A ticket to Ride with Dimitri

Sunday 13th October – Free Falling

This morning there is plenty of cloud cover but there is still a view of Fishtail so it may be a good day for paraflying. After organising our 40 to 60 minute flights (10500 rupees) we wandered the main street looking for trinkets. Along the way we stopped at the Meera Hotel and made contact with Tip’s son who works there as a waiter. Whilst swapping email addresses Tip rang and invited James and I to visit his farm across the lake tomorrow in order to celebrate the festival with his family.

After lunch the weather started to deteriorate further so we made the decision to postpone our flights for a few days. This gave us the opportunity to book a zip line adventure from the top of Sarangot in two days time. After all this excitement and a quick Skype to home it was off to the Jiva Spa for another 90 minute massage. The irony has not been lost on me as the cost of the massage is more than what our porters earn for three days work. Nevertheless the massage was once again excellent. It was dark when we finished so it was off for another meat lovers experience at the Everest. Nicholas has also rocked in for his last supper in Pokhora before heading back to Kathmandu and lands beyond. A good evening with good company was the perfect end to what has turned out to be a wet day.

Monday 14th October - Dasian Festival

The rain tumbled down all night and it does not look like abating during the day. Himal contacted us and I met him down in the lobby. James has decided to remain at the hotel and nuke the bug that has continued to plague him on and off. I donned my poncho and followed Himal down to the lake where we searched for someone to rent us a canoe. For 500 rupees we have a boat for the day which Himal and not I will paddle to the distant shore of Lake Fewa. Once across it was another 45 minute slog through the rain up to Tip’s farm. There were a lot of Namaste’s exchanged as I was greeted by his family and friends. If it wasn’t for the rain there would have been a good view of the lake and the mountains.

I took up a position on the porch and placed my posterior on the only available stool. One of the girls placed a cup of ginger tea in my hands which I sipped on contentedly. Tip led me inside and we crouched on a mat in front of his 84 year old mother who placed a white rice tika on our foreheads.

The ritual included her dropping rice into our hair and smearing it on our hands. At the end you must give her a gift of thanks which is usually a few rupees. The lamb that had been slaughtered was on the menu and although there were plenty of bones the spicy curry tasted nice. Tip went into his storeroom and came out with four litres of his wife’s homemade firewater, Raski which is made from rice. Luckily, it was somewhat diluted with water which meant that I could stay sober if I sipped it slowly. It certainly helped to keep me warm whilst I was sitting in the cold on the verandah. Tip is like a groom at a wedding as he has to be everywhere ensuring that everyone is having a good time. One of the customs is that a younger person must bow down to the feet of their elders as a sign of respect.

I had delayed my lunch of dal baht for as long as possible but Tip’s wife eventually succeeded in getting me to eat. The rain was getting heavier and I was not looking forward to the trip back. A bit after 2:00 I bid my farewells to Tip who at this stage was looking a little tipsy from all of the raski. He grasped my hand and held it to his heart and tearfully thanked me for coming and at the same time apologising for not being with me the whole time. I took my time walking down the slippery stone staircase as I did not want a repeat of the other day. After emptying the boat of rain water we headed off into the wind for the long row across the lake.  It rained all the way so my butt was wet and it ached from sitting on the damp wooden bench. A little after 4:00pm I arrived back at the hotel looking like a drowned rat. I looked like I had been shot in the head as the red tika I received from another grandmother had started to run down the side of my face. It was a great experience which would have been better if it had been a little shorter and the rain had stayed away.

James was looking a lot better so we braved the rain and went out for some vegetarian Indian food. The only good thing about the meal was the naan bread and leaving the restaurant.

Tuesday 15th October – Deeper Water

Like the great Paul Kelly song the water here is getting deeper due to the constant rain. The three of us were booked in for zip lining but that had to be rescheduled for tomorrow. All of this rain is apparently being caused by a cyclone that hit India a couple of days ago. Water is flowing down the streets like a river in full flood. Pokhora is getting a real spring clean. With nothing else to do we checked out a few shops and bought some ABC t-shirts as a reminder of our trek.

