I booked a very nice place to stay in Chitwan back when I was in London; somewhere I found by chance on the internet called Sapana Village. Run by a very inspiring man who decided to create a place for tourists to enjoy activities that help the community. A lot of the money is given to Women's Skills Development and many other projects. They have two resident elephants which play a huge part in the activities available and it is close by to the National Park where rhinos, tigers, monkeys and crocodiles can be found. This is the block I stayed in:
It was a six hour drive from Kathmandu to Chitwan, a private car I had organised from Sapana came to pick me up first thing Thursday morning. I had heard horror stories about the Nepali buses and of course the main portion of this six hour journey is going around the mountain. You've seen Italian Job, right? Now you understand why I was dubious.
When I arrived in Nepal, I had a really sick feeling, like something was bothering me but I wasn't sure what. I wanted to turn around and go home - I know, it's crazy because, I'm in Nepal! An experience of a lifetime right? But I think I was just sensing that my time here wouldn't be easy and I was bloody right. So in an impulsive moment, I arranged to have my flight changed to go back to London this coming Monday. I'm very low on cash too so I just thought that it made sense to see some of Nepal for a few days and just cut my losses and go home. Relief washed over me the minute my flight confirmation came through. And as I mentioned before, I've added another location to my trip - as most of you know already, I'm spending christmas in Lyon with Loic. And so, with these new plans set in place, I finally relaxed.
So as I settled into my room at Sapana, I looked over the activities brochure and decided what to do. I really wanted to ride an elephant into the village but I was hesitant because of the price (it's not much in GBP but you know how it is, when you're broke parting with a tenner is painful). So I thought the next best thing would be feeding an elephant. So meet Jampa Kali, the thirty-five year old female ele who is just gorgeous:
I sat with her keeper and he taught me how to make the food for the elephants. They eat around the clock and need about 400 kilos of food a day!!! So we made rice parcels by using grass as the casing. Every time I finished one, Jampa Kali stretched her trunk out to me, ready to take it. Sometimes when I wasn't being quick enough, she'd tickle me on the head with the straw she was holding. It was the sweetest moment.
Jampa's keeper told me that he was taking her down to the river afterwards for her bath and I was welcome to come and watch. I jumped at the chance because I'd actually considered doing this activity, as in, ride her into the river and play with her in the water. But I thought I'd leave it when I felt how cold it was that day and I'd have to be wearing a t-shirt and shorts to get soaked in. So I watched other guests do it instead. It was absolutely adorable. Watching an elephant splash about in water really brings joy to the heart. They love it. Jampa was rolling over in the river and spraying water with her trunk, she didn't want to come out.
I filmed it, but it will take an age to upload the video here so I'll just have to show you when I get back.The next day I woke up early, did some writing and decided that I would take that village ride afterall. I have always wanted to ride an elephant and I thought, it'll be a long time before I ever get this opportunity again so why not? I was going to ask the manager about it later. In the morning I visited the elephant breeding centre and saw some babies! One calf was only four days old. An elephant baby is like the size of St.Bernard but still ridiculously cute.
As I sat down for dinner, the manager came over and told me that he had to discuss something with me. A strike across Nepal had been confirmed for Monday and he thought it best that I go back to Kathmandu Sunday instead. I didn't quite grasp the full extent of what the strike was about but I began to panic about my flight. Would the airport still be running?! He assured me that it would and as I'm taking an international flight, there'd be no problem.
So there goes my elephant ride and now there was a little stress about going back to Kathmandu (I really didn't want to spend another night there). But these things were the least of my worries. But thank the stars for Annie, a German woman staying at Sapana who was also heading back to Kathmandu the same day. The manager suggested we share a car back and split the cost. I was happy with that idea.
