Jungle Madness in Chitwan National Park!(2006-08-13, Sauraha, Nepal)

How can two countries that border each other be so different? This is what I found as I traversed from India into Nepal. People were more laid back and most friendly, the Terai Region landscape was full of bright green rice fields and mountains, the streets were paved and in some cases barriers existed to separate bus/vehicular traffic from the rickshaws and pedestrians, and lastly less trash appeared on the streets, rivers, doorsteps....It was a surprise to me, but one that I really liked from the beginning!

My first destination was the little village of Sauraha, basically a tourist village that caters to the Royal Chitwan National Park. The village has several lodges, rooftop restaurants, and the traditional souvenir/handicraft shops. When I arrived by bus to Tadi Bazaar, about 10 km to the north of Sauraha, I was approached by a friendly lodge manager about staying at the Jungle Wildlife Lodge. I asked the price, which was reasonable and off I went with him in a 4-wheel drive jeep to check the place out! The place was simple, but woudl give me plenty of relaxation as it was located right on the Rapti River across from the national park. I ended up spending 6 days in this village.

During my stay, I went on a 2-day jungle walk in the park, as the jeep safaris had been stopped due to the monsoon season (i.e., lots of rain). The weather on this walk was mostly sunny with the occasional heavy afternoon rain which would bring leeches to our legs and feet. The jungle consisted of three types of terrain: the flood plain area with grasslands (at this time of the year the grass was about 20-30 feet high), the forested area with large tree canopies and bushes, and the lake and swampy areas. The national park covers over 900 square kilometers of land and includes rhinos, tigers, elephants, langur monkeys, sloth bears, wild boar, deer, crocodiles, and lots of birds (those who know me well, know that I love searching for animals, so was pretty excited about this park).

The first day, we hiked for about 20 kilometers through the different terrain and to several look-out towers, but only came across wild boar, deer, and many monkeys swinging from the trees. On the trail, we saw paw prints from tigers and rhinos, but no sight of them in the jungle! After a night near the jungle, we began our second day of walking and soon came across a family of three rhinos (mother, father, and young). This is where the heart started beating and the adrenaline rush oocurs, as we had wondered off the main trail down to a creek where you could listen to the power of the rhinos as they moved back and forth in the water. Soon, the rhinos left the water and we headed back to the trail and within minutes my two guides and me were perched about 12 feet high in a tree. That was a first for me! We sat in the trees for about 30 minutes, as one-by-one, the rhinos came out of the forest onto the trail and than back into the forest....IT WAS SO COOL TO SEE!!! These creatures are massive and would dominate you if you were staring it in the eye. After the rhinos left, we climbed back down and began our journey again. It took about another hour and we came across a big-daddy rhino near a lake and blocking the trail. Here, I ended up in a tree again until the rhino passed into the forest!!!

The Chitwan National Park is a special place with lots of beauty and so really nice sunsets! The park is situated right on the Rapti River and provides much land for the various species to roam and live freely! I hope to return here and visit this park and get lucky with spotting a tiger....:) NEXT STOP KATHMANDU AND I WAS LOVING NEPAL!

The Gert Learns To Fly!(2006-09-05, Kodari, Nepal)

It was a first for me....standing on the edge of a bridge platform, 160 meters between me and a raging river....what to do? In the case of the first bungee jump, I put my arms up in the air, looked down below, stomach was slightly empty, and pushed off the edge...I was in the air, slowly gliding like a bird or more like just a human in the air for a 3-second free fall!!! It was an incredible feeling and adrenaline rush as you fell through the air and watched the river get closer to you.

The bungee jump experience (The Last Resort) is located about 4 kilometers south of the Nepal/Tibet border. The height of the jump is 160 meters from a bridge that sits above the Bhote Kosi river. The views are spectacular and the feeling absolutely amazing!!!

