INDIA 2025: RATHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK DAY 1- KHEM VILLAS AND OUR FIRST TWO SAFARI DRIVES

 November 26-27 (Thanksgiving Day in the United States), 2025

Five or six hours after we left Keoledeo National Park, located approximately mid-way between Jaipur and Agra, we finally arrived at Rathambore National Park, It looks like a short distance on the map below, and it is--just a little over 150 miles--but we were driving through lots of small villages and the pace was agonizingly slow.

Ranthambore NP is large--515 square miles--and was established first as a game sanctuary in 1955 at about 1/5 of its current size, but then was declared as a Project Tiger reserve as part of a wildlife conservation program in 1974. In 1980 it was named a national park.

The tiger population in India has doubled since the early 1970s, but at about 3,700 tigers, it is still woefully short of the estimated 40,000 tigers that roamed the country at the end of the 19th century. Without Project Tiger, tigers would likely be extinct, at least in India, which has almost 75% of the world's wild tiger population.  Today there are 57 protected areas in India that have been designated as tiger preserves.

It was getting to be late, so our driver took us directly to our place of residence for the next few days, the Khem Villas, located ten minutes from the reserve. The place consists of eight luxury cottages, ten tents, and four double rooms. Our group of three couples had tents, but not exactly the kind of tents you think of when you hear that word.

The approach to the Villas is a long, private drive flanked by the property's gardens where they grow much of the food they serve to guests in the all-vegetarian meals. There is a lot of fencing around the gardens, which I assume is to keep wildlife scavengers out.

And here is the local bakery--but I don't think you want what they are baking . . . 

Cow dung cakes, stacked five high after they are dried out and sold as fuel for cooking and heating.

INDIA 2025: KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK

 November 25-26, 2025

After arriving in Delhi, we spent the next five or six hours on the road to Bharatpur, a city of about a quarter million people in the Indian state of Rajasthan and popular with tourists because of its proximity to Keoladeo National Park, which was our ultimate destination.

We stayed in Pahersar, a small village 10 to 12 miles outside of Bharatpur. Our hotel, the Chandra Mahal Haveli, was built in 1840 in a Persian style--symmetrical, lots of tile work, large courtyards, plenty of landscaping, etc.

I can't remember what is important about that photo of Chris and Bonnie on the left. I think Chris couldn't get into her room or something. Our rooms opened onto this lovely courtyard.

In California, we see warning signs for rattlesnakes. It is a little different in India.

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: BHAKTAPUR TAUMADHI AND DURBAR SQUARES

 November 24, 2025

About eight miles from Kathmandu and in the same valley lies Bhaktapur ("City of Devotees"), a densely populated city and one of the seven monument zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Interestingly, you must pay an entrance fee to go into the ancient city--much like a national park. And note the final sentence on the welcome sign below. Gotta love bad translations.

There are brass shops everywhere.  I think most of the brass tchotchkes we buy in the United States come from India, but I sure saw a lot in Nepal. I could probably find some of these at Home Goods, but there were some very unique items as well.

Take the sword-like brass knives, for example. I haven't seen them in Home Goods. They are weapons used by gurkhas. What are "gurkhas"? They are members of an elite Nepali military group that fought against the British from 1814-1816, but then were recruited to serve in the British Army, where they still serve today. They are known for being fearless in combat, for their loyalty, and for their skills with the khukuri, the curved knife seen in the photo on the right. That's a pretty cool knife, but unfortunately I only had carry-on luggage and I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't get through security.

One of the important places in Bhaktapur is Taumadhi Square, which is the location of several important temples, including Bhairavnath Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Bhairav, the fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva. It was originally built in the 13th century, then restored and redesigned several times. The triple roof was added in 1718, but then it collapsed in the 1934 earthquake, was rebuilt, and was severely damaged again in the earthquake of 2015, and was re-rebuilt. Nepalis are persistent.

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE

 November 24, 2025

The word Durbar comes from the Persian word for "court," and a "Durbar  Square" is an area in Nepal that includes a royal palace and the public areas around it. There are three main Durbar Squares in Nepal: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Each served as the royal seat of its own kingdom until Nepal was unified in the 18th century. 

We began at Kathmandu Durbar Square, the most important of the three Durbar Squares. Construction began in the 3rd century, but most of the major structures were built in later periods. There are dozens of temples in the complex, so it is a bit overwhelming.

My first impression was that wow, there are a LOT of pigeons. How do they keep the square clean?

The dogs don't appear to be chasing the birds away.

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: KATHMANDU'S MONKEY TEMPLE

 November 24, 2025

Our first stop of the day was the Swayambhunath complex in Kathmandu, widely known as "the Monkey Temple," probably because no one can pronounce "Swayambhunath," and also because hundreds of rhesus macaque monkeys live in and around the complex and roam freely about the site. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, this complex of shrines, stupas, and statues has been sitting atop a hill and overlooking the valley for about 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest and most sacred Buddhist sites in Nepal, and one of the three most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. 

The complex is also know for its unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist culture. 

To get to the main stupa, we first walked through this garden of votive stupas, small shrines donated by pilgrims over the centuries to secure good karma or possibly to hold the ashes of the dead. It does look a lot like a cemetery.

Just past that garden/cemetery of votive stupas, we saw our first monkey, and then several more. Then dozens. They were everywhere--sacred site or not!

INDIA 2025 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: THE BOUDHANATH STUPA IN KATHMANDU AND A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL

 November 23, 2025

We left the Pashupatinath Ghats to visit one more destination before heading to our hotel. As usual, we saw some interesting city views along the way. 

The complex snarl of wiring overhead is terrifying.

I am guessing there is some copyright infringement going on with that Google bus on the left, but is someone going to go to Kathmandu and track down the bus company? Probably not. The sign over the door on the right identifies this beautiful building as the Orgyen Dhongak Choeling MONASTERY.  That's not like any monastery I've ever seen.

However, when I zoom in, that looks like two monks standing in front of the door. Note the name of the shop on the left. 

INDIA 2026 - DETOUR TO NEPAL: THE PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE IN KATHMANDU

 November 23, 2025

Nepal is one of the countries that, like China and Russia and Botswana, I never thought in a million years I would visit. A landlocked country sandwiched between India and Tibet and home to the Himalayan mountain range and the King of All Mountains, Mt. Everest, it has always seemed about as foreign and unattainable as any place on earth.  

No longer!

We made our way from Amritsar to Kathmandu, Nepal, via Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport, where we had a brief layover. There is always something new to discover at foreign airports:

This was actually pretty good!