Lying on the banks of river
Narayani, with the soft warm summer breeze in my hair, a sense of calm and
tranquility filled me and a smile appeared on my face as I reminisced the last
few days. Having come from Mumbai merely for 5 days on vacations, the trip to
Chitwan national park in South Central Nepal was not something I was prepared
for. Right from the boat ride across the river infested with crocodiles to the
bath with the elephants, the trip had been an adventure I had experienced never
before!
 |
| Chitwan Jungle Lodge- Nepal |
Nestled in the Inner Terai
Valleys of The Himalayas, right amidst the jungles, Chitwan Jungle lodge is a
very beautiful place with small cottages enface river Narayani. After an
appetizing lunch, we were shown to our cottages. There was just one problem,
there was no TV!! After a while of cribbing and complaining on my side, we were
called out in the evening to gather around and get to know the other tourists.
My brother and I, the tech-addicted youngsters that we are, were busy trying to
find cell phone range. Not able to find any, we reluctantly joined the others
outside. To my surprise, the lodge had arranged a special tribal dance for the
guests. I found myself enjoying the company and dancing with the Tharu tribes. It
was almost 7 pm, when the lights went out! “Wow, Just like Mumbai”, murmuring
under my breath. We then heard one of the staff telling us how normal it is for
the power to go off around this time and how now we would have to make use of
kerosene lamps all night. I looked at my mother and smirked.
The next morning we woke up at
5 am for the Jungle Safari. We hiked through the fog laden jungle and were
delighted to see some rhinos, deer, birds etc. We spent almost the entire day
in the jungle. Trekking, picnicking, and later bathing with the elephants!
After spending one day in the
jungle, with no electricity and cell phone range, I began to truly enjoy the
vacation. We were completely shut off from the rest of the world and it felt
really good! I became acquainted with a couple from Australia, played cards,
scrabble with a few other guests. In a way, it brought my family closer as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment