Wrapping Up Nepal

I was supposed to leave Pokhara on the 21st for my "three day" stay in Royal Chitwan National Park, but was delayed one day due to the bus strike. My extra day in Pokhara was spent wondering whether or not I would get out of there. I went to my favorite spots and no one I had chatted with before was there. I wandered around the lake, got various offers for tea and dal bhat, but was too stress to really enjoy the local hospitality. I went to bed anxious again, but at least the following morning when I woke up at 5:30am, my bus was scheduled to depart.
There were several weary travellers at the bus stop that morning. All of us slightly worried that we would board and drive only a couple of kilometers before the driver would stop the bus and get off.
We left about an hour late and at every check point all of the tourists would look around to see if something fishy was going on. When we arrived in Chitwan, the Jungle Safari Lodge had not sent anyone to come pick me up. I went to the local call booth and found a Chinese couple calling the same lodge. Wanlie and Zhulin are married, about 30 years old, and from Beijing. Not only did I have companions during my time in Chitwan, but they were Mandarin Chinese speakers and thrilled when I spoke with them.
The first afternoon/evening in Chitwan, one of the guides took us around the town and explained the culture and history of the native people. We also went to a culture show where they performed several dances.
The next morning the three of us woke up early for our full day in the park. It started out with a canoe ride down the river (which was at most 6 inches deep during this winter season). Then there was the formal jungle walk where we didn't (and didn't want to see) any wild animals. The morning wrapped up with a visit to the Elephant Breeding Center where we got to feed the baby elephants.
That afternoon we had the highlight of the stay - an Elephant Safari. The elephant picked us up at the lodge and then during our walk through town, we joined up with 7 others before entering the park. About 20 minutes into it, one of the guides spotted two rhinos so we circled them. It was quite scary to be on top of a trembling elephant while we were only a couple of feet away from the rhinos. We also saw deer, wild boor, crocodiles, monkeys and of course some birds. It was great to get on top of the elephant and enter the park in a more natural way than in a jeep.
The following morning I took the bus back to Kathmandu. In my day and a half there I wasn't able to get my transit visa for India due to the Independence Day celebrations. I thought I was screwed but it ended up being ok. I spent 12 hours in the Delhi airport. I met some interesting people and had lots of 10 rupee cups of tea and biscuits. The flight to Hong Kong went smoothly. I sat next to a young female professional golfer from India and got to watch "The Departed."
I had a lot of hiccups in Nepal, but I would still return. I'm sure it is much more exciting when you get to share the experience with others, but I feel there were certain moments that I needed to experience on my own and for that I am happy.