Kathmandu

Okay havent blogged in a while... so thinking back to Kathmandu.. Another beastly bus journey there to finally arrive in Paraknajol (North Thamel, Kathmandu). Thamel was actually really cool, had a massive array of shops selling all sorts of stuff, most of which we had already seen in Pokhara (and bought!). Tim did get a ridiculously cool fruit bowl (!?) that has a sort of spiralling cut in the flat part, meaning it falls out slightly at the bottom creating a bowl instead of a plate! A couple more pure pashmina and cashmere scarves were bought too.. What did we do in Kathandu... not a huge amount really as we only had 2 days there. We met up with the Danish guys again for a Kareoke night which was hilarious, and painful as all the girs were into old crappy Britney Spears songs. Which James loved. The next night we once again hit the clubs of Kathmandu which was a bit of a fail really, seeing as the Nepalese have a curfew at 11pm and after this the police come round all the pubs and bars to kick everyone home. We sought refuge in this quiet back-alley pub until 2am – we werent actually allowed out for a while because the police were outside as they knew the pub owners had customers upstairs! Finally the next day we flew to Thailand!!! EXCITEMENT!

Chitwan National Park

After pre-booking a package tour (turns out much cheaper in low season) we headed to Chitwan via another dreaded bus journey. It only took 5 hours or so and was cnosiderably easier on the bum than the previous Sinauli – Pokhara bus. We're staying at the Gorkha Hamlet Resort in Sauraha right on the edge of the National Park. On the evening of the first day here, we went out for a jungle walk and, as luck would have it, saw our first One Horned Rhino which is extremely rare to see as they are so few. It was a great experience because there was the suspense the whole time due to the fact that there could e any number of dangerous creatures and animals around, hidden in the bushes and grassland. The next day we got up super early at 05:30 to be out for a jeep safari at 6. This started off badly as our jeep ran out of fuel halfway to the park, great! However it wasnt long before we were off again towards the jungle. We went along at a laisurely pace, giving us time to try and spot any wildlife that was lurking in the bushes/trees. First spotted were some Monkays, leaping around in the tree canopy above us. Then there was a few Eagles, which close up are absolutely massive, having a wingspan of around 2m. Deer were a common sight, spotted and brown, however the most interesting time was when we thought we saw a leopard stalking a group of deer, but after watching for a few minutes we realised the “leopard” would have attacked by then, so we moved on. Our guide stopped the jeep deep in the jungle for us to get out and go for a short walk across the river to the marshlands to see some Marsh Mugger Crocodiles, the most viscious crocs found in Nepal. We have to say, we were glad they were at least 50m away. Apart from these animals there were a range of birds from cuckatoo's to kingfishers, and a Wild Boar. We came back to the room, had a quick breakfast and headed out to the activity that both of us have most enjoyed (apart from Paragliding) so far. Elephant Bathing! Being able to sit bareback ontop of an elephant while it uses its trunk to spray you with water, and lies down sideways throwing you off its back so it can wallow underwater, was pretty special. Later on that afternoon we once again met with the eleahnts for an elephant safari, to roam through the jungle ontop of another elephant, trying to spot some more wildlife with our guide Jumangi, who pointed out the animals to us the most interesting being the feared and famous Jungle Chicken. The highlight of this ride came about an hour into the trip as we spotted two One Horned Rhinos, Mother and Baby, in the clearing ahead of us, Due to the fact that we were ontop of elephants, the Rhino's were not bothered by us and thus we could get really close, probably about 3m away at the closest point – Tim has video evidence. We then moved on through the forest to the end of the trip. That evening we went to see the Tharu tribe who live in the village nearby and performed a series of traditional stick-dances, including fire whirling, ladyboys, and stickfighting. This was pretty cool in itself but what made the night for us was the fact that they invited the audience to partake in the stckdance, and thus being us, we did! After a large cheer from the audience for volunteering we danced with the tribe, flapping our arms and legs looking like idiots, but who cares, you only live once. We also met a group of very friendly Danish people who are around our age and can speak English! The rest of the evening was spent getting to know them and their Danish ways of life.
Today we got up early again, and went off with the Danes for a canoe ride down the river to try and spot some crocs. We did, but it was a baby marsh mugger, however we knew its mother was around somewhere so it kept the suspence high! Although we didnt see any major wildlife we werent disheartened as we had seen most of it the day before and we were in good company. Due to the fact there are only two of us, our itinerary got swapped around a bit and we had nothing to do until 3, so we went and joined the Danes with the elephant bathing again, it was even more fun the second time around as we knew the elephants behaved and knew when we were going to be thrown in the water!!

Paragliding the Himalayas+last of Pokhara

We woke relatively early. We had to be at the centre by 11 so this was early for us. A good breakfast of honey porridge, a bottle of water and we went on our way. As soon as we reached the centre we waited 15 minutes before being thrown in a jeep to be taken to Sarangkot, the take-off zone. The journey took half an hour, half an hour too long if you ask us, we were so excited! Driving up to the take-off spot made us appreciate how perfect the conditins were, almost clear skies, enaling us to see the snow-capped mountains of the Annapurna Massif (Himalayas). Upon arrival our parachutes were laid out, we were fitted into our harnesses and before we knew it the kite was up, we were running and the ground was no longer beneath our feet. This was an experience that just cannot be described unless you have done it before. After flying around in thermals to gain a decent height (1900m) we headed across the ridge gazing at the views (will be uploaded) and following the birds of prey to get the best thermals. To cut an hours flight short, we did this for 50 mins or so before heading back down over the Phewa Tal to the landing spot. Now, we had set each other the challenge of who could get the guide to do the best stunt. Typically they did the same one. Once over the water each of our guides made sharp turns until we were spiralling, at what seemed out of control, towards the ground raising the G-force to ridiculous levels. Landing was simple and straightforward, and also came wth a slight relief that we were back on terra firma.
That evening we went to an amazing restaurant called Once Upon A Time. It was really chilled, they gave us free popcorn, and they had a massive tele which we were able to watch the England-India cricket match, cracking stuff!
Th last night we intended to be a nice, friendly evenng with the guys at Peace Eye Guesthouse, however this was somehow quashed by the fact that our hotel had told us we could pay by card for the room and upon trying to pay with non-embossed STA travel cards, they pulled out an old-school card imprinter, instead of the chip and pin machine we were expecting. So after telling them that we couldnt pay because we had no other cards or money (we did but they were being arsey so we decided to be difficult too) they started to get a bit aggressive which naturally we were having non of, and put them in their place by telling them how the customer is always right, and how their incompetance and obnoxious service would not get them anywhere in the future. Also being a new establishment directly opposite the LPs top rated hotel, they didnt stand a chance of gaining any customers in the future. After that was sorted (Tim paid by a magically appearing spare debit card) we resumed our evening back at Peace Eye Guesthouse where Chiran (the manager and chef) served us up some of his freshly made vegetable and tofu soup, followed by the best hot chocolate Nepalise can make, all on the house. Lad.