Oct 22, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 22, 2018 Chitwan National Park - Kathmandu

Up at 5:30am and feeling sad that we have to leave this beautiful area, and the reality that our trip is coming to an end 𯘢. Prem is right on time and we say our farewells to the hotel staff that have been so kind to us. They give us a parting gift of beautiful Khata scarves, a traditional scarf used for ceremonial occasions including departure of guests. With a little sadness we get in to the van and we are off for our 180km ride on Nepalese 'highways - yes, highways!' We bumpity, bump our way back to Bharatpur dodging cyclists, farm...

Oct 21, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 21, 2018 Chitwan National Park

So sweet, I had a long sleep in today (7:45am). So nice to have a day to relax and not bolt out at the wee hours of the morning. Seems that everyone is enjoying a leisure day and we all meet at breakfast around the same time. Most of us relax on the deck with our coffee until it is time for the Elephant Feeding & Bathing - so excited for this. We walk a short distance on the river and there are the four female elephant that belong to the Barahi Jungle Lodge, along with their mahouts (trainers). Two of them are 50 years old, one is a...

Oct 20, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 20, 2018 Chitwan National Park

Wake up call for 6:00am and down at the river by 6:30am for our jeep Safari. Gobinda and Jitu, our naturalist guides, help us in to the boat to cross the short distance to Chitwan National Park. The air was foggy and cool and gave a mysterious feel to the day. As we were docking on the opposite bank, Jitu pointed to two large footprints that belong to a Rhino that was drinking water from the river. We saw several other fresh tracks and dung so it hadn't been too long ago. Not far away we also saw huge elephant tracks. We climbed into two...

Oct 19, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 19, 2018 Lumbini to Chitwan National Park

Breakfast completed, bags packed and we are off at 8:15am for Chitwan National Park. Today is the most important day of Dashain, blessings are given and tikka applied to the foreheads of those blessed. People are with their families and we see several gatherings along the roadside. The traffic is fairly light this early and the road is relatively straight and flat so we clip along at a good speed. I think Prem is anxious to see his family as he isn't wasting any time! Those in the front say he wasn't his usual cautious self. We stop for a...

Oct 18, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 18, 2018 Tansen to Lumbini

This morning the haze over the Annapurnas allows a slight glimpse of the mountains, but it doesn't really show on camera. Too bad. After breakfast we jump in the van and complete our journey over the hills, twisting and turning around hairpin turns, past small villages and then suddenly it is like the hills vanished and we were on the flats! We stopped for a tea break, and again the kitchen was closed due to 'The Festival' so we had cold drinks and moved on. Just as quickly as the hills vanished earlier, they reappeared and we were gaining...

Oct 17, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 17, 2018 Tansen

What a wonderful sleep last night. It is cooler here on the hilltop and the air is so fresh and clear. Love it! Breakfast is at 7am, however they aren't putting the buffet out as the bread has not arrived - so I was told. Apparently the bread delivery hasn't arrived because it is festival time. Many people are away in their villages visiting family and service & shops is intermittent. I would say the Dashain Festival is the same scale as our Christmas. So many things are delayed or don't happen because of the Festival! If you want an excuse...

Oct 16, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 16, 2018 Pokhara - Tansen

Had a great sleep and up early to prepare for today's 4 hour journey to Tansen. By 8:00am we had all eaten, were checked out and ready to roll. The early morning traffic wasn't too bad and we drove south of Pokhara and started to climb. Our route took us over several small mountain ranges, hugging the contours of the hills winding like a huge serpentine. The vistas were spectacular and at times a wee bit scary. The road was really good, I think the best one yet, and relatively little traffic. There were pockets of traffic jams and many,...

Oct 15, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - October 15, 2018 Pokhara

Today, four of us, Val, Roger, Tammy & I decide to accept Bikesh's offer of a early morning hike up Sarangot hill. He arrived at 6:00am and off we went leaving the road shortly past our hotel. We stopped in a small shop for bananas & digestive biscuits for a morning snack. It is beautiful at this time of the morning, many of the Nepalese are up and about and on their way to work. Even still it is relatively quiet and with the low hanging fog/cloud that is prevailing there is a calm mysterious feeling to the air. Perfect temperature for a...

Oct 14, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - Oct 14, 2018 Pokhara

Ahhhh the luxury of a later start. Following breakfast we departed the hotel for the Peace Pagoda, a beautiful Stupa high on the hills across the lake from us. Here we should get a great view of the Annapurna, as long as the clouds clear. Up a steep winding hill and then a 20 minute walk up several hundred stairs and we arrive at the Peace Pagoda. It is as beautiful as I remember, however the clouds are just not willing to clear. We get the odd glimpse of Annapurna South and a couple of others. We patiently sat near the Stupa and just...

Oct 13, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - Oct 13, 2018 Bandipur to Pokhara

I slept in until 7:30am - feel much better after having a long sleep. Cathy, Caryl and Tammy went to a 6:30am yoga class which they said was fabulous. Others have been wandering the village, I was the only sleepyhead! Breakfast was at 8:30am and near the end Bikesh arrived and an 11:00am departure was established. Hate to rush away from this great little village. Cathy, our little shopper, managed to find a couple of gems in the shops and several of us followed suit. Our suitcases are expanding by the minute. Time has come to say adieu to...

Oct 12, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - Oct 12, 2018 Bandipur

Today is a long drive so we have arranged to leave Kathmandu at 8am. All of us seem to be awake early so it's good to get an early start. We get away on time and thankfully the traffic is reasonable until we reach a point where one of the connecting streets lead to the highway to India. Here there is a huge traffic snarl and we literally stand still for about 20 minutes. The group entertain themselves watching a several workers discuss heaven knows what regarding one of their power poles. Finally we make our way down from 1400m to about...

Oct 11, 2018 - Nepal Nirvana - Oct 11, 2018 Nagarkot to Bhaktapur and Kathmandu

A decision was made last night to spend the morning here as it is just so serene and beautiful. We rise at 6:00am for the sunrise over the Himalayan, however the clouds are still hanging around, positive note - it does make for mysterious photos. Breakfast is leisurely and we arrive at different times. Before too long, the lure of the gift shop takes us all back and the shopping frenzy continues. Many a Christmas gift has been purchased, and the first plan of action back in Kathmandu will be to acquire extra bags to carry the goodies home...