A Morning Pilgrimage

Stairs leading to Nagi Gompa

- By SAMIYA CHOPRA

It is 7 am on a winter morning in Kathmandu. As the gate of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park opens, it reveals numerous trails leading up to different nooks in the forest. Not all treks in Nepal are nestled high up in the Himalayas; some lie right at the fringes of the cities, and this is the hike to Nagi Gompa. The hike begins with a wide trail which rests cool at daybreak with the shade of the dense rhododendron and oak foliage but keeps getting warmer as dawn turns to morning and the sunlight begins filtering in through the trees. With fresh, chilly winds on the face, the leafy scent of the forest envelops hikers. As the calming sound of water from rivulets makes the hike meditative