Looking for Royal Manas National Park

Its 1.12 AM.

I have a bus to catch at six thirty, I do not have a bus ticket and I don't even know if I will get a seat even if I go to check out the bus at 6 in the morning. I don't even know if I will wake up, so I have decided not to sleep. You see I am dedicated traveller, anything for the road.

I haven't packed, nothing new, been travelling for eight years that I pack in eight minutes these days. Throw all that you need in a rucksack and there you go, ready! I am yet to do the throwing bit. I am a lazy traveller, quite a contradiction but I don't shop, I don't buy souvenirs, I am usually a broke traveller, I make do with how much ever money I have, some times its barely a few thousand Ngultrums, at other times I end up home with fifty bucks and honestly I think the best stories are experienced when you are broke, it just has a dramatic effect on what ever you do.

This time, I am headed to Gelephug. I haven't been there for more than 12 years but I still remember my favourite stretch from Tsirang to Gelephug; it had lovely teak forests all around and a straight road where you could drive above 100 km/hr. Straight roads are hard to find in Bhutan, so it was a treat back then to zooom and zooop on a straight highway.

I am headed to Royal Manas National Park to do a pilot study (what a lovely excuse). I want to conduct some research there, plus it is the most biodiverse national park in Bhutan and I haven't been there yet. One horned Rhinos, Wild Buffalo, Tigers, some five different species of big cats and on and on.Currently there is a cat count going on.

It is like heaven I am told. But what is the way to heaven? I don't even know how to get to Manas from Gelephug and I hope, I was told that is the way to go and so I shall see where I will find myself tomorrow.

Gelephug will be sweating hot am sure, right now am in Thimphu wearing a sweatshirt and writing this, tomorrow will be quite another day.

Please pray that I get my bus ticket : ))