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Royal Chitwan Journal
(Keith)
The Royal Chitwan Park is in the southern park of Nepal known as the Terai; this
area once contained a particularly deadly strain of malaria and was therefore
sparsely populated except for its wildlife. Most of the malaria is
gone now (you still need some precautions) and several national parks have been
established to protect the wildlife; the Royal Chitwan National Park is the most
popular.
Our first foray into the hot and steamy jungle was early in the morning aboard an elephant. The elephant safari rambled through the jungle for several hours, but we did not spot any wild life. We returned to the lodge for some breakfast, eager to return. After breakfast, we would walk the jungle escorted by a park ranger. As we entered the thick underbrush, our guide issued several directions: walk in single file and do not talk; if charged by a sloth bear gather into a group and yell . . . this apparently scares it; if charged by a rhinoceros, climb a tree or run in a zig zag motion . . . rhinos can run as fast as a horse over short distances but have terrible eyesight; if approached by a Bengal tiger, do not move . . . the implication here is that you have very little control over what the tiger can and can't do - pray it loses interest.
After about an hour of walking we came upon a heavily forested watering hole. Our guide approached first and then motioned the group to slowly move forward. To our delight a large rhino was partially submersed in the water; we could make out its back, ears, and its head. After 5-10 minutes of watching, the group started to head back into the jungle, when the rhino decided it also wanted to leave. At this point it slowly stood; wow, what a huge animal. It was quite an adrenaline rush to be that close to a wild animal that big with no cages.
Fortunately over the day we spotted two more rhinos and a peacock. We did not spot a tiger or leopard; they are very difficult to spot in the jungle. A male tiger controls an area of about 70 square kilometers . . . a pretty large area and the chances of bumping into it are slim. Hopefully in Africa our chances will be a little better and there won't be as much underbrush for them to hide. As we were departing on our last day, we saw claw marks where a leopard had climbed a tree. Look closely at the picture of Lea . . . the scratches are on the side.
Royal Chitwan was definitely a Nepal highlight for me. I have always wanted to see big game in the wild and now have a taste of the experience. I can't wait to get to Africa to see the game parks there.
(Lea)
Staying at the Island Jungle Resort in the Chitwan Park, I felt like I was at
summer camp. Only at this camp you could drink beer and the scheduled activities
(safaris) were fun! I loved the adrenaline I felt while walking in the jungle with the
hopes of running into wild game...it whet my appetite for Africa.
Nepal has been a fantastic visit because of its diverse offerings. In the past month we trekked through snow in the Himalayas, walked through the hot and sunny Terai jungle to see rhinos, explored Buddhist and Hindu temples and met Nepali people of all backgrounds (Thakalis, Magars, Newars, Tharus). We also were able to learn about this country's politics and how the Nepalese feel about their country. Nepal is a relatively new democracy (just over 10 years ago the government became a democracy), and the people and government are still learning and discovering the best way to run their country.
We quickly learned that there is much government corruption; the good thing is that we learned about the chaos and corruption by reading the Nepali people's views in the local papers and also by talking to the locals. Although corruption is, of course, very bad, we both felt that we way we learned about the corruption was a good thing. Nepal has freedom of speech. People felt no qualms about telling us what they did not like in their government. And except for the extreme anti government group, the Maoists (who have violently killed policeman in villages throughout Nepal), people seem to be trying peaceful methods like rallies, letters to the papers, and such to change things. And despite the unhappiness with policies and actions, most people we met were very proud of their country and want to improve the way it is run. Nepal is a country of great scenic beauty, colorful culture and friendly people - they should be proud of their country. I loved it and hope to visit again.
Check out our Royal Chitwan photos.