THIS IS MY JOURNEY: A GIRL WITH A WILL OF STEEL

Pabitra is really a girl with a will of steel. In the true sense, she is a brave daughter of Nepal. 

 PABITRA IS A GIRL WITH A WILL OF STEEL

She is determined to travel 77 districts of Nepal all on foot...Isn't it amazing? 

By LB THAPA

Pabitra Pariyar is a 21-year-old young girl who hails from Sikles, a remote village in the Kaski district. In recent times, Pabitra has come to the limelight for her daring activities. You might be wondering what is Pabitra famous for.  

The other day this scribe had an opportunity to meet this wonderful girl when she arrived in Pokhara after walking all the way from Siklis. She is actually on her way to Dhorpatan. 

Pabitra is most probably the first girl in Nepal who has been on her mission to travel all 77 districts of Nepal. If you think what is special to travel all 77 districts of Nepal. Then there are two things of note. The first thing is that she may be the first girl to solo travel to all 77 districts of Nepal. The second and the most special is that she has been traveling on foot. She takes no vehicles of any kind, even no hitchhiking. It is just walking and more walking---well, don’t you think this is a daring task for a young girl at 21.   

“I was born in Parche, Siklis, and my father was a porter himself”, said Pabitra and continued, “We belong to a lower-middle-class family. I was much closer to my father. He would tell me the stories of his journey as a porter. Thrilled by the stories of my father I insisted my father take me with him on his journeys, but he would refuse because I was small. But when I was 12 years old my father agreed to take me with him. I gave my company to my father while my father would carry loads on his back”. 

Things fell apart when Pabitra’s father fell into depression and one day his body was found in the nearby forest. Her father’s sudden death actually left the family of five in the lurch. Her father was the sole breadwinner in the family. 

“We did not have sufficient land to make enough agricultural produce and we did not have any skill to make a living. For some time life became much tougher. Then I realized I could work as a porter and guide because while walking with my father I had already become very familiar with several destinations of tourist interest. Following my father’s footprint, I spent some time working as a porter cum guide and supported my family. Later, my brothers and sisters began to support the family and that was a relief for me. In the meantime, my younger sister has been taking trekking guide training in Pokhara. And she is nearly completing the course and soon she will get a license to become a professional female guide”, said Pabitra. 

Burning with the intense desire to do something noticeable in her life, Pabitra had decided to become a solo traveler. By becoming a solo traveler, she wants to fulfill her father’s dream. It was her father’s dream to see her daughter becoming a traveler but not a porter like him. Thus, Pabitra decided to scale the length and breadth of the country by traveling on foot and that too solo. When she had taken this decision, she was merely a young girl at 15. 

“It was not an easy decision for me. When I decided to go to Nepal solo traveling on foot I was only 15 years old”, revealed Pabitra. “My own family members and my relatives were against my decision. But I was committed to accomplishing my mission for two obvious reasons: First, I wanted to fulfill my father’s dream to become a traveler. And second, I wanted to prove that woman’s power should not be underestimated. They can also travel the whole country and that too on foot and without any company. I want to prove that today’s girls have enough courage and strength to meet any daring challenges”. 

Pabitra has already traveled to 45 districts of the country on foot and the journey is still going on. Pabitra started her solo travel at the age of 15 and now she is 21. Over the last six years, Pabitra is on the road and continuously walking---facing all kinds of known and unknown challenges but nothing has deterred her determination to complete her mission of traveling all 77 districts of Nepal.   

Remembering about her first solo traveling, Pabitra said, “My first ever solo traveling was from Siklis to Tare Hill. I walked all the way from Siklis to Tare Hill and the distance I completed in 5 hours. I had taken my father’s tent and other necessary gear. I set up the tent and spent one night at Tare Hill. That night I ate noodles and a little powder of fried maize (satu) that my mother had given me. I had carried a big-size thermos, which contained several cups of hot tea. On the first night, I was so scared that I could not sleep for the whole night. To keep me awake I regularly drank several cups of tea until the last drop of the tea left in the thermos. There are no restaurants and hotels in the Tare hill area. Even today the place is devoid of restaurants and hotels”. 

