We just got back from Chitwan National Park today. We had to wake up at 3am and hop on the bus at 4am to get out of the Chitwan district before daybreak because we had heard on the radio that night that a banda was planned for the next day. Apparently a YCL (Young Communist Leauge) member beat up some head honcho of the Nepali Democratic Party and people were not happy. Really, what a "banda" means here is nobody goes to work or school and sits around. Still, we had to pack up and leave in the middle of the night in case we weren't able to get out. We got back to Balkot around 11am.
Really, riding on big buses here is way scarier than bandas. We've seen two buses completely tipped over on the roads. The roads swerve up and down the mountains, and other buses will frequently pass each other around the curves. Add in the crazy Hindi music playing in the back of the bus and students flying around like they are riding bulls, and you have yourself an adventure in itself. But watching the sun rise over the Terai villages was amazing... and we saw the sun shining through the early morning mists in the valley... it was so beautiful.
Chitwan was like bringing my childhood ideas of the jungle to life. The second day there we rode elephants into the jungle and we saw a rhino! It was only about 20 feet away, but neither the elephants or the rhino seemed scared which was good (for everyone, including the humans) I also saw some peacocks, spotted deer, hornbills, and crocodiles. We canoed, hiked, and took the jeep. The hiking was really exciting, just because if we are charged by a rhino we have to climb at least 6 feet up a tree or hide behind a big one. I kept a mental note of the nearest large trees every few steps or so. I LOVE elephants! They are so sweet and so smart. I think they are one of my favorite animals. They have a breeding center with lots of cute baby elephants, too! And we got to play with them!! Didn't get to see tigers, but I saw tiger marks on the trees which was pretty cool.
I think the Terai is one of the hottest places I've ever been. I was dripping in sweat almost every waking moment. I don't understand how the people who live there barely sweat at all. We got to spend some time with the native Tharu people which was a great break from Brahmin-Chetri life. We ate dinner at a Tharu house, but before kept serving us "rakshi" which they brew themselves. We sat inside a tiny house with about 50 neighbors hanging around outside, and there was one flourescent light but it was very dark and we were all dying of heat... I ate some snails, which were kinda salty but good, and then we had a "rave," as Marky termed it. We danced with everyone outside untill horse-drawn carriages came to pick us up. It was... crazy.
I think I'm going to do a project on Nepali dance with my friend Maggie. We are meeting with a dance teacher on Tuesday. It's so weird that we only have a few more weeks left with our familes. Soon we will be going to Pokhara and then we have Fall Break... and soon after our village stay. I need to narrow down my ISP ideas. I'm thinking something with education, maybe something specifically with women, but I'm no sure yet.
I'm gonna go chill with the Nepali fam now. My bausu was gone for a while because she had to go to the hospital for back problems, but now she's back. I missed her a lot.
Namaste,
Laura
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1 comment:
<---jungle jealous.
your experiences so far sound awesome! i wanna see a rhino in a jungle that makes me aware of tall trees i can hide in!
i hope youa re taking pictuers of some of the magic you are experiencing. if not, i can understand it; i haven't exaclty been buying disposable cameras either. and of course, although it might be nice to preserve some of the thigns you see, putting a camera between you and the experience often creates more distance than is worth it.
dance a nepali jig for me, and i'll dance a samba for you!
-DAVE MARX!
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