Chitwan National Park
The lead-up to my first Nepali holiday peaked with 4th place in the Friday afternoon teachers’ musical chairs competition. This was no mean feat, as the male teachers treated it as essential as the World Cup, which was about to begin in Germany.
On Sunday morning, I woke up at 5:45 am, packed my gear and took a bus to Royal Chitwan National Park.
Rafting
From our first stop, Fishling, we spent three pleasant hours drifting over the occasional class 2/3 rapid, staring at the green, mountainous scenery on either side of the river.
We finished in a small hut further down the highway, where we changed and enjoyed a sweet Nepali tea.
Our next transport option was the top of a bus. Although wholly illegal and incredibly dangerous, it was far more preferable than the inside of the bus. This was mainly because it was 35 degrees outside, the bus had no air conditioning, and several people had brought their chickens on the journey.
Dinner and dancing
Arriving at a rainy Royal Chitwan National Park, we visited the Tharu cultural exhibition. The Tharu people are indigenous to the Terai in southern Nepal and northern India. They are recognised as an official nationality in Nepal and a scheduled tribe in India. For those at my dance studio – I got up and danced with them during the last dance.
Jungle safari
The next day, my birthday, we woke early for a safari through the jungle on the back of an elephant. It was a rewarding experience, even if we didn’t see one of the elusive rhinos.
Bathing with elephants
The best part of the day was ‘bathing’ the elephant. Essentially, we sat on its back while it played and cleaned itself and us. This shot was taken just after the elephant decided to help ‘bathe’ us.
Canoe and jungle walk
After lunch, we rode a canoe down the river and walked through the jungle. The canoe was just a hollowed-out log, but it kept us safe from the river animals staring us down.
Unfortunately, our walk did not produce any unique animals. The best moment was when the guide made us all crouch down in anticipation of a glorious sight. Images of tigers, elephants and rhinos rolled through my head. Only to be greeted by a brood of so-called ‘wild’ chickens.
After dinner, we sat with the Nepalese tour guides to watch Australia beat Japan 3-1 in the World Cup. Go, Australia! Then I discovered that my beloved Melbourne Demons have been doing well in their Australian Rules Football (AFL) competition. All in all, it was a reasonably good birthday and one that I’ll never forget.
Elephant breeding centre
On our last day, we went to the elephant breeding centre to see some baby elephants who were so cute at only 30 days old. After that, we got on a bus for the 5-6 hours back to Kathmandu. For the record, this time we travelled in style and inside, on a comfortable tourist bus.
Images of Chitwan
Chitwan National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering an area of 932 square kilometres. It‘s the first national park in Nepal and is home to 68 mammal species, including sloth bears, leopards, Indian rhinoceros and the king of the Jungle: Bengal tigers. The park is famous for its rhino population, which has increased after years of hunting by Nepal’s ruling class. The rhinos are best seen from late January to March when the locals slash the phanta grass and visibility increases.
