NEPAL 032912 A Day of "B's"

Dear Everyone,

Today we returned to Boudha.

Breakfast on the deck at the Hotel Park Side began our last day at Chitwan National Park.  With our trusty Starbucks Via packs -- Colombian and Italian Roast -- or "milk tea" (for me), we savored our last day on the breezy second floor dining room deck.  Breakfast was accompanied by a great variety of bird songs and the sound and bright colors of traffic on the adjacent village road.

Baby elephants were the main attraction at the Elephant Breeding Center, our last field trip stop with Gopal. The smaller baby in the picture was born only eight days ago and was still learning how to use all FOUR!! of his brand new legs. The larger baby was sort of the center's mascot and chief pest.  We saw him snatch a bundle of specially prepared "nutritionally correct" elephant snack food from a pile next to the mahout who was making them just outside the enclosure's fence. We also saw a pair of spotted owlets in the stable where twin male "babies" of one year of age were with their mom still and chafing at their new chained up status.

Bye-bye Hotel Park Side after a leisurely packing and lunch and a thrilling  SUV ride to the airport during which we were reminded that the basic rule of the road is "big trucks and buses have  right of way" and that there are as  many lanes on a Nepali road as needed at the time.  After our trek and sue to a strike in the entire province, Karma's daughter and son-in-law made this same journey to the airport over back roads in a pony cart.

Buddha Air was our carrier again for the 20 minute flight back to Kathmandu which left 45 minutes early.  This made me think that their motto could be "Buddha Air where all things are impermanent, including our scheduled departure times."

Back to Boudha and our same rooms at the well-secluded Hotel Ngudrup and a welcome from the hotel's official mascot, an energetic  5-month old puppy named Beckham.

Beckham guardian and chief resident pest of the Hotel Ngudrup

Beer and pizza are on the menu tonight at the Flavors Cafe next to the stupendous Bodnath stupa.

Bye for now :-)  Namaste,  Marian, for the Chico Four