Monday 30 July 2018

Off to Chitwan

Our 6.30am alarms were again very much unwelcome, and by 7 we were on our way in a taxi to the bus station to go to Chitwan. It is a national park in the South of Nepal, about a 5 hour drive from Pokhara. The bus was not great; there was no A/C and the fans hardly did anything, so I had a very sweaty journey. As usual we had a lot of stops on the way, which was good for getting a quick walk in, but meant that we didn't arrive in Sarauha, the town next to Chitwan, until around 2.30.

After arriving we called the hostel who came to pick us up from the bus station. We unpacked and then we're told about the various safari packages available in the park. We went out in search of food and to compare our hostel's prices with other local ones, but after 2 places offered similar prices and no sign of food, we headed back to book at our hostel and have some lunch. We booked a full day 8 hour walking safari with canoeing for around £25 each; a lot cheaper than the tours being offered by agents.

After lunch we wanted to just stay in our room but the power was out meaning there was no fan and it was absolutely boiling. Even with monsoon rains outside it was like a sauna, and so we decided to walk into town. It become apparent quickly that there wasn't really anywhere to walk to. The town itself is tiny with just a few shops selling the same souvenirs, a few restaurants and some hotels. After our wander we headed back and watched some netflix, before discovering that the fan was on and our room was bearable!

Around 7.30 we headed out for dinner, and were warned by the hostel staff to be back by 9 due to the wild animals roaming around the area. Great. We found a restaurant and ordered but the food took forever. 9 came and went before most of our order had arrived, and we didn't end up walking about until gone 9.30. Fortunately we survived the walk with no wild animal sightings, and faced with yet another early start went to bed soon after.

Laura x

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