Would I do it again? Most definitely and I did on this trip. Within two hours of the first jump, I was back on the bridge with much anticipation for a second jump, but this time I would go backwards! The Bungee Master put the two harnesses on me, one was strapped to my ankles and a second went around my legs and waist. He buckled the bungee to me and explained to me the process for jumping backwards....Sounded easy! This time, I walked slowly onto the platform and turned around so that my back was facing the jump-off spot. Slowly, my feet and legs scooted themselves to the edge of the platform. I took one look at the video camera and gave a little "Crazy Delicious" point, bent my legs and tried to leap off and form a classic backdive off the platform....in a quick second, your eyes are looking at the bridge falling away from you and this feeling rocked the house! Once the bungee was fully extended, it pulls you back up in the air creating a human yo-yo effect and this was cool because you had a lot of control and could look at all the scenes changing in front of you, as well maneuver your legs and arms to various positions.... That was it, that is the end of the bungee jump, but I would do this again, but will be looking for my next jump to be from an airplane!!!

Good People, Food, City Life, & Occasional Demonstration......(2006-09-07, Kathmandu, Nepal)

Over the last 3 weeks, I have had the opportunity to stay with a friend's (Sagar Onta) family (Ishwer and Sharada Onta) in Kathmandu and use their guest house as base camp while going trekking in the Himalayas. This has been a wonderful experience, as I have been given such great hospitality and generosity from his parents, as well as his friends (Luna and Indu). Some of the best parts of the stay have been talking about Nepal with his parents and friends and being able to enjoy traditional Nepali food....I loved it!!!

Their house is located just northeast of Thamel, a popular local and tourist area within Kathmandu. This area is full of shops, cafes, rooftop restaurants, bars, guest houses, and good people watching. To the south of Thamel is Durbar Square and Basatapur Square, which house many temples, shrines, and stupas and used to be the location of the Royal Palace back in the day! Many of these temples are 3 or 4 levels and you can walk up to the top of them and sit, relax, and watch the many people wonder by down below. It's easy to imagine why this city became a haven for hippies in the 60s and 70s!

While in Kathamdu, I made a few day trips to other parts of the Kathmandu Valley. One of those trips was a stop-over in Bhaktapur, located about 12 kilometers to the east of Kathmandu. Here lies another city with a famous square that is full of temples, stupas, and old palace buildings. The cool thing about this city is that the square and old-town areas are restricted to pedestrians-only. This makes for a very peaceful stroll when walking through the city and a move that Kathmandu should do within the two squares and Thamel area. The highlight of this trip was wondering over to Potter's Square to watch local pottery being thrown together. While observing the local workers, I came across a group of younger girls, ages 6 to 14. They were hanging by a shrine and asked me "for a photo." I told them "sure, but not for rupees (A common occurance is for kids to ask for a photo and than once you take it, they expect some rupees from you)." They responded with "no rupees, just photo fun!" So, I took my camera and started taking many shots of the girls, which for a moment felt like a full-on photo shoot. After ten minutes or so, the girls took me to their house and introduced me to their mother and to them, more importantly was their older brother, Rujen who was 16 years old. He was in boarding school, but assisted his father with making pots during his free time. While I sat in their tight spaced house, he turned on his pottery machine and began throwing clay and within 10 minutes had made about 16 pots...of which, would sell for about 2 rupees per pot, equivalent to 1-2 cents US. Most of the pots would be sold to locals in Kathmandu. After the clay throwing, I was given a tour of their home, which consisted of four levels and a rooftop. Each level was about 15 feet by 12 feet of wood boards with a steep stairway against one wall. The first level was the pottery area and a bedroom. The second level was the kitchen and a bedroom. The third level was storage for hay and clay. The fourth level was a bedroom. I was taken up to the rooftop, which gave you clear views of the valley floor and the temples at the square. We took some photos up here and than Rujen took me out to the fields to show me where they get the clay to make the pots. That was interesting, but the conversation with Rujen was better. He explained to me that after boarding school, which his father paid for him and his three sisters to go to school, that he wanted to go to university outside of Nepal, in particular the USA. After returning to his home, we exchanged emails and home addresses and I gave him a small donation and in return he gave me an older finished pot from his collection. That was a cool kid, family, and experience in Bhaktapur!!!

