Blogs from Chitwan, Nepal, Asia
April 20th 2012
Chitwan National Park lies in southern Nepal in the grasslands along the border of India. It is home to several endangered species, to include one horned Rhinoceros, Bengal tigers, Gharial crocodiles, Asian elephants and Sloth bears. The rhinos and tigers have been heavily poached to satisfy Chinese appetites, and the number of animals dwindled to depressingly low double digit numbers during the Maoist uprising in the 2000’s when soldiers were taken from their posts in the park to deal with the instability in the country. However, now there is an impressive presence of Nepalese military patrolling the park, and we were told there is 49 military posts within the park’s 932 sq. km. In the morning we started off with a dugout canoe trip on the Rapti river to see some of the 450 species of ... read more
April 2nd 2012
Wow! What a contrast! I made the 6 hr journey from possibly the poorest place I've every stayed in to stay with mum and dad in The Dwarkias hotel in Kathmandu- possibly the nicest place I've ever stayed at. The contrasts were so vast that I can hardly compare them. The hotel is built in the traditional Nepali style with original Newari carvings and artwork everywhere you look. The owner saved various wood carvings from derelict buildings and built them into his hotel. The place is absolutely stunning, a little haven from the chaos that is Kathmandu! Mum and dad completely spoilt me, treated me to a deep tissue massage -extremely painful but necessary, they made me feel special and loved. We spent the afternoon in the traveller hub called Thamel, a spot of shopping, dads ... read more
April 2nd 2012
Sorry for not posting anything for the past few days, but been very busy. Friday- morning of so Lindsey and myself decided to check out the Gurkha museum. We attempted our best bartering skills with the taxi driver, and when he finally agreed to drive us, he took us to the International Mountain Museum (which was closer) saying we'd like it better. But we reassured him not and were driven to the Gurkha museum. For a museum it was really interesting about the formation and part they've played. So if you're ever in Pokhara it's worth a visit (thats what we put in the visitors comments book). In the afternoon we were back at the orphanage, which you have to walk a fair distance to reach, and it was very very hot. When we finally made ... read more
March 31st 2012
We sit quietly on the banks of the river. The calm waters reflect the diminishing glare of the late afternoon sun as it sets to the west, lulling us into wonderfully absent minded reverie. The storks, herons and other water birds seen during the day have since vacated the river and there is little sign of the crocodiles known to frequent these shores, save for the occasional bark from a watchful and cautious mutt lazing in the surrounding sand, alerting those around to a possible silent, lurking menace. Across the river, as the sun completes its descent, the alluring stillness of the Chitwan jungles will steadily sever into murderous action as hunters rouse for the night, hungry and dangerous. It is blissfully clear that on these shores we are worlds away from the icy chill and ... read more
March 22nd 2012
Travelling gives you the chance to do some pretty amazing things. The problem is, telling people about them makes you seem like a smug git. You definitely want to avoid being the sort of person who sets a Facebook status like 'Just off to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef...tough life...' You know, the kind of person who has about 3,000 bands on their wrists, a 4-inch beard and a t-shirt with 'Beer Lao' on it. With that mind, I'll do my best not to sound to travellery (it's a word!) when I tell you a story from my time in Nepal. The Chitwan National Park may boast some of the most verdant vegetation this side of the Cretaceous Period, but so far we’d found the lack of animals slightly disconcerting. Our safari guides had ... read more
March 17th 2012
As most of you already know, I've taken the plunge and jumped off the engineering ladder hoping to land in the family business pond... in June. If that doesn't spell 'sabbatical' I don't know what does!!! 4 months break sounds wonderful! Yes please! Dubai warps your mind, and your percetion of notmality, its a wonderful bubble but I'm very aware that we have it easy. I was looking for a way to put my tax-free money to good use when I stumbled across this School Reconstruction project in Nepal. For the next 4 weeks I'm going to a small jungle village not far from the Chitwan National Park, living with a host family and helping to build a school. There is something quite refreshing in the irony that there are over half a million Nepalis living ... read more
January 27th 2012
October 12, 2011 ...the mighty Jungle...otherwise known as Chitwan National Park, the next leg of our journey through Nepal... After a long, hot, six hour bus ride from Kat we arrived in the town of Tandi Bazaar where we were to hook up with a shuttle from the Chitwan Jungle Lodge, our destination for the next three days... Being on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Chitwan National Park is one of the more popular destinations in Nepal, and it is certainly worth the visit...at almost a thousand square kilometers, it hosts a variety of flora and fauna, including one-horned rhinos, deer, sloth bears and the elusive and sought after Bengal tiger... Most accommodation is on the fringe of the park in a town called Sauraha, but we opted to spend more and stay at one of ... read more
January 14th 2012
Jan 3rd - 5th: Chitwan Chitwan, Nepal was nothing like how I imagined Nepal would be... When I thought of Nepal all I could picture was mountains - and Chitwan is nothing like that... but it was amazing. We had a packed 3 days that included boat safaris, jungle walks, elephant safaris, bird walks and visits to elephant breeding centres. It was amazing. On the boat safari we went directly over crocodiles in a tiny dug-out canoe and the Elephant Breeding Centre is the second largest in the world! The weirdest thing about Chitwan... finding out the elephants are actually very dangerous creatures... and that there are flat grass land areas in Nepal - who would'a thought?... read more
December 11th 2011
To get our frost bitten bodies warm again, we decide to change the scenery from mountain walls of the Himalayas to bustling jungles of Chitwan. Enduring another 6 hour bus journey in a crammed bus with Bollywood music blasting away, we are relieved when we finally reach the gates of Chitwan and are looking forward to having a rendezvous with some feisty beasts. Chitwan, a UNESCO world heritage site, is the oldest national park in Nepal and is home for a multitude of endangered species including the king of the jungle - the Bengal tiger, a lean mean killing machine a.k.a. the jungle pussycat. We learn that our best chance to have a close encounter with wild animals is having a jungle safari on foot, although it comes naturally with a considerable risk factor since some ... read more
