Alive is Awesome in 20,000 Lakes and Ways

When the roads are too long
And the sun really strong
I feel awesome
There, out of nowhere
20,000 Lakes everywhere
I feel awesome

Champakali and I squished through the marshes, stomped through the grassy lowlands and romped through the watering holes in the Chitwan National Park in Nepal for three days. Our raid was not in vain – safely ensconced atop her broad black back I saw many creatures of the wild go about their everyday and their fights for supremacy and survival.

I rode in kayaks, closely encountered snapping alligators. Trekked over slippery, lichen-daubed gigantic trunks that zigzagged over forest trails. Watched the sun go down with new friends who, like me, had come to taste a life removed from concrete habitats. On my way back to Kathmandu from Sauraha village where the Chitwan was, there was plenty of time for the flight out from Bharatpur Airport. I decided to take the scenic detour through 20,000 Lakes.

“Well, maybe not as many as 20,000” a local admitted with a sheepish kind of joviality. The dewy grass that caroused around, an argent-blue sky clasping the tawny midday sun, all added to the sylvan bliss. I waded into one of the 20,000 Lakes. My friend sat a little distance away trying to bait trout while the guide collected dried twigs for a cackling barbecue.

When life has much in store
And there is plenty to explore
Alive is awesome
When things come your way
Make the most of your day
Alive is awesome