The Bouquet of Spring

– Tanmayee Das

The next day I set out to explore other special place in Nagarkot – Fort Nagarkot. Here was a building that impressed, charmed, delighted? all at one go. An imposing gateway and pagoda top beyond, was the hotel. It was easy to tell that the walls were ancient. This was an original fort of the Rana rulers.

Then they took me to the rooms. We tiptoed around innumerable flowerbeds, over stone steps with ivy clinging to the sides, around stone pathways. The birds chirped right where I was, the squirrels were not scared of running up to my ankles. Most of the rooms were chalets, built over a mountain slope. They had fireplaces, and in the vases, the flowers from the garden were carelessly arranged. There were traditional windows, low roofs, wood walls and exposed brick. And what a view! There were orchids on trees, butterflies hovering over bushes, and the glorious smell of spring blossoms followed us about. The paths wound, the steps led, a swing swayed, a bench beckoned? you could linger, meander, breathe.

The bar in the main building had glass walls on three sides and low, Nepalese-style seating over a wooden floor. There was no plethora of artefacts anywhere, only atmosphere.

Go Now, 
Vol. 2 Issue 1 July 2002