An end with a twist that was unexpected - Nepal

Before my trip ended in Nepal, a few people mentioned that I should visit Chitwan National Park. Words like amazing, great experience and it'll be a shame not to see a national treasure with native animals. So given the advice and recommendation I planned a 3 days break in my schedule to go down to the park and see it for myself. 

As we left Khasur Village, it was a harmonious ending. There were no doubts or regrets, the idea of wanting to stay or leaving wasn't present. It was just the appreciation of my time that brought me a deeper awareness of life and the gratitude of this experience connecting me with a local village that offered kindness while accepting me as a guest in their world. 

The locals recommended a mini-bus for the 3-4 hour trip down to the park, so myself and another volunteer followed this advice. When we arrived at the bus stop a handful of people were waiting at the pickup point. The mini-bus would hold up to 14 people and there were probably 8 people that boarded the bus from the start. As the bus made its trip to its final destination, we would stop and pick up another person then carry on. Just like a regular service, but with every stop, the people kept barding and just as you thought the bus was full, you could always squeeze one more in. Our final numbers on the mini-bus were about 26. 

The bus ride was hot, 34 degrees, and had very high humidity. With only windows for circulation and fresh air, drips of sweat were dropping off my nose every so often, my T-shirt had now changed colour. With the bus being full, compact and, shoulders and knees touching, the only thing you could do was relax. It was full of surprises, at one point on the ride I found myself holding someone else's child while the lady was searching for a bag as they had travel sickness. Even at the halfway point where we stopped off to swap drivers, get some water, and put a cage of chickens on the roof. 

The mini-bus could only take us so far, the drivers had their regular stops. We were asked where we were going. We mentioned the Chitwan National Park and they went out of their way to order a TukTuk for us to complete the last bit of our journey. A gesture we don't always encounter in the Western world. 

And yes, I am glad I took the advice from the locals about taking a mini-bus. 

As we got to the park, I felt sick, it was almost like a wall of energy drained me, a feeling I will never forget. Our hotel was nice, after living the minimal lifestyle with only the essentials, I thought it would be a nice change. Oh I was wrong, the king-size bed, hot showers, buffet with a variety of foods. None of that mattered, I still had this energy hanging over me. It just felt wrong. 

We arrange a few guided tours with the hotel, sunset sightseeing, and a walk through the park with a local guide telling us about his experience and the history of the park. Still, though, it felt wrong, I didn't have my usual appetite and even when the others were playing in the pool, I couldn't, everything was just wrong. 

It was the day after I arrived and I finally found out what had this shadow over me, we were at one of the centres where they would talk about the history of the animals. We went outside to look at some Elephant, and bang, as soon as I looked into the eyes of the elephants, it was like I had access to the memory of what happened there. It was just death, humans had gone through the park killing and enslaving creatures. I just felt like I wanted to be sick, within that moment I received a message and again later that night 'Humans are not welcome'. 

The local government had taken ownership of the park and banned all guns. As we were told on a regular basis that hunting these animals still happening today, it was a topic that was continuously repeated. 

The experience with the elephants affected me that much, when I got back to my room I just sat on the end of my bed and all I could do was cry. I knew we were not welcome in the park. So I made the decision to cut my trip short and go back to Kathmandu the next morning. 

On the journey back I was thinking about all the people recommended visiting the park, and how local tourism has built hotels and villas. Are humans really that blind to how we treat animals/nature. 

Look into your life, what actions of yours that you place under the umbrella of safety (Control) prevent freedom within people's lives?

Let's talk about this and how ideologies and conditioning can keep us in a state of a disconnected reality. From the outside you can say, oh they are doing the right thing, protecting animals from those who are trying to kill them, and yes in a weird controlling way that's true. But what is worse, Killing an animal, or enslaving it with a chain around their leg? Humans have created the problem but only to pronounce themselves the savours. Under the umbrella of safety, we have created a reality that is driven by control. The park survives on tourism, the funds feed the government and supply the day-to-day running of the park. When we look at our mental health, tourism or the economy has no part to play but we consume 100% of that reality. 

To see a place for what it is, you must first understand the balancing principle of the universe, and the place we call home or have the privilege of visiting. Every place on the planet is different, it holds different energies. How it balances is unique and individualised. 

In some places we are not meant to be there, most places we have the privilege of being present, but without a deeper understanding of who we are, we will never be able to understand the true experience or our relationship to nature. 

We are taught and conditioned to create heroes and villans, as we look at creating a reality of blame, we have no intention to understand the moment, and understanding means listening to the energies of past and present. 

This amount of control creates an imbalance within the mind, the body and the planet. When you have that reality where you believe you are doing the right thing, but internally you reject the meaning of life, trigger energies that survive on choas and conflict. 

Has the thought ever crossed our minds that we don't have to control everything, the less we try and control the outcome the more we understand, especially with nature. Karma has taken hold of our actions within the park, and as enter an era of re-balancing, humans will continue to try and be the savours in the story. But the true conflict is between humans when the animals are just collateral damage. 

Being present in our lives is a skill that has been lost throughout time, every experience is always about the journey. For me I have never received so much intense energy and access to a history of a single place, but to get to that place in my journey where I was in a position of understanding, started a long ago, well before Nepal. Khasur Village played a big part in how I was honoured to receive this information and energy which created the foundations for me to access a deeper part of my journey. One of the internal acknowledges when we are looking at life is to recognise the source, a fundamental foundation to our journey in the physical form. Everyone has this ability, we just have to look inward. 

This blog was never about the outcome, or necessarily the park. My personal awareness was enlightened just as much by saying thank you to Khasur village, to the bus journey down and Chitwan National Park. It's all about the journey and how it divinely balances your world. Our conditioning can be triggered and create tunnel vision to charge our emotions that prevent us from being present. We grow when we find ourselves in situations that offer a wider understanding of life.

Until next time..........