We met up with the rest of our group and headed to Bardia National Park. Nepal has actually set aside about 20% of its land in national park, conservation areas, reserves and other protected areas - impressive for a country so poor. The all day car ride from Pokhara was grueling at times but did give us a good view of the ecological regions of Nepal: the Himalayan region which we had seen on the trek, the mountain region (foothills), and the Terai where most of the farming takes place. 
Bardia was a relaxing time after the trek. We rode elephants and rafted the Karnuli River.
One of the most memorable experiences was taking part in village celebrations of Tihar. Tihar is the second most important Hindu festival after Dasain, and honors certain animals (crows, dogs, cows and bulls). The third day of Tihar is known as Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights which is when the goddes of wealth (Lakshmi) comes to visit so every home and business is lit for her presence. On the 5th day of Tihar, brothers and sisters meet and place tikas on each others' foreheads, with sisters offering gifts of fruit and sweets to their brothers while brothers give money in return. Our last night at Forest Hideway was the night when groups of villagers (mostly kids) came around with music and sang and danced. We all took part but unfortunately I have no pictures. It was great fun!
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