Tansen

November 24, 2011

While waiting (unsuccessfully) for the weather in Pokhara to clear, my dad and I headed to Tansen for a few days. Tansen is known these days for two things: First, it is famous for producing dhaka, woven fabrics they use to make topis (traditional cloth hats for the men), jackets and shawls. The pattern you see most frequently on topis is a kind of wild crisscrossing of oranges, pinks and whites that makes my head spin a bit—this pattern is called palpi, named after Palpa, the district that Tansen is the administrative seat of. Second, Tansen was unfortunately the location of one of the bloodiest battles of the recent Maoist insurgency. In 2006, 40,000 Maoists attacked the Tansen Durbar in the middle of the city, which in modern times serves as an administrative building. The Durbar is still being rebuilt, and around Tansen you can see bullet holes in the bricks still.

Tansen was a great little detour. I particularly liked three things about it. First, I liked wandering around the bazaar without anyone pressuring you to buy things. Even when you stop at a stall, the shopkeepers help you politely but never get tense if you seem like you might not purchase anything. Every time I go to a small town in Nepal, I want to buy something, both because I would rather give my friends and families authentic gifts and because I would rather pump my money directly into the villages than the tourist district in Kathmandu. In most towns, there is not enough industry to actually make this happen, so Tansen was a nice change. I was able to buy some great Christmas gifts at three different shops around Tansen.

Shopping!

Second, the bus ride to Tansen was fabulous. Or at least, the scenery was fabulous. In Nepal, I’ve started getting motion sick (one too many 10-hour bus rides I guess) so any road with twisty bumpy turns (every road) is kind of a nightmare for me, but it was good for my dad to get to experience real Nepal travel. The road twisted through the hilly, wooded areas of Nepal’s Western Hills. AND my dad took all the touristy pictures I’ve been wanted to have but was too embarrassed to take myself. Win.

Bus interior

Most villages are not accessible by road. Nepalis take a bus to a random trailhead, then walk straight up the valley walls and 1-2 days to a village. This is a typical path Nepalis jump off the bus for.

Standard roadside shop

Third, the hills around Tansen were beautiful for hiking. I got my hiking fix for the fall, since I’ve been unable to hike solo due to safety concerns. It was kind of weird because there were a lot of trees, but barely any foliage on the ground. My dad suggested that maybe the trees block the light.

All in all a great final village to visit. Stay tuned for Elena’s Nepal Greatest Hits: a trip planner for all of you who are now dying to come to Nepal. J