Nepal is going to kick off
Honest.
Its standing in the corner of the playground, smarting at the taunts of its peers, but knowing in the back of its mind that when it grows up, it’s going to be a big cheese.
Oh yes, when it gets noticed - stand back. Cos this little guy’s going to explode
Okay, before it all gets a little too Columbine, let me explain.
Nepal has everything to become a huge player on the tourist map, and in turn flourish as a country.
Where else can you get phenomenal mountain ranges, pulsating rivers, laid back lake resorts, national parks playing host to major safari favourites and genuine powerhouses of religious significance?
Well, suppose in quite a few countries, but Nepal has these in spades. And its slip of a figure means you don’t need to go very far from one little gem to the next.
All it needs (he says flippantly) is a modicum of infrastructure. In fact make that 5 modicums and 3 big slices.
And someone in power would be a good start.
Unlike India, where everyone and their Punjabi aunt wants a piece of the political cake (leading to coalitions of 34 parties), no one really wants it in Nepal.
And the population, tired of the broken record of corruption, simply don’t care. They don’t care who leads them, who makes the decisions or who litters the country with its alarming bureaucracy.
With no one stepping up to the plate, Nepal kind of drifts along of its own accord. Which considering whats its carrying in its locker, is a massive waste.
And to rub salt into its wounds, the police flood the streets at midnight, like some country in the middle of a coup d’etat – sending the tourists to their beds and the unlucky street vendors who get in their way, home with bruised thighs.
However, as its tourist industry goes from strength to strength, there are signs that the Nepalese are starting to learn from its Western visitors.
The old segregation between its ethnic groups has petered out, leaving the Guruks, Sherpas, Lamas and Hindus to mix freely, share ideas and work together. And the upshot is that in the places that Nepal gets it right, it really gets it right.
Back from Lukla, Operation Base Camp camped up in the tourist quarter of Kathamndu – Thamel – and celebrated its success. The guest list of me, Ryan, Thomas, Craig and Steve were joined by fellow trekkers Irish Phillipa and French Julien - whose unrequited love for Phillipa provided the rest of us with the kind of gossip mongering reserved for girls.
But Thamel is not a place that offers much in terms of relaxation, so me and Ryan – bidding farewell to the others – left to Pokhara.
Pokhara is nothing like Kathmandu. Thank god.
Its centre piece is the huge lake of Phewa Tal – a vast expanse of water in the shadow of the Annapurna mountain range. It offers the same bucket load of adventures that the Kathmandu valley promises – rafting, trekking, climbing – with the added bonuses of paragliding, parahawking and other such expensive luxuries an impoverished backpacker like me can only miss out on
We found a lovely hostel, run by the lovely Kumar family and spent 3 days in, around and on the lake, tucking into the local street food and sampling the beers at Pokhara’s strip of bars. We even indulged in a little Open Mic at the town’s Jazz Club – me on the bass, Ryan freestyling, its owner on the drums and some local whizz kid killing it on the bongos. It was reassuring to see Ryan’s talent of entertaining verbal diarrohea put to good use.
I even found time in my busy schedule of bugger all to visit the local barbers, where – armed with a razor blade and steady hands – my crop of facial hair (and my token Movember tache) was cast to history.
Enjoying the lazy life, we conjured up a plan to head to Chitwan National Park, 4 hours South East of Pokhara by road.
It took us 2 days. But not because of delays, but because we rafted there.
This is part of the Nepal experience that makes you realize exactly what it has to offer. For 2 days, with fellow Brits Chelsea and Nicky, Japanese flirt Misa, dowdy Austrian Dagmar (for some reason, Nepal is FULL of Austrians) and our guide Gobi, we boated down the Seti River, through occasional lively rapids, passing stunning scenery the River Wye can only dream of offering.
We camped overnight on a white sandy beach, sleeping outside under the stars, with only the raft, propped up by its oars, as shelter.
It sure beat the hell out of walking.
But the river couldn’t take us all the way there. So back onto road, the rest of the journey to Chitwan was spent on the roof of a local bus, holding on for dear life, as the curse of Nepalese roads made up for the sedate rapids we had enjoyed.
Chitwan National Park is a real must see on the Nepal map – a sizeable area of unspoilt lowland, naturally cut off by water, that entertains 54 species of mammals, with its VIP cast list including the likes of Rhinos, elephants, tigers, deer with special guest Crocodiles and reptiles up there with the leading men.
Even birds get in on the action with Kingfishers, storks and herons among the flying extras.
One word of advice though, is don’t go in November. Some of the grass grows up to 8 metres tall – so unless you’re armed with a machete (and escape the attentions of the local army presence there to catch poachers) then you ain’t gonna to see much.
