Adventures in Chitwan and Pokhara
Trip Start
Apr 03, 2007
1
13
17
Trip End
Jul 31, 2007
Pokhara,
Nepal
Friday, June 22, 2007
So we left for Chitwan in the pouring rain, all ready three days late because of the bus strike. I was already feeling a bit grumpy, something I really haven't felt much on this trip, I had been stuck in Ktahmandu city for a week and things were getting on my nerves. I hadn't had enough "me" time. The weather fortunatly cleared and we made our first stop, on the Trisuli river, for white water rafting. Which was really, really fun. And kind of scary. Our guide told us we went through "grade six rapids" what ever that means but I think they just tell that to tourists to make them feel cool. I did almost fall out of the boat though...our guide was screaming FORWARD, FORWARD and I was trying to paddle but there was like no water under the boat because we were flying through the air
Baby elephant
. My friend Radha said "there was a huge rock there so if you had of fallen out you would have died." I don't think this is really the case but it made me feel cool. I so cheated death.So when we got off the boat we found out that the buses were again on strike so we could not leave untill tomorrow morning. We would be camping by the riverside for the night. Now don't get me wrong, I like camping. And as the sun went down it was really beautiful. But this place was HOT. Like really, really hot. We had all been sunburned to varying degrees that day (me not too bad) and it was soooo humid. I seriously thought I was going to sweat myself to death. This greek guy was like "I never thought it would be possible to die of dehydration while sitting beside a river." At night three of us cramped into a tiny tent and sweated all night long. I actually slept with a towel in my hand because every few minutes I would be woken by the sweat that was running off my body in little rivers. It was uncomfortable to say the least.
When we woke up in the morning it was once again pissing and I felt dirty and disgusting. Then I realized I had accidentally left my raincoat out all night and it had mysterioulsy disappeared. The night before our guide had said "Don't leave anything outside the tent, it will get stolen." Duh...I'm an idiot. So here I am, in the middle of monsoon season and headed for the jungle with no freaking raincoat
Boat Ride
. Bummer.We go to get our bus, but for some reason that we were all to tired to ask about, we end up driving to Chitwan in a truck. The TATA'S are imported from India and are Nepal's answer to the big rig. The are painted with crazy colours, flowers and gods and the cabs are decorated as well. Bright wool and tassels hang from the ceiling and mini-idols cover the dashboards. Their horns all make little songs and they are always constantly honking. On the backs of every one of them you see the words "Horn Please!" I was actually pretty stoked, I have seen these menaces of the road all over India; they speed down the roads constantly honking their horns and stopping for nothing. I have always wanted to ride in one. Besides it was much cooler being in that cab than being on a bus anyways. And now I can say I've ridden in one. Why exactly we never got on a bus we didn't find out...
So we arrive at a gas staiton were I am forced to endure a toilet of nightmare qualities; the worst one so far in this country, when I realize my sunglasses have just snapped. I almost snapped myself at this point. They weren't expensive obviously but it was the principle. What other bloody thing was going to happen next??!!? (Incidentally, it was at this point that I took the picture of the tata and Amelia suddenly jumped into the photo. She said she was kind of scared to do it because she knew I was choked and she thought I just might choke her
Boating
. I almost did, but then a second later I laughed, and again when I saw the photo. I still want to laugh when I see it).So we finally make it to our little lodge in the national park. Fortunatly for me especially, it was really clean and beautiful rooms. I really liked it. We stayed two nights and the place was amazing. Awesome food too. It rained alot but that kind of reminded me of Vancouver. It really pours once it gets going. Amelia had an extra raincoat. Over the weekend we went on an elephant ride, fed the babies in the breeding center, went for a canoe ride (we saw a crocodile but it wasn't doing much) and a rhinocerous which was pretty freakin cool too. We also got to go swimming with the elephants but that was kind off scary because we had to ride the thing bare back down to the water and all three of us at once (normally there is a little saddle-thingie). It's really high once you get up there and there is nothing to hold on to. It feels like you are going to fall off the entire time. We all agreed that our thighs were stiffer from trying to stay on the damn thing than from the entire trek we did last month.
So after that Amelia headed to Lumbini and Kenzie and I went to Pokhara. I LOVE Pokhara. It is so clean and cute and beautiful scenery and very, very peaceful and so chilled out. I never wanted to leave. I went bike riding and boating and hiking in the mornings and chilled in the afternoon, in the garden or by the lake. I ate breakfat at a restaurant overlooking the lake that played classical music and where my organic coffee was always refilled. I strolled along the lake, visited the temples, read a novel. I tell you I could have stayed there forever. My own little room was in the cutest hotel run by this adorable family with cute babies, surrounded by a gorgeous garden. And it was three minutes walk from the little town
Elephant bath
. Yes, this place is totally touristy, but the folks are so laid back and you can still completetly experience the culture. Early in the mornigns the parents send the kids off in their school uniforms and the cows and buffalos mooo their way down the streets. The tibetan ladies try to get you to buy stuff and you see lots of Nepali tourists as well as white tourists. After the lake strip peters out you can wander into the village, go to a yoga or meditation retreat or visit a children's home. Unfortunatly for me I could not visit the yoga retreat because it was closed for the season. And though the lake itself is gorgeous, in the fall and winter you can see the entire Annapurna mountain range reflected in the lake. All we could see was clouds. I didn't feel so bad but Kenzie has been in Nepal three months and still had not seen mountains. She didn't go with us to Langtang. On our last day one of the biggest peaks was just barely visible, she was so happy! Anyways I have to go back of course, at a different time of year, and soon! I can really contemplate the nature of existence in a place like that!Now I am back in Kathmandu city and even it is seeming cute and making it hard for me to leave. I am back at our favourite hotel in Thamel, the Mustang Holiday Inn, or the 'Stang, as we like to call it. Though it is a very hot time to be here ( and a very bad time to see mountains!) it is the best time of year for water rafting and flowers blooming
Elephants in the park
. Everywhere little porch and terrace gardens are growing and birds are chirping and everything smells so nice. (Well obviously not everything, you certainly have to pick and choose your venues), but I am sad to leave and can't believe three months have just flown by all ready. At least I am seeing my two gals next in Portugal and don't have to head home quite yet. I know the money will just start flying fast and furious in Europe and the bulk of my trip is over. But I am grateful for all the fun I've had and everything has just gone so smoothly, I know it will continue to do so.So, I leave at 345am on June 26th, arriving in London at 320pm. I am staying at my friend Radha's house, or more correctly, at her friend's house, as she just got back from Nepal last week. And then on the next day I fly to Lisbon. Two weeks of sun, sand, wine, my two best friends and Portugal. Ahhhhh....
