Chitwan

We have travelled south to Sauraha on the edge of the Chitwan National Park. The weather is amazing, with either sheet rain or blazing sunshine but always humid and without wind, we have not stopped sweating since our arrival. We are staying in a fantastic place overlooking Buffalo and elephants, our room is amazing as is the whole lodge that is set up to benefit the local tribal community with the profit it makes from tourism. Currently the owner, Durbar is constructing a school to provide free education to children who cannot afford to attend school.

Through the lodge we arranged to visit a local Tharu tribe village and go into the jungle to pick vegetables to cook and eat that night, we then made fresh masalas and spent the evening drinking homemade rice wine, chatting and eating our food with the locals. It was an absolutely incredible experience. Late that night we walked into to jungle where we were to sleep. The sounds of the night were loud and intimidating and we ended up sharing one single bed, due to a mixture of the mosquito net not working and fear.

In the morning we were taken on a safari walk by our guide, we were hoping to see rhino's and tigers which both live in the park, but we were not lucky (or we were lucky, depending on your point of view as the guide cheerily informed us that if we saw a rhino, we should simply shin up the nearest tree, seemingly unaware that slightly unfit Brits are not as agile as they are). After stopping for tea with our new friends, Ha-ra-hi, Souraj and Debbie we went back to the lodge for breakfast.

Once we'd been fed it was time for us to go elephant washing which was amazing also although we were not told to jump off when the elephant tries to lie down which made it a bit like bucking bronco.

In the afternoon we went to another village to take part in some traditional house decorating, involving mixing buffalo dung with mud to rub into the walls. Alex threw herself into the task with great gusto kneeding the mixture with both hands. She was unsure why all the locals were laughing and a crowd was forming, at this point I joined the mixing but realised that the other ladies were only using their right hands as they eat with their left. Alex's new Tharu nickname was 'two hands' and we all laughed together. Once we had plastered our hosts' walls with shit we let it dry, ate chilli snails and drank more rice wine. We then set about the decorating using dye made from lambs eyes mixed with flour. Alex clearly showed her artistic ability and was creating a house for our host to be proud of. I was making hand prints.

This morning we went on an elephant safari and this time saw: mongoose, warthog, peacock, spotted deer and rhino but unfortunately no tigers or crocodiles. The most exciting part to be honest was when our elephant freaked out towards the end and started to run (well, trot) through the jungle, which when you're in a cramped howdah rocking from side to side is quite a wild ride!

We were about to leave to go fishing with the locals but the heavens have opened and we are stuck until they stop.

We will again be on the bus to Pokhara on Saturday and then trekking in the HImalaya to the Annapurna mountains and to a place called 'Tatopani' which appropriately for us means hot springs. We may not be in contact for a bit.

Hope everyone at home is well and congratulations to Bonzo on the news that his girlfriend is expecting his baby.

All our love, Andy and Alex