I’m going to start this week with a
secret…a secret that only one person knows in this world. A secret so dark, you’ll never look at
ANYONE the same (can you tell somebody found the strike-through button…dammit,
you can’t censor me!!! – Ed). Despite
being single, I already know how I am going to propose. Once again, I will give you a minute to stop
giggling. Better. It’s true: I decided on holiday that I wanted
to propose to my future wife in Hong Kong Gardens (subsequently, to any future
girlfriend I suggest going to Hong Kong with, if you don’t want to marry me,
just tell me. At least I can save the
plane ticket cost).
When I first entered the park, I was
amazing about how well park greenery and city skyscrapers meshed together and I
thought that was a really beautiful achievement. Not only that but I felt a sense of peace
that I would love to share with my spouse, especially as it is my favourite place in
this world right now. So, why am I
revealing all this and potentially ruining what little internet credit I have
left? Because it almost got knocked off
its number 1 spot (candidate for best segue ever? - Ed)
However, the story doesn’t start there so
please bear with me. Ok, my Sunday
started off fairly normally… with the exception that I got flown to Chitwan for
a small presentation being held by TBC: all in all, a good start to the
day. This was exciting in itself but was
soon overshadowed by a new experience: I
flew in my first propeller plane (that I am aware of)…
…and it was terrifying. Don’t get me wrong, it was very exciting once
I got used to the (much) small cabin and the buzzing of the engines I really
enjoyed it. It was just the lift off:
the slow whine as the propellers began to swing to life…the creaking of the
body as we jerked into movement and the mind-numbing terror as we lurched into
the air. And I’m a good flyer. I do exaggerate a little: I was a little
tense when we took off but afterwards I enjoyed the flight more (especially as
it took 20 minutes). After landing, I
was met by Suman, the portal to my new experiences. After being picked up, dropping by the hotel
and spending a couple of hours replying to emails, my next experience came out
of nowhere.
I had lunch. I had Taas to be precise but that wasn’t the
most interesting (though it was some of the best mutton I’ve had). No, what was the new experience was the 2nd
dish…which was basically assorted sheep.
By the end of the meal, I had not only tried the mutton but also sheep
liver and sheep heart. Yup, I tried
heart…and it wasn’t too bad either.
Quite tasty in fact. Suman did
seem to take a lot of pleasure in waiting for me to put it in my mouth then
telling me what it was though…hmm. So,
experience number two in less than a few hours.
After lunch, I was then took on a bike ride
though one of Chitwans jungles and it was glorious, just riding over the bumpy
track through miles and miles of dense forest (until the bike almost fell over
in a massive puddle – Ed). If you had
asked me what I was going to be doing today last week, I would not have said
this. Just the sheer feeling of peace
that overtakes you as you stare into a lake in the middle of nowhere is
glorious. However, that still wasn’t the
experience…
Nope, that came next as, after now having
driven through miles and miles of rice paddies, we turned into what is
described as the sunset area: Sauraha.
Essentially a small (touristy) village right next to a river, we drove
right to the end where there was a large stone path and a small open-air bar. Here we strolled up the stone path which
overlooked the river before wandering back to the bar. Now, for the next part, I cannot stress
enough how relaxing it was: just sitting with a beer and some food (including
duck chilli) watching the sunset over the trees.
Being about 5 metres from the running
water, surrounded by jungle and a beautiful sunset was just a glorious moment
of relaxation: something I haven’t really felt since Hong Kong Gardens. Just being able to let go of everything and
enjoy the surroundings is something I am truly awful at but here I was able to
do this. This almost knocked Hong Kong
Gardens off its throne but even so, if you ever come to Nepal, I recommend you
head to Chitwan and have a beer whilst the sun sets.
My night was then ended with some Dal Bhat
with Suman and his family before back to my hotel room and a laptop full of
work! Tired was an understatement…Next
morning, before breakfast Suman had one last surprise for me: he took me to the
main river in Chitwan (Narayani river) and we overlooked it for a while at a
Temple before we rode along the riverbank for breakfast: another Nepali
traditional food (I can’t remember the name but it had Oil Roti, vegetables and
a sweet pretzel shaped item).
Altogether, I had an amazing time in
Chitwan and thank you very much to Suman for showing me some of the area and
for inviting me into your home: it was a great day.
Pick
of the week
‘Rough guides’ for kindle - Before you anti-kindle people start lighting the torches and
grabbing the pitchforks to the shouts of monster, I prefer real books. I love sitting with a book and flicking
through the pages and I honestly hope that they never get replaced…hell, I don’t
even own a kindle, I have a tablet with a kindle app (splitting hairs much? -
Ed). However, I have found that having a
travel guide (in this case ‘Rough guide to Japan’) for kindle or tablet is
actually amazingly useful.
For one, I live in a country where it can
cost almost twice as much to buy a book, so financially it helps but that isn’t
the main reason. Nor is the fact it is
easier to drink a coffee and turn pages at the same time (brilliant by the
way). Nope, the biggest selling point
for me is that I can easily book mark pages, highlight text and easily find
what I have marked again. For somebody
who spends a ridiculous amount of time planning (you have no idea – Ed), it is
great to be able to read through a page then highlight a certain restaurant or
museum etc that has interested me. Not
only that but I can also add notes to the page as well: for somebody who
reviews places, this is amazing as I can easily add different notes afterwards
as I usually carry my tablet with me (note: not during…I like enjoying the
situation whilst I’m there…not tweeting about it):
Of course, there are problems with it e.g. it
can be a little difficult to highlight text at the edge (as it can turn the
page) and some of the maps are pretty useless but altogether, I find it really
useful when I’m planning my trips: it gives me extra levels of highlighting
without damaging the pages…plus if I combine it with online maps and GPS, it
means I can easily find recommended locations and restaurants/bars
Music of the week
Three songs in one post? Not since the summer of '69 has music been so abundant...or something. One sone each from each of the bands I have been listening to this week:
Linkin Park - Lost in the Echoes
Weerd Science - Aslyum in Skin
Head Phones President - Hello
Well, I'm too tired to attempt anything more so I'm going to reheat some chinese and finish my cup of tea. Mug life yo!
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