So I woke up this morning, ready for a six hour drive back to Kathmandu and I had someone with me so I was feeling ok. Until the extent of what is happening here in Nepal finally reached me. The manager said that it was a risk to drive there Monday because all Nepali people on the road would be stopped. I asked if the situation was dangerous and I swear he paused for a moment before answering "not really". His doubts started to alarm me. So I found out from some of the staff talking with other guests that someone (I'm not sure who) was killed the other day and the Nepali people are very angry and rising up against the government. Our driver taped a sign that said 'tourist only' up on the windscreen of the car and the worry was growing stronger. The manager then proceeded to tell us that it was best that Annie sit up at the front because she obviously looked like a tourist and I was questionable. My stomach started to do flips - who would stop us? What would they do exactly?
Now, I've been quite lucky with my exotic features in the sense that I can blend in with a lot of cultures. I loved it when I got into the Grand Canyon for free because I could pass for Navajo. It got a tad annoying when every local in Bali spoke to me in Indonesian and I'd have stop them and say I didn't understand but it was better than being a typical western looking tourist because they got the most hassle. In this situation that I'm in now in Nepal, my looks aren't doing me any favours.
The stopping and starting that the driver did on the way out of the village to get news updates from locals was making my heart race. Everything sounded urgent and disconcerting. He soon got a phonecall from the manager at Sapana telling him that the strike had kicked up again in Chitwan. All Nepali people would be stopped. He seemed a little anxious about taking the risk of driving all the way to Kathmandu. When we came to the main road in Chitwan before the checkpoint, there was smoke in the distance both left and right. The trouble had begun. So we turned around and came back as the manager at Sapana made a phonecall to a tourist bus to see if we could catch it. He met us on the way on his bike, gave Annie and I our money back for the car and paid for our tickets. We sped down the road to catch up with the bus. Our suitcases were thrown into the trunk of the bus and we were hurriedly pushed on. The bus was packed and we had to squish up front with the driver.
Armed forces were doing checks every few miles until we were out of Chitwan. Only tourists were allowed through. I felt like I was going to vomit when they stopped us the first time and one of them got on to look at all our faces. I didn't want to look him in the eye, aside from the driver and his ticket man, I was the only non-white person on the bus. It's funny when you feel that kind of nervousness, you start to wonder why you complained about all the other stupid things along the way when this is really something to hope that you will get through. I cannot tell you how many affirmations and prayers I was saying in my head to not be pulled up by one of them and asked to prove that I was a tourist. Of course I could, I've got a UK passport and a suitcase to show them but still, you just do not want to engage at all.
I made a point of talking to Annie in my clearest English for them as well as for the distraction. There were about three or four of these stops and I wanted to cry every single time but I thought, 'no, be brave...you'll be ok. You're on a bus full of Europeans in the same situation as you'. Today's strike is only happening in Chitwan you see, tomorrow it's the whole country. So once we were out of Chitwan, the road was ours. Although, the fright was not over yet...I had to sit through six hours of the bus struggling to get up the mountain and swing round other vehicles on the bends. There were some very near misses and in particular, at the parts where the road had crumbled. My heart lept up my throat so many times today, I couldn't eat my lunch when we stopped for a break.
Each goal kept changing: please don't let me get questioned by the police, please make sure the bus doesn't fall off the side of the mountain, please let us make it to Kathmandu, please let us find a hotel to stay at tonight...
Fortunately, we made it to Kathmandu on that crazy bus. Of course, I am writing this to you now so you must know that I'm ok and found somewhere to stay. Annie and I decided to share a room at the guesthouse she's been to before in Thamel. It was advised that we stay in Thamel as it's the tourist district. We managed to get a taxi and the driver told us that the strike should be over by 5pm tomorrow so he can take me to the airport.
So this is the point I'm at now. I'm in a backpacker guesthouse in Thamel, trying to get warm, feeling a little comforted by the fact that I now have Annie but still anxious about what happens tomorrow.
If all goes well, I'll make it out of here with no issues. I'll get to the airport, catch my flight and be able to breathe normally again the minute the plane leaves the runway.
When I told a friend that I'd changed my flight, she said "maybe you can experience Nepal another time". Oh I've experienced Nepal, all right. I've experienced Nepal.
So, wish me luck guys. Hopefully, the next time you'll be hearing from me I'll be in London or Lyon. But by then, you'll all be enjoying christmas and probably won't have time to read my blog but this trip isn't over yet people, so watch this space.
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