Thursday 8 September 2011

Chitwan National Park - Nepal Gappers go exploring

Will, about to receive a face full of water from arguably the happiest looking elephant to ever live
Over the last fortnight, our schools’ two week exam periods have led us to depart from the village life we have grown so accustomed to and venture into the myriad of other experiences Nepal has to offer. We had allocated the first week of the break to volunteer work in a Kathmandu valley orphanage, so after a mini-bus ride that, like most transportation modes in Nepal, seemed to recklessly disregard any notion of a maximum passengers limit, we reached Budhanakiltna, a small town at the base of beautiful green foothills. The group was split into two groups, with each allocated to a different orphanage, so my group (myself, Meg and Michael) trudged through the adjacent fields of rice paddies, eager, yet a little nervous, to meet the children. Upon our arrival at the simple concrete structure, we were greeted warmly by the staff and made our way into a bedroom, where the 11 orphans sat seated quietly in a circle, staring up at us. On first acquaintances, they stood one by one, introducing themselves in timid little voices, but an afternoon of trying desperately to remember names and running games soon brought them to warm to us (and us to them), the presence of bouncy-balls and bubbles especially effective in this. Our main roles there were to help cook, wash dishes, assist with homework and have fun with the children. The favourite activities were soccer, played daily in structure-lacking, yet nonetheless passionate matches in a local field, and dancing. One boy in particular, Ramesh, had a particular aptitude for dancing, and treated us to daily renditions of impressive routines he had learnt from Bollywood films, which were always tough acts to follow when we were pulled up to join in.
Little Sujan, very content with his new beanie and school books

Will, Elliot and Virginia's orphanage
It was during breakfast one morning that we understood just how urgent our assistance there really was. Looking at a shabby cupboard in the kitchen where ingredients were kept, we noticed it was looking very bare. We inquired how much food was left, the orphanage mother replying “enough for today”. We asked where tomorrow’s food would normally be coming from, receiving the hesitant explanation that she didn’t know. From this, we decided to allot a substantial proportion of our fundraised money to invest in food and equipment for the centre. To supplement the children’s existing footwear (just one tattered pair of sandals each), we purchased new waterproof leather shoes, the children beaming proudly as they tried them on for the first time. To keep them warm in the approaching winter, we bought new blankets, beanies and pairs of socks. For the kitchen, initially only including very primitive and inefficient cooking utencils, we invested in a huge rice cooker to steam the two daily portions of rice, a thermos, kettle and new plates, cups and bowls. As well as this, a large haul of toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, food, stationary, games and a Frisbee (hugely well-received) were also procured. On our second last day, while the children were finishing off a soccer game, we snuck back inside, blowing up 100 balloons and filling almost an entire room. Upon letting the children loose, the reaction was quite remarkable, with screams of joy and giggles echoing around for long after the last few were popped. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. The staff were all quite emotional, eyes teary with appreciation, and one by one the children ran up and hugged us, remarking phrases they had learnt for the occasion like “I miss you” and “never forget”. As we walked away, the children had assembled on the roof to see us off with waves, until eventually they were lost in the distance, but remained in our thoughts for long after.
Yay for dental hygiene!
So began our second portion of the holiday, a week of travel. After a day of recuperation in Kathmandu (quite a few of us had our first real encounters with stomach bugs recently, presumably from samosas and donuts purchased in street stalls) we made our way to Chitwan National Park. The highlights here were spotting rare one-horned rhinos while seated atop our elephant back safaris, watching daily sunsets along the local river system and also elephant bathing – sitting atop the huge creatures as they sprayed us with trunks full of water, then rubbing their bellies as they rolled playfully onto their sides. Lumbini was our next stop – Buddha’s birthplace and arguably among the most significant Buddhist sites in the world.
The elephant safari
We saw out the afternoon in a local monastery during a chanting and meditation session, which was an incredible thing to be a part of. Bandipur then saw all precedents for acceptable wake up times tossed aside, as at 4am one morning we emerged, sleepy eyed, from our hostel to climb a local mountain and witness the sunrise over the Himalayas (apparently visible clearly only early in the morning). As the sun drifted up over the horizon, we were treated to an absolutely spectacular view, the mountains illuminated by golden rays of sun. We also hiked down to a local cave system (the biggest of its kind in Nepal), where for around $1.80 each we were treated to a guided tour deep underground of the vast caverns and intricate rock formations.
The balloon frenzy
After an amazing two week, we now prepare to return, refreshed, back to our village, ready to see out the challenges and delights of the remaining month of our gap year placement. - Aidan

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