Kathmandu you reach Birendranagar in Surkhet, one of western Nepal’s commerce hubs. The town is from where food supplies reach rural Karnali, one of the most underdeveloped parts of Nepal. The city is also the place to go for people living in Dailekh, Jajarkot and Acham districts. It is also home to a domestic airport from where regular flights connect major towns across the country. But one landmark that defines the city is the famous Bulbule Taal (pictured above). Although Bulbule is not big as the Fewa or the Rupa, it captures the imagination of western Nepal. Surkhet is like an open museum. It is where the Panche Baza is still played on special occasions as locals clad in daura surwal dance to the tune of the Paisari.