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Day 9: Lumbini to Chitwan National Park

December 3, 2019 By sue Leave a Comment

20 October 2019

 

Another early start today as we need to be on the road by 7.30am. We are heading east now towards Chitwan National Park. As we drive we see school children all very neatly dressed in their school uniforms, some waiting for the bus and others cycling. We also notice that as well as rice people are growing lots of other vegetables as well here and we see trucks and tractor trailers full of sacks of potatoes.

We are very near the Indian border here so we see many, many trucks on the road. Initially it is all very flat as we travel across the Terai plains but then there are another crop of hills and we see one truck that has driven off the road and is balanced precariously in a tree and a tanker whose tank has rolled off the edge of the road. Kishor says that the truck drivers mostly try to travel at night when the roads are less busy but sometimes they fall asleep.

There are a lot of road works and a lot of vehicles so it is very slow going. When we are nearly there we find the road blocked by a fallen tree so we have to go via the ‘scenic route’. It seems to us that the road is better here and the houses and neat gardens seem a lot more prosperous than we have seen elsewhere. We are heading for the Barahi Jungle Lodge right on the edge of Chitwan National Park.

We arrive just after 1.00pm and are welcomed with cool towels and a lemongrass drink. Our hosts explain the set up in our eco-lodge and we are shown our extremely lovely chalets that have verandahs overlooking the river that forms the boundary of the national park. Up to the restaurant for a buffet lunch and then a bit of time to sort ourselves out before our late afternoon activity.
We pass through several towns on the way
We pass through several towns on the way
And stop for snacks: some more appealing than others
And stop for snacks: some more appealing than others
And stop for snacks: some more appealing than others
And stop for snacks: some more appealing than others (see the skewered chicken heads)

Barahi Jungle Lodge
Barahi Jungle Lodge
Welcome to Barahi Jungle Lodge
Welcome to Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge

My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge
My chalet: Barahi Jungle Lodge

We assemble and meet our naturalist guide Gobinda for a walk around the local village on the edge of the park. These are Tharu peoples and extremely friendly, all willing to share what they are doing in their local lives whether it be harvesting rice, separating seeds, tending their animals or vegetables, making baskets, grinding spices. The children are wonderful – coming out to give us flowers and wanting their photos taken. Although they are relatively poor, their farmlands look very prosperous and the people seem very happy. Their sections are neatly set out with house, kitchen area, sheds for tools and animals, plots of vegetables, and drying crops. They do own their land – we are told that at one time the government gave them a certain period of time to clear land in a certain area and whatever they managed was theirs.
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park
Village Walk near Chitwan National Park

Bamboo Swing built for festival
Bamboo Swing built for festival
Harvesting Rice
Harvesting Rice
Beehives
Beehives

Animal shelter
Animal shelter
Buffalo
Buffalo
Buffalo Cart
Buffalo Cart

Tending the goats
Tending the goats
Baby goat
Baby goat
Patchwork goat
Patchwork goat

Baby goats curled up on chair
Baby goats curled up on chair
Bringing home rice straw
Bringing home rice straw
Winnowing Rice
Winnowing Rice

Separating beans
Separating beans
Gorgeous children
Gorgeous children
Gorgeous children
Gorgeous children

Jenny with her 'flower giver'
Jenny with her ‘flower giver’
Cool kids
Cool kids
Trying to look cool
Trying to look cool

Grandma didn't want to miss us
Grandma didn’t want to miss us
Please take our photo
Please take our photo
Local transport
Local transport

Local house
Local house
Note the tiny windows
Note the tiny windows
Vegetable garden
Vegetable garden

Grinding tumeric
Grinding tumeric
Looking after the hens
Looking after the hens
and the chicks
and the chicks

Cats always have the place by the fire
Cats always have the place by the fire
Gambling game played at festival time
Gambling game played at festival time
Gambling game played at festival time
Gambling game played at festival time

Photogenic
Photogenic
Basketwork
Basketwork
Beneath the drying corn
Beneath the drying corn

Back at the lodge we have time for a much needed shower (it is very humid) before meeting to hear a talk and slide show about Chitwan National Park. Dinner is again a buffet with an Indian flavour tonight. Anne, Kishor and I share some Gurkha beer with ours.

For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Asia with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more ☺.


 

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Filed Under: Asia, Nepal, Nepal & Bhutan, Travel Tagged With: Nepal

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Life’s Bounty is about all the things I enjoy experiencing, creating, and sharing. Join me as I travel in search of new experiences; coax more produce from my backyard in Auckland, New Zealand and preserve the harvested bounty; and try my hand at making anything from cider to jewellery to cards to gift packs of soap.
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