A whirlwind tour—we are now in Dehli, India at the start of our tour of the subcontinent. We have already visited the Hindi cultural hub of Varanasi and the magnificent Taj Mahal of Agra.
But those adventures are for our next post. Below we tell of the last of our time in Nepal: tiger chasing in Chitwan National Park and trekking around Pokhara.
Chitwan National Park
Eli here.
Chitwan National Park is a magical place—and home to some impressive animals: wild elephants, rhinos, and tigers to name but a few. We based ourselves in Sauraha (on the northern border) and spent one long day exploring the park and another looking at nearby attractions.
Day one. Seven am was our start time: with two park rangers as our guides we set off for a 10-hour trek. Although animals are harder to spot at this time of year—due to the tall native grasses and the monsoon weather—we weren’t disappointed with the animals we found.
First, gharial crocodiles slithered their long bony bodies back into the river after being disturbed by our canoe-based arrival into the park. Next, a herd of spotted deer bolted—albeit in a circular path around us—after hearing our intrusion into their morning feeding. Monkeys were spotted from time to time swinging high in the tree tops. And little red and black winged-insects were unintentionally squashed as they ate rotting fruit that lay below our feet.
But our most exciting find came a little later. After reaching a hide for a break we were quickly, but quietly, led to a nearby mud pool where a rhino was bathing. Excellent hearing and smell but poor vision meant that the usually temperamental animal made a steady retreat further into the thick grasses. Just our luck!
Our brief encounter raised our adrenaline. But, unfortunately, we found little else except for more bolting deer and swinging monkeys. We did trail a series of (fresh) tiger paw prints—which got us excited for a while—and dine on fresh mangos that our guides knocked out of trees with large trekking sticks.
But between the leeches, the hides, and the monsoon downpours, we still had fun.
Day two. At lunch time every day domesticated elephants bathe in the river that borders Sauraha. Popular with tourists, we were happy enough watching people fall ungracefully into the waters.
But our elephant encounters weren’t over. Next, we biked to the nearby elephant breeding centre where keepers care for elephants of all ages. These elephants mix with the wild population in Citwan National Park.
But, despite the keepers’ efforts, the centre was not impressive. Elephants were chained to wooden poles on small grassless mounds. Some had both legs chained together and all were separated. Most swayed in a semi-hypnotic dance just before feeding time—behaviour typical of captive animals.
There was one baby elephant that was free to roam, but hid behind its mother (and other relatives) as tourists walked by.
With our wildlife viewing complete, we bussed to the lakeside city of Pokhara—about six hours northwest of Sauraha.
Pokhara
Resting beside Phewa Lake, Pokhara is a quiet little city with short buildings and snaky streets. There are samousa stalls, over-stocked outdoor stores, and empty hotels. Locals sell anything from silk scarfs and pastries to paragliding trips and non-metered taxi rides, but struggle in the tourist offseason.
We stayed five nights in total; spending our days wondering the streets, drinking marsala tea, and preparing for our Poon Hill hike (see below).
One day I went on a solo mission up to the World Peace Pagoda. Funded by the Japanese Buddhist Association, this little—by our standards—pagoda was well-proportioned, white, round, and golden. With a stray dog as its protector, the pagoda overlooks Pokhara and the surrounding valleys. And when the weather is good—which it wasn’t—it offers stunning views of the 8000 plus meter high Annapurna and Manaslu ranges.
By the time I got there, I passed a troupe of monkeys looking for trouble, several couples struggling to ride scooters up the gravel path, female Chinese tourists in high heels holding cameras, local kids asking for lollies and pens, and a collection of huts and corn plantations.
On the way back to Pokhara I stopped off at the overhyped Devi’s Falls—which although misty and raging were nothing compared to waterfalls back in NZ.
Poon Hill
Claire here.
The negotiations on lengths of treks in Nepal began weeks in advance. It’s fair to say that walking is not my favourite activity, especially up hill. And I’ve done my fair share of walking up hills in the past 7 months. We finally decided on the 5 day 4 night Poon Hill trek. I conceded we didn’t need a guide.
The two days before we left I was sick, just a cold and a bit of a fever but definitely not fantastic. The day we left I was feeling a bit better and we made good time getting to our proposed night destination by lunch time. After lunch we decided to push on knowing that the next part was step and getting some of it under our belt would make tomorrow a bit easier.
By mid afternoon my cold was catching up with me and I was ready to stop so we found a lodgein the village of Ulleri where i hit my bed and pretty much stayed there until the next morning. The clouds, drizzle and steep steps continued the next morning as we made our way to the village of Gorapani. Once again I hit my bed to rest up while Eli decided to climb Poon Hill. A short walk from Gorapani Poon Hill is actually quite a high mountain by most countries’ standards at 3210m. The weather meant that there were none of the supposedly spectacular views to be had.
The next day with the weather still bad we decided to combine what was supposed to be 2 short days of walking into one long one and make for Ghandruk. The weather actually cleared a bit as we approached Ghandruk and we caught our first small glimpses of the towering Annapurna ranges surrounding us. I was feeling significantly better than I had the previous 2 days but I had lost my voice making for a quiet afternoon walking for Eli.
The final day was wet, wet, wet; making for very slow going down the slippery steep steps. We made it down to the village of Naya Pul just in time to jump on the bus back to Pokhara.
Our final day in Pokhara was a relaxing one before we jumped on the bus the next morning for a long journey to the Nepal- India boarder.
* * * * *
We both love India. But our time here must end. After finishing up our tour of the north west and western parts of India, we are flying to Tanzania for a month of volunteering and a sojourn around neighbouring countries. We can’t wait!
Love to all,
xxx
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