I now have just about a year of service left, so your time to visit me in Nepal is running out! If that's not enough, perhaps this ironical post will entice you to drop by my district of Dang:
Today we offer you an exclusive treat as we uncover the
mystery that is the great district of Dang. Thus far, Dang has miraculously
managed to elude inclusion in Lonely
Planet, Fodor's, and other
popular travel guides, making it the best-kept secret of Nepal.
Is Dang in the Terai or not? That depends on which Peace
Corps staff you ask. Dang is home to not one but two municipalities, Tulsipur
and Gorahi, which have just been declared the “New Pokharas of the Midwest.”
These thriving metropolises offer an expansive array of activities for both
seasoned and novice travelers.
From Lamahi, hop aboard one of the homey purple buses
heading west. After ascending the switch-backing road that leads up the
countryside, you will enter Dang Valley, the largest valley in all of Nepal. In
the rainy season, when the flatter portions of the road tend to flood, the
journey in is like a jungle safari ride at a theme park, except more real.
Soon you’ll arrive in Gorahi, Dang’s booming district center.
The bazaar’s centerpiece is the iconic martyr’s gate, which can be spotted from
the bus on the ride in. The old-fashioned hotels here don’t take reservations,
so you’ll want to book a room when you arrive. We are split on which of
Gorahi’s lodging venues offers superior amenities: Hotel Three Star is cheaper
and has speedy wi-fi, whereas Hotel City Plaza has hot water and fewer bugs. Another
classy option is Hotel Green Valley (not to be confused with Hotel Dang Valley,
which is a considerably less reputable establishment).
For some refreshment, head to Butwal Bakery, located across
the way from Hotel City Plaza, for tasty pastries, cow cheese and fresh curd.
The curd only comes in one-liter bags, but its unrivaled taste makes that tummy
ache worth it.
If you’re looking for more than a snack, Gorahi’s dining
options leave little to be desired. The recent opening of Eat-O-Clock has been
a source of great excitement. Along with local delicacies such as momos and chow
mein, the restaurant offers the best pizza and pasta for many miles around. Another
mention-worthy eatery is Center Point Family Restaurant, which features outdoor
seating in quaint little bamboo huts with doorbells that you can ring to call a
waiter. Order their famous cheeseburger, which is literally a hunk of melted
cheese on a bun.
Just down the road from Center Point is Gorahi’s movie theater
for a midday or afternoon showing of the latest Hindi or Nepal film. Its reclining
chairs and colorfully decorated hall make for a highly enjoyable viewing
atmosphere.
In the northern part of the city, you’ll find a Hindu temple
and park that are famous throughout the district. Nearby, you’ll also find
Shayne’s favorite plastic store, which sells synthetic tarps, bottles,
clothespins, rubber bands, and twine at affordable prices.
If you desire spirits, head to one of the city’s many liquor
stores, which sometimes offer free packs of playing cards with your purchase.
Their selection of five different bottles of wine—the best between Butwal and Nepalgunj—seems
to fly off the shelves, as they are rarely in stock.
Before retiring for the night, be sure to stop by our
favorite didi’s snack pasal, and be amazed at how much variety one can fit in a
space slightly larger than an elevator. You’ll find Aerin’s beloved Indian
chocolate bars, a chocolate cake called “Cake” that tastes just like a Yodel,
and many other local favorites.
You’ll want to leave early the next morning in order to have
a full day in nearby Tulsipur. Continuing west on the highway for thirty to
ninety minutes (depending on your bus driver’s definition of “local”), you’ll
arrive in the Tulsipur bazaar. Tulsipur touts a Nabil bank and ATM, an Ncell
center, and a handful of places to eat and sleep—everything a Peace Corps
Volunteer could want, really.
If you’ve managed to retain your appetite after that didi you
were sitting next to vomited in your lap, pay a visit to the renowned Delight
Family Restaurant. Delight is nestled away in a quieter part of the city, just
past the vacant lot where Nekeia and Maria deposit the bags of garbage they’ve
accumulated at site. Sprawl out in the upstairs lounge for a Peace Corps laptop
party, or enjoy an intimate dinner in the plush VIP booths. If you’re feeling
grungy from the bus ride in, you can even take a shower in their upstairs
bathroom. Delight’s international menu boasts chow mein, momos, sizzlers,
pizza, burgers, chop suey, and more; the non-international options are more
highly recommended. Remarkably, they do not serve daal bhaat. Be sure to
pronounce your order very clearly, or you may end up with chili momos when you
asked for them steamed or a sausage fry instead of a cold sprite.
Another first-rate option is the Sunrise Family
Restaurant—the dim lighting sets the mood just right. Sunrise offers complementary,
fast wi-fi service every fifth time you visit (at least, in our experience). And
if you’re a mouse, you eat here free!
Tulsipur’s “American store”, located just around the corner
from Sunrise, carries a wide selection of luxury items including cow cheese,
pasta sauce, oatmeal, canned mushrooms, skin-whitening creams, and fluorinated
toothpastes. Ask the cashier for a special volunteer discount, but he’ll
probably just blink his eyes and look at you curiously.
Hotel Ekanta is the best-rated hotel in town. Every room comes with a TV, bed, and bathroom,
in which there is sometimes running water. Ekanta’s power sockets are the
highest in all of Dang—in fact, most people cannot reach them even when
standing on the bed. Be forewarned that noise carries through the cavernous
halls and oddly situated windows of this establishment, and there is a small
chance that a police detective will show up at your door telling you to keep
the noise down.
Hotel Western Palace is another favorite. No need to travel
across Nepal for that swimming pool—Western Palace is famous throughout all of
Dang for its recessed concrete container of water. Western Palace also has a
badminton court, without the incessantly barking dogs of Pacific Guest House. The
rooms are elegantly decorated with abstract art, including pieces of stained
chow mein and patterns of mold. Western Palace is located in the western
outskirts of the city, just past the Gorahi bus park. If you reach the pile of
steaming garbage, you’ve gone too far and should turn back.
As you make your way down the hill to the bus park to catch
a ride home, be sure not to miss our favorite attraction: the goat with the
broken leg wandering between the rusted vehicles and decaying rubbish. As
pitiful as it is, it’s important to note that it keeps on enduring in spite of
its harsh environment. And so, dear traveler, have you.
This brief synopsis represents just a sliver of all the
possibilities that await you in Dang. We strongly encourage you to visit Dang
for yourself, and write to us with additional recommendations in the area. The opportunities for discovery
are truly limitless.