, and Manita didi gave us feedback. Some trainees who were helping with the meals came to get vegetables and set aside some for themselves to take home. After the discussion and feedback, we had dinner and went to sleep.
On the second day of training at Lamkichuha Community Church, we completed our session, packed our luggage and training equipment, and moved to our next training center at Jeevan Jyoti Church, Janaki-3, Kailali. We arrived at our destination around 7 pm. It was a small church with a tin roof, surrounded by small ponds where wastewater was collected, and there were lots of mosquitoes. So, we had to stay elsewhere. We went to Sanoj dai’s relatives house for the stay.
Next morning at Jeevan Jyoti Church, we started training on time. The trainees were more disciplined than in other places and were quick learners. Eight trainees came from Rajapur, covering around 22 km by bicycle, arriving at 8 am. Their dedication inspired us to teach. It was unexpectedly one of the best experiences to teach there.
After completing the training at Jeevan Jyoti Church, we went to visit Tikapur Park. It was raining a little, but we couldn’t miss the chance to see this historical place.
Tikapur Park, one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in western Nepal, is situated in Tikapur Municipality of Kailali District. It was built by King Mahendra. During that time, his health condition was very poor due to heart disease, and the doctors advised him to rest. However, despite his health issues, he continued the work of building the park. After it was completed, positive changes were seen in his health because of its fresh and healthy environment. Therefore, Tikapur Park is now known as “The Rest Place of King Mahendra,” as it brought about significant improvements in his health.
After visiting Tikapur park we returned to Sanoj dai’s relative, Ps. Chitra Bahadur Chaudhary’s house and they also had church where we attended Saturday devotion. After devotions, we headed to our last training destination in K Gaun-4, Kailali. On the way to Emmanuel Nazarene Church, we visited Ghodaghodi Lake, which was beautiful and covered a vast area. However, the management was quite poor. They were selling tickets for entry but not maintaining or cleaning the lake. We could see plastic littered all around. After the visit, we continued to our last training center, receiving directions from the church pastor. Instead of giving us direct directions, he gave instructions to one location at a time. After following 7-8 different locations, we finally reached the church. It was our last and most challenging place to stay. The toilet door had to be held by hand while using it and overall management was very poor.
After dinner, the boys slept in the church hall, while the girls were given separate rooms. Around 10 pm, the pastor knocked on the door and came inside for devotion. In the middle of the devotion, a young lady fainted. Manita Didi took her blood pressure and was wiping her sweat, but suddenly, the girl started laughing. Manita Didi, scared, maintained her distance while wiping the girl’s sweat. The girl began saying she was possessed by someone named Lalita Chaudhary and continued laughing and crying. Everyone started praying and reading the Bible, while Jagdish Dai, being Hindu, read the Hanuman Chalisa. After a while, she calmed down, and everyone could sleep peacefully.
The next morning, we went in search of tea and found out that the pastor had invited the entire village, telling them that an NGO from Kathmandu was coming and that they could have food. However, that night, the pastor gave us stale food and vegetables for the meal.
We completed our two-day first aid training there, while heavy rains in Kathmandu Valley caused floods that destroyed many houses and claimed lives. The news was all over the internet that the roads for our return were blocked, and some were destroyed due to landslides and floods, so we were quite worried about our journey back to the Valley.
We went to Pastor Sukraj Roka’s house, where we left some of our training luggage, and then headed to Gorusinghe for the night while keeping updated on road conditions. In the morning, we found out that some buses were coming through the Daune Road, which was a difficult off-road route. Without delay, we passed through the Daune jungle without encountering any traffic jams. We had lunch at Chormara and continued our journey, taking the long route through Daman as other roads were blocked.
Simbhanjyang and Daman are the unique view points from where we can have 360-degree view- a nice panoramic view of most of the mountains in Nepal. If the weather is clear, we can even view the tip of the Mt. Everest towards the North East from there.
The road was clear until we neared Simbhanjyang, where we got stuck in a traffic jam for about 5 hours due to the narrow road and large night buses and trucks. Our plan was to stay in Markhu, but we couldn’t go any further from Daman because of the traffic. As it was already very late and dark, we stayed at a hotel in Daman where we had some tasteless food and went to sleep as we were all exhausted.
In the morning, on the way back, we saw landslides, tree branches, and large stones on the road. On the downhill stretch of Chandragiri, we got caught in another jam and had to wait for a few hours. After finally passing the jam, we breathed a sigh of relief as we entered Kathmandu Valley. We went to the office, unpacked all the equipment and luggage, and then headed home, carrying with us the hectic and tense experiences of yet another journey.
Prepared by: Samir Ale Magar
For Rescue Network Nepal
Edited by: Elina Maharjan
Date: 23rd October, 2024