We woke to a misty and cool morning, that then turned into a magnificent day. There’s something special about being by a campfire in the early morning, and I think the last few days of camping while trekking and on the river have reminded us how much we enjoy getting into the great outdoors.
The Seti River valley is steep, and it would be difficult to move between the little villages by road or track, so the locals have a range of ways to cross the river.
This dugout canoe was near our campsite. With rapids a couple of hundred metres in each direction, you wouldn’t want to stray too far away!
Along the way there were also these suspended cars above the river. People sit in them, and use the wires to pull themselves over. Young kids obviously learn how to do this early, as we saw a child of about 5 pulling himself back and forth over the river, before then stepping up on to the top of the wires to push the car from above. No fear!
Over time, many of the suspended cars have been replaced by suspension bridges. These allow motorbikes to cross, and also provide a useful drying rack for village clothes! Some are more elaborate than others, but they would all feel pretty flimsy when the river is high and raging during the monsoon time!
Our tour group is 4 adventurous families with teenagers – Brian, Patricia, Mitchell (18) and Amanda (14) from Toronto; Dean, Jules, Angus (13) and Ella (12) from Hamilton in country Victoria; Heather and Mitchell (15) from Adelaide; and us with Emma (16) and Alex (12). Padma, our guide, is also proving to be an overgrown teenager! We’ve has only known each other for a week, but after a couple of nights camping, a lot of sickness, and some pretty crazy moments, we’ve bonded well.
Our rafting adventure was certainly one of the best and most memorable experiences of the trip.
We arrived at Chitwan National Park in the late afternoon and went for a walk through the local village. The village is pretty large, but self sustaining, so it was filled with animals, crops, and local children.
Many of the houses had pigeon houses perched high, and rows of corn drying in the sun. I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen people trying to attract pigeons!
This guy was making concrete blocks by hand in his front yard. The concrete was mixed in a little bowl, and then he had 2 moulds on the go – while one dried enough to maintain the shape of the block, he filled the other. It’s a far cry from the thousands of blocks I used to watch Besser Masonry pump out!
Even in the rural areas, it’s strange to see the different standard of housing side by side, especially considering the way that wealth seems to be distributed across the community. Old shacks are shadowed by ornate two storey colourful places.
Tuesday afternoon is market day in Bagmara Village in the Nawal Parasi District, so all the villagers come to the local field to stock up for the week.
The market was filled with food, pots and pans, and western and Nepali clothes. Everything is old style, with sacks of grain, old scales, and stall holders on mats on the floor.
The sun set in the market, giving a beautiful, calm close to another busy day. The Nepali calendar that is shown at the hotel suggests I’m exactly 100 and 1 week… if this is what 100 feels like, then bring it on!
Love theBunch x
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