I know its been quite a long time but I very rarely seem to have either the Internet or the time at the moment.
I left it last time in Kathmandu which seems a lifetime ago. Since then I went to Pokhara where despite my best intentions of going trekking I ended up largely sleeping, watching films and wandering round some of the hills that provide amazing views over the lake and the Annapurna mountain range. Three weeks doing the Everest trek pretty much knackered me out and it was nice to be able to catch up on some TV series and download some new ones. Plus the quiet of Pokhara meant I was actually able to sleep past 6am for the first time since Ive been here.
Well rested I headed off to Chitwan national park in the vain hope of seeing tigers but more realistically seeing the Rhinos for which chitwan is famous. Unfortunately the main trekking season of October and November is the worst time for Chitwan as the grass is ten feet tall and it nigh on impossible to see anything. Unfazed a group of six of us braved the barrage of safari shops and guides and booked one for the next morning. So we headed out early morning on a canoe ride to see the crocodiles and gharials (fish eating crocs) before trekking back three hours to the main town Sauraha. Turns out our luck was in straight after a somewhat disappointing canoe ride we nearly walked straight into a massive Asian rhino just in the bushes. The wind was blowing the wrong way and it legged it before we could get a photo but our spirits were raised. As it was that was the only thing we saw in three hour slogging through gigantic grass and we found ourselves back at the canoe launch point disappointed. Chitwans big attraction is the elephants which patrol up and down the main streets which takes some getting used to but it provides an opportunity to take part in the elephant bathing in the river. This pretty much involves sitting on the back of an elephant whilst it squirts you with water and then rolls over dumping you in the river. It was kind of nice and something to do before our elephant safari that night.
There is two bits to chitwan the main park then the 'community forest' which is basically some trees that have a whole load of deer and monkeys and pretty much jack of anything else. So you wander round on the back of an elephant for an hour with about twenty other elephants full of shouting indian and chinese tourists so anything that may have been close legs it. Its disappointing but I rode on an elephant so that's kind of cool.
Unfortunately the people I was with were pressed for time and left the next morning but I resolved to go into the park again and this time go for a day and a half so that I could get deep into the park. So for the next day and a half we walked and walked and walked through the park. As any time with safaris you cant guarantee anything so by four o'clock after walking for 9 hours I was gutted until round the next bend a mother and baby rhino. They were so close it was amazing and this time the wind was blowing towards us. We were there for at least half an hour before they left and it was great just watching these massive animals just twenty meters away. I was briefed by the guide before we went in about what to do should we see certain things and they come at you, for rhinos it was climb a tree which makes sense and tigers it was stare it out which I would have been interest to see put into practise. This all seems good advice until you look around and theres no trees within 300m not quite sure what plan B was. So we just sat still and watched and fortunately despite the fact they were no more than twenty meters away they didn't see us.
From then on it was a windfall we saw a bear really close as it barked a warning at us then ran, monkeys, wild pigs, deer, crocodiles, loads of birds and tiger tracks so it was well worth it in the end. In celebration me and my two guides got drunk on local wine watching the sunset and playing cards whilst listening to the jungle which was quality. Even had an early morning hungover encounter with a rhino that was sleeping at the stairs to the lodge.
After Chitwan I had pretty much done everything I wanted in Nepal and was ready for India. Unfortunately to pick up my Bangladesh visa it meant going back for two incredibly tedious days in Kathmandu faffing around before taking the 16 hour killer of a night bus to the border. Unfortunately I was at the front of the bus and it was tortuous hurtling along in the pitch black, overtaking on blind bends with Justin Bieber on repeat and the screeching of the brakes which is still ringing in my ears. Needless to stay I didn't get any sleep at all and was a mess when I rocked up in Kakharbitta the border town. As always happens it turns out alright in the end as i met Hari this local Nepalese guy who was returning home on the same bus after visiting England and he just said hey do you want to have breakfast and rest a bit in my house. Two days later I was still there, his family were so great feeding me up and showing me the local sights of their tea plantation and rural village. I was sad to leave as they were so generous and it was great chatting with them about local life in Nepal and going through their photos of London. I doubt on this trip but hopefully soon I can go back and stay for longer. But with a visa set to expire I made the hard choice of going for my first taste of India.
Not quite wanting to go to any cities yet I headed up into the hills to Darjeeling to sample the tea and make the most of the clear weather to see some more of the huge mountains of the Himalayas. Right on the doorstep is Kachenjunga which is the 3rd highest mountain which we got up early for this morning. Darjeeling is nothing like i imagined the town is picturesque from afar but the narrow streets are a mess of rubbish and traffic with incessant horns and exhaust fumes, I'm sure it was grand in its day but that day has definitely passed. A good thing though is they actually have food options Dominoes last night was a real treat after fried rice twice a day and a fry up with proper bacon and eggs this morning. Other than that ive just been drinking large amounts of amazing tea.
My hotel is an absolute dump so cold and damp but at just over a quid a night i cant complain too much and I leave tomorrow. After picking up my special permit yesterday I head to the tiny mountain kingdom of Sikkim for ten days before heading off to the tribal states of the north east over the coming month. Not sure how far I can get as the permit situation seems a bit up in the air but if I can get to Nagaland i will be so happy. There is a massive tribal gathering in a couple of weeks and I would love to be there.
Im sure you will be chuffed to know its cold here probably worse than at home and only going to get colder in Sikkim so its not all sun, sea and sand.
