Nepal (1) - Chitwan National Park - Monkey Temple, Elephant Swimming and Tiger Paws

We left Pushkar at 4pm and got a taxi to the nearby railway station of Ajmer Junction. At the station, I had a photo shoot with some local lads who found me buying Sprite an excuse to photograph me! The train left and took us to Delhi, we arrived in Delhi at 1am and was amazed the station was still hectic! We found a cab driver who drove us to the airport, where Sam slept on the floor and I stayed awake, wired on Costa Coffee! At  4am check in began and we were able to get rid of our bags and get through security. Sam fell asleep again! At 7:10 our flight left for Kathmandu....once we had arrived we had the interesting task of finding an ATM to pay for our visa. When we had escaped the airport we were on our way to a hotel, the rest of the day we spent wandering the streets and the famous, Durbar Square. Within this square there are many Buddhist and Hindu temples, there is also the home of the living Goddess, Kumari.This Goddess is selected for several different traits and has to past a test of being scared by horrible looking monsters, she remains a Goddess until she becomes a woman and then returns to being a mortal. Spoilt brat in simple words! After wandering around the square we had an early night.

The next morning we got up early and walked to Swayubanath, a Buddhist temple overlooking the city. The walk took a while and was worth it with the views that we got. Monkeys have taken over this temple and help themselves to all the offerings made to the Buddha. We spent a couple of hours walking around and was rewarded with some great views. On the way back we got lost through the streets and found ourselves in an Irish Bar...They are everywhere! That night we had dinner in a Tibetan restaurant which included Tibetan Hot Beer...its weird!

The next day we got a bus to Chitwan National Park and the Jungle Island Resort. This little resort is within the National Park and offers daily Elephant rides and small treks. The boat over to the island was quick! That night we had an Elephant ride around the park and saw 2 wild Asian Rhinoceroses...another animal to add to the list. That night at dinner I was attacked by a leech whilst eating dinner...do not ask me where it came from. I had to use the lighter on it...singed hair smells gross!

The next morning we had another elephant safari where we were able to get very close to some white spotted deer. This was followed by breakfast and then a hike where we saw more deer and a tiger paw print...pretty exciting and it had been made that morning! Proper Tiger country! After this walk and a very low boat ride back we had some lunch, followed by my highlight of the trip...Elephant Bathing. For an hour we were hosed down by elephants and had the opportunity to rodeo on the elephant under water...quite exciting. That night we had another elephant ride, however the weather turned against us. For an hour it poured down continuously on us whilst we were thrown through trees as the elephants plodded through unmade tracks. Sam's legs were cut apart whilst I was almost hanged by a low lying vine and the elephants momentum. That night we enjoyed some drinks with our safari friends...

Our last morning we enjoyed a morning walk looking for birds and then a bus journey to Pokhara where Sam and I were sitting upfront with the driver. Not much room but I made a little friend...

India (3) - Pushkar - A blessing in disguise...

After Jaisalmer, we got the afternoon train to Jodhpur arriving close to midnight. After a short walk and avoiding many tuk-tuk drivers we found a nice, well run hotel and settled down for the night. The next morning we awoke early (mainly due to the heat) and hired a tuk-tuk driver for the day to take us around the main sights of Jodhpur. The first stop was the Umaid Bhawan Palace, a palace designed by British architects for the Maharaja melding Rajastani architecture with art deco (according to the guide). The museum and architecture was very interesting and showed the Maharaja as man of the people, helping to create jobs even though he has little power to do so.

 

The next stop was the impressive fort, Mehrangarh, which was mesmerizing especially when the walls soared overhead. The audio tour that was included with the entry fee was fantastic giving the fort life and activity. Every piece of the fort has a story; whether it be the cannon ball holes in the wall, the plaque commemorating a man who sacrificed himself to be buried alive or the story of the Maharajas wives throwing themselves on to his cremation fire. Every story and detail was provided by the audio tour. The fort also provided amazing views of the old city, painted blue as a sign of higher class (Brahmin).

By the time we left the fort is becoming very hot (approaching 45 degrees), so we only stayed at the next sight for 15 minutes. The next sight was Jaswant Thada, a memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II created out of marble and with several domes, similiar to the Taj Mahal. The surrounding gardens were very beautiful but it was just too hot to appreciate.

On the way back the driver took us to the center of the town and then back to the hotel. That night we were given a light show by Mother Nature. A huge lightning storm system sat over Jodhpur, I tried to catch it...

 

The next day we hired a taxi to take us to Pushkar (too good for public transport). We arrived a nice family run hotel with great views over the town.That night we went for a walk and ended up being blessed by a Hindu priest with our eternal happiness (really?!?!?). Pushkar is very chilled in comparison to other towns we have been to, allowing us to walk relatively hassle free, and enjoy the restaurants and sights. I would have uploaded some photos but India does not seem to run USB ports that last more than 30 minutes.

Tonight we get a train to Delhi and then a plane to Kathmandu...our final country Nepal...

India (2) - Jaisalmer - Aladins home, sand and camels...

The 18 hour train journey from Delhi to Jaisalmer was very comfortable and peaceful; no mayhem! We arrived in the desert at midday and quickly found a hotel and began to unwind; our hotel is at the base of the fort offering great views. The fort looks like something from Aladin or Prince of Persia...

That night we had an easy one to catch on lost sleep and prepare for a long day of riding a camel into the Thar Desert. The next morning we woke up early and was met by a guy called Samir who drove us from the hotel to a small village and our camels in his air-conditioned range rover. Sam and I had a camel each; the camel also carried our supplies. For two hours we rode into the desert and then settled down for the midday day heat under a tree; for three hours we hid in the shade and let the days main heat pass. Our legs ached from the first stage of our ride.

At 4 we rode again to a water hole for the camels and then continued into the desert where we came to the dunes that would act as our camp for the night. The sand dunes were beautiful; on top of one dune were two beds for us. After dinner we settled down for the night in the cool desert; a pleasant change from 40+ degrees in the day. A guy walked around with a sack of cold cokes and beers in the middle of the desert; not a mirage!!!

The next day we awoke to no-nonsense sunrise; it was a like bulb suddenly switched on, no pretty colours, no special effects, just on. We then rode for 3 hours back to a main road where, after lunch, a driver picked us up and took us back to our hotel and air-conditioned room (costing 4 pounds). The next day we wondered around the town and fort and did some gift shopping.

Tonight we head to Jodhpur which we have heard is nice as well...