I just came back from the most fantastic weekend. I am so sad that I'm back in Kathmandu. We went to Royal Chitwan Park in the south of Nepal. It's in the Terai region which is a hotspot for the Maoists. Our volunteer organization was so worried and repeatedly told us not to go because of the recent Maoist activity in Nepal. However, we didn't feel that we would be at risk because usually the activity is focussed on locals and government not at tourists. So, we signed a waiver and then set off early Friday morning.
It was a long busride through the many hills and valleys. We got to the plains of Terai and it was boiling hot!! We watched the sunset over the river the first night and got prepared for an eventful next day. The next day we took a 3 hour hike through the jungle and I was so glad we had guides because they usually heard unusual noises and made us wait until they figured out if it was safe or not to proceed. I made a fool out of myself at one point because at the beginning they told us the best way to avoid rhinos was to hide behind a large tree because they are relatively stupid animals. So, during the hike, our guide hid behind a tree and said something, but because I'm also a bit deaf I started imitating him and hid behind a tree as well. My friend started laughing at me when she saw me doing that because the guide was taking a leak and not hiding from a rhino. Anyways, afterwards we went bathing with the elephants which is so much fun. They just blow water on you when you're on their backs and they try to flip you in to the water. Great fun after a long, sweltering walk. Late afternoon we had a 3 hour elephant ride through parts of the park. It is so beautiful especially when you reach the grasslands and the setting sun reflects off the water and the white elephant grass. It is spectacular. We also saw rhinos during the ride! They are very cute, but didn't seem like the brightest animals.
I am so sad as a write this right now, I wish I could live there for the next few months.
It was a long busride through the many hills and valleys. We got to the plains of Terai and it was boiling hot!! We watched the sunset over the river the first night and got prepared for an eventful next day. The next day we took a 3 hour hike through the jungle and I was so glad we had guides because they usually heard unusual noises and made us wait until they figured out if it was safe or not to proceed. I made a fool out of myself at one point because at the beginning they told us the best way to avoid rhinos was to hide behind a large tree because they are relatively stupid animals. So, during the hike, our guide hid behind a tree and said something, but because I'm also a bit deaf I started imitating him and hid behind a tree as well. My friend started laughing at me when she saw me doing that because the guide was taking a leak and not hiding from a rhino. Anyways, afterwards we went bathing with the elephants which is so much fun. They just blow water on you when you're on their backs and they try to flip you in to the water. Great fun after a long, sweltering walk. Late afternoon we had a 3 hour elephant ride through parts of the park. It is so beautiful especially when you reach the grasslands and the setting sun reflects off the water and the white elephant grass. It is spectacular. We also saw rhinos during the ride! They are very cute, but didn't seem like the brightest animals.
I am so sad as a write this right now, I wish I could live there for the next few months.
