Wednesday 12th Feb – The Road to Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
7.30 departure for the drive to Chitwan. The road was horrid again. It is so rare to travel on a highway road here for a full kilometre with no road works. They don’t seem to have the concept of doing a section at a time and finishing it. Everything is just torn up, dug up and not much else. Thee is often a hand crew of 8-10 people working on new bridges but so far from completion. Some of the pot holes have to be take at a 45 degrees angle as they are so deep.
The smog is shocking. Viability is well under 1 km today. The internet tells me that I am smoking the equivalent of 10-20 cigarettes a day by breathing this air. A few of us are wearing masks.
We turned off the main highway onto the road to Chitwan. Everything changed so much. The roads and towns were better. We started to see forest. The rivers were much bigger and were cleaner. It was still a fun drive. And most exciting we stopped at one of the iconic suspension bridges, Chimkeswori Suspension Bridge. . They are massive. So long. And bouncy.
After a lunch that would have fed 3 people and some rest time we headed off on the afternoons adventures.
A walk through town and a look at the Tharu people village. They were indigenous to the plains area of Nepal and India, but have mostly moved out as the 200 hotels established themselves and took over.
They live in longhouses that are mud daub construction.
In town we saw tumeric and mustard seeds being dried.
Met some really sweet goat kids and saw many of the bricks from the kilns we have seen. Beautiful sandstone bricks that would be worth a fortune in Australia.
Marijuana grows everywhere like a weed. “The hippies brought it,” so they all harvest and smoke it.
We had a visit to see elephants. Imagine my joy – NOT – when we got to the ‘stables for the working elephants’. Chained to posts when not working.
But then headed off for our river walk. Joined by a dog that came the whole way with us. We named him Shadow.
Saw some great birds. Siberian ducks, and a flock of Alexandrine Parakeets eating salts from the soil.
Then came across a rhino sleeping in the river. The Greater One Horned Rhino. Only found in this area of Nepal and India and critically endangered. So big! Over two ton. When Shadow stood near him (crazy dog) you could really tell his size. He just lay there occasionally blowing bubbles.
Across the river was a peacock entertaining his lady friend.
We saw a hear of Chital or Axis Deer. Again at a distance which the camera could normally handle, but not with this smog.
Then another Rhino was spotted – at a great distance. Photos are horrid due to the smog. So lucky to see them though.
Sunset on the river was pretty. With two species of Freshwater Crocs basking in the setting sun.
Gharial Crocs are a fresh water croc with an ugly long snout. So long and the guys have a large bulbous lump on his snout. And Muggers, a bigger, heavier and more aggressive croc.
Then a walk back through town past the sellers gearing up for the dinner rush with bbq corn and a variety of meats cooked in the smoke over the coals. Looked delicious.
A Tharu Cultural show, and bed!
Thursday 13th Feb,
Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
This mornings activity was a traditional canoe ride down the Ladhari River. Huge dug out canoes made from the trunk of a Simal tree (Silk Cotton Tree). We travelled with the current with a poler pushing us along.
The water was quiet shallow and crystal clear. Fish darted under us. Through some small rapids. It was so peaceful.
The bird life was great. Peacocks, Peahens, White-browed Wagtail,Green-billed Malkoha (Cockoo), Crested Serpent Eagle, Indian Spotted Eagle. Three different Kingfishers, Common, White Throated and Pied. And so many more.
Heaps of Muggers Crocs – the mean ones. Not as back as a Salty but mean A Rhino was up on the bank.
It was the most pleasant way to view animals. Amazing.
At the end of the boat ride we clambered out and went on a jungle walk. Beautiful. Monkeys and birds.
The trees were amazing. So tall and straight, Strangler Vines twited in intricate patterns.
There had been a burn off of Elephant Grass, that grown to 6 metres high, in the last few days. New shoots were already coming up.
The Elephant breeding facility where a heap of elephants live chained to a pole. At least they had a shade roof. When their babies were old enