Ghalegaun And Homestay

Nepal is generally visited for mountain views. Mountain views are observed in many ways. There can be Mountain flight or even a paragliding just to see mountain. However, nothing grants the feeling of watching mountains from the local house itself.
Hotels and Lodges may have best room to see panoramic view of mountain, however, there is different taste is getting into someone’s house and having the feeling of being part of that house and viewing the mountains than Home Stay!

From places like Chitlang, to Nagarkot, there are provisions of Home Stay. Home Stay is a total different experience than that of lodge, you get into the house, and they treat you like the guest that they have known since a very long time. They offer you to share same kitchen, they expect you to share your experience with them, sit with them and dine with them. Early morning, they knock your door and offer you the hot tea, and ask what you want for your lunch. They will have various options in their menu that will include various local foods from Dhido to Fapar ko roti. Depending on your choice, they will prepare the lunch. By the time you get fresh, the mountains will get vivid from your house, and you spend your time wondering those mountains. You have your lunch, and then get into the village around for some time there. Evening, you can  join them in kitchen with few chit chats and have dinner together.

The ideas presented must have been enough to make a good pictorial imagination of Home Stay. Now, Ghale Gaun is the name that pops out from any one’s mouth when we talk of Home Stay. It is located at Lamjung district of Nepal; and lies at the altitude of around 2000 m from the sea level. It is the main entrance point to face Annapurna trekking route, and is a complete Gurung village. At the season, the windows will share the background of mountains like Macchapuchre, Annapurna and Manaslu.

Travelling to this place can be done by hiring a vehicle from Besisahar, or one can get into the trek that takes around five to six hours. Various small villages on the roads are there to ensure the solution if any problem occurs.

What is it to be like in a home stay of Ghalegaun? Home stay obviously means staying in some one’s home, that is certainly not a hotel or lodge. Once, you get into this place, there is a committee that keeps you in the home, as per your adjustment. The costs are reasonable, and fixed as per the agreement of committee. So, there is no way anyone can cheat you in regards of money here, you will have to pay same price for rice if you eat in this house, or the house there. The room is not sophisticated with AC, but resembles the sitting room or the guest room that houses have, and is being allocated to guests.

You will be shown your room, where you can rest after all you will be tired there. The menu will be brought to you that will display the items that are made from the local products there. You can choose various types of tea for your refreshment. The items available locally there, will be charged comparatively cheaper than those that has to be brought from cities to that place.  Every local items from Gundruk, Sisno, Dhido, Kodoko soup, Kodo roti set, Usineko makai are available there.

The food items will be cooked in fire woods, not in gas, and will be served to you. This will let you have new experience and certainly a different taste. You are generally invited to kitchen and share your experiences on any issues at the time of dinner. So you sit down on pirka; with them and talk and dine together. There is provision of various cultural programs like Ghatu Nach, Sherga Nach, Krishna Charitra, Ghyaprai Nach, Pyachu Nach, Aama Samuha ko nach, Yuwa samhuha ko nach under special requests. They are generally favorable when you go in a mass like during tours.

For the entire day, you will have other neighboring places there to visit.

At the time of bidding you farewell, there is this wonderful tradition of bidding you farewell with huge respect. You feel like the son of the house, because you will be sent with tika and mala. You will receive every positive blessing word from there, which will no way allow you to have the feeling that you don’t belong there.

You might have travelled various other places, stayed in your relatives house, or in lodges. You might have had various other places travelled with your friends and relatives, but Ghalegaun is one such place that has to be travelled by every Nepalese. You are not travelling just to explore new places here, but you feel like travelling to your relatives’ house. You feel like travelling to that village, where you had someone whom you knew. Places can be wonderful, but hospitality and discipline is the best aspect here.

Take your college tour here, get four friends of yours and plan your destination here. Trust me, this tour will make wonderful and never forgetting impression within your mind. After all, Ghale Gaun is one best model village for home stay in entire Asia!

Published in HOPE Magazine of March issue