That time I went to India – Part two.

Growing up I was always that kid who felt ill just at the thought of car journey longer than 20 minutes, so the idea of piling into a bus and taking to the open roads for the first time in Nepal was somewhat terrifying. My worst fear was also becoming that traveller who couldn’t enjoy the ride due to the fact they were using every ounce of energy to avoid bringing up last nights chicken curry (sorry for the visual on that one). Unfortunately on this adventure I didn’t have much choice, so onboard I went… ensuring there was an open window available.

Luckily I managed to avoid my worst nightmare – unluckily I was met with a different kind. The kind that involves insane driving skills and very steep, treacherous ravines. We were headed to Chitwan National Park, about 130km from Kathmandu. In New Zealand a journey of this distance would take less than two hours but here in Nepal it took six, thanks to the crazy antics you come across along the way. The only thing that made up for the absolute terror of driving over the cliff tops was the absolutely stunning scenery the entire way. We witnessed the sun come up across the Kathmandu Valley, drove through tiny villages and saw locals going about their daily routines, past by children walking to school and wandering perilously close to the edge of the road, and even saw the odd monkey hanging out on the roadside. It truly was one of the most beautiful road trips I’ve ever taken (and I come from New Zealand, so I’ve taken many drives through beautiful scenery).

Arriving in Chitwan felt as though we had taken a step back in the time. Many of the locals still live in traditional huts, with very traditional lifestyles. They actually get around in horse and carts (sometimes also using cows and elephants). After settling into our simple but very pleasant cabin accommodation my roommate and I decided to head down to the local launderette to get some much needed washing done and it was definitely an experience. A lovely young lady from the hotel lead us down the dusty main road, to an even dustier, smaller road and told we would find the laundry at the end. So off we went, slightly confused, only to arrive to a very simple washing shed and a handful of locals standing around.  We soon found out that no one spoke English but after a lot of back and forth we managed to explain what we wanted. This lead to the entire contents of our washing bags (including underwear) being laid out across the ground and on the back of some unlucky locals motorcycle while they figured out the price. It caused quite the commotion and seemly half the village was there to get a look at our dirty laundry. Strangest washing experience I have ever had that’s for sure. But I must say, when we received them back the next morning they smelt very fresh.

Now obviously coming to a place with ‘National Park’ in the name leads one to believe wildlife might play a pretty important role in this part of the trip, and you would be correct. Chitwan is a National Heritage Site and covers a huge amount of land. It actually use to be a popular hunting area, but now many former poachers work to protect the animals they once killed. The park is home to many species including Bengal tigers, rhino, elephants and sloth bears (though I’m still not entirely sure what they are). One evening after coming back from dinner at one of the only two restaurants in town, the hotel owner informed us there had been a rhino in the back garden (right outside our rooms) only 15 minutes earlier. Apparently it’s a regular thing and they just like to come up and munch on the flowers, which I think is rather cute but you certainly wouldn’t want to stumble across one.

While here we were also given the chance to go on an elephant safari through the jungle, I had been pretty conflicted about whether or not to do this as it isn’t something I feel fully comfortable with. In the end I decided to go as I was ensured by my tour leader that the elephants were well cared for and part of a conservation program. It was an amazing experience that I will most likely never have again, but by the end of the safari I was feeling terrible. I don’t believe these beautiful creatures were made for transporting humans around for hours on end each day and it is not something I will ever be doing again. I have since learnt that the company (Geckos Adventures) have removed elephant riding from all their tours, which I am very happy about. This is my personal opinion though and I understand that others have their own experiences and opinions on this controversial topic. 

The rest of my time in Chitwan was spent relaxing and soaking up the calm village lifestyle. We took a beautiful canoe ride along the river at sunset and saw some rather large crocodiles, we wandered the main road to see the locals go about their day, we ate far too much momo and fried paneer at the local restaurant, and just enjoyed our time together as a group – we had only known each other a few days but it felt like far longer! I was certainly lucky to be travelling with such an awesome bunch of people.

I had a wonderful time in Chitwan and really recommend it if you are heading to Nepal. As always I have rambled on far to much so will have to leave my final stop in Nepal until next week, maybe I will be able to keep that to a reasonable length.

xx