Riding Elephants in Chitwan, Partying in Pokhara, Back in India

I never know where to start when I wait this long to update this thing. The street festival turned out to be not nearly as lively as we had hoped. It went on for 5 days, but on the first 4, they closed everything down at 11:00pm. New Year's was funny because they closed it down at 12:30, but there was no countdown or anything, noone had the central time, so everyone was celebrating their own New Year's, and different sporadic countdowns could be heard for a good 10 minute timespan. Actually, we were a little bored in Pokhara after a couple days. It's a beautiful place, with a big lake, laid-back personality, and a good view of the Himalayas (on clear days, which we didn't have), but there's really nothing to do, and the street festival gave the place an unalluring carnival-like atmosphere.

One day I rented a motorbike and rode to the top of a small mountain called Sarangkot. Actually, it was funny. It was a nice ride up there, but then the road just cut out, and I was basically dirtbiking, often past tourists lugging huge backpacks up the hill (for some reason...it's not far even to walk). The view from the top is supposed to be spectacular, with a view of Pokhara, the lake, and the mountains, but it was really hazy when I went and I didn't see a single mountain. I don't even have any pictures of it.

After New Year's we were anxious to get out of Pokhara and do something fun - so we headed to the Nepali National Park of Chitwan. This promised a good time as you could ride elephants, see rhinos and tigers, and hang out in the laid-back rural setting. Our lodging was great, a place that recalls the word "bungalow," situated in the jungly environment outside the park. We hung out in hammocks, drank lots of tea and beer, and in contrast to Pokhara were quite content to just be there and do nothing.

The first thing we did in the park was a jungle walk. One of us, Martin, had done this before on an earlier trip and almost got killed (along with his girlfriend) by a rhino that charged them. They survived by climbing a tree, which the rhino subsequently rammed repeatedly. Coming back early, they had to cross a river infested by crocodiles. They swore never to do it again. But Martin is crazy, and after some time passed he was ready to give it another go with us. I'm sorry to say our trip wasn't as eventful. We started off in the morning, filed into a boat that looked like they simply carved the trunk of a tree into a canoe, and set off down the sedate river, the fog from the morning obscuring everything around us, giving it an eerily cinematic feel. The scenery was nice, the walk lasted about 4 or 5 hours, but the most exciting thing that happened was when the tall grass towering above us started to quiver, our guide became stiff and alert and held up his hand, signaling us to stop, and out ran...some wild boars. Not terribly exiciting, except for the moment before they emerged when we thought we were going to be attacked by a tiger (of which the park has over 100) or a rhino.

Next we rode an elephant into the park. This was actually really fun, and this time we saw quite a few rhinoceri. The rhinos cannot see above 6 feet from the ground, so all they see is the elephant, and neither animals is afraid of the other. Our driver seemed to be really crazy, and kept making our elephant (named Ranimaya) run off the trail so we could cut off some other party of tourists in an elephant ahead of us. It was a fun time...check out my pictures to get a better idea.

One of the last things we did in Chitwan was go to the Elephant Breeding Center. This was fun, we got to touch and feed lots of grown and baby elephants (one of the elephants just had twins, a first for Nepal), but it was a bit sad...some of the elephants seemed to be chained cruelly so they couldn't take a single step, and often fires were burning right near them. Michaeles really aggraved this one baby elephant somehow, which subsequently headbutted an innocent Indian tourist into the fence.

The next day Mitja and I parted ways with our Everest Base Camp friends Martin and Michaeles, who we'd been with for a few weeks. We all promised to stay in touch, and there's a possibility I'll be working for Martin as a construction worker in England for a while to make some money. Martin and Michaeles were headed back home to the UK, while Mitja and I were again going into India, this time heading for the beach state of Goa.

Going from India to Nepal seemed like a slow transition...the realization of how much quieter, less populated, less hectic, less hassling the whole place is. Going from Nepal back to India was a rude awakening...suddenly all the noise, congestion and filth was back in full force and we were plunged into it. Being off our guard from being in the more honest and trustworthy Nepal, we embarassingly gave a phony bus fare collector some money, which he subsequetly ran off with.