At first when you arrive in Kathmandu, some tourists get bothered by the constant bargaining, some pollution, and noise of the city. I found that this is easy to adjust to, but you can easily walk around the city and find areas that are more peaceful or more local flavor, which reduces the bargaining and hassles that occur outside the tourist shops. The many Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas are magnificent and give so much life to the onlooker and to the city. One of the most important Hindu temples in Nepal is Pashutpatinath, which lies on the Bagmati River. Along with the temple complex are six square cremation ghats along the banks of the river. While I was there, three open-air cremations were occuring at the river. Near this Hindu temple complex is Bodhnath, which is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the largest in the world. This was a peaceful area to walk around, to walk on, and to mingle with the many Buddhist monks outside and in the surrounding monasteries. This Stupa was great! Based on my travels in India and Nepal, I noticed that Buddhism is quite relaxed in comparison to Hinduism.....At the Buddist complexes, they have donation boxes and allow all visitors to enjoy the surroundings and insides and participate in prayer, where as with Hinduism, they generally require you to pay to visit a temple complex, rarely allow you to walk into a temple, and do not allow non-hindus to participate in prayer. Just an observation and I will leave it at that!!!

Another part of life in Kathmandu and Nepal in general is the constant demonstrations and strikes that occur during the week. Since my arrival in Nepal, I have witnessed the following:
-a 1-day bus drivers strike due to a driver being killed;
-a 2-day demonstration due to the government increasing the cost of petrol by 19 rupees (if you were caught driving on these days near the demonstratoins, your tires would be slashed or rocks thrown at you);
-a 1-day bus/car strike outside of Kathmandu;
-a 2-day Maoist demonstration in Kathmandu;
-a 2-day taxi driver strike due to a driver being killed;
It is sad that all of this occurs, but it is due to the instability of the current political nature in the country. Hopefully, in time, these strikes and demonstrations will be limited through improved decision making and the set-up of a democracy in the government.

YOu may read some of these stories or of other stories that might hold you back from travelling to Nepal. I, on the otherhand, will return in a heartbeat to experience more of the Nepali culture and see more of the many changes in landscape that Nepal has to offer. THIS PLACE IS A TOTAL GEM!

   
Final Thoughts....Time For Southeast Asia!(2006-09-09, Kathmandu, Nepal)

So, it's my last morning in Nepal. I am sad to leave this place, but excited to venture off to a new place, new people, and new experiences. Not sure of what will occur in Southeast Asia, but always looking for fun and new challenges!

Nepal was a wonderful place that I know I will visit again! I liked the mountain landscape and many rivers. I liked the laid-back people, but not the constant haggling from street vendors. I liked the energy from the Nepali children, but not hearing that they were not in school because of money. I liked the house stay at Sagar's parent's house and the variety of Nepali food shared while there. I liked the trekking in the Himalayas, but not the littering by porters, guides, tourists, and locals. I liked the feeling of flying in the air over the Bhote Kosi and the relaxation at the last resort. I liked climbing in a tree to escape from the rhinos, but not the battle with the leeches in the Chitwan National Park. I liked meeting Nepali locals, partying with Indu and her friends in Kathmandu, and meeting Luna, one of Sagar's good friends. I liked visting and seeing the temples and stupas spreadout through the country, but not the sometimes greediness and exploitation of the Hindu religion that came from individuals to make a RUPEE! I liked reading and completing Stupid White Men (Michael Moore), Dispatches From The People's War in Nepal (Li Onesto), A Kingdom Under Siege: Nepal's Maoist Insurgency (Deepak Thapa), and An Orange Revolution: A Personal journey Through Ukranian History (Askold Krushelivycky) and experiencing the Maoist demonstrations and taxes first hand. I enjoyed meeting travelers from Israel, USA, Belgium, Japan, Australia, and England and partying with them in the Thamel Area. I liked the walkability of Kathmandu, but not the feeling of inhaling smog duing the walk. I liked the pottery and kid experience in Bhaktapur, which showed promise for the future of Nepal!!!!

That's all I have to share on Nepal, I hope you enjoyed my experiences, thoughts, insights, and occasional opinion on a special, transitioning country! Today, the Gert is departing for Thailand with his first stop at the island, Ko Tao for scuba diving and relaxing!


Andy
17/07/2009