Goodbye Nepal

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Chitwan National Park is in the far south of Nepal boardering with India. It is a large Jungle area which has been protected in order to maintain its diverse variety of animal and plant life.

We chose to spend a couple of days just outside the park and pay for an organised programe of activities. This included visiting the local elephant breeding centre, an elephant ride into the jungle, a canoe trip and elephant bathing!

It was a good couple of days, with the highlights being seeing the wild rhinos in the park and going in the lake with the elephants and their trainers to take their daily bath (I got soaked in the process).

For our last few days in the country we were kindly invited, along with Marinka and Jasper (our friends from the trek), to stay with Suraj's family (our trekking guide) who lives in the Chitwan area.

Suraj had met the four of us at the resort and traveled with us the 2 hours to his home. We arived in the village, a small farming community, around lunchtime where we were greated by many shocked locals and a great many children excited at the prospect of meeting with westeners for the first time.

Suraj's wife, son (7) and daughter (3) live in one house and next door to them live his father, stepmother, his brother's wife and his baby nephew. Both Suraj and his brother work far from home so it is left mainly to the women to run the farm and household.

As there is no phone in the village our arrival was a bit of a shock, but everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. For the next 2 days we were to become local celebrities and the farm to become the location for a serious Nepalese 'knees-up'!

On the first day we took the opportunity to take a walk with Suraj through the village where we stoped off at the Tharu community (the original settlers of chitwan) where they were franticly preparing for a wedding to be held the following day. Even they had the time to welcome us in and show us around. It was here that we were invited to join in the pre wedding celebrations with a cup or two of sake (homebrew rice wine) which we could only describe as tasting interesting with an exceptional afterburn! It seemed to be doing the trick though as mother of the bride was, in tradtionally British fasion, absolutely ratted!

On our second day when the boys went off for a manly stroll down to the river, Marinka and I were left in the hands of Suraj's wife and his sister in law who spent the afternoon dressing us up in traditional Nepalese dress complete with bindi. We both felt like life size barbie dolls but had to admit that it was great fun prancing around in the outfits! It was only in the early evening that we found out that the earlier dress-up had all been for a reason, we were about to be the main attractions at a dance night in our honour!

We had a really lovely night and got to experience real life Nepal for the first time. The music and singing was great and the dancing, up to the point where we all had to join in, was superb.

We left early the next day. Marinka and Jasper were heading back to Kathmandu, where as Richard and I were heading to the Indian border. All of us agreed that the time spent at the village had been one of the highlights of our trip so far.

To some up our time in Nepal, we would have to say that the combination of amazing scenery, friendly people, good food and a wide range of activities makes this country a must on anyones itinery. Three weeks was not enough. Nepal, we will be seeing you again!

If anyone reading this wants (probably) the worlds best guide of Nepal please contact Suraj directly on [e-mail], contacting him this way gives you a cheaper deal and him more money for his family as there is no agency taking their huge cut.

B & R
xxxxx

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Photos

Mother and Baby
elephant breeding centre

Rhino
What a beast!

Greeting party
These guys just loved having their photo taken and then mobbing Richard to see themselves on the LCD.

The Family
Middle row (l-r) Suraj's sister-in-law, wife, himself, stepmother and father. The terrible twosome are up front! (oh and at the back)

Comments

[ashok]

Nice breif.
It was quite good breif about Chitwan, very honest. [e-mail]