** Pics are taking forever so I will update this one later as well!
For the weekend we decided to escape our volunteer lives and journey to the legendary Chitwan National Park. The park hosts a number of animals some of which include elephants, rhinos, and tigers.
We were all very excited to make the journey and arrived at the bus station very early. I spent the night at Albane's homestay in the city and we found out that something had been chewing us alive in the middle of the night. Waking up with bites all over us was an unsettling experience.
The bus to Chitwan took a good 7 hours. We were constantly stopping and picking up locals or swerving to miss the cow/goat/person/truck in the middle of the road. Daniel and I got the front seat so we had a perfect view of the crazy happenings of the street.
Finally we arrived at our destination and were greeting by numerous Nepali taxi men trying to take us to their hotels. We found our guy and headed to Wild Horizons guest house. The place was very nice and clean and we were all pleasantly surprised to find a nice actual shower and toilet in the rooms. We all screamed with excitement. Ivan and Daniel even made an attempt to climb a tree in the courtyard to fetch a berries.What a pair of monkeys those two are!
After settling in our guide took us on a walk to see the local way of life. On the way we stopped to meet our first elephant. She was absolutely stunning. There was something about the mixed pigment colors of her skin that made her strikingly beautiful. I was so happy to walk up and wrap my arms around her trunk! When I first approached her however she opened her mouth wide open. It was comical because my first reaction was not to run but instead stick my head in between her mouth!!!! She stayed like that while we snapped a pic and then I stepped back and she closed her mouth and I wrapped my arms tightly around her!
On our walk we learned all about the local village people and their history. For years the number of animals outweighed the population and death by animal attack was quite common. Often villagers would be found maulled by the local tigers. Through the years however their population and technology has allowed them to live in their villages safe and the animals have stayed, usually, in their jungle.
The place has become a huge attraction and many villagers rely on the tourist industry to survive. Their houses are made out of all natural materials consisting of different hay types and mud. It was shocking to know we were still in Nepal but seemed so different from the area we had been living in.
Next we walked to the elephant sanctuary. It was sad to see some of the elephants chained up. Most of us felt quite bad about the situation but we soon learned that they were let out for 6 hours a day to roam free in the jungle but always returned!
After that we took a small walk into the jungle and it started to pour. Most of us were not in proper footwear and feared getting a leech (minus Daniel who was determined to find on). In the evening we went back to the guest house and enjoyed a nice warm meal.
Next, we went to the Cultural house to watch the local dance types. The women were quite boring but the men had some intricate dances which involved them swinging around to a perfect beat to hit their sticks off one another's. The best act by far was a man dressed as a peacock. At the end he picked up a rose and handed it to Albane!
We ended the night by sitting around chatting for a few hours on the porch. It was a nice way to end the day!
For the weekend we decided to escape our volunteer lives and journey to the legendary Chitwan National Park. The park hosts a number of animals some of which include elephants, rhinos, and tigers.
We were all very excited to make the journey and arrived at the bus station very early. I spent the night at Albane's homestay in the city and we found out that something had been chewing us alive in the middle of the night. Waking up with bites all over us was an unsettling experience.
The bus to Chitwan took a good 7 hours. We were constantly stopping and picking up locals or swerving to miss the cow/goat/person/truck in the middle of the road. Daniel and I got the front seat so we had a perfect view of the crazy happenings of the street.
Finally we arrived at our destination and were greeting by numerous Nepali taxi men trying to take us to their hotels. We found our guy and headed to Wild Horizons guest house. The place was very nice and clean and we were all pleasantly surprised to find a nice actual shower and toilet in the rooms. We all screamed with excitement. Ivan and Daniel even made an attempt to climb a tree in the courtyard to fetch a berries.What a pair of monkeys those two are!
After settling in our guide took us on a walk to see the local way of life. On the way we stopped to meet our first elephant. She was absolutely stunning. There was something about the mixed pigment colors of her skin that made her strikingly beautiful. I was so happy to walk up and wrap my arms around her trunk! When I first approached her however she opened her mouth wide open. It was comical because my first reaction was not to run but instead stick my head in between her mouth!!!! She stayed like that while we snapped a pic and then I stepped back and she closed her mouth and I wrapped my arms tightly around her!
On our walk we learned all about the local village people and their history. For years the number of animals outweighed the population and death by animal attack was quite common. Often villagers would be found maulled by the local tigers. Through the years however their population and technology has allowed them to live in their villages safe and the animals have stayed, usually, in their jungle.
The place has become a huge attraction and many villagers rely on the tourist industry to survive. Their houses are made out of all natural materials consisting of different hay types and mud. It was shocking to know we were still in Nepal but seemed so different from the area we had been living in.
Next, we went to the Cultural house to watch the local dance types. The women were quite boring but the men had some intricate dances which involved them swinging around to a perfect beat to hit their sticks off one another's. The best act by far was a man dressed as a peacock. At the end he picked up a rose and handed it to Albane!
Sounds like it was a nice escape from everything. Glad you are experiencing life there. Love the picture of you and the elephant.
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