Canoeing down the river

It was an early start on my 61st birthday! I was at breakfast by 7am. They gave us porridge with banana (not for me!) followed by omelette, potatoes, toast, butter, jam, juice, and coffee. I'm certainly not going to go hungry in this place!

By 7.30, I was waving goodbye to the people I met last night. They were all heading for the bus stop to go back to Kathmandu. When the transport returned a few minutes later, the driver took Laxman and I to the starting point for a canoe trip down the river. Once Laxman had bought my permit, we were joined by a Chinese guy and his guide. We got in our canoe and spent a very pleasant hour and a half pootling along the water. It was so peaceful. All we could hear was bird song and the odd splash as fish came to the surface. The water was crystal clear, so it was easy to see the large crocs beneath our boat 😀.

We saw lots of bright blue kingfishers and Indian rollers, several stunning yellow and black orioles, a pair of majestic sea eagles, a scarlet woodpecker, and many other species. On the banks, we saw spotted deer and several monkeys. It was delightful.Read more