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Published: April 11th 2008
Getting a better view of the action
14 people. 3 rhinos. 3 bears. 1 little tree.Chitwan National Park, Nepal, 6-8 March 2008
So, what do you do after applying for an Indian Visa in Kathmandu and being told to come back in a week's time when the Indian Embassy has finished checking that you're not a criminal? You go on a jungle safari in Chitwan National Park, that's what.
Never have we been so mobbed by touts as when our bus pulled up. It seems that the trouble in Nepal over the past few years has hit this place as hard as anywhere. Not only have numbers dropped directly due to the political situation, but this drew military forces away from guarding the animals, allowing poachers an opening for a killing spree and thus reducing the already slight animal numbers.
I'm so glad we went, after all. We wanted to do a 2-day walking tour, so we shopped around for guides and found a company called Mowgli's, which seemed the most knowledgable of the tour companies we saw. The two guides were extremely professional, and coped well to the questions we had for them. They had a name for everything that moved and grew in the park, and moved about without the slightest
sound, allowing us to get up close to the animals.
Dawn and dusk are by far the best times to be in the park. At these times we saw Rhinos, Sloth bears (a close relative of the black bear), Monkeys, Wild pigs, Crocodiles, and a host of birds, lizards and insects. During the day there wasn't a lot to see, but tracking the animals' prints and hiding places was fun.
Though we never felt in any real danger, there were a few moments of uncertainty. You never know what a giant reptile is going to do next, and it helps to be good at climbing trees, especially when animals are hidden by 6ft high grass. Julie, however, is not good at climbing trees and at one point found herself running away from the sounds of snarling, brawling sloth bears, followed closely by the guides. They don't carry those solid bamboo sticks around for nothing! I, on the other hand, was enjoying the show from atop the only tree in sight,
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Nanna
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Toilets
Hi Grandkids! Toilets - always a topic of conversation after an overseas trip. What's it like while trecking in the extraordinary places you've been? XXX Nanna