Entering Nepal and a Village Homestay in the Chitwan National Park
Entering Nepal and a Village Homestay in the Chitwan National Park
This summer, I spent three weeks in India and Nepal; and as a bonus, I convinced my good friend Danielle to join me. Here’s our experience…
Goodbye India!
We left Varanasi at the early hour of 4:00 am for a full day of travel. We started off by train; noticing the blocks around the underpasses and train station the quantity of people sleeping outside, on boxes, under carts or simply on the pavement. Intertwined with the beautiful sites of India, we also are witness to the extreme poverty and inequality. Traveling includes taking in all aspects of a place we visit to learn, know and understand the culture.
The station was mostly empty at such an early hour. We calmly boarded and stowed our bags. Since I was a row behind the others, I spent the five hours snacking, staring out the window and reading. During our time in India, I read “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts about his adventures as an escaped convict, living in the slums and engaging in both meaningful and shady ventures. As we’re about to enter Nepal, I picked up another book, about the rural villages and experiences of women in the villages around the Chitwan National Park, our next destination.
After the train ride, we continued our journey in a van. We lunched family style with a fellow G-adventure guide. They served up a delicious vegetarian spread with spinach, potatoes, spicy cauliflower and veggie curry, sweet potatoes, chickpea curry, rice and puri, a deep-fried bread. The two school-aged girls in the house were eager to practice their English and share their artwork with detailed black and white mandalas.
We didn’t stay too long with another two hours to the border in our long day of travel. Only long enough to giggle and grab a picture of the happy cows wading in the water outside their home.
Border of India and Nepal
In the last 20 minutes approaching the border, we noticed the back up of all the trucks slowly entering Nepal. They were filled with fruits, grains and machinery. Fortunately the other lane kept moving.
The whole border process, like many, was a long, drawn out process with extended stops and paperwork. During the crossing, our bags were loaded onto bicycle rickshaws while the guys pushed and followed us. We first stopped at an immigration office on the Indian side to officially “check out” of the country. The office was tucked behind the main street and I can’t imagine how many tourists actually bother with the formality. Alas, we had our photos taken, passports scanned, covid card confirmed and our passports stamped. Next, we walked through the gate into the India/Nepal border area.
Our first of three stops into Nepal was a tent in this border region. Here, under a banner reading “Long Live Friendship” a few military types jotted our passport details in a leger, but they weren’t quite sure what information to put where.
Next, we walked over to the Nepal Tourist Police office. This was the Covid prevention stop where we unofficially bypassed the formal covid swipes. The officer administered two covid checks for our group and handed over negative results for our group in seconds. We kept walking before any real results could have appeared.
Lastly, we stopped at the Nepal visa office. We heard that we could need neat, crisp dollar bills for this stop, or they may be rejected. However the agent quickly folded the cash and shoved it in his pocket. The computer printed out our simple stickers for the visas in each passport and off we went. Our new driver, Krishna, waited outside and we drove into Nepal.
Entering Nepal
Immediately upon entering Nepal, there was a feeling of calm and freshness. The wide streets had noticeably less traffic and lacked the constant honking. The roads had more potholes and our van slowly dipped in and out as we started the next leg of our journey.
We spent the night in a small town, grateful to have the long day of travel behind us. The hotel was fancier to others we have stayed at, but still mostly empty from the covid travel lulls.
After a short walk, Danielle and I met the group for dinner and tried our first momos. Momos are a Nepalese dumpling made with veggies or meat, served steamed or fried. These would be the first of many momos during our stay in Nepal.
Visiting Lumbini – Temple of the Birthplace of Lord Buddha
Early the next morning, we drove to the Maya Devi Temple. At this location, in 566 BCE, the Queen gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who would later become the Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism.
We stored our shoes at the entrance and passed through security. Visitors walk barefoot around the Buddhist temple. Our leader, CP, found a nice shady spot to tell the history of this place and explain the Pancha Sila, for Buddha’s five precepts.
Lord Buddha was born into a palace with the highest of privilege and sheltered from the outside world of pain and suffering. Not until he was a young adult did he first witness the elderly, beggars, people with leprosy, and death.
These realizations led him on a journey beyond the kingdom to understand suffering. He reached enlightenment and taught his Four Noble Truths and his teachings of time, association and knowing. Throughout the next decades, Buddha and his disciples spread his teachings throughout India and the region. Today, over 400 million people practice Buddhism around Asia and the world.
