A new chapter

Having been all consumed by India for five and a half months, I'd not even had the chance to imagine what Nepal would be like, but after five and a half months of travel in 'the motherland' my visa was finished and I was about to enter a whole new world. I was overwhelmed by how different Nepal is from India and how much influence a border can have on culture and attitudes. If anyone is considering visiting these countries I would highly recommend doing India first as once you have travelled there exploring Nepal is a walk in the park whereas the other way round you would find yourself deeply out of your comfort zone.

Bardia National Park - no Indians looking at me!

It felt amazing to be able to walk down the street without anyone batting an eyelid. In India you get so many wide eyed looks and endless requests for photos, so ironically within the freedom of travelling you still feel somewhat constrained. As a Western female I found it generally very hard to interact with locals. I felt the majority of Indian men genuinely have a very wrong impressions of what Western women are like (which isn't that surprising having seen what kind of media they are exposed). As a result I avoided talking to many men, only if they looked over perhaps forty or were clearly very educated did I feel comfortable enough which frustrated me as I enjoy talking to different people! As for the women, I would have loved to communicate more with them yet often they were very unresponsive, not even returning a smile. I've been given a few explanations for this by Indians including that they don't expect to be talked to by a foreigner (perhaps who is so 'above' them in the caste system) and also they feel threatened because of how obsessed theIndian men are with white females. So in an odd way unless you stay somewhere for a long time on a project or live with a family, it is hard to interact. Despite these difficulties, I am still constantly amazed and fascinated by India and I guess its part of the learning curve!

I had to resort to talking to goats instead

But Nepal is the complete opposite. I felt like the people, both male and female, were incredibly friendly and lovely to talk to. I never felt intimidated and they are very liberal, laid back and light hearted. It was such a relief to not have to be so much on my guard and it was great to be able to wear sleeveless tops again with the heat in the cities without worrying about what people would be thinking. Although they still have many traditions, they are more Westernised in terms of dress and things like eating meat and drinking alcohol (not that I really did either). They have a better understanding of how foreigners like to be treated giving them more space and hospitality. In India customer service, facilities and ambiance in guesthouses are often lacking (broken toilets, dodgy cables, plain walls, no furniture, staff that aren't so welcoming, pillows you would not want to lay your head on!) yet the Nepalese understand much better what Westerners like and are good at providing this.

Our tranquil accommodation in Bardia

We had the excitement of entering Nepal through the Western border which is not a common entry route among tourist. Immediately we got a taste of the transport we would have for the next few months - bumpy buses that feel like you are on a rollercoaster. To keep your bum on the seat really requires you to use all the strength in your leg muscles otherwise you are more than likely to hit your head on the ceiling (which doesn't happen to the Nepalese as they are so short).

Our first destination was Bardia National park, largely ignored by travellers who enter Nepal from a different direction. It is described as being what Chitwan National Park (Nepal's most popular wildlife destination) was like twenty years before and it really did feel like we were the only tourists there. Staying in a nice jungle hut, we spent some days relaxing, learning Nepalese phrases and getting accustomed to the Nepalese traditional food which is called Daal bhat and is somewhat like Indian food but plainer (rice, daal, veg and pickle).

We had a hilarious experience in the park on our day of wildlife spotting. We were required to have a guide to enter the main park but it turns out that he just wasn't very good! First we heard tales of his three near death experiences which didn't reassure us that we were with the right person. After explaining to us just how dangerous the wild animals were, such as the tigers and elephants, he set off at top speed leaving us to chase after him. It felt like we were on an army training course, no sooner did we catch up with him, he'd be off again having no sense that we may need to rest because of the muggy heat. When I stopped to tie my shoe lace he almost lost us because he just didn't wait and by the end of the day we were exhausted, but about twice as fit.

Renee keeping up with Rambo in Bardia National Park

I also realised how much respect I have for wildlife documentary makers who have to sit there for hours on end waiting to capture a shot. It's all great when there are animals to entertain you, but we sat there for hours at a time, waiting to see something without much luck. Somehow given a 24 hour train journey or a child that can't pronounce a word I can have infinite patience, yet when it comes to waiting around to see an animal, I was so restless. To be fair it wasn't helped by the fact I really need new glasses and even when we finally saw a rhino, I am convinced it was just a rock as I really couldn't see it. One of the problems of being away for so long! However eventually we did get to see a wild elephant, which was so big it was hard to miss, but that was a nice moment.

If you look very close there is a wild elephant somewhere in here!

Next was the town of Tansen which I can't say much about as I was sick for the six days we were there. My stomach problems began on the bus journey there which made it quite a scarring experience but at least when I arrived we stayed in a lovely homestay. The owner thought I was some strange loner who didn't want to come out of my room and couldn't understand that all I needed was water, a bed and to be near the toilet! On this occassion I tried drinking excessive amounts of rehydration liquid and starving myself for 48 hours to get rid of the bug. I had to grind my teeth as I lay in my bed listening to Lucy munch away at her biscuits whilst I went hungry. It was actually quite easy for the first day but then it became very hard. Unfortunately after this didn't work, I was so weak I had to take antibiotics.

Once I recovered I was taught how to make the Tibetan dish 'Momos' - Yummmm

However in Tansen I was lucky to meet a very inspiring sixty year old lady from the Netherlands who had just completed a course of Vipassana Meditation (http://www.dhamma.org/en/vipassana.shtml) . This is a Tibetan Buddhist technique in which you meditate in a very specific way through sitting and observing your breath and body for hours on end each day. You have to endure much physical pain and come to terms with all of your emotions. Other rules are that you cannot talk, read, write or do any exercise. She did this for two months stating her reason as being that after a difficult break up from her partner of thirty years she wanted to be at peace before she dies. She was very interesting to talk to and seemed very calm. She helped me to try and be more Buddhist in my attitude towards my sickness by accepting it and seeing that it is just like everything else - transient, something that will come and go. This really worked well for me (for the first five instances when I was ill!) but I can't even begin to say how fed up I am of stomach problems, since coming to Nepal I've had about seven different occasions. Yet living the traveller lifestyle for so long it is unavoidable and therefore what to do, what to do??? This is my new favourite phrase which works for every problem and sounds particularly good said in a Ukranian accent (Thanks Vika).

The town of Tansen