Today we were up early for our road trip to Barauli Homestay. This will be the first time there for everyone in our group except for us. Thanks to the 9:00am departure we arrived at our destination in mid-afternoon & were able to see a lot more of the final 90 minutes of the trip compared to our last time here when we arrived in the dark.

After leaving Pokhara & spending a couple of hours on the road we stopped for a stretch break at a small spot that had a pedestrian suspension bridge over the river for farmers on the other side to be able to access the highway.

Most of our group took advantage of the opportunity to cross the bridge but the trail to access it was very steep so Catherine & I decided to stay close to the bus.

Right alongside the highway there are a lot of very basic shelters (shacks) made of corrugated tin, wooden planks and wire fencing. They are tacked onto the side of cliffs with bamboo poles.

Inside are clay ovens heated by wood as well as propane burners. One wooden bed in the back with a small hammock for the children. There is usually a small table and plastic chairs and the ubiquitous chicken coop. There may be a small shop out front to sell snacks and tea for the truckers.

As we pass by them we are constantly reminded of how incredibly fortunate we are back home in Canada & how much we take for granted.

I hope that I will be even more appreciative of our good fortune when I return home.

Getting closer to Chitwan National Park the standard of living rises substantially. Homes are much larger & elaborate. I am fascinated by their construction.

The buildings start with a poured concrete floor & foundation with several “towers” of reinforcing rods placed at strategic locations. These are ultimately covered with concrete & form the supporting structures for the brick walls & for the next floor to be built above.

Many buildings are two stories with their water & electricity utilities on the roof. It is also not uncommon for more reinforcing rod towers to be installed on the roof in case another storey is added at some time in the future.

When we arrived at Barauli Homestay we were once again greeted by local ladies dressed in traditional clothing. Each of us was given a garland of flowers & a tika placed on our foreheads.

We took a few minutes to settle in to our cottages & then we went on a short jeep ride to view the sunset by the river. The group was also treated to chai tea & cookies while we were on the riverbank.

After returning to the village we were entertained by a group of local women performing traditional dances (same as the last time we were here). (With special guest appearances 🙀)

Following the performance we had a wonderful dinner in the dining hall & then off to bed.

Tomorrow we will spend another day at this location.

Cheers!

Posted by Catherine

The itinerary for today started out with a 5:00am drive up to Sarangot to see the sunrise followed by a 2 hour walk back. We decided to forgo this activity. It was very hazy and didn’t look like it would be much of a sunrise. Nothing could top what we had already seen in Ghandruk anyway.

Photo below: view of the city from our hotel room balcony

We went for a late breakfast at The Lemon Tree cafe on the main street, just around the corner from our hotel. They make a lovely large pot of Nepali chai and have very friendly staff. Just like the Black Walnut Cafe in our neighborhood at home.

Well almost! We watched the city wake up, people unlocking the rolling metal doors of their shops and setting up their wares – trekking gear in every second shop, t-shirts, souvenirs, clothing, pashminas, small grocery shops – carefully sweeping the sidewalks with long twig brooms.

A tiny woman came to the door of the cafe selling green vegetables from a huge basket tied around her head. Tourists of all nationalities paused to peruse the outdoor menu. School buses were going in both directions as they only get Saturdays off here!

The local traffic on the sidewalk & on the street was mooooving slowly. It was a bit surreal sitting in the restaurant enjoying our breakfast with chai tea while a cow stood outside on the sidewalk looking in on us…. “would you like some more milk for your tea?”

We went for a short walk along the lakeside.

There were a few spots of colour along the way.

We went back to the hotel so I could get ready for my head and neck massage at 10:00. I had found a small spa above a restaurant a few steps from the hotel.

All of the spa ladies were about 4 feet tall and maybe 80 lbs and I wondered how Seema, the woman who would be looking after me would manage. I didn’t have to worry as she had thumbs of steel and dug into all the sore spots. Very different from what is typically is offered as the table was wide and low and she climbed right up on the table to get over top of me. It turned out to be more of a full body treatment for an hour but I didn’t complain. After a hot shower at home, I felt like a new woman. The best $15.00 I’ve spent so far!

We met the group at 12:30 to take the bus to another session of momo making with Sisterhood of Survival group.

Another lovely experience and such a great cause to support. Unfortunately our previous experience didn’t make any difference to our momo making skills. Still hopeless!

We also had a lesson on the etiquette of eating with our right hands and then got a chance to play with our food on our thali lunch plates. Saves on cutlery!

We had hoped to get to the International Mountain Museum but we ran out of time and energy. We bought a few snacks and drinks for our trip tomorrow to Chitwan Park and headed back to the hotel for a quiet night. TV reception was good with dozens of Indian movies and dramas to choose from. We managed to enjoy a couple of movies with English subtitles!

Namaste 🙏