The birthplace of Lord Buddha was marked with a large white temple. The top of the temple was designed with the eyes and nose of Lord Buddha, to demonstrate his teaching to always act good, even when alone. Walking inside the temple, we quietly stepped around the protected walkway. Security guards, also barefoot, ensured that no one took photos or touched the temple, with the exception of a single rock wall above the white stone birthplace.
Outside, there was a reflection pool and a large tree provided shade for a group of monks. Beyond, an open field was covered in prayer flags in blue, white, yellow, green and red, representing peace and harmony.
Driving through Nepal
Another two hours down the road and I understand why we were warned about these roadways. Large sections of road were washed out and we slowly passed one by one over bridges under construction. Our bus slumped in and out of potholes and leisurely curved around sections of gravel. A few stretches were too close to the ledge for my comfort; but I was appreciative of our expert, smiley driver, Krishna.
Midday, we stopped at a roadside lunch spot with a great view over the valley. I opted for a veggie noodle soup while others picked the Thali plates which include several small dishes that continue to be refilled until you’re full. We tried our first Nepali chais that seem less spicy, more milky and less sugary than the chai in India.
Chitwan National Park
Turning off the main highway, we enter the Chitwan National Park. We drove down the narrow, one lane raised gravel road flanked by rice paddies in our impossibly large bus. We passed a wedding party that had set up a tent canopy over the road. Several men needed to lift the tent poles so the bus could pass through.
Here, we saw many houses in the national park. They were not too far spread out, but room enough for each to have its rice paddies surrounding it. Most also had some animals; ducks, chickens, geese and pigs. In the afternoon, kids biked home in their school uniforms, holding umbrellas in one hand for shade from the sun.
Thabu Community Homestay
We were greeted by the women with claps, flower necklaces, and red powder bindis on the forehead. Some refreshing hibiscus water hit the spot in the afternoon heat.
We spent two nights at the Thabu Community Homestay. There was a main lodge building complete with AC and wifi where we’d meet for meals. Around the complex, visitors stay in individual cabins or rooms; each named for and run by a woman in the community. The homestay organization promotes the empowerment of women through financial independence.
Our room was named for “Dilmaya” and was part of a set of three units, with a sloped thatched roof over a front porch area. The inside was rustic but clean. Our room had a bathroom, two beds with mosquito nettings and an electric fan. An afternoon rainshower sent everyone to their rooms so we sat in the rocking chairs on the porch smelling the fresh air.
Wedding Crashers
Just past the homestay compound, we approached the wedding party we’d seen from the bus. Our local guide, Shabu, scored us a quick invite. Mostly young ladies and some boys were dancing in the street. They invited us into their dance circle with music blasting a heavy bass mixed with traditional sounds. We attempted to follow the girls as they modeled the hip and arm movements.
Our afternoon activity was a bike tour through the rice paddies and villages of the Chitwan National Park. My rickety bike had a nice bell; although I wasn’t going fast enough to really pass anyone.
Bike Ride
We continued our ride down the gravel roads. Shabu stopped the group at a traditionally built house. This type of house is replastered before and after the monsoon season. Now most houses are built with concrete.
As we biked along, children eagerly waved to us. Adults smiled, folded their hands in anjali mudra or said “Namaste.” Shabu explained that families harvested rice two or three times a year. Sometimes they rotate corn in with their harvest. Every family had some combination of ducks, chickens, cows or goats as we peddled through.
Eventually we arrived at the river to end our bike ride. We stepped through the rocks, sand and mud where the river reaches when it rises higher. Elephants often cool off across the water, but no luck in seeing them today. Here the hosts from the homestay met us with masala chai and Oreo cookies while we watched the sun go down. On the way back, Shabu pointed out some tiger tracks in the mud, probably good I think about that too much before…
Evening in the Homestay
We dined with our group in the main lodge with delicious plates of chicken momos, veggie broth soup, banana fritters and rice pudding. I tried the “Tiger Bite” sweet cocktail with rum, brandy and mango juice. The evening was filled with laughs and travel stories with our group.
Before bed, I cautiously tucked the mosquito netting into the bedding. We didn’t see or feel many mosquitos, but perhaps the netting is more for other critters that I equally don’t want to see. Overnight, the room was quite hot and sweaty as the mosquito netting unfortunately didn’t allow for much breeze from the fan.
