Back in Kathmandu

Namaste

I'm freshly back from Chitwan park - exhausted and dirty, but I had a blast! We got to see a show of Tharu dances (the native tribe of the Chitwan area) which was amazing and I actually got invited up to join one of the dances, so of course I had to. Then we went a long and beautiful walk through some of the park and saw some crocodiles and gurhials (Nepal's other version of a crocodile who are extremely endangered). The next morning we went for a a canoe ride where we saw lots more crocodiles, tons of beautiful birds, peacocks way up in the tops of trees (I had no idea they could fly that far), monkeys, and some wild boar. Then we walked for awhile again and it was just beautiful and so mystical looking (quite different then the amazon) and then it was my favorite part - Elephant bathing. They actually let you sit on the elephants back while he's going about bathing himself in the river (yes the same one with all of the crocodiles, but it was too fun to worry about that) The elephant was spraying us with water and dipping down under the water and roaming around the river. It was an amazing experience. After that We went on our elephant back safari which was also undescribably awesome. We got less than 10 feet away from a pair of Rhinos, they were so cool looking! we also saw some deer and lots of birds and other things. It was a blast!

Tomorrow is going to be a really great day as we have planned a special treat for the children! We are taking all 140 some kids to the cinema to see a Bollywood comedy and then going to Kathmandu's "amusement park" (it's in quotes because it has been described to me as comparable to the worst county fair you can imagine minus the safety regulations - so it should be interesting). I know the children will have a blast and it will be a great way to spend a lot of time with them and get to know them better. I'm so excited for them to have this opportunity of a day out on the town as almost all of them have never been to the cinema or amusement park.

There is lots more to tell but I'm still filthy from the 6 and a half hour bus ride (the dirtiest bus you could possibly imagine on top of the fact that there is no air conditioning - of course there's not any where- which means windows had to be open the whole, covering us with dust and soot and dirt) all on top of the mud we have all over us from birdwatching in the park this morning. What I'm trying to say is I desperately need a shower, so further details and stories will have to be saved for later!

Miss and love you all!

Kaela