Dudes - Nepal is amazing!! So different from India - it is so more remote and rural and the people are so more varied!! The people I guess are more free here - there are people who wear saris, wear Britney Spears and Westlife T-shirts and don't wear high waisted trousers and pens in their shirt pocket!! It just makes for a new and exciting part of my journey.
The landscape here is mesmorising - have done about three 7 hour journeys through Nepal now and I can honestly say that it is the most beautiful country I have ever visited. The colours of the flowers, the houses and the lush green hills create a landscape that you just can't take your eyes off. The houses here are ramshackle with slate roofs, balconies on the first floor and painted in bright colours. They look so small and defintely not big enough for a giant like me. Green steps go up each hillside where people farm the land and ox and farmers plough the muddy rice paddies on the lowland.
It is like the Western world hasn't even touched the rural areas of Nepal yet. There are small holdings with chickens, crazy goats and ox in the yard. People collect water from a hand pump and live off the land - it is such a buzz to see.
Me and Annie have left Katmandu after spending one night in the middle of town - found a place called Yak restaurant to hang out and got chatting to an eye doctor over a few beers. Hauled our butts out of bed at 5.30 the next morning with severe hangover to get the bus to Chitwan national park.
Staying in a lodge called Tiger Camp and the owner is Joe Pesci from Home ALone - all he needs is a golden tooth to scare us some more! He likes us to eat, drink, book everything through his lodge and if we don't he gets a bit stroppy! His cousins are also mental (Jam2 and Ram who likes a bong every now and then and was also attacked by a one horn rhino and has missing teeth and scars to prove it!) Also have some great Czech guys next to us who have introduced us to plum liquor and toldus drinks are 50p in Prague so we know where will be going next . . . .
Took the elephant safari today at 6.30am - what a trip! We sat on top of nellie - one person in each corner and lumbered off down to the reserve as the sun rose. Our mahout was amazing and we were so glad to get Nellie as she wasn't too big and scary! The mahouts have such a great relationship with their nellies - little whispers here and there and the elephants help the mahout off by lifting up their leg and help them on by letting them grab their ears and climb up their trunks!!
We wandered through the jungle and our mahout pointed out chickens (seriously he said 'shhhh, shhhh, look, look!!) and there it was a wild chicken! But then we came across a rhino and its baby wallowing in a little pool - amazing to be so close -see photos!
Also came across 4 more rhinos on our elephant safari - another pair of older ones and another mother and child - ahhhhhhhhh!
Also took jeep safari this afternoon which at first promised to be a right bore - they drove us through forest which had been recently burned to a cinder! No man or beast would want to hang around there! Finally though came across a wild rhino - more chickens, peacock and a centre for crocs, turtles and orphan tiger (poor thing was so sad - caught at a young age and kept in a horrible enclosure)
And then to cap it all off we picked up a guy who worked in the park on the way back - he had been attacked by a sloth bear and was bleeding heavily from his forearm!! So glad we didn't bump into one of those guys. The poor guy looked weak like he had lost quite a bit of blood but he had some kind guides that looked after him well.
Spent the evening in rooftop restaurant near to river and then walked back to Tiger Camp with the customary pack of guide dogs. Both here and in Mcleod Ganj we have been so lucky to bump into really friendly packs of dogs which escort us all the way back to our rooms - they make me feel very safe : )
Arrived in Pokhara today - Lakeside. Have landed on our feet with a room at Hotel Avocado (free room the first night on behalf of Joe Pesci - owner is his cousin!). The room has lakes views, TV (oh yeah - can't wait to veg in front of Star Movies and Animal Planet!) and hot water. What more could a girl ask for??
Pokhara seems like it has a lot to offer - listening to Michael Lansbrook Take Me To Your Heart now and it is reminding me of romantic Tashi from rooftop ride - he sang it to me (Bless him!!!!)
Love to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
