Kathmandu to Colombo…48 hours

We left Chitwan on a new ‘bus’ to head back to Kathmandu.  The itinerary said 6.5 hours - and previous entries had been reasonably accurate despite Amit’s estimations.    I figured that this would be about 5 hours worth of driving and a total of an hours stop - a couple of bathroom breaks and lunch.  WRONG! It took us 7.5 hours with two very short Bathroom stops and a lunch.  The traffic was horrific pretty much as soon as we hit the next urban area from Chitwan, although you can’t just blame traffic.   The road condition was okay for about an hour but after that it was horrific.  It was either under repair, being built or just in a state of being able to pass.  There were times four lanes were reduced to one…with traffic from either direction.  There were no traffic control people - it was just a haphazard affair, but surprisingly it worked.  There appeared no animosity to other drivers as there would be at home in such a situation.  

The seats on the bus were made for midgets and had limited padding, so the bumps, stones, potholes were felt by all of us - I was looking enviously at the front seats which seemed much more comfortable, however I could not have sat looking out the windscreen as I’m sure I would have had a heart attack!  Instead I tried to slump and sleep (impossible) and ended up putting my noise cancelling earphones in, listening to music and watching anywhere to the side and not the front!  We followed similar route to what we had done to get to Chitwan - driving beside a river with suspension bridges.  Towards the end Amit and our driver decided on an alternate route into Kathmandu as it was ‘quicker’ but more windy….it was a narrow road up the side of a hil with lots of hair pin bends and water washouts…at one stage we drove over what looked like the stones and soil from a landslide…they didn’t bat an eyelid!  Starting to get very uncomfortable (numb bum and sore back) I googled how long to go…I was excited to see 77 kms then the time extinguished that…2hours 52 minutes!  We survived but there was no real time, energy or desire to ‘explore’ for an hour before our final group dinner.  

Amit took us to the tourist part of Kathmandu - Thamel - a bustling series of narrow lanes where pedestrians battle for space with cars, bike, motorbikes and avoid the hawkers!  We went to a restaurant that Intrepid uses regularly (as there were three other intrepid groups in attendance).  It had a large variety of western food, limited selection of Nepalese but did have a nice outdoor courtyard.   We all sat and talked, laughed and were jointly amazed at the speed of our 9 days together ending the next morning.   

The next morning I awoke at 3.50 am to catch a taxi to the airport at 4.15 for a 6.30 flight.  I had tried to tell Amit that I didn’t need to be there that early due to standby, but that concept was too hard to explain and on Anina’s advice I just nodded and said yes!  It was 5.30 before I had a boarding pass so no lounge access for me - just the plastic seats at the check in counter!    The best part of the trip was flying out of Kathmandu and rising above the clouds to see the various peaks of the Himalayan Ranges (which I doubt not identify) peeking through the clouds….a magical experience and one that really lifted my mood at that time of the day.  First stop Delhi for a 4.5 hour layover, and then another flight Delhi to Colombo.  I arrived at the hotel at 5.30 that evening- complete exhausted!  

I did a quick reconnaissance walk around the hotel to spot the facilities, dining, pool etc and then another walk along the street to see what was nearby to buy some sunscreen and mosquito repellant (mine had been confiscated at Delhi Airport).   I argued with myself about dinner - opted for a GnT sitting outside to watch the sunset and then quietly returned to my room, showered and slept.  I couldn’t bring myself to even eat dinner.  

This morning I awoke to the view from my room - coconut palms gently swaying in the breeze, with what look to be local catamarans fishing offshore…truly different to the buzz of the last few weeks.   

I have three nights to myself before the next tour starts…I don’t think I’ll be doing much except resting, reading and swimming for the next few days.  

Day 2 Chitwan National Park

We woke this morning to a lovely sunrise which we could view from our room balconies.  Some of the tour team managed to see deer graising nearby….I had no such luck but the view was still lovely - I watched the little sparrows jump around the railings.  

We ate another lovely breakfast and then met for a village tour with Rajesh.  A small bus took us to the village and then we walked before returning by bus again.   We were so fortunate to be able to talk to (through Rajesh) one of the families.  They were a relatively elderly couple - they didn’t know how old they were, nor when they got married!  They had been relocated from the National Park where they had once lived some 53 years ago - claiming the land they are now on and building their house - or more aptly ‘house compound’.    They have a number of seperate buildings, all made of straw with a mud render.  The Rooves are made of thatch.  Everything is spotless, although it is earth floor.  Apparently every morning the women polish the floor with a mud wash to seal the dust and provide and clean finish!   

The couple lived in the compound with their sone and daughter-in-law - grandchildren had already left to live elsewhere.  The DIL looked nearly as hold as the MIL and life looked hard (not so bad for the FIL who seemed to hover in the background!).  

We returned for a morning tea refreshment, some down time and then lunch before heading across the river to a jeep for our safari.  I was quite excited while talking to Judy and Lucy just before lunch we spotted a crocodile in the river, so I was hopeful of seeing more.  