Jeep Ride to the National Park
Early in the morning we woke up, rinsed off the heat and humidity of the night, grabbed coffees and loaded into an open topped jeep. Our ride took half an hour as we saw more of the Chitwan National Park. Farmers were out early, working in the fields before the heat of the day; women planting and men steering plows pulled by a couple of cows.
Touring the Park
Once in the actual protected area of the park, the landscape shifted. Instead of farms and fields, we saw the natural environment of the region with a mix of grasslands, swampy river canals and jungly forest. The jeep bumped and rolled over the muddy path.
We jumped and walked to the shore to observe three rhinos bathing in the water, leaving the relative safety of the jeep to trudge down a narrow, non-existent path through the reeds. I asked Shabu, our local guide, about the presence of snakes to which he responded, “Yes, of course there are snakes, you’re in the jungle.” Silly question.
One shouldn’t get too close to rhinos; they actually can be quite protective. Shabu hurried us back to the jeep rather quickly when he saw that the rhino may have noticed our presence.
Riding through the jungle, there were tons of branches, spider webs and bugs for those sitting up the highest. We bumped and skidded over the muddy path. From our ride, we saw peacocks, small deer, and mongoose. The whole time, we kept watch out for the elusive tiger, but no luck today. The only elephant we saw was just a “pet” at the ranger station and it certainly looked sad and lonely.
We drove across a wide stretch of the river. At one point, deep in the jungle, we passed four army men hiking through the remote jungle area with large guns. Shabu explained they were in charge of stopping poachers that hunt the rhinos for their horns.
The group took a breakfast break at a viewpoint that looked like an old fire tower. With my fear of heights and the rickety boards, I opted not to climb to the top. In the end, it was better, from here I spotted a group of rhinos that weren’t visible from the top and every one returned to the lower deck to see them soaking in the swampy water. We had boxed lunches with sandwiches, fruit and juice and then continued back to the home stay.
Afternoon to Explore
Everyone took the afternoon to rest, recharge and explore at their leisure. We opted for a light lunch of rice and lentils to share, rumor had it that the family dinner would be big.
Although it was super hot, Danielle and I chose to go for a walk. Leaving the homestay complex, we noticed a police truck and three uniformed officers. A small group of men and women were milling about. We would have to ask Shabu about that later.
Just walking around the two of us had a different feel than when with the whole group. Certainly we still obviously standout as foreigners but somehow it felt less so, maybe less intrusive than with our larger group. However after an hour in the blazing sun, we headed back for some shade and to spend the rest of the afternoon resting, reading and recharging.
Neighborhood Walk with Shabu
In the later afternoon, our group declared it was happy hour. We had enough down time so we scheduled our own social, complete with “Tequila Sunrises” from the cocktail menu.
We gathered with our guide, Shabu, and asked him about the police presence. He shared that one of the women from the community had committed suicide that morning. She had long suffered from alcoholism, leaving behind her five grown children. Many of the women from the homestay plus her family would be cremating her that afternoon before the sunset by the river.
Shabu continued our walk through the neighborhood, although a bit somber with the news. Our walk took us through the community to a group of boys playing on the soccer field. The weekly market was bustling with vendors selling fruits, veggies, clothes and household items.
Last Night in Chitwan
As rumored, the family style dinner at the homestay was above and beyond. The chef continued to refill the plates with rice, yellow lentils, veggie and chicken curries, spicy potatoes, hard boiled eggs fried in curry, and pudding for dessert. They served raksi, a fairly strong rice wine.
After dinner, the women of the homestay community shared several of their traditional dances for us. Each woman wore a white dress with red trim that wrapped over one shoulder. They wore a pouch on their side and were adorned with heavy necklaces and earrings. The fourteen women with two male drummers performed three dances for us.
The first dance symbolized farming and agriculture. Using sticks, the dancers tapped rhythmic patterns with their partners. The second dance was performed while balancing a pot of flowers on their heads. On the last dance, the women encouraged us to join. The dances were filled with fun energy and by the end, we felt connected with our hosts. Namaste, thank you.
Leaving Chitwan
On our last morning, we awoke already sweaty in all the humidity. I showered off, packed up and joined the group for a hearty breakfast. The women of the community saw us off with flowers and goodbyes. And, we boarded back onto our bus, with strong AC, for the drive.
Next stop, Pokhara!
