This morning we woke and pulled back the curtains and saw the foothills of the Himalayas for the first time. They were shrouded in the early morning mist and soon disappeared as the sun rose. It was quite a surprise to see them as since crossing the border the landscape had not really changed,a flat fertile plain just like India. We drove to Limbini,a world heritage site,the birthplace of Buddha and therefore a very holy site.A small building within the ruins of an ancient palace contains the stone upon which he was born and a pond where his mother bathed just prior to giving birth is nearby as is a column put up over 2000 years ago by a great Indian king Ashok.We the drove on for a couple of hours until suddenly the mountains loomed over us and we started climbing immediately upwards. We stopped at a roadside restaurant with beautiful views even though it was still very hazy. The local chicken curry was delicious.Another hour or so down in a fertile plateau we veered off the main road into the countryside and soon pulled up in a little village inhabited by the Tharu people,a tribe that originated in Rajasthan 100's of years ago. We were treated to a wonderful reception with all the ladies dressed in traditional dress. We were the first ever guests to stay here as it is a new venture to provide employment for the women of the village. Brand new bungalows have been built with western facilities,they may be a bit basic but are clean and comfortable with lots of nice touches.Brand new bikes have been provided and for a small fee we all set off on a ride through the lanes past little farm houses and fields greeting and being greeted by for we passed. We stopped at a vast river overlooking jungle and mountains which form the border between India and Nepal.It is a national park and now uninhabited.The ladies from the village arrived in a jeep with some masala chai for us which we drank as the sunset.A short ride back to change for dinner and a big cheer for Kate who had suddenly learnt to ride a bike for the first time. we were cooked a wonderful curry which we ate in a purpose built dining hall with a bar,absolutely perfect.After dinner the villagers treated us to a traditional dance done with sticks and it finished off with us all jointing in much to the amusement of the children watching.A truly memorable day.