Weekend getaway in Butwal

My mom and I have been talking about going down to Butwal to visit my oldest sister and her family for over a year now. A few weeks ago during breakfast I casually asked where everyone was going that day. It took me a bit by surprise when it was announced that my mom was headed to Butwal and I was invited to come along. After a few minutes of panic at having to make a sudden decision,  I figured why not? And off we went.

Butwal is one of the larger cities of Nepal,  located in the flat lands, or Teri,  just past where the mid hill region ends. The drive to Butwal is beautiful, but a little hard on the stomach.  I lost my breakfast within the first half hour and never really had a chance to recover.

The Teri is a bit warm for comfort during summer,  but is great for riding bikes. I hadn't realised how much I missed that.

I only had one full day to stay, so my nieces took me in hand and showed me the town. We started out at the zoo. It wasn't much by American or European standards and I could see someone who is passionate about animal rights not being a fan, but overall I thought it was one of the nicer places I've been to in Nepal that hasn't been built up just for tourists. In fact,  it reminded me a bit of the zoo and botanical gardens in Stuttart,  Germany, just a little. .. different.

Butwal vs Stuttgart

We didn't feel like going home after the zoo, so wandered through a big outdoor market and then around the city a bit.

It would have been a perfect day if it had ended there. Instead the local Gurung community decided to be very generous and throw a party in my honor. I am neither particularly social nor a night person, so I may not have reacted so well to a party that didn't start until after my bedtime and ended past midnight and that consisted of lots of speeches and dancing.

I'm ashamed to admit how shallow I am, but I cheered up considerably once they began showering me with gifts.

And so the weekend ended on a positive note after all. The next morning I climbed back on a bus and headed home. Butwal doesn't have the best reputation among volunteers (mainly due to a lack of good foreign food), but I will always remember it fondly.