Patlekhet Community Homestay is not very well establish among the Nepalese but it has been drawing Japanese and Taiwanese groups for years. It’s a beautiful trip to Patlekhet. From Dhulikhel Chowk, take the road that goes east, marking the start of the BP Highway, which links the hills to the plains of the country. From Dhulikhel, the trip brings you through pine trees and shops filled with huge soft drinks and beer billboards. The more you get from Dhulikhel, the more rural the landscape gets. You’re cycling through the fields and villages built on sloping hills. At this time of year, you’re always riding past men and women sitting on the side of the road selling junar bags (sweet oranges).

Homestay began operations in 2012, with a total of 17 houses welcoming visitors. When I visit my homestay a couple of days back, I was allocate with House 7 .Under the supervision of Savitri Badal and Keshab P Badal, the president of the Patlekhet Group Homestay. When I got home, I heard that Keshab was attending a meeting in Kathmandu. Savitri was attending a marriage in a nearby town. It was just my own thing to say. I had neglected to tell them that I was arriving in the afternoon and not in the evening.

After sitting on their front porch for a moment, I walked a little and ended to meet Badal’s neighbors. When the matron of the family heard that I didn’t have lunch, she quickly cooked a plate of salt rotis, a bowl of alu tarkari, a banana, and a cup of tea.

When I ask her what I should do around the village while I was waiting for Savitri, she recommend I go to Shree Kalidevi Secondary School.

I was soon led by the father-in-law of the woman, who seems to be at least 80 years old. A few minutes after I got to campus, the Taiwanese community came in. They were both wearing medical and anti-pollution masks. A mask-giving party of Taiwanese in a village out of nowhere made for a curious sight. “It’s the fear of the coronavirus,” said Rabindra Neupane, chair of the school management committee.

From college, I walked to a viewing tower was under construction.There was a tiny park outside the tower with a few benches. I met RC Neupane there, whom I met earlier in the day at the university. He invited me to have a cup of tea at a small shop where his wife worked near the park. On clear days, you can see a wonderful view of the chain of mountains from the park.

Later that night, I first encountered my host relatives. Savitri apologized for not being there when I came. Keshav returned to me from Kathmandu, canceling his other appointments in the city. Savitri placed a red tika on my forehead and placed a marigold garland around my face. She told me all night how nearly all the food she gives her guests comes from her own lands.

Over a cup of lemongrass-infuse tea, which was taken out of the family garden. Keshab ask me why the visitors had decide to live at the Patlekhet Group Homestay.

The next morning, I walked back to the park, expecting to see the sunrise and the mountains that RC told me about. But the view was obscure by clouds, and nothing could be seen except the rolling hills and the terrace fields. Many tasks involve visiting the milk collection center in the area. Another operation villagers told me that the regular visitors were hiking to Namo Buddha. The trip will take less than two hours, and the path winds through picturesque hamlets and pine forests. The hiking was something I need to do, but I couldn’t do it because of a lack of time.