Once we returned to Kathmandu, our group went to the Tibetan Refugee Camp where they make the famous Tibetan rugs. We got to watch the whole process, from making the threads to the weaving of intricate patterns. All of the proceeds benefit the local Tibetan refugees, so most people found something they wanted to lug home to the States.

The rest of our time was spent preparing for a departure home since many people were scheduled to return to the States the next day. A few of us had additional plans and after a day or two to regroup, we headed off to Chitwan National Park for a jungle tour.  We expected a much different experience from the Khumbu, and we got it! Once we descended down to sea level elevation towards the park, the heat and humidity became impressive. We arrived to the park to find a wooden canoe waiting to take us across a river to the Jungle Island Resort. This boat ride was interesting, to say the least, because we had a leaky bottom, 2 inches of freeboard, and a dude with a bamboo pole pushing us and our luggage across crocodile alley. As it turns out, we took this little jaunt multiple times without issue, but we were all prepared to swim each time we got in that little boat. And we did see crocodiles. And bears. And Rhinos. But I will get to that in a minute.

Once we arrived at the “resort”, we had a little introduction to the island and the jungle and headed off on our first walk. Now, the guide books say that one should not “walk” around the park, because it is dangerous and to stick to motorized or elephant transport. Of course our first experience in the jungle is a walk around the park! Our very knowledgeable guides briefed us on how to stay safe in the jungle. The top three threats are the rhino, the sloth bear, and the tiger. With the rhino, we are supposed to run like hell, zigzag, and/or climb a tree. “Rhino very dangerous” says Jeet. Well that is just fabulous. And what about the sloth bear? Well, Jeet says they are also very dangerous and to act big (I got that one down), and loud (that one too). Also, to avoid them if they have their young with them. Lastly, the tiger, Jeet says “not so dangerous” during the day. Jeet says he only sees them about once a month and if we do see one, never to run, never to take eyes off of them, and to never turn our back on them. Okay, so now that the ground rules are all spelled out, we take our first jungle walk. And after a 5 minute walk from the resort, I point off into the bush and innocently ask what the two large black figures are about 20 yards away? Jeet then leads us off the trail, through the bush to chase down the mother sloth bear and her large cub! You see, Jeet is armed with a 4 foot piece of bamboo, so I’m certain that we are completely safe. I can see that Jeet and his assistant, Hama, are very thorough and stick to all the ground rules, so none of us are worried at all. Besides, Jeet has only been hospitalized the one time for the sloth bear attack. And he seems fine. Jeet has never been hurt by a rhino. He says they “don’t see too good”. How many times has he been charged by a rhino I ask? Only 2 or 3 hundred times he says. Again, nothing to worry about.

Our next tour is on the back of some female elephants. We did see a rhino and while on the back of an elephant, they don’t seem so big. They are amazing animals and I felt a bit like I was in Jurassic Park. We got to see 4 other rhinos while in the back of a truck, along with barking deer, hog deer, spotted deer, and multiple kinds of birds. We never did get to see a tiger which was a little disappointing, but probably safer. And we never did catch up to the momma sloth bear and her cub. Turns out that while “sloth” is in their name, they are they are not slow, nor lazy! We also watched the elephant bathing and some of the Europeans and one of our group members got to help in that process. The majority of us didn’t want to get into that river, for many, many reasons.

Other highlights of the jungle were the huge jungle rats running along inside the ceiling of our rooms. The “open” style of the rooms, which allows pretty much anything in that wants in the room. And the fact that it was lava hot every day, all day. I think Ed took at least 5 cold showers each of our days in the park.

So after 3 days of the jungle, we returned to Kathmandu on the most amazing airplane ride yet. There was some turbulence, and it was really hot, but the highlight was when our pilots dropped our plane onto the landing strip with two wheels touching at the same time. It wasn’t the two wheels that typically touch first, but at least we were back to civilization.

The next two days are slated for some last minute shopping and eating. The famous Rum Doodle, Fire and Ice Pizza, and Kilroys are all on the agenda. We also got to greet the 2 team members who went up to Everest Camp 2. It was great to see them back safe and sound after reaching their objective. They were very complimentary of their Sherpa guides. I know I rave about these people, but there is no one like them in the world!

Wait, a little more fun before I go. I got a real treat this morning, the day before I leave, with Bobby V., Ed, Melissa, and I flying up to Kyanjing in a helicopter. We landed at Kyanjing village (about 12,500 ft elevation), which is located in the Langtang National Park on the Tibetan border. This was an amazing ride. We saw some beautiful mountain peaks during a very comfortable ride. The pilot is friends with the local tea house owner, a Tibetan man, who presented us with a nice breakfast of nak cheese, omelettes, and coffee while we sat outside and enjoyed the majestic views.

Of course I couldn’t resist visiting the shop of a local Tibetan woman and getting a picture with her. What a great day!

Tomorrow night I leave this enchanting country and the majestic peaks I came to see. I will be sad to leave, but have learned and experienced far more than I could have imagined. While this country is peaceful and chaotic, rich and poor, pristine and dirty, brutally cold and lava hot, the extreme contrasts are complimented by what is consistent here, which are the amazing Nepali people. What an awesome experience. Dhanyabad, Nepal. I had a blast!

Blue Sky Happy Day