Chitwan National Park

This is what Kathamandu streets look like! Super busy, with people on motorbikes cruising through the crowds!

This is Patan Dobah square, a centre of Tempals and religious posts and sculptures! Also the old royal palace is here. they were having an environment day celebration when we were there, which is ironic as there is no rubbish collection or proper sewerage disposal in kathmandu.. it all gets dumped in the river!!

this was a good way to deal with a ladder that is too short! get a barrel, and balance the ladder on it.. pretty precarious, and not a lot of Health and Safety here!

this is the coolest transport i saw in Kathmandu and all around nepal, its basically a lawnmower on steroids! the front unhooks and is used as a mechanical plough device! they chug along at about 15mph.. with a single headlight on the front, they look and sound like diesel powered dragons slowly roaring up the street.

So after my last post, we had a whole day in Kathmandu looking at all the sights and sounds. The Hindu and buddist temples are everywhere, and Patan dobah square (2nd pic) was amazing. you are allowed into some of the temples to give your respects to vishnu or whichever god is represented in each temple!
It was an exhausting day, and we were off early on out bus to Chitwan (7am) the next day. It is really very very hot here in Kathmandu, but positivly cool compared to chitwan. which is the most hot/humid/draining places i have ever even contemplated. it never gets cool, even at night, and when the power goes off (v frequently) there are no fans... nastie.

this is the office block in the grounds of the BCC where i am staying (i have been given my own little office, and i'm tying to work out how to keep it cool.

i'm staying in a little wooden long/house block type thing, but this was pretty darn hot, so i think i am going to go up-marked and pay to stay in one of the many tourist lodges in the village we're in!! hopefully even find some Air conditioning!! (tho pretty useless when the power is off!)

I started my Survey yesterday, we did a pilot study and i will try to get some photo's. all lots of shaking heads and discussing the problems with the veterinary clinics. (i have a translator with my called Ragesh) and I ride pilion on his motobike as we cruise around looking for people to interview!

I have found the area where all the local tourist elephants come to bath, so here are a couple of photo's of those. Lydia who is also on my Masters course has just headed off today up to Bardia, another National Park, and so i'm here with my Nepalese collegues, to bust out the rest of my survey. we're hoping to interview 130-150people over the next 20 days or so...

Just looked at the Thermometer and its 38Degrees C in the sunshine and 35Degrees C in my office!! hot hot hot!