We got stuck in the incredibly dirty and ugly railway junction of Gorakhpur, for a day, when all the trains were canceled. We got out the next day, but so many people were trying to get on due to canceled trains, Mitja and I had to share a berth, which isn't really even big enough for me when I'm alone. We were able to sleep a bit, packed in head to toe and forced to sleep on our sides so we could both fit, but it was a very uncomfortable 21 hour train ride before we arrived, thankfully, in Delhi. I've never been on a train so crowded...people sleeping on the floors, on top of one another...I'm very thankful that I'm not claustriphobic...just sitting up and getting off the berth was a huge process, and both Mitja and I hit our heads many times on the fan and light fixtures on the ceiling.

So now we're back in Delhi. I'm gone go ahead and say it - I 've really enjoyed Delhi all the times I've been here. But here's the problem - most tourists go to Pahar Ganj, are apalled, and get out as quickly as possible. Pahar Ganj is Delhi to most people. Pahar Ganj is a small, dirty, cramped, busy district of the city that was basically created by the influence of Lonely Planet India...just one of a few gripes I have with that ubiquitious tome. Here you see more westerners than probably any other area of Delhi. Indians are actually quite confused as to why backpackers throng to this place. I've had so many experiences here...I was making a list in my head and realized I've been to quite a few places:

1. Bengali Market - nice, laid-back place frequented almost exclusively by Indians...Mitja was amazed when I brought him here. Nothing extraordinary about it, which is why I like it. It's just...normal. Normal middle-class (or upper class, I don't know) Indians going about their day, eating food and shopping. Noone hassles you here.
   
2. GK-I and GK-II - upscale shopping places...also an impressive residential neighborhood if you walk between the two places
   
3. South Extension - "southex"...upscale shopping place
   
4. Lajpat Nagar - upscale shopping place, bigger and more bustling, but not quite as nice, as the above two
   
5. Andrew's Ganj - not named after me, sadly...but where my friend Rachna's parents live and where I stayed for a week or so...there's also a mall here, which is surreal because it's so strangely similar to western malls...but you know you're in India.
   
6. Pahar Ganj - of course
7. Connaught Place - of course
   
8. Old Delhi - Lal Qilal, Jami Masjid...not really impressed by this, though I can't say to have explored it thoroughly
9. Dilli Haat - a bit touristy, but few tourists seem to make it there - a sort of cultural exhibition where every state has a section of the market, and you can buy food, clothes, and other things that are characteristic of any particular region (say, the southern state of Tamil Nadu or the desert state of Rajasthan).
10. Mejnu Ka Tilla - a Tibetan colony in northern Delhi...I'm sure there's quite a bit to see here, but your first impression is that there's not. I visited a really immaculate monastary/temple.
    
11. A farm house on the edge of Delhi, where I went to one wedding with Rachna's family
    
12. Noida - not actually Delhi, but just outside it, where I stayed at the very impressive house of a friend-of-a-friend from Mussoorie and went to a wedding at the golf course.
13. Lodhi Gardens - went with Rachna's family...a really quiet place to walk.
14. Delhi Metro - you can't leave Delhi without trying out the subway, one of the most modern and impressive things to see here...I also, strangly enough, visited the central office building for the Delhi metro project, where Rachna's father works, which is also a pretty impressive place.
15. The Parliamentary District - I think most travelers actually do make it over here...quiet, impressive architechture, lots of grass, a view of the India Gate monument, and free of noise and commercialism.
16. Indian Oil market - I think some of the best deals on touristy things can be had here...an open market frequented by both tourists and Indians

...and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of what is in this city...basically it seems just as diverse as India itself.

Well, that's it. Mitja and I splurged today and bought ourselves some fancy 1500 rupee ($30) train tickets to Mumbai, treating ourselves after our nightmarish ride to Delhi. Usually as shoestring travelers we pay 100-300 roops for a ticket, but we're gonna try to class it up this time.

Peace Out...Namaste.

-Andrew