Chitwan - girl

A far less painful bus journey - just one blown tyre, fixed fairly quickly and we were in Chitwan. One night in a mosquito infested hole and two nights in a far nicer place.

Chitwan National Park is famed for its tigers, which we didn't see. We weren't really expecting to see anything after our delightful trekking guide told us the park was crap. However, we did see some stuff, far closer than we ever imagined.

First off we opted for a walking trip (safari style) in the jungle. We'd been warned that some of the guides were quite gung-ho but we didn't think our bean-pole guide was going to be one of them. The first indication we were wrong came around ten minutes into our walk when he suddenly dived off the path and into the jungle. Pretty unconventional but exciting was all I thought at this stage. We came across our first rhino after around 90 minutes of seeing nothing. We were quite excited to see this enormous beast lying in the jungle but less excited when the guide started smacking the bush with a stick to 'get a reaction out of the rhino'. We quickly persuaded him to leave. Just a few minutes later we found a second slumbering rhino. This time the guide urged us closer and closer. Gingerly we followed him. Then some Japanese tourists came up and kept moving far too close to try and see the rhino (apparently a national characteristic to not be able to see wildlife according to our guide!). Their noise disgusted the guide who gave up bashing bushes and walked off leaving us and the second guide to follow. Luckily C was both a bit more cautious than me. He was quite slow to follow the guide, which possibly saved our lives. While C was working out if it was really safe to follow GHG (gung-ho guide), the rhino was getting to his feet and snorting (a sure warning sign things aren't good). Then suddenly I felt someone grab me and shuffle me round a tree. I thought it was C but it was Guide number 2 'saving us' (his words) from a charging rhino. Clearly he'd got fed up with tourists staring and bashing bushes and decided to do something about it (or maybe just leave, fast). He lumbered at speed towards us. Thanks to the quick thinking guide C and I remained behind the tree we'd been passing and were shuffled this way and that way to keep us out of the rhino's path. I hate to think what might have happened if he hadn't been there since we think the rhino passed, at speed, within a metre of us.

Oh, and it turns out guides get a whole 15 days training.

After this C and I demanded to be taken back to the village. We'd had enough of jungle trekking and just wanted to go and sit somewhere safe.

The next up close with nature came in the form of elephant bathing, that is sitting on the back of an elephant in the river and having her owner issue commands such as 'spray them with water', or 'lie down on your side'. There is no experience like having a trunk-full of water in the face! What incredible beasts elephants are. Despite literally jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of sitting on an elephant in the river, I was a bit hesitant when the time came. Those things are big, in person. C went first and had such a fun time that I had no choice but to follow (on a smaller elephant) and thank goodness I did. It was so much fun. And I truly think that my elephant was the only elephant enjoying herself. None of the others looked so happy - nothing like a bit of anthropomorphising, right? It was so much fun we both went again, the next day.

A jeep ride in the jungle yielded another rhino, this time at a safe distance, but nothing more. An elephant safari also brought more rhinos. Four people sit in a small box perched atop an elephant.  Lucky us, we got to go with two Dutch people, one of whom was huge. She took up all her own space, all of mine and some of Col's. I was perched on the wooden bars for three hours and now have some spectacular pain across my chest where the safety bars knocked for three full hours. There are no bruises, sadly, I always feel pain should be demonstrable to others through bruises, perhaps they'll come. Despite the pain, riding through the jungle at elephant height was fascinating and being able to get so close to rhinos and deer was a totally new experience. The animals saw only elephants and carried on doing whatever they were doing as we got within metres of them. Magnificent although I'd have enjoyed it more without the fattypuss in our box.

  

Another six hour journey and we're back in Kathmandu, it feels like coming home by now.