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Published: March 17th 2010
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Jungle Wildlife Camp
This became the meal table and party zone for our time here. After experiencing the lively Holi festival of color in the otherwise sleepy
town that is the Buddha's birthplace, we signed on with our hotelier
'Jupiter' for the only package tour of our entire trip - a couple of days
and nights at Southern Nepal's beautiful Chitwan National Park. We left
Lumbini early in the morning on a loud, smelly, rickety old bus (no trains
here in Nepal). The bus stopped every 5 minutes or so, and soon filled up
to sardine capacity. We careened through the foggy, bumpy roads of the countryside
until we eventually arrived, grateful to be in one slightly squished piece,
to meet our tour contact near Chitwan.
From there the experience improved
considerably. We were driven by jeep to the to the Jungle Wildlife Camp,
which was a fantastic resort on the bank of a beautiful river. We sat at a
table under a palm frond umbrella and enjoyed the view and our cool 'welcome
drinks'. Next, the staff carried our bags upstairs (wow!) and showed us to
our room. It was one of the nicest we've stayed in on the trip. We have
been traveling on a budget to make our travel funds last the
In the jeep
Here is our crew going to the elephant breeding center whole three
months - so I was very impressed by such luxuries as two sheets on the bed,
towels and soap provided, a hot water shower and even a full roll of toilet
paper! We had a great view of the river from the balcony in front of our
room, which was spotlessly clean.
We got settled and recovered from our harrowing bus trip to the area. Then
in the later afternoon, we went out to the the first activity of our Chitwan
experience - a trip to a traditional agricultural village that functions as
a living museum, then a stop at an elephant breeding center. We were
fortunate to be there at feeding time (although I think they get fed
often!), and we saw around twenty mothers with baby elephants up close. It
was a great preview of the experience we would have the following day.
The next morning, we woke up early and enjoyed an excellent breakfast,
before setting off on a boat ride down the large, serene river which runs
through the park. There were five of us in a dugout canoe-style boat, plus
our guide in the front and a driver in the back,
Elephant family
at the breeding center pushing and steering the
boat with a pole. We saw many species of birds, and really enjoyed the
smooth, gentle float down the river. We arrived at our destination after
about an hour, where we hopped out of the boat to begin our 'jungle walk'.
Our guide briefed us on the safety guidelines, and what to do if we
encountered any animals more closely than planned. He explained that an
angry rhino can run at 40 kms per hour - so we would need to run at 41 kms per
hour - he was only half joking. He also explained that if we were
approached by any sloth bears, we should wave our arms and make lots of
noise. If we saw any tigers (gulp!) we should maintain eye contact and walk
backwards slowly - no running! There were other instructions for encounters
with irate wild elephants, etc. After we were all suitably concerned, we
were assured with a big smile that it was all completely safe, and we set
off through the jungle. It was a very interesting 3-hour hike, and I have
to admit that I was not overly disappointed that we didn't encounter any of
these
Some river foliage
and a dragonfly - look closely! beasts - although we did see a couple of crocodiles in the river -
they were pretty far away though. We also saw a few monkeys, and many more
birds. Seeing evidence (droppings) of some of the larger, more dangerous
animals was enough for me! The landscape was full of the sounds and sights
of a jungle, and it was a fascinating 3-hour walk. It took us back to the
resort, where we had lunch and then got set for the main event of the tour -
we would go for an elephant ride through the jungle.
I was very excited about this part. We walked out to some tall platforms
where the elephants were waiting. The elephants each had a large, square
'saddle', where four people could sit. The driver sat in front of us, on
the back of the elephant's neck. We climbed the stairs up to the platform, and before I
knew it we were seated on the back of a full-grown Asian elephant. As it
loped away from the mounting platform, the ride was quite jerky and
surprisingly fast. We bounced and rolled along a road for a bit, and
eventually came to the edge
Up river
from the resort of the jungle. I felt giddy like a little kid,
and I couldn't believe we were really riding on the back on an elephant! We
followed another few elephants, as we began our excusion into the jungle.
We had to watch out for tree branches and bushes as we lumbered along. I
was amazed that we actually saw a lot more wildlife on the back of the
elephant than we did on our walk. We came upon a deer with huge antlers,
which was lying in the shade. The deer was only a few meters away from us
and the elephant, but it just looked calmly up at us and didn't move. This
massive creature crashing through the jungle was a far less distressing
sight for the deer than humans on foot. As we walked on through the jungle
we saw many monkeys, birds and more deer, but the highlight of the whole
tour was when we caught sight of a wild rhinoceros bathing in a small pond.
The rhino was completely unfazed as we approached him on the backs of our
elephants. He regarded us calmly as we walked up close to him on the side
of the pond.
An egret
One of the many we've seen here We were all whispering excitedly and snapping pictures like
crazy. It was an exhilarating moment. We eventually moved on to leave the
rhino to his bath, and enjoyed the rest of the journey through the jungle.
We went back to the resort and had a cold beer before dinner. We'd gotten
to know the other three travelers who were on the same tour schedule as us,
and they were excellent company. They were fun people who made our time at
Chitwan even more enjoyable. Early on in our time there, I'd noticed a
guitar leaning in the corner of the dining room. After dinner that night, I
asked if I could play it, and an enthusiastic "yes!" was the reply. One of
the Nepali staff members picked up a drum, and in no time the group was in
full swing under the palm frond umbrella in the center of the garden
overlooking the river. We had drinks, a lot of laughs, and made some fun
music that evening. It was the first time I'd touched a guitar since we
left Canada, so it felt great to play - especially to an appreciative
audience.
Mel & I signed on
for the package tour with some trepidation, as it was not
exactly cheap, and we've made a habit of trying not to pay for things up
front, after a few bad experiences of over-promise and under-delivery. We
were very happy with our tour in Chitwan though. It is a beautiful natural
park, and we felt that we got to experience the best of it in a couple of
days. It was a treat to be well looked after, and not to have to worry
about any of the usual travel logistics. The friendly people we met there
made the experience especially fun, and seeing (and riding!) the
wildlife in the jungle was a real thrill.
On the final morning, we got packed up and caught our bus for a 5-hour ride
to our next stop - the lakeside town or Pokhara.
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Cara
non-member comment
Great Experience!
I finally revisited your blog after seeing your engagement announcement on FB - WOWOWOW! - and realized that you should be almost done your journey by now...crazy how life can sweep you away! You're an awesome writer and make your experiences come alive, which is great cuz we all have to live it vicariously..so not nearly as good as the real thing! Thanks for sharing and I'll dabble around your blog a bit more if you don't mind! Enjoy your last segment of the adventure! xox Cara