Pabitra’s first major solo trek was for Kori. It was a four days trek. “I walked for two days to reach Kori. On the way, I stayed at cowsheds. At Kori, I spent one day, and the next day I walked back from Kori to Siklis. At Kori too I did set up my father’s tent and spent the whole night all alone at the pitch-black night. But this time I was not scared---I was much more confident than before. Nowadays there are a few hotels and restaurants in Kori. But when I had been to Kori, there were not single hotels or restaurants”. 

She had thoroughly enjoyed her solo trip to Kori. “Among many advantages of solo trekking one is to have independent decision power. There is no one to interfere with you. This is the reason many travelers do not like to travel in a group and of course, I am definitely one of them. 

“Due to regular drizzling for days, the path to Kori was infested with blood-thirsty leaches. Despite my best efforts, many hungry leeches stuck to my skin and sucked my blood. Some of the leaches I pulled them off while others fell down when they were swollen out of proportion”.  

Pabitra’s longest solo trek was from Siklis to Jumla, which she completed in 25 days. During this time, she was continuously walking without taking a day’s rest in any place. 

“During my solo trek from Siklis to Jumla, I found Surkhet to Jumla trek the most difficult one. It took me 9 days to reach Jumla from Surkhet, but I was terribly exhausted. During my trek most of the time, I would stay at the houses of local people. I would eat whatever they offered me with love and affection. Among other things, one thing that traveling has taught me is to adjust according to the situation”, said Pabitra with a broad smile across her face. 

Pabitra meets a local woman on her way to Jumla.

During her six years of nonstop solo traveling, she met with all kinds of people. Some people appreciated her daring efforts with vociferous acknowledgments.  While others did make some derogatory remarks about her.   

“One time while traveling through Lamjung, I stayed at a home where the house lady didn’t agree with my way of solo traveling. She even scolded me and asked me to return home outright and stay with the family, get married, and have a family. Anyway, I didn’t mind her remarks because she told me what she thought was right. However, I know myself better than anyone in this world---I’m born to travel and I will always travel solo”, declared Pabitra. 

Her solo trek to llama was full of excitement and thrill. She had completed the trek in 15 days. She had started this trek from Pokhara. She walked all the way through Narayanghat, Dharan, and Chitwan and finally reached llam. During her weeklong stay in llam, she did not stay in the hotel but in her tent. 

Pabitra has already walked across Mardi Himal, Annapurna circuit, Kailash Mountain, Lamjung Himal, Doot Pokhari, Jomsom, Mustang, and Muktinath. There are still several popular destinations in her backlog, which she wants to explore in days to come.   

Pabitra will stay for a few days in Pokhara after then she will begin one of the longest treks on foot that will begin from Pokhara to Dhorpatan. From Dhorpatan she will go to Shey Phoksundo where her journey will come to an end. This is around a 150 km long trek and she has planned to complete it in 10 days. 

“I do walk slowly and enjoy the natural ambiance of the surrounding area. This is the reason I take longer time than normal trekking. I am not in a hurry to complete my trek in a given time because I am not a part of any trekking agency. I walk at my free will and this is the way how I prefer to walk at my own pace”, said Pabitra.    

When asked how long she will continue trekking solo, she said, “Adventure and trekking are the inseparable parts of my life. I cannot imagine a life without adventure and trekking. Thus, I’m pretty sure I will continue walking as long as my legs carry my weight”. 

Pabitra is traveling solo on foot and she has been doing it all without any financial assistance. In fact, she regularly posts photos and videos on her Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, and this way in which she promotes tourist places of the country. But she has not been assisted by any tourism department or any tourism-related organizations. 

“I do not belong to a well-to-do family. I am following my passion with a minimum budget. You can also call me a minimalist. I get little financial help from my family and sometimes my friends and relatives help me with some money and this way I have been dragging my feet all these years”, lamented Pabitra. 

At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has been on the wane and its effect is dying down across the world, it is hoped that once again tourism will bounce back with a bang. If that is the case then definitely many tourism enterprises and travel agencies can collaborate with her to get their business promoted. 

“The way I travel is unique because I walk on foot. I meet people, talk with local media, and interact with local communities. I can promote their businesses more effectively than any other people can do. If any business enterprise believes in my ability and work then they can contact me at 9819179946. I am pretty sure they will get back the worth every penny spent on me. Moreover, this collaboration will give me a reason to continue my journey and follow my passion for exploring new places of merit”, said Pabitra confidently. 

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