But in the end that didn’t matter to us, because of a once-in-a-lifetime find that will stay with me forever:
2 had become 4, with Chelsea and Nicky joining me and Ryan. We had found rooms in nearby Sauraha – over the water from the park, the jumping off point for the park. Its bumper load of agencies, sit neatly next to the array of restaurants, shops and barbers. It’s real selling point though are the elephants who stroll up and down the high street – part of the ‘Chitwan Experience’ giving you the chance to ride them through the park. They are kept at the end of Sauraha’s main strip near the river where they dip and cool themselves off daily.
On our 3rd day, we took a full day Safari which started off with a canoe trip, a walk through the park, and finishing off on Jeep.
However after the canoe and walk, we hadn’t really seen much so were feeling a little disappointed. Sensing this, our guide, Mandhu, told us that sometimes one of the rhinos from the park crosses the river to feed near the elephants enclosure. As we had a good 2 hours to kill before our Jeep safari we agreed to see if our luck would change.
And boy did it change.
After scouting the said area, but not finding any rhinos – making do with sitting and watching the elephants bathe - we thanked Mandhu for his help and left to grab some lunch. To speed things a long, he took us back into town via a little short cut he knew.
We had barely walked a minute, before a huge grey backside stuck out of a bush to our right. We had found the rhino. And it was MASSIVE.
We stood staring at its arse for ages (not something I care to admit too freely) until it disappeared deeper into the foliage. It wasn’t enough for us – we wanted to see more. So we crept round the other end of the bushes, to see if we could head it off.
Me and Nicky, feeling brave – and in retrospect rather foolish – tip toed deeper into the foliage than the others. Nicky climbed a nearby tree, leaving me on terra firma. Not something that would have been a problem, until the rhino, who had been munching away a few yards from us, turned and faced me.
And started to walk towards me.
I was stuck between fear and awe, knowing that any noise or sudden movement could trigger a bad reaction – but then all you want to do is just stand and stare.
Whether he liked the cut of my jib or not, this giant of flesh, bone and ivory chose not to charge me – he just carried on eating. Maybe he didn’t feel threatened alongside a fellow trougher.
I crept one way around a small bush, he went the other, and at one point barely a metre and a few twigs separated me from this beast. Sod the Universal Studios ride – this is the closest to being in Jurassic Park anyone’s going to get.
The rest of the day offered up little in terms of animal finds, but then I’d had its crown jewel in my hands and that was enough.
Our time in Chitwan came to an end, having spent 4 wonderful days chilling, eating, drinking, playing scrabble and watching elephants play football.
I only had 3 days before my flight to Thailand left from Kathamandu, and a list of stuff to sort out. So I did what any other sensible person would do.
Buggered off further south.
Lumbini, near to the Indian border, is a tiny little town, with a scruffy high street, caked in dust, and monstrously hot during the day. But internationally and religiously, its one of the most significant places in the world.
Because under a tree, in 623 BC, Siddartha Gautama was born – the man who would be more commonly known as Buddha.
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Nepal, but compared to countries like Japan and China, its small fry. Hordes of Japanese pilgrimages flock here week in, week out. Gradually, out of the dust and dirt, luxury hotels are emerging. New monasteries are being built, as fine and grand as they are anywhere else in Nepal.
The site of his birth itself, though marked by quite an innocuous building and pillar, is set amongst a beautiful ‘secret garden’, (shit secret if I knew about it) whose ambitious blueprint is still being finished off to this day – even though the project was started in the 70’s.
Its all a fitting tribute to a faith that, in a society where religion is increasingly becoming a dirty work, promotes a peace and harmony that seems lost on others.
But let’s not meditate on this chapter for too long. I couldn’t. In fact, barely had I arrived, than I had booked my ticket back to Kathmandu for the next day.
Me and Ryan said goodbye to Chelsea and Nicky (who had stuck with us) and left to go back.
Wierdly this was the 3 time I had returned to Thamel, and by now it was beginning to feel like home.
After the Indian experience of rushing from place to place, trying to take in as much as one can in a matter of days, Nepal has been far more grounded, and the better for it.
I’ve made Nepalese friends, felt the beat of a town, cherished what it offered and was made to feel at home. And with Ryan, I had an ever present, with whom I could share my experiences as well as a room bill.
India at times made me lonely.
Nepal at all times made me comfortable – even at plus 5000 metres.
It’s a poor place full of riches – and that makes for the best kind of travelling.
But on I go, and I write this in a hotel on a road in a city that stands just a 3 hour flight from Kathmandu, but a million miles apart.
Thanon Khao San.
Its Bangkok baby – and this is a whole different ball game.
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