It was a year back in Nepal. I was working in my office and all of a sudden I got a call from Sandeep Dai (brother ). Dashin (a festival celebrated by Hindu) vacation was not very far- was just a couple of days to come. He invited me to join with him to the mountainous region of Nepal -Mustang. Sandeep Dai was in Jomsom when he ringed me and was conducting a program in Jomsom Mountain Resort. I just accepted his invitation without hesitation and packed my backpack to start the adventurous journey to Jomsom alone. It was really good to be in the mountainous region as the pollution of Kathmandu was not able infect the heights of Mustang.
I was in Jomsom with Sandeep dai for couple of days and we travelled back to Tukche. It is a beautiful thakali village in the upper Kali Gandaki valley with Annapurna mountain on one side and Dhaulagiri mountain on the other. The streets of Tukche are paved by stone. Most of the Thakali villages are paved with cobblestone. Thakali people are famous for their hospitality and food.
I am in a way related to this village as my maternal grandfather comes from this village. He was supposed to be the enlightened being as said by my mother and maternal uncle. I was there to see my grandfather’s monastery i.e. Mahakali Gumba. It is one of the oldest Gumba in that region and it needs renovation as well.
After exploring Tukche we entered to Laxmi Lodge to have a lunch. Sandeep Dai comes from a field of travel and tourism. Some time around 15 years back he used to stay in the same Lodge while having a round trip of Throng La Pass (Annapurna Circuit). We were warmly welcomed to have a meal. Every Nepali loves a typical Thakali Dal, bhat and tarkari (nepali meal ) and a warm welcome with a smile .
We stayed there for a couple of hours and Sandeep Dai started to take some snaps of the Lodge and the natural beauty of Tukche.
We took all the information of Lodge and the life style of Tukche and decided to post it in a blog. It was the karma (task) that was supposed to be done earlier but due to my laziness I ignored it most of the time. But at the end at least I gave an initiation to write and compile it.
Gone are those days when Mustang used to be the forbidden kingdom(upper Mustang was forbidden for foreigners) and there were no means of transportation. People relied on their feet and horses to travel on a small trail. Now at least it is connected with a road. Though the roads are dusty and frequently have land slides in rainy season its adventurous to travel. But it’s more adventurous to have a trek rather than travelling on vehicle.
Pictures speaks more than a thousand words. Thus, they are self-explanatory. All the pictures that I have posted are photographed by Sandeep Dai.
A typical Thakali Kitchen.
view of mountain through the window
Lodging is quite cheaper and rooms are neat and clean.
Dine at Tukche
Serene Natural Beauty
Travel information on the wall
Mahakali Ghumba needs renovation
A family picture (Laxmi Lodge & View restaurant)
It was a wonderful experience to be in Tukche. I would like to thank the whole family of Laxmi Lodge & View restaurant for providing such a delicious meal 🙂 .
Swarnim 
