We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day back in Honeymoon Bay and then started to return to our regular routines at home.
We were so relieved and happy to return to Canada on March 10th. We missed the cleanliness of home and the fresh air. We looked forward to a comfortable bed and a good hot shower. We immediately had a good cup of coffee and began to relax. The next order of business was meeting our relatives in the Lower Mainland before returning to the island. In one case, this truly meant meeting for the first time as our niece Annika was born while we were on vacation. It was nice to see family again, both those related by blood and those we have chosen to be part of our lives. It's always good to see good friends in person, especially after having been away for awhile. Thanks for accommodating our visits Karyn and Michelle, and for welcoming us home, Debbie and Shaun. We celebrated Saint Patrick's Day back in Honeymoon Bay and then started to return to our regular routines at home. I spent a lot of time sorting through trip photos and posting them on this website. Unfortunately, both Lisa and I have been congested and coughing for much of the month. The weather is much cooler than we'd anticipated and we've had to have fires going to keep warm. When the weather has cooperated, we've gone hiking and enjoyed the outdoors. Otherwise, we've been catching up on all of the television programming we missed over the last three months, watching new movies, and reading some novels. Here's to a warmer April!
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On five separate occasions throughout India, people excitedly shouted, "John Cena!" when they saw me. I found this hilarious as one of John Cena's many gimmicks is to wear a headband around his enormous bicep to show how muscular he is. We learned that most Indians are unfamiliar with almost all western celebrities as they watch Bollywood films and listen to the hit songs those films generate. The biggest exception is that India loves the WWE and its stars are well known throughout the country. Maybe John Cena is the only white dude these guys knew so that's the name they called out. In any event, it made me even more popular and amused me greatly. I'm not sure how they recognized the resemblance when they can't even see me. ;)
https://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-084c-cd46-00cf?lb
When it became evident early in our trip that India wasn't as nice as we'd expected, I decided to begin a list of both the positive aspects of India and our experience that I appreciated, and the negative elements that I did not care for... ie. the pros and cons of travel in India.
It's a case of simple mathematics why we don't recommend travel to India despite the wonderful aspects of the trip and the incredible sites... 24 to 7 in favor of the negatives is a net score of -17 for India... that's not good.
Whenever people ask why we were so disappointed with India, we respond by telling them that in India, there is crap everywhere! They then ask, "What kind of pooh is it?" (They're more polite than we are.) While in India on our tour, whenever we weren't satisfied with something, we'd be told, "T. I. I." (This is India) as if that explained or justified it. During our vacation, Lisa and I ended up writing the following poem: "This Is India" Cow patties, Camel dung, Dog doo, Pig pooh, Goat stool, Chicken crap, Pigeon droppings, donkey dumps, Monkey kaka, Ox excrement, Elephant feces, Human deuces: Total shit In fairness, we were in a dark place. (This IS India.)
We spent our morning literally spending every last rupee we owned in touristy Thamel on a new winter jacket, toques, prayer flags, and gifts. Due to the wonders of time travel (or at least traveling across time zones), we were able to leave our Kathmandu hotel on the afternoon of the 9th, spend 35 hours en route, and arrive in Vancouver early on the 10th. We are so glad to be back in Canada, and have a new appreciation for how blessed we are to have all that we too often take for granted.
This morning we drove 165 kilometres uphill to Khatauti Khola, home to the Royal Beach Camp eco-adventure camp in the Nepalese mountains. The river is very low this time of year so the optional activities aren't offering much adventure. We opted to relax, read, drink tea, and enjoy the clean outdoor environment.
Our itinerary for the day is just as it was back in December, but this time around is different in two ways. We're feeling better so Lisa will be involved, and the grasses have dried and been burned so there is a far greater chance of seeing the more exciting big game draws of the park.
Please view the above four photos from left to right as a video reel or comic strip. Also note that we had been warned not to wear any bright colours such as red, yellow, or orange. When we found the rhino, he was fast asleep (photo #1). Our guides assessed the situation and originally allowed us to approach individually to a certain point. Of course people didn't wait their turns and approached as a group. This woke the rhino, but didn't seem to disturb him (photo #2). Then other groups of tourists began to arrive, following their own guides from different angles. This apparently made the rhino feel that he was being surrounded or cornered (photo #3). Finally, ignoring the imploring guide, someone with hair dyed bright red went closer still. That was the final straw - please note the turned head and right eye facing us with the attuned ears (photo #4). It was at this moment that the guides all yelled, "RUN!" and sprinted off. We had hoped to see more exciting animals this time at Chitwan; we got more excitement than we bargained for as the rhino flat out charged us! We later learned that two local women (who were illegally chopping firewood in the park) had been charged and gored earlier in the month, with one of them being killed. The rhino ended up splitting our group in two. Lisa hadn't been beside me because I'd approached to take photos, so we ended up running in opposite directions. Once the danger seemed to have passed and the group reconvened, I became alarmed that Lisa wasn't accounted for. That was the only moment when I was truly scared. It turned out that Lisa and one other girl had run the furthest and fastest and were at no risk. It all makes for a good story now... We traveled to Lake 20000 by jeep and saw three more rhinos, but this time we were in a vehicle and we kept our distance. Just like life, this itinerary was more enjoyable, more exciting, more successful, and more rewarding with Lisa than without her.
We arrived back at Chitwan National Park and once again checked into the now familiar Rhino Lodge. This time around, we used oxen and a cart to tour the local villages just outside the park. This time around we were well enough to notice the nearby shops... I got a beer and a t-shirt.
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