I had already been feeling a sense of nostalgia after spending only one night in Besisahar. Thirty days of the same blissful routine had abruptly come to an end. When we completed our final miles of the trek, it felt like it was over. Everything that I had spent the past six months thinking about, I had accomplished. However, with one-and-a-half weeks left in the program, there were still two more new places to visit.
Pokhara quickly became one of my favorite cities I've ever visited. From the incredible landscape that captured each of the Annapurna peaks as well as Machapuchare, to the enticing food and vibrant nightlife, the city was anything but dull.
We spent the days exploring caves, renting canoes on the lake, and paddling out to the island stupa. At night, we visited the markets, tried various types of street food, and danced to live music. We even decided to take a break and ride the Ferris wheel at the fair. Needless to say, I promised myself that I would return to Pokhara at some point.
On the 4th, we boarded a 7-hour bus to Chitwan National Park. By 3pm, we had checked into our lodge and embarked on a walk through the park. Given that we had only walked across the street to enter the park gates, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't think there would be any wildlife so close in the buffer zones.
I was mistaken.
Within minutes, we spotted crocodiles sticking their eyes just above the water, monkeys swinging between trees, kingfishers perched on branches, and my personal favorite, a baby rhino feeding from its mother across the river. I couldn't believe how much we'd seen in an hour and a half walk.
The next day, we had an early start and explored a different section of the park via Jeeps in the morning. In the afternoon, I was very excited to go on an elephant walk. Not to be confused with the fraternity hazing practice, the elephant walk is quite literal: we got to spend a few hours roaming the park with an elephant. The purpose of having the elephant is to get closer to wildlife without spooking an animal or endangering it or yourself. It's a more ethical approach than riding elephants around the park. With the help of our elephant, we spotted multiple rhinos, monkeys, crocodiles, and even caught a glimpse of a tiger's tail.
At 6 AM on the 6th, we departed our lodge while it was still dark to go on canoes down the river. The solitude and peacefulness that accompanied us paired perfectly with watching the sun slowly rise and light up the river. We spotted a rhino taking a morning bath and crocodiles swimming a little too close for comfort.
Chitwan National Park was such a unique aspect of Nepal that I didn't think about at all before the program. Since silence provided the best opportunities for spotting wildlife, it was a great time to recharge and reflect after 30 days of trekking. However, we continued spending late nights playing my new favorite card game, cambio, at the lodge.
After four incredible days in Chitwan, we departed back to Kathmandu to wrap up the program. We ended with many fun nights in the city and countless bittersweet goodbyes. I am so grateful for the past six weeks I've spent in Nepal. My gratitude and appreciation for this place and the people who made it special is indescribable. While I am sad to depart Kathmandu, I still have five more weeks before I have a flight booked back to the United States…Can you guess where I’m headed next?
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