Ill leave it there as I need some more tea and an episode of Dexter is waiting. Catch you later
Tucker
I left it last time in Kathmandu which seems a lifetime ago. Since then I went to Pokhara where despite my best intentions of going trekking I ended up largely sleeping, watching films and wandering round some of the hills that provide amazing views over the lake and the Annapurna mountain range. Three weeks doing the Everest trek pretty much knackered me out and it was nice to be able to catch up on some TV series and download some new ones. Plus the quiet of Pokhara meant I was actually able to sleep past 6am for the first time since Ive been here.
Well rested I headed off to Chitwan national park in the vain hope of seeing tigers but more realistically seeing the Rhinos for which chitwan is famous. Unfortunately the main trekking season of October and November is the worst time for Chitwan as the grass is ten feet tall and it nigh on impossible to see anything. Unfazed a group of six of us braved the barrage of safari shops and guides and booked one for the next morning. So we headed out early morning on a canoe ride to see the crocodiles and gharials (fish eating crocs) before trekking back three hours to the main town Sauraha. Turns out our luck was in straight after a somewhat disappointing canoe ride we nearly walked straight into a massive Asian rhino just in the bushes. The wind was blowing the wrong way and it legged it before we could get a photo but our spirits were raised. As it was that was the only thing we saw in three hour slogging through gigantic grass and we found ourselves back at the canoe launch point disappointed. Chitwans big attraction is the elephants which patrol up and down the main streets which takes some getting used to but it provides an opportunity to take part in the elephant bathing in the river. This pretty much involves sitting on the back of an elephant whilst it squirts you with water and then rolls over dumping you in the river. It was kind of nice and something to do before our elephant safari that night.
There is two bits to chitwan the main park then the 'community forest' which is basically some trees that have a whole load of deer and monkeys and pretty much jack of anything else. So you wander round on the back of an elephant for an hour with about twenty other elephants full of shouting indian and chinese tourists so anything that may have been close legs it. Its disappointing but I rode on an elephant so that's kind of cool.
Unfortunately the people I was with were pressed for time and left the next morning but I resolved to go into the park again and this time go for a day and a half so that I could get deep into the park. So for the next day and a half we walked and walked and walked through the park. As any time with safaris you cant guarantee anything so by four o'clock after walking for 9 hours I was gutted until round the next bend a mother and baby rhino. They were so close it was amazing and this time the wind was blowing towards us. We were there for at least half an hour before they left and it was great just watching these massive animals just twenty meters away. I was briefed by the guide before we went in about what to do should we see certain things and they come at you, for rhinos it was climb a tree which makes sense and tigers it was stare it out which I would have been interest to see put into practise. This all seems good advice until you look around and theres no trees within 300m not quite sure what plan B was. So we just sat still and watched and fortunately despite the fact they were no more than twenty meters away they didn't see us.
From then on it was a windfall we saw a bear really close as it barked a warning at us then ran, monkeys, wild pigs, deer, crocodiles, loads of birds and tiger tracks so it was well worth it in the end. In celebration me and my two guides got drunk on local wine watching the sunset and playing cards whilst listening to the jungle which was quality. Even had an early morning hungover encounter with a rhino that was sleeping at the stairs to the lodge.
After Chitwan I had pretty much done everything I wanted in Nepal and was ready for India. Unfortunately to pick up my Bangladesh visa it meant going back for two incredibly tedious days in Kathmandu faffing around before taking the 16 hour killer of a night bus to the border. Unfortunately I was at the front of the bus and it was tortuous hurtling along in the pitch black, overtaking on blind bends with Justin Bieber on repeat and the screeching of the brakes which is still ringing in my ears. Needless to stay I didn't get any sleep at all and was a mess when I rocked up in Kakharbitta the border town. As always happens it turns out alright in the end as i met Hari this local Nepalese guy who was returning home on the same bus after visiting England and he just said hey do you want to have breakfast and rest a bit in my house. Two days later I was still there, his family were so great feeding me up and showing me the local sights of their tea plantation and rural village. I was sad to leave as they were so generous and it was great chatting with them about local life in Nepal and going through their photos of London. I doubt on this trip but hopefully soon I can go back and stay for longer. But with a visa set to expire I made the hard choice of going for my first taste of India.
Not quite wanting to go to any cities yet I headed up into the hills to Darjeeling to sample the tea and make the most of the clear weather to see some more of the huge mountains of the Himalayas. Right on the doorstep is Kachenjunga which is the 3rd highest mountain which we got up early for this morning. Darjeeling is nothing like i imagined the town is picturesque from afar but the narrow streets are a mess of rubbish and traffic with incessant horns and exhaust fumes, I'm sure it was grand in its day but that day has definitely passed. A good thing though is they actually have food options Dominoes last night was a real treat after fried rice twice a day and a fry up with proper bacon and eggs this morning. Other than that ive just been drinking large amounts of amazing tea.
My hotel is an absolute dump so cold and damp but at just over a quid a night i cant complain too much and I leave tomorrow. After picking up my special permit yesterday I head to the tiny mountain kingdom of Sikkim for ten days before heading off to the tribal states of the north east over the coming month. Not sure how far I can get as the permit situation seems a bit up in the air but if I can get to Nagaland i will be so happy. There is a massive tribal gathering in a couple of weeks and I would love to be there.
Im sure you will be chuffed to know its cold here probably worse than at home and only going to get colder in Sikkim so its not all sun, sea and sand.
Ill leave it there as I need some more tea and an episode of Dexter is waiting. Catch you later
Tucker
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