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After arriving in the Terai we set off on the bikes again
along the main highway towards Chitwan national park. We
were a little worried about hitting the highway after India
but the route was fantastic with very little traffic along
the road. We soon found out why. Maoist protesters had set
up road blocks in two places and suddenly the atmosphere
went from laid back countryside to uncomfortably edgy as we
passed through.
Luckily there were no problems for us but it was a reminder
of how Nepal is still politically fragile and that out in
the real world things could turn ugly anytime. Ironically
it contributed to one of our best days cycling of the trip.
Arriving in Chitwan was magical, with the sun setting and a
great off-road track along the river.
We
decided to go straight out on a jeep safari the next day
with Lin and Ben who we met that evening. Walking tours were
possible but we’d heard of rhino and bear attacks and
decided to play safe. You need a lot of luck to spot
wildlife but we really won the lottery that day, spotting
deer, monkeys, crocodiles, ten rhinos, a sloth bear and the
Royal Bengal Tiger that we had been visualising for the last
four months.
We
then took a bus back up into the Mountains to Pokhara where
we have been hanging out for the last week. The weather was
cloudy at first but after a couple of days there was a huge
thunderstorm and we knew that the next morning we could
climb up to the peace pagoda for some stunning views of the
high peaks. Tomorrow after a month here we will wave
goodbye to the Himalayas and fly back down to our old home
Bangkok – a/c shopping malls, Thai massage and spicy green
curry here we come! |
