CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK

CHITWAN NATIONAL PARK

There are so often strikes in Nepal and there has been some the last few days so all usual traffic ceases – quite a bummer after getting up at the crack of dawn in Pokhara and getting down from the mountain to the bus station only to find everyone standing around and general confusion. No refund on bus tickets already booked and no one responsible is the norm. I switched plans when I found a de luxe tourist company bus ready to leave for Chitwan so I hopped on and here I am based in a guest house with a terrace overlooking the river and I’ve just had the pleasure of enjoying the morning elephant bathing during which they have fun spraying all and sundry. Gorgeous gentle giants. Here they earn their food by bringing tourists on elephant safaris in the National Park which is a world heritage site. I didn’t want to do that so I went on a jeep safari for 5 hours but didn’t really see a lot of animals. There was a Rhino but it was submerged in a lake, some bears, spotted deer and a bison. For me the highlight was a Kingfisher that appeared several times with a vivid flash of turquoise. The roads in the park are like everywhere in Nepal – completely unfinished, full of rocks and holes so it was hours of bumping along
The little town here opposite the park is quiet and small, there is a law that everything has to close at 10 pm. It is so nice to just read and be lazy as now and again an elephant comes up just outside the terrace or a buffalo cart passes by. While I was there it was the 2 day “Holly Festival” at I think it was holly as that is how they pronounced it but I suppose it could have been “Holy” It seemed to consist of everyone painting their faces in very bright colours that spilled down on to their clothes. They also wanted to paint us but most were very nice about it and asked if it was ok. There’s very often a smell of Ganja in the air, it grows wild everywhere and they use it on their fires so it is very aromatic here abouts