Travel

[Alter Ego]

This is the Year of Zayed. 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan. The year is about remembering all that Sheikh Zayed did to form the UAE, but also about instilling his values of tolerance, progression, environmentalism, leadership and charity.

I can also say that government workers were giving a month of pay in celebration.  But, I can also say that this does not seem unusual as I was told this happens almost every year.

[Alter Ego]

I went in with certain expectations, particularly as a solo woman.  I expected, for example, that I may not have doors held for me, a courtesy we take for granted here. I can say that most people I met did not seem to care that I was traveling by myself.  However, as wonderful as all of my guides were, they each brought it up! LOL. One asked if I would ever get married, while the other two asked me how old I was! The first question didn’t surprise me, but the second one certainly did!  Luckily, they both said they thought I was much younger than I was.  I should also note that my guides were from the Philippines, India and Oman.  They were not rude - in fact, since I was the last one dropped off, my desert safari guide said that he could take me anywhere I wanted (I was commenting about the mall - which is open very late) and gave me his card if I returned.

To answer @Witchy Woman , everyone spoke English (or everyone I came across.) TripAdvisor says that some taxi drivers do not, and 3 of my 4 taxi drivers didn’t really talk to me. The 4th taxi driver was very friendly; he was the one that drove me to the Louvre and he was sure to tell me how safe Abu Dhabi is - that I could walk around at midnight and not be worried (google it - Abu Dhabi is one of the safest cities in the world - not that I would still walk around alone at midnight to find out!!) He also told me that cab drivers and their cars are inspected before they start their shift. I had commented about a large tent I saw and he said it was in preparation of Ramadan.  After prayer and daytime fasting, the people would come together to eat in celebration.

Another unusual thing is that the cars would tell them if they were going too fast.  Not only the cabs; the cars my guides drove did too - I guess all gulf specific cars are set up with this feature. I admit that I actively thought that I could drive there, which is not something I really think when traveling.

I think @Witchy Woman was also alluding to the man made islands. Abu Dhabi is made up of many islands, some which are man made.  The most famous is Yas Island, but Saadiyat Island is as well.

In Nepal I met a woman from the UAE (will talk more about her later.) She told me that widows, for example, are given free homes and well taken care of. She also said that things are changing a bit - in the past, Emirati people would buy an expensive car they couldn’t afford and go to the Sheikh and ask him to pay for if (and he did!) Now people can’t assume this - he may still pay off their debt, but he won’t buy you a Ferrari when you can only afford a Ford! [any errors are mine; apologies if I misstated her!]

2018 marks the first year in which goods and services are subject to a 5% value added tax (VAT).  After years of low oil profits, Saudi Arabia and the UAE instituted the tax to boost non-oil income. 

Abu Dhabi is a cosmopolitan city that, for many, would not be much of a culture shock.  Yes, they do have separate beaches for men and women (not all; the Corniche, for example, is coed).  And one needs to be a little more conservative in dress - again, not uncommon in many countries (and Abu Dhabi is supposed to be more conservative than Dubai.). I wouldn’t hesitate to return to either city if the opportunity comes up.

[Alter Ego]

PART 2

Nepal.  Finally!

My introduction of what’s to come...

When boarding the plane to Kathmandu, the woman boarding in front of me stopped to let a gentleman coming from the wrong direction through the tight airline row. I also stopped and stepped aside to let him pass.  Two men from behind me then proceeded to run past us. The woman and I just looked at each other in surprise, shrugged and continued on, without letting the poor man that was trying to go backwards through.

Welcome to Nepal.

From this map, I will be landing in Kathmandu for a night, then going to Chitwan National Park for three nights before moving onto Bardia National Park for four nights.

[Alter Ego]

I’ve read a lot about how difficult Kathmandu’s immigration is.  But, I didn’t really find it to be so.  Annoying, yes.  But not difficult, particularly as they had people pointing out where to go and answer questions.  After filling out all forms - both in writing and online - and paying for my Visa, I had to go through one (two?) more lines to get my bags. They compared your tags with your bags - something they did at every airport in Nepal. Very nice - can’t steal someone else’s bag. My guide from Tiger Tops was waiting for me and promptly took me to the Hotel Yak and Yeti.  

