Chitwan
Chitwan Nature Reserve
As we reached Chitwan, we pulled in to a lovely complex of old wood and faux wattled walls, with wide basket light fixtures. It was quite beautiful.
Unfortunately, the hotel had double booked, and the five single gentlemen on the tour, myself and my associate included, were asked if we would stay down the road.
This was fine, but disappointing, because the backup was much like the generic Tea Houses we’d been staying in and the new hotel was a real step up back to luxury.
After we all washed the four days of filth off ourselves, we headed by jeep into Chitwan’s main street to meet up with the rest of the group. We ate at an excellent place serving wonderfully spiced Indian food, before heading back by jeep to the hotel.
Due to the emergency hotel swap, we had some difficulties actually getting breakfast as it appeared our new hotel didn’t want to have to cook us anything so we were somewhat rushed into the main hotel where we endured annoyed looks when we ordered as everyone else was finishing.
However, once that was resolved, we had one of the best days of the trip. We started by heading to the elephant sanctuary where we climbed onto the backs of elephants (4 person boxes, I got front left) and we went on an elephant walk into the part. The swaying motion I had to use a fast shitter speed to catch anything clearly, but we saw various birds, wild boar, lazing crocodiles, and a grazing rhino, who seemed unconcerned by a half dozen elephants following him. At the end we hand the tip to the elephant who took it in his trunk and passed it back to the rider!
We then had a couple of well needed hours to relax before the next event, “elephant washing”. A lot of people chose not to do this, perhaps put of by the name; imagining scrubbing a dusty elephant in a sun bleached yard with a long brush for an hour.
In fact, the elephant climbs into the river and lays down, as you splash and rub water onto him and he throws his trunk around you, he is mostly submerged by this point and you climb up onto his side, and the game is to stay riding him as he rights himself and stands to his full height.
I managed this first time.
It was an amazing experience and perhaps my best memory of the trip. I urge everyone to try it!
We had a quick lunch and the Dutch gentleman and I decided to explore. We went on a short walk out of the compound and into Chitwan proper. Going right, right and right, we knew we’d end up back at the hotel, but saw various signs of the real Nepal, people working in the fields, or sorting rice.
Our walk made us a little late for the departure on the next event, but we were not worried as nothing in Nepal starts on time. Except this it seemed. We were met by the bus on the dusty road we’d been traversing and climbed into the back to the amusement of the others.
We were deposited at the river bank and all of us climbed into a canoe made from a single dugout log. With all of us in, it was very close to its sinking point, but remained, barely buoyant, the whole time, though it rocked alarmingly when a startling event occurred on one side and everyone’s centre of balance shifted at the same time....
On the river, we saw many birds and quite a few crocodiles, which are far more intimating at a close range when you, and many other delicious people, are sat in a floating log.
The canoe was beached and we started a two hour jungle walk with our guide.
Very early on, we saw the famous elephant twins, a pair of semi-wild elephants born in the nature reserve and now wandering it freely.
We also saw several tiger footprints, and realised that alone in the jungle, footprints may be as much as you want to see.
Towards the end of the trek, we saw, submerged in the river, a Great One-Horned Rhino. We asked the guide to take us closer and got within 15 meters of him. He then took me and my camera to within five meters. At this point I desperately wished I had brought along my 70-200mm with 2x extender rather than the 105mm walkabout that I was using.
The Rhino once stood to its full height, but this was as we approached and had no way to take the shot. Fortunately for my heath and unfortunately for my images, as we got closer, he remained submerged.
At the end of our walk, we had to cross and long, poorly designed and very busy bridge and several people tried their hardest to knock me into the water. Without success.
We then watched the sun go down over the jungle as we waited for the bus to take us back.
Back at the hotel, and a long, well earned shower later, the five of us who were staying at the alternate hotel decided to do our own thing that evening instead
We went to a local rooftop terrace place and I had an amazing Steak with Rum & Cheese sauce with a couple of local “elephant ride” cocktails.