After lunch it was back to the Jiva Spa for another 90 minute massage. I am having a hot stone massage that Michelle recommended. I nearly fell asleep on the table as the masseuse gently rubbed my back and shoulders with copious quantities of oil. This should replenish my dry old skin. It was so relaxing with the sound of the rain on the corrugated iron roof and the occasional knocking of the stones as I was being massaged. Hopefully, the heat from the stones will remove some of the stored up toxins in my body. James and Michelle also looked contented and both proclaimed that their massages a success.

I dropped into the internet cafe on the way back to the hotel and had an embarrassing moment. I needed to go to the toilet and the manager gave me some convoluted hand signals that indicated that the toilet was out the back and around a corner. We all know the problem that when you are getting close to the toilet the urge to go multiplies out of proportion of the real need. I was starting to hop on both feet. There were hotel rooms but I could see no sign of a toilet. I could not see anyone so in the end the only option left was to let loose in the hotel garden. Ah relief at last!

Dinner tonight was taken at the Lemon Tree restaurant. The food was good but was delivered to each of us over a 30 minute period. When we finished it was still raining cats and dogs.

Wednesday 16th October – Adrenalin Action

The sky is still overcast but at least the rain has finally stopped. I can clearly see the lake and the top of Sarangot which is a good sign. The paraflying agency has confirmed that our flights today will proceed but they may be running late. The three of us have booked a cross country flight which cost 10500 rupees ($110) each. The term cross country is a bit of a misnomer as all it means is that you fly higher and longer. You still land in the same spot as the cheaper flight (7500 rupees for 20 to 30 minutes) but the flight time is between 40 and 60 minutes.

Our launch pad is at Sarangot about 1700 metres above sea level. James was the first off due to his superior weight advantage. It wasn’t long before he was off and climbing higher on the thermals. Michelle who was a little nervous followed soon after. My pilot, Dimitri from Bulgaria was a real character. After he settled me into the harness he launched into a medley of Beatles songs. I think he knew the entire catalogue and before long I was singing with him. The time, pardon the pun, just flew by as we soared on the thermals just below the cloud line. There were over twenty other parafliers all riding the thermals and I must admit that my only fear is colliding with another parachute. The pilots however seem to be aware of their surroundings and make the necessary adjustments in direction. All to soon it was time descend but Dimitri had one more surprise for me. No it wasn’t another Lennon and McCartney song. When we were over the lake Dimitri handed over the controls too me and under his instruction I executed a series of left and right turns. A nice safe landing by Dimitri and my 50 minutes of fun was over. Michelle landed soon after and you could tell by the expression on her face that she had really enjoyed herself. We joined James who had been down for about 10 minutes. It was a great flight with great views of the lake and Pokhora but unfortunately no mountains.

After lunch it was time for our next adventure, the Zip Flyer. It is claimed to be the world’s longest, steepest and fastest zip-line. We departed at 3:00pm and once again headed up to Sarangot. The zip-line is a new attraction and as a result the facilities are very modern. There were ten participants but as the time wore on two of them decided to take the jeep back down the mountain. After what seemed a drawn out wait it was time for me to be strapped into the harness. To ensure that accidents do not occur there was a fairly comprehensive safety brief. At a 56% incline, 1.8km in length and a 2000 foot vertical drop I’m ready for the gates to open and start this thrilling ride. On a clear day you would see the Annapurna mountain range but we are content with the forest canopy and river below. The gates open and I’m on my way flying through the air. James and I had anticipated that the speed would be fast but found it rather tame. Michelle also relaxed and enjoyed her zip down to the bottom. At a cost of nearly 6000 rupees for 90 seconds of action I would say that this ride is a once only attraction.

Back into Pokhora just before 6:00pm so we decided to try Tip’s recommendation for Dal Baht at the Sun Welcome restaurant. We took a table at the front of the restaurant and were enjoying the peace of no blaring music. A large European sat down just below our table and started to open his cigarettes. I politely asked him if he was smoking and he replied yes. I asked him if he wouldn’t mind not smoking and he said okay. Communication breakdown as when he had unwrapped the packet he offered me a smoke. We laughed and explained that none of us smoked. He was good about it and took another table away from us. The dal baht was excellent and the cost even better. Under $10 for three meals, Garlic naan bread and drinks.

