Bardia to Kathmandu

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Thursday - March 31
My last day at Bardia. After breakfast a 3-hour bird-walk to the river is easy and relaxing. I've already mostly forgotten what birds I saw. I do remember there were 3 kinds of bee eaters, 2 kinds of parakeets, 2 kinds of mynah, 2 kinds of wagtail. In a moment of reckless memory loss, I ate a small strawberry-type fruit before realizing it could be a serious food-born disease mistake. So far no ill-effects, the luck continues! Back at the ranch for final packing, final drying of wet shoes and pants and final cold shower. Guess what, even when the power is on - no hot water. I decide to give my newly purchased Birds of Nepal book to Sundar and feel disappointed I didn't have a second one to give to Padam. I asked him how he became such a great birder - 14 years of guiding, mostly with helpful British birders, added to growing up here and knowing where certain critters hang out. He also has a lot of knowledge about plants that the Tharu use for cooking and medicine. The 3-hour drive back to Nepalganji is like Mr. Toad's wild ride but the video game version. After 2 hours on really bad road with several river crossings, we hit the highway. We drive mainly on the dividing line until another vehicle approaches, then the driver beeps so the walkers and cyclists will squeeze to the edge of the shoulder. It is amazing how many people are on bicycle or on foot on a major highway. The worst is when we're beeping and passing and an approaching vehicle is also beeping and passing while coming directly at us. As we go through one town we almost kill a little girl who suddenly appears on the road from behind a parked bus. Gowindar yells at the mother who then slaps the girl upside the head as they walk off. The flight back to KTM is uneventful, except for the odd phenomenon of flying into a major metropolitan area that has disappeared into darkness due to the nightly power "load shedding". My agency guy is there at the arrival gate to bring me to the Hotel Norbu Linka. I'm still on a lucky streak as we get across town with no traffic jams. The Norbu Linka's lobby is filled with European trekkers. My room is thankfully on the 2nd floor. I am too exhausted (and still full) so I skip dinner and cocoon up in the room. The hotel's generator keep lights on. I discover a huge bonus at this hotel - hot showers! But no shower curtain - can't have everything.

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