
Have you ever met a guide who threw cow dung at his client? Here you go, Prakash from Mountain Zone Trekking is one!
Nope, do not take me wrong, I am not complaining. I must say, my Nepal trip was fun partly because I have a good travel partner, a wonderful porter and a naughty guide.
At first sight, Prakash is just another guide. However, it’s not too long before we realized, at a young age, he already has some interesting stories to tell.
Coming from Dolkha District, the eastern mountainous region of Nepal, Prakash had never thought of becoming a trekking guide until he met his ‘Otosan’ (Father in Japanese Language) in the hotel he took up part time job.
The two men got along very well, so ‘Otosan’ invited Prakash to join him for the Langtang Trek. Since then, Prakash begins his career as a trekking guide and eventually started a trekking agency with his friends.
Having a great aspiration, Prakash wants to achieve more in his career. Besides his trekking agency, Prakash has started a shop named High Mountain Tea in Thamel (a famous shopping area for tourists), selling Nepali tea, spices, organic coffee and wild honey.
As oblivious as Prakash may sometimes appear to be, there is a soft side of this big boy.
Often busy with his business, Prakash has not forgotten the less fortunate and is part of a committee managing Himalayan Orphanage. And whenever he mentioned about ‘Otosan’ and some of the people who have helped him, he would wear a gentle expression that I could hardly believe he is the same person who threw cow dung at me!
And, what left me with deepest impression was Prakash’s strong attachment to Nepal. He worked in Hong Kong for three years, and he has repeatedly commented, “The time in Hong Kong is one of my best memories.”
With all the parties, how could this fun-loving being not enjoy Hong Kong? However, Prakash has chosen to return to Nepal, a place he named it ‘wonderland’, and a place he called ‘home’.