With Bada Dashain drawing near, a rising tide of homebound travellers is sweeping through Karnali Province, as people working in different parts of Nepal and abroad rush back to their villages to celebrate the festival with family and relatives. Local media reports describe mounting crowds on both air and land routes in recent days, with passengers hurrying to reach their destinations before the festival begins. Although travellers are confronting expensive fares, a shortage of tickets and inconvenient routes, the enthusiasm to mark Dashain with loved ones is proving strong enough, for many, to make them forget the hardships of the journey altogether.