As of Sunday (29th) we have changed countries and escaping the dust, smell and general intensity of India have moved onto Nepal. Sunday was dedicated to an all day bus journey from Varanasi to the India/Nepal border.... not a highlight I have to admit - the best part of 10 hours in the bumpiest bus I have ever encountered. All in all it was a bit of a hellish day what with the most uncomfortable journey, a stuffed parantha (naan type thing) our only sustenance all day, needing to wee for pretty much the entire journey (did have the option of a burr ridden field with cattle/indian men ogling but it was not appealing when in full view of the main road/the rest of the bus!) and not drinking any water due to afore mentioned need to pee.... men have it seriously easy when it comes to toileting in public!! Then it transpired that there have been strikes going on in Nepal for the last week or so which meant continual stops, baying crowds, detours around lorries burning in the middle of the road! and as a result even when we got to the border, we had to wait on the Indian side in the skankiest hostel I have ever seen (although by this stage the need to pee was too strong to resist!). Finally managed to get through the immigration offices on both sides through the huge dust clouds and got cycle rickshaws to a fairly standard hotel where we stayed less than 12 hours!

The following day, Monday (28th) we had another long bus journey from the border to Chitwan National Park via Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha) so were up super early to get most of the journey over with and escape the strikes. Managed a bit of a buffet breakfast of chips and dry pancakes but turned down the cabbage and curry after getting tired of curry for breakfast lunch and dinner! Lumbini was cool, a beautiful garden area with a temple and ruins etc and the landscape was just covered with prayer flags (you make a prayer and the wind carries it to God?!) although the humidity nearly killed Bim in about half an hour. There was also a nice little market area selling buddha memorabilia and we soon noticed how much more enjoyable it is shopping in Nepal as opposed to India - they let you BROWSE! a concept not yet known to the majority of Indian sellers who just push stuff in your face. The whole area was just very picturesque and a nice stop off before the remaining 6 hour journey to Chitwan. Gatecrashed some locals for lunch, had the equivalent of chicken supernoodles sat in their hut! The Nepali people are so friendly though and welcomed us in despite the fact we were interrupting their family lunch. Once we finally arrived at Chitwan, it was AWESOME. So good to be in fresh air with beautiful scenic views of the national park and jungle and we stayed in the Sepana Lodge, had a beautiful room with views all around and the bar/restaurant area was over a lake, all open air (and mossie ridden!!) We jumped into open top jeeps and went to an elephant breeding sanctuary which was seriously cute, the babies were all about 3 - 6 months old and so sweet although scarily strong as we found out when one attemped to trample us for bread.....! Also turns out elephant snot is not at all nice smelling. Yum. The evening was really good fun, we all sat out in the open air sofa area drinking cocktails and chatting and eventually our food turned up by which point I was quite giggly and not that hungry anymore. Stumbled off to bed for a bit of sleep before a 6am start the next morning - getting picked up by elephants!

Up they rocked and we managed to squidge me Bim Beth and Tom into the wooden frame, squidging is good as we didn't feel quite so precariously perched. Went for a 2 and a half hour jungle safari which was amazing, so cool to see all the animals so close as they seemed less spooked by the elephants.... saw some rhinos, deer, loads of birds, monkeys etc. Ambled back through a river which was fun until our elephant decided to poo and splashed me in river water/crap. Turns out sitting in the back corner was a dangerous position for pooing and being beaten by the trees/branches in the jungle. Covered in scratches but was quite hilarious diving out the way with no where to go! The rest of the day I spent in the sunshine in a hammock (tough life) while Dan, Tom, Jordan, Michelle etc played 5 hours worth of poker. So nice to just chill all day with nothing to do except admire the awesome scenery and nap! Really didn't want to leave......

So that takes us to yesterday and yet another bus ride. Less bumpy than the first but the Nepalese roads are certainly much more interesting, up the mountains, hair pin bends, goats riding on the roof, it all goes down here! Took about 5 hours to get to Pokhara which is where we are staying until tomorrow when we head to Kathmandu. Pokhara is breathtakingly beautiful, we are staying by the lake Phewa Tal which is shadowed by the Anapurna mountain range. The town itself is so much fun, so chilled, loads of bars, cafes, shops and restaurants and I wish we had a few more days to spend here. Ended up having a fun evening last night, enjoying PIZZA and CHICKEN AND CHIPS IN A BASKET, beers and loads of games of pool!! (amaaaaaazing!) Hiked up to Sarangkot for sunrise this morning, an experience I would rather forget after nearly choking/panic attacking on the way up!! The views were more than worth it though, despite the fact the haze meant we couldnt see the mountains that clearly - picked up a few outlines instead and used the postcard to guess the names hehe. Now more eating, drinking, internet and shopping action and going to hire a rowing boat later to go out on the lake.

Well, again I have waffled, so in conclusion.....! Nepal is one of the top top places I have ever experienced. Really wish we had more than a week here cos it is the perfect place to chill and spend time and be outdoorsy (it is becoming less of an effort for me). We are off to Bangkok on Monday (6th) from Katmandu to shall keep you updated on how things go. Will be weird fending for ourselves after this tour which has organised everything and we will be staying in less luxurious places, going to have to get used to less hot water again..!
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