Streets aren’t quite as wide or orderly as Abu Dhabi.

I actually saw a cow laying in the middle of an intersection.  A cow. On the street. Protected by an officer.

But I had a nice surprise when I looked out my hotel room’s window!

A jacaranda tree!!! My third year in a row to see the beautiful purple flowers!!

I had intended to walk around a bit outside my hotel, but I went to check out the back garden first and the weather had turned colder!  So, I ended up staying at the hotel.  That’s really okay; I seriously doubted that I would know how to cross a street. In case I’m not making myself clear - traffic was insane!

Hotel was an oasis versus the hustle outside its walls.

The part in plastic above is being restored due to earthquake damage.

My room came with pet birds.  I think I may have had 10 outside my window at some point!

[Alter Ego]

I had a morning flight to get to Chitwan. Although rainy, the flight left with no issues.  Others I’ve met reported 6 or 9 hour delays!  I was lucky throughout the trip and never ran into significant flight delays.

All airports in Nepal had separate lines for men and women.  I had quite a few hands on me this trip!!

 

The flight only only took around 15/20 minutes.  Due to the hilly roads, the drive would have taken 5/6 hours.

Now the real adventure begins!!

[Witchy Woman]

@Alter Ego

Thank you for your thorough and interesting response. 

All of it so fascinating and unusual.  The architecture is amazing!

Your trip will provide you with enough memories to last a lifetime!

[World Traveler]

@Alter Ego Really enjoying your adventure.

I will be interested to know if you came across a very young girl in Nepal, maybe around 13-15, to whom you are required to bow down. Guess she is some type of goddess. My sister said she bowed, but I told her I would probably not have gone up to her for that. The girl sits on a throne made of pillows. At least that is what it looked like from the photo she showed me.

I believe she had to ride on an elephant in some areas of Nepal to get where she was going. I want to see you on an elephant since we have seen you (part of you!) on a camel already! LOL!!!

[Terrywu]

What a wonderful experience for you.  I don’t post often but had to comment on your posting.  A travelogue that almost takes the reader along with you.  How very interesting.  Love it keep up the great work.

[Alter Ego]

I was originally scheduled to stay at the nearby Elephant Camp.  With this being low season, I was moved to the main camp.  However, because I was scheduled for the other (lower priced) camp - where you live among their resident elephants- I needed to pay extra for my Jeep and River safari.  This was very unusual to me - I probably missed this in the paperwork.

Another oddity was that that bathroom was in a separate building than my tent.  We each got our own personal bathrooms - you just needed to step outside to use it.

You can see the “back door” as well as the door to the bathroom here.  The bathrooms were well lit, more so than the tent.

There is an informational  booklet when you get in the room.  It says to beware of animals when you go out at night. Beware of large lizards. Beware of snakes. And beware of leopards.

Which leads to this terrible quandary: Do I want there to be a leopard? Or do I not want there to be a leopard? Because I would really like to see a leopard. But, do I really???

 There was also a pool, which I did not use.

[Alter Ego]

I arrived in time for lunch.  Lunch was always outside and always traditional Nepali.  This is an example:

On my first afternoon, I went on a walk with the elephants in the buffer zone. @World Traveler - They stopped doing the elephant safaris where you sit on the elephants.  Other lodges still do them, but Tiger Tops stopped.  Instead we walk with the elephants; it’s more ethical for the elephants (and why I called myself a hypocrite for riding the camel!) and can lead to more intimate animal encounters.

First, every excursion begins with going down a lot of steps and getting in a truck.  Even if you are walking, the lodge isn’t right in (or near) the park.

After a short ride through a field, I met my guides.

But, they were a little preoccupied at the moment...with an angry male.

My walk soon started.  It was so fun to watch them deftly walk through the forest.

We soon came across my own one horned Rhinos!  A mother and her baby!

We had to slowly walk around them.  It was THRILLING to be so close to them, with my two giant protectors!  Others reported seeing two males fighting!