They opened the door to my one-room cabin that contained two beds and had an adjoining bathroom. I quickly took a shower and — no towel! I dried myself with a sock and as I did so, I saw a mosquito buzzing around in the room. Panic time.
At one time malaria had been rife in the region. The disease has mostly been eradicated; however, in preparing for the trip, I had read conflicting reports as to whether or not it was really entirely gone. When I had all my shots for the trip, no anti-malarial medication was recommended, but I had brought a canister of spray, and that evening I sprayed my clothing and bedding, as well as rubbing anti-bug cream all over my body. But I still felt a bit uneasy.
I walked back to the dining room in the main building and had dinner with Bhim. Or rather I should say that I had dinner and then he had dinner. He rarely ate with me. He always waited until I had finished and then he would get his own food. I didn't know if this was some Nepali custom, or if it was because the paying guests were to eat first and then the guides and porters.
After dinner the manager told us of the next day's activities. We would begin with breakfast at 6:30 a.m., then go for a canoe ride on the river to look for crocodiles. Next we would disembark and walk back through the jungle. "If you see a rhino," Bhim said "You will have to run." Needless to say, that made me a bit nervous. I told him that I definitely wanted to do the elephant ride in the afternoon, but that I would let them know the next day my decision about the river and jungle expeditions. I just wasn't sure I could out-run a rhino.
I asked Bhim where he was staying and he said, "Here." I asked if he couldn't get a room near mine, but he said that they were all filled up. I was really uneasy now — knowing I was to be alone out in the complex, while Bhim was staying in the main lodge. The manager told me there was a watchman who could speak English and that if I needed help, I should just ask him.
Reluctantly I returned to my cabin with the young hotel porter who escorted me by flashlight. A man wrapped in a towel went by my porch and smiled. I looked away. I figured this was not the time or the place to be making friends. We saw a bent old man walking the grounds and I learned that this was the guard upon whom I should rely. I approached him and asked him how he would be able to help me. He just stared without answering. He apparently knew not one word of English!
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I don't think this whole thing would have been an issue, had it not been for the frightful night at the hotel in Nagarkot. I really didn't want to be on my own like that again. Of course I could have made my way to the main hotel, had I needed help; on the other hand, the jungle night was pitch black and the way was rocky and circuitous. It wasn't at all likely that I would need any kind of help; however, I was responding psychologically and not practically to the situation. I told the young porter that I would walk back to the main lodge with him.
Bhim and the manager were surprised to see me again. I told Bhim I did not want to stay out "there" all alone. "I understand you," Bhim said and the manager made arrangements to have a room cleaned. We went back to the cabin, packed my things, and I settled in for the night in a room with no mosquitoes. I still made a point of tucking the netting all around the bed. I had "wimped out." Nevertheless, I got what I wanted — a room in the main complex with Bhim nearby and no mosquitoes to be seen. That night I slept peacefully.
