Chitwan National Park

We arrived at Chitwan National Park, in the south of Nepal, from Kathmandu on what we thought would be a "tourist bus," but which also included Nepali tourists - a bonus! At every stop, young boys tried to sell us fresh coconut and bottled water though the bus windows, and new passengers would clamber on and off the roof of our bus, where our luggage was also tied down. The scenery was stunning: we followed the Trisuli and Narayani Rivers for much of the trip, with vegetation that reminded me sometimes of home: plumeria, green fern understories, banana trees, papaya, white ginger. But nearly everywhere, in all directions, no matter how steep the terrain, waving fields of rice, in various stages of harvest, as far as I could see.

We are here during the second biggest holiday of the year - Divali - 5 days of honoring crows, dogs, cows, bulls and finally man, especially brothers and sisters, who give each other gifts. We saw dogs and cows festively painted and "lei"ed with flower garlands throughout our stay in Chitwan, and have seen mobs of women and children dancing and singing along nearly every footpath and highway we have traversed.

Our lodge, Murani Sanctuary Lodge, was located in Sauraha, a small village just across the river from the national park. This stop has been my favorite place on the trip so far - I loved the combination of spectacular wildlife and the small village atmosphere. Highlights included elephant bathing (see photo - as anyone who knows me can guess, being sprayed by water and then being shaken off an elephant's back into the river was not a silent endeavor for me. Rachel tells me the entire riverside was entertained :) and Dad - don't worry - no signs of leptospirosis), a wildlife safari atop an elephant where we saw 7 rhinos, including 2 mama/baby pairs from only 5 or 10 feet away, and a bird watching river float in a handmade wooden boat with a jungle walk back upstream.

And I think, even more than the incredible wildlife experiences, the sheer openness and friendliness of the people here overwhelms me. On our bus ride out of Chitwan en route to Pokhara, the bus was filled with local people traveling for the holiday. A young couple with two children sat next to us. I speak zero Nepali, and the smiling, talkative young mother spoke zero English. We babbled and smiled and pointed at each other unintelligibly for several minutes, until finally she handed her baby to me, and allowed me to hold him all the way until the bus stopped for lunch. It was a precious moment, and I wanted a photo badly, but didn't want to ruin something wonderful with a faux pas. When her family got off the bus at their stop, we waved and smiled eagerly, as if we had been talking the entire time.

I'm in Pokhara now, relaxing, and preparing for our 18-day Annapurna Circuit trek, which begins on November 3. Hope to write once more before I depart.

aloha....Kim