Our large jeep took us from the river through some river plains to more wooded areas that were definitely jungle like - with various layers of foliage.  We spent 5 hours driving various trails through dense wood, open grassland and bushy areas around waterholes looking for animals.  The search started well with the spotting of a tiger footprint on the path next to our jeep.  Over the 5+ hours I think we counted 15 Indian Rhinos (Greater one horn Rhinoceros); probably a few hundred spotted deer; some hog deer; some herds of Gaur (an Indian Bison like beast); Peacocks and pea hens; Northern Plains grey Languors (Hanuman Monkeys); and a variety of birds including three Great Hornbills who are endangered!!

 

We searched and waited for tigers but none showed their faces.   A huge highlight towards the end of the safari was a large Rhino who was initially about 50 metres from the jeep walked towards us to be may be 15 metres away….the size and scale is amazing…such tiny eyes for such a large beast!

Returning covered in a fine layer of dust, we showered and got ready for the second culture dancing showcasing Tharu dancing.  It was another lovely authentic show that showed great skill and tremendous choreography with long stick dancing, short stick dancing.

A special ‘bush dinner’ was prepared for us and we sat laughing and talking in a jungle bush setting surrounded by kerosene lamps to finish the day.

Day 1 Chitwan National Park

 We left Pokhara at a reasonable time for what we were told was a 5 hour drive with a number of breaks.  The times seem to get lost in translations occasionally - 15 minutes turns to an hour etc….so we were unsure whether it was 5 hours driving plus breaks or including.  Some of our crew were worried about 5 straight hours driving without a bathroom break….it is funny how people from different countries view the length of driving….5 hours doesn’t quite get me from home to Wollongong!  One of our stops - which apparently is a known half way point, had a rather good little coffee van and POOL! 

The time on the road was interesting.  We left the Pokhara valley and headed towards Kathmandu.  At one point it was turn left to Kathmandu and turn right to Chitwan.    The landscape changed then to roads that ran alongside a rather large river with steep mountains on either side.  It was really hard to capture by photo.  THere were suspension bridges across the valley and over the river to enable those that lived in tiny houses on the side of the mountain to access the road….had they not been there I can’t imagine what life would be like - the mountains were so very steep it would be impossible to walk on any flat surface at all.  

The Park is located South-Central Nepal near the the town of Sauraha. It is the lowlands of Nepal…and quite different to what we had seen. Whereas the north had farming by terrace in every plot imaginable - wheat particularly - this area has acres of small plots planted with tomatoes, cucumbers, dragon fruit as well as rice, wheat and other general crops. The plots are small however many are butted against each other and dotted with small houses.   

The buildings are interesting….it appears in towns the houses are designed around blocks of 2.5 x 40 metre rectangles  - it almost seems they are shipping containers size…the rich houses are three story and a series of 1 to 4 containers joined….the side walls are cement pillars every 2.5 metres infilled with bricks.  It is really common and I can only imagine it is something to do with ground stability and maximising rigidity.  

Our stay at Chitwan is at the Barahi Jungle Lodge.  The same hotel chain we stayed in at Pokhara.  Quite upmarket…but this takes it to a new level.  The rooms are individual or twin cabins constructed in local materials with minimal plastic and extremely environmentally friendly.  The food is next level and all supplied.  Coffee plunger in room as are jars of biscuits etc.  It was unexpected and we all commented that we did not expect such luxury.

Our first afternoon we had a canoe adventure on the Rapti River.  Our naturalist guide, Rajesh, quietly commented on the seen wildlife - elephant, endangered crocodile and a number of birds.  Sliding down the end of the river powered by our ‘captain’ using a pole, we quietly observed the river banks.  A few little rapids were evident and some submerged logs (that from a distance looked like crocodiles) were spotted.  It was mainly bird life we observed.  

At the end of our ride down river we were greeted with a sunset picnic to watch the sunset over the river and watch locals collect grasses and fish!  

There was complimentary champagne and  nibbles set up with deck chairs facing the river and sunset.  Each group (and there were several) had their own private little area….there were couples who were obviously having a romantic time, while the larger cleared areas catered for the larger groups such as ours.  They had even erected small washroom tents for males and females…it appeared everything had been thought of!  

We all had a few laughs while drinking and taking ‘instagram’ pictures.  

After the champagne sunset picnic…we were just about to leave in the safari jeep to return to the hotel when the clouds cleared and the sun glowed red low on the horizon…..the colouring of the sky matched the water and the local fishermen and boat silhouetted agains a glowing orange and pink sky….absolutely stunning! 

On returning to the hotel, we then enjoyed a cultural dance be one of the two local tribes people.  It felt very authentic and not touristy at all unlike many hotel cultural shows I’ve seen.    We enjoyed a drink and then headed to a lovely buffet dinner.  While we were just about to sit down to eat word got around that there had been a rhinoceros spotlighted on the other side of the river….we immediately walked down to see a very large beast refreshing his/herself beside the water.  It’s a little hard to tell from the photos as it was night and the lighting was torch but you can still clearly see it.