cancelled
Pokhara. Early in the morning, I quickly ate breakfast so that I could go buy a new pair of eyeglasses before the flight to Chitwan. I had lost it the day before while doing some rafting unfortunately which was quite a harrowing experience.
My taxi driver dropped me right in front and waited for me to finish everything. Oddly enough, I saw a deity sticker on the eye examination machines and asked the optometrist about it. I found out it was Vishwakarma, the god of machinery. Seems like Hinduism has a god for almost everything!
I got a good pair and was pretty satisfied with the design so I thanked the man profusely for accommodating me with just enough time to make it to the airport.
Lisa also had problems of her own as she went to the wrong airport before arriving at the correct one. Though honestly, it wasn’t much of an issue as the flights were once again delayed. We waited for a long time, wondering why we even bothered rushing but the answer seemed to elude us as, after an hour or so of waiting, the flight was then canceled.
Big oof, it is what it is.
long road ahead
Our options were limited, the customer care told us to go by taxi, which was pretty expensive and we were about to do it but outside, Lisa made friends with a local from Chitwan, Bhavanaa. Bhavanaa told us to go via mini-bus with them instead, a much cheaper yet wild alternative all the same. It was about to be a bumpy ride.
We went with another girl whom Bhavanaa also met that day and the four of us split a taxi and got to the mini-bus terminal where Lisa bought some medicine for the ride ahead.
All in all, I was quite happy with how things turned out though. The road we took was bumpy yet so beautiful, it allowed us to see a side of Nepal that we might have missed otherwise since we also flew from Kathmandu to Pokhara. We were also able to bond with Bhavanaa along the way and making another Nepalese friend is worth more than a flight. Lisa also shared an edible she got from Thailand which was surprisingly powerful despite the crumbs I was left with, I clearly felt it, and just in time, the scenery became even more beautiful with the winding river surrounded by cliffs and the sunset.
the tharu
We got to Bharatpur where a tuk-tuk driver readily took us to Sauraha where our hotel, Jungle Wildlife Camp, was waiting. After we got settled in and decided on the activities for the next day, we went out to catch the Tharu Cultural Program which was amazing.
The performances were really high-level, the peacock dance and the fire dancing were definitely highlights of the night.
We walked back satisfied afterward and stopped by for dinner before deciding on getting an Ayurveda massage last minute to end the night. I wasn’t satisfied though, it seemed like they weren’t good at it and were more focused on just ending the night. The one I had in Sri Lanka was a hundred times better. The shower wasn’t even hot and I had to use a cup manually. But oh well, it was done and the day was done as well. We got back around midnight.
safaris for the day
Our last day together in Chitwan. Lisa was leaving later in the day while I still had one more night remaining.
We had an awesome buffet in the morning, the mist still covering much of the jungle on the other side of the river. We had a jungle canoe ride scheduled today which was one of the highlights for the day.
It was only us on the canoe today, the river was shrouded in a mystical fog and the water carried us gently. It was such a different vibe compared to the Sundurbans in Bangladesh and to the rest of Nepal for that matter, after all we were now in the jungle.
Our tiny rowboat allowed us to see a lot of wildlife up close from a different perspective. There were plenty of birds, otters, and even crocodiles! We never seemed to see them until our guide pointed them out, they were literally right beside us too!
After the canoe ride, we then started the jeep safari that took us into the jungle. They kindly saved us the best seats on the jeep too. The ride was very calming, we didn’t see any large animals such as the famed rhinos and tigers but we got to see some peacocks and around three different species of deer. With a brief rest stop along the way, we were soon back to our hotel again.
With some time to spare, we wanted to check out the elephants but it didn’t seem like we were going to have enough time. We went to the riverfront to find lunch. We saw some crocodiles chilling by the banks as well which was so surreal. After eating, we encountered the same tuk-tuk driver who met us in Bharatpur and he took us back to our hotel. I then said goodbye to Lisa as she went with the same driver to the airport.
hunting for the mystical shrooms
Now, I was alone and perhaps it was finally time to go hunt for Chitwan’s famous magic mushrooms. Grown straight from the poop of rhinos apparently. I found another tuk-tuk driver named Kesav. He even had some dried ones on him but our adventure took us out into the countryside to the farm lands where he got some for me.
After that, we went to find ganja next. He knew the ins and outs and they were such really good quality too.
The mushrooms were so plump and fresh, and the bud was simply too much even for that cheap price. I just took a bit and gave the rest to him. Happy guy, I paid him extra for all the hard work and he promised to be back tomorrow morning to pick me up and bring me to the airport.
The trip itself was one that I really needed. Just like the Gili Trawangan mushrooms, the fresh ones always hit hard and hit fast. I was still rolling the joint and I was already feeling the come up.
It was a great way to end the Nepal trip. I noticed the mental clarity on the Chitwan shrooms was really crystal clear. Like, I had amazing headspace and all the thoughts I had were exactly the right ones to help me understand my current situation and issues.
I also smoked a bit and ate some fruits that I ordered from the restaurant. The pineapples were the best.
The trip was also shorter compared to dried ones, lasting around 3 hours or so. Still, it was perfect because I got to sleep.
Which was interrupted by the sound of a strange machine from the roof. I had to transfer to a different room before finally getting lulled to sleep.
last misty morning
My last day in Nepal. I had another delicious breakfast that I had outside so I could get one last look at the river and the jungle.
Kesav picked me up as promised and took me to Bharatpur airport, where lo and behold, the flight was once again delayed. By not too much I hoped.
A short flight to Kathmandu took me up to the skies once again, this time the Himalayan mountain range peeked above a sea of clouds which made it feel like I was in some sort of heaven.
From Kathmandu airport, I ate my last lunch and got on the plane heading to Bangkok before flying back to Tokyo.
