Chitwan Trek
Trip Start
Aug 17, 2007
1
26
27
Trip End
Apr 2008
Pokhara,
Nepal
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Just a brief update to tell you about my recent Jungle Trek in the Chitwan National Park.
I have finished teaching at the achool entiorely now - most of the students have finished their exams and gone home for the holidays, with the exception of the Level 10 students who are sitting their all-important School Leaving Certificate exams this week.
So last Thursday I headed down to the Chitwan National Park. The first day was spent doing a short trek in the jungle to the river that flows through the park, where we enjoyed a cool beer whilst watching the sunset. After this there was a 'cultural evening', watching traditional dances of the Tharu people who populate this area. Lowland Nepal (the Terai) is completely different from the hill and mountain areas. I think it is this wonderful mix of terrains and peoples in such a small country that makes Nepal such a captivating place to visit.
The safari was teriffic - first we went on a canoe trip down the river to spot birds. The canoes are dugouts, made from a single tree and very unstable! After this, we had another short trek before visiting the Elephant breeding centre in the park. First we went down to the river for the elephants bath-time. The elephants seem to love this, and constantly squirt you with water from their trunks! They are incredibly gentle and intelligent animals. After this, we mounted the howdah, or platform attached to the elephants back, and trekked into the jungle for four or five hours. The wildlife arte not disturbed by the elephants' presence, so we got very close to several family groups of the rare one-horned rhino, as well as spotting crocodiles, musk deer and several rare bird species.
The Saturday was spent on a bird-spotting trek, where we saw parakeets, orioles and many others. It was really good fun. After this I headed back to Pokhara by bus. I had just nodded off when I was awoken by a great fracas, with loads of people screaming and yelling. I'm still not quite sure exactly how it happened, but it turned out the luggage-handler of our bus had been clambering around on the roof whilst the vehicle was hurtling along a top speed. I think he must have been clipped by another bus, but anyhow he was thrown off and landed in the raod in a heap. he was very lucky not to be killed, but as it was got away with some very heavy grazing, a nasty bump on the head that concussed him, and some bruises on his back.
It was interesting to see how different tourists reacted to all this. I and aGerman girl saw to the chap as best we could, checking his spine and seeing that his eyes weren't dilated before trying to clean him up a bit. Most tourists stayed calm, offering water and warm clothes when we asked for them. Some, however, went into a complete flap, whilst others tutted and looked very annoyed about the inconvenience of having an injured man clogging up the gangway and causing a delay to their journey. Anyhow, the bus driver stopped at the nearest 'hospital', and after a wait of less than an hour, the man, unblievably got back on the bus, looking a bit shocked and groggy but generally not much the worse for his experience. A lesson learnt, I fancy!
I will just be in Pokhara for today and tomorrow, mainly to hear more of J.P.Cross' accounts of his long and fascinating career. On Tuesday I will head over to Kathmandu for a couple of days to see some of the temples there, before returning to Pokhara one last time to say celebrate Holi with all my friends here, before finally saying farewell and heading back to India on 22 March.
I plan to spend a few days in Varanasi, as I hear it's not a place to miss, as well as perhaps paying a brief visit to Lucknow to see the ruins of the Residency, the scene of the infamous siege of 1857, before heading back to Delhi in time for my flight home on 27 March.
Will try and get a few updates in if I get the chance....
Until then, all best from Pokhara!
