#2: [16-Apr-24]

07-Dec-2015 -- This confluence was visited at the end of my two-month journey through Nepal. I dedicated it to my mother as I reached the point on her birthday. Although I had originally planned to visit it a day earlier, things didn’t go as expected. It eventually took me three days to reach it from Kathmandu, where I had been relaxing after solo trekking around Annapurna and to Everest Base Camp.

On the first day, I took a local bus to the town of Dhulikhel, then caught a minibus to Kamalamai, where I spent the night in a hotel. The next day, I continued my journey by hitchhiking. After a series of rides — including a bus, a tractor, and a van — and walking several kilometers, I reached the village of Dhiman, the last settlement before entering the jungle on the northern side. Oh yes — it turned out this confluence is located deep in the jungle.

My watch showed 9:30 a.m. It was about 10 km from the village to the confluence. “Not so far,” I thought. I hoped to reach it before 2 p.m. But I had never been in a wild jungle before, and I had no idea how hard it could be to cross even 10 meters of dense terrain. Near the village, I found a dry riverbed that seemed to lead in the right direction. It was surrounded by thick forest. After a few kilometers, the riverbed narrowed and ended at the foot of a hill. I suddenly found myself deep in the jungle, far from any signs of civilization. That’s when the real challenge began.

Part of the jungle stretched across hills and mountains, so it was often difficult to walk in a straight line toward 27°N 86°E. I had to climb steep hills with loose, unreliable rocks under my feet. I slipped and fell several times — thankfully without serious injuries. Often, I had to detour through dry stream beds, drifting off course. After five attempts to climb one particular hill, I finally made it to the top. But the descent on the other side was often steep or ended in a chasm, making descent dangerous or impossible. Several times, I had to backtrack and look for alternative paths. This up-and-down struggle continued for most of the day.

Despite the difficulties, the untouched jungle was stunning. I encountered two species of monkeys, a peacock, and various birds. The grass and bushes were quite tall, and strong trees formed a dense canopy above.

I was moving too slowly through the jungle. By the end of the day, I was a bit exhausted. The closest I got to the confluence was 2.5 km, but by 5 p.m. it was already too late to continue. I had to get out of the jungle. Since I was following a dry riverbed southward, I decided to head toward the closest village (Dhalkebar), about 11 km away. As it got darker, I heard strange bird and monkey calls around me, and something was flying overhead. I was alone in the jungle, but surprisingly, I didn’t feel afraid. I simply didn’t think about it. My only thoughts were of a soft bed and a hot shower (I hoped to find a hotel in Dhalkebar). It took me about three hours to reach the village. Luckily, I found a guesthouse, took a cold shower, and went straight to bed. I slept fairly well for a few hours undisturbed (aside from some insects and a lizard in the room).

The next morning, I got up early to continue the adventure. This time, I chose a different dry riverbed, which led me much closer to the confluence — just 300 meters away from the path. Following the riverbed saved me a lot of time. Along the way, I met some locals who were heading into the jungle to cut trees. One of them warned me not to go alone, though he didn’t realize I had a GPS device with me.

Even though I was only a few hundred meters from the confluence, progress was still tough. The rugged terrain forced me to climb up and down steep hills again and again, using all my strength and experience.

Eventually, after a difficult descent, I discovered a narrow, dry spring bed that led directly to the confluence. I was lucky — it was located right on the riverbed, so I didn’t have to climb any more hills. Steep hills rose to the east and west, while to the north and south, there was a dry riverbed. I took several photos, including one of the GPS coordinates on my phone. I didn’t quite manage to get all the zeros, but I was very close. It took me about 2.5 hours to cover just 300 meters in the jungle.

After that, I made my way back to Dhalkebar, catching two motorbike rides and a jeep to return to Kamalamai. I spent the night there and headed back to Kathmandu the following day, traveling by motorbike and bus. One kind man who picked me up along the way even showed me some interesting sights and shared stories about Nepali traditions and culture.

Hitchhiking in Nepal turned out to be much better than I expected, especially in non-touristy areas. Many people were kind and eager to help.

Taking part in this global project-quest was an incredible adventure that gave me valuable experience in navigating and locating a confluence deep in the jungle.