Thursday 17th October – Pokhara to Chitwan    

After gulping down breakfast it was time for us to say farewell to Pokhora. The couple of days of rain did limit our experience here but as usual it is still a great place to relax and chill after a trek. We have pre booked (8000 rupees) the Fiat that the hotel uses for our trip to Chitwan. The driver whose name I do not know is quiet and very competent. The first part of the journey to the turn off at Mugling went very smoothly and took 2.25 hours. The road down to Chitwan follows the river for a long distance and for the most part the journey is slow. This is due to many sections of the road being washed out and laced with huge potholes. Even with these obstacles it only took us 1.5 hours to reach the Tiger Camp at Chitwan.

They obviously are heavily booked at the moment as our sleeping quarters are in a neighbouring lodge called the Jungle Adventure World. We can’t complain as we have our own bungalow with a porch and a gas hot water system. After Pokhora you can really notice the change in temperature.
Lunch beckoned so we made our way back to the Tiger Camp where they served us up a hearty lunch. It is a buffet and included in the cost of our stay. With nothing to do until our late afternoon walk the three of us went off and explored the main part of the Sauraha village. This consisted of walking down the main street past the stores selling tourist kitsch, a few bars, restaurants and a couple of banks. After a cold beer on the rooftop of a restaurant it was time to Skype home. Amazingly this was the best connection of the trip so far.

At 4:30pm we were off for a walk to the elephant breeding centre. Down by the river our guide pointed out two large sleeping crocodiles that were on a nearby sandbank. One was a mugger which is similar to our Australian salty and the other which has a longer snout was an Indian Gharial. We then followed a muddy trail through the forest and were soon engulfed by mosquitoes. Thank goodness for Telissa’s areogard.

The highlight of the walk was when we came across an old cow elephant foraging in the forest. Apparently the older ones who can no longer work are set loose during the day. The guide cautioned us to keep our distance as they will sometimes charge you. Luckily, we did as this old cow turned on us and shaped to charge. After a warning trumpet she turned and continued on her way back to the elephant camp. We followed at a discreet distance until we reached the breeding centre. In one of the enclosures there was a young calf that was only three months old. It was quite comical as it tried to scratch it’s rump on a stump of wood.

Our buffet dinner was ready at 7:00pm. James and Michelle pronounced the fried chicken as first class while I through most of my pork to the mongrel dog that had sidled up next to me. The remainder of the meal was also delicious. After dinner most of the guests headed off to the cultural show. We have feigned tiredness and retreated to our rooms for an early night.

Friday 18th October – Elephant Ride

The sun is up, the sky is blue and we are all relaxed after a good night of uninterrupted sleep. We are not rushing for breakfast as we have also declined the canoe trip down the Rapti River and the subsequent three hour walk through the jungle. The guide even indicated that it was unlikely that we would see any wildlife on the walk. Relaxation is the name of the game for this morning!

Over breakfast we could see a couple of small crocodiles basking on the sandbank across the river from our lodge. There was a bit of commotion when the big gharial crocodile slithered out of the water and took prime position on the bank. We were hoping to participate in washing the elephants but unfortunately there was no action today.

After lunch we boarded an old four wheel drive for a trip down to the elephant safari headquarters. We all squeezed onto the back of our trusty pachyderm and were soon heading into the thick undergrowth of the jungle. There were plenty of trees to dodge and James who was at the rear ended up with a few scratches to his legs.

Our first animal sightings were a small troop of monkeys some with babies on their backs who scampered off into the undergrowth. We spent some time chasing a large peacock with bright plumage before heading out to a large grassy area. There were some spotted deer and sambar deer grazing on the grass. We then spotted a large female one horned rhinoceros with a baby in tow. There were also about 15 other elephants in the vicinity all vying for some happy snaps of these awesome creatures. Towards the end of our ride there were more spotted deer with one of the males displaying a large set of antlers. After nearly two hours our little safari was over. I think that is enough time as I doubt that my butt could have lasted much longer. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing over a quiet drink and waiting for the red sunset over the Rapti River and the fields of elephant grass.