Mosquitos and Rhinos in the Chitwan.

oh, and I fogot- color. I got my days mixed up here, which I keep ending up doing- for some reason it's so easy to forget about time and the date. I celebrated Holi, the festival of colors 4 days ago. Within 45 min. of waking up and getting outside, I was totally drenched and covered in colors. In fact, I was malled. Gangs of kids walk down the street, and especially if you are a tourist, you get drenched in buckets of water and smeared with vibrant colors of red, blue, yellow, green, etc. It was such a blast. I bought some plastic sacks and colors and sat on the roof of my hostel, and other tenants joined in, and sat there filling bags with colored water and throwing them at people in other hotels. Imagine you as a kid, having that awesome water fight in your neighborhood. Now, add color, and the rest of the ENTIRE country- about the entire country that day was celebrating. I hung out with a fun crowd of people from all over the world- France, USA, New Zealand- and we drank beer and threw color at eachother when not attacking the others around us. It was so much fun. The shirt Jesslyn made me is a wonderful tye-dye now. The pants, I bought especially for that day, I threw away. They were a mess. I still have pink in my finger nails, and stayed a weird shade of blue-ish pink on my arms for several days. The next day, which was Mar. 11th, I got up early after a long night of what all travelers dread (yep, it finally happened- the water beer and food all caught up with me and my body revolted against me) I headed to the bus station, and by 7am I was off to the Chitwan Jungle. It was the most hilarious, rickety, bumpy, INSANE 7 hour bus ride I have ever been on. I thought my window was going to fall right out the whole way; I don't think that bus has any shocks; and the bus driver was hauling butt. I stayed in a little place with grass huts-the people here are poor in a different way than in Kathmandu. They live in grass huts, farm, and live much simpler. That night, I felt like such a wreck from only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before, I hung low and rested. But, March 12th was something else. That morning, breakfast was brought to me, followed by an elephant. Yes, an elephant. This knarly guy whose feet were are knarly as the elephants feet took me out into the jungle on the elephants back. It was so quiet, except for the sound of screaming peacocks (which you hear throughout the night) and millions of other exotic birds. I saw wild peacocks, mongoose, deer, monkeys, some rare bird called "horned beak" or something, crocodiles, and RHINOS. yes, rhinoceros. We stumbled upon a mama and her baby out there in th wild. Luckily, sitting up on a rhino, you feel safe and our presence didn't seem to disturb the pair at all. It was crazy. You really feel like you are looking at a dinosaur. Most prehistoric animal I've ever seen in my life. I also later on that day got to sit bare back on an elephant and give it a bath. I mostly just got sprayed by it's trunk and fell off in to the river, but it was awesome. This grizzley guys shouts this bizzare elephant language and gives it orders. Crazy. even later I took a 4 hour hike into the jungle with a guide from the place I was staying at (by the way,I loved the place I was staying- great people, and I was the ONLY guest due to lack of tourism in Nepal, which is a major problem and really hurting the people here.) I saw more crocodiles, a 5 ft. long snake, which I don't know why I can' t think of the name of.... but it was huge. I've never seen a snake that long in the wild. Also came upon some rhinos sleeping- we quietly walked off to not disturb them. It was a long walk. I slept well that night. The next day, I couldn't leave because of a local strike- they blocked off the main road through town, so I was totally stranded. My last day there I hung out doing nothing- I made a make shift hula hoop and showed the staff some tricks to kill time. I did nothing that day. March 14th, I left. An ox pulling a cart picked me up and took me to the bus station. It was another long 6 hour trip back to Kathmandu. I am happy to be back at my hostel- I love the people here. Tonight, a guy I talk to now and then (he's always outside drinking a beer at 10am- those English folk, so crazy) told me there is a massive strike and most things will be closed tomorrow. Maybe some rioting- don' tknow. WE'll see what happens. I need to buy some stuff before my trek which starts the day after tomorrow... Hopefully we'll be able to even get out of here. It was nice to be out of the city for those days... but I am already ready to go out to the mountains. I will say that I dream of home and friends and kids and family every night. I miss everyone so much, and I haven't even been gone that long. But you are all in my heart every day.
I have probably left out so much, but that is all I can remember at the moment. Did I mention that i got eaten in the jungle? Yep- I think I actually have hives on the back of my right leg- and I'm pretty covered in mosquito bites. I've nver had hives before, and nowhere seems to sell any calamine lotion or any thing like it. SO, i just endure the itch..
well, love to all of you. It may be a long while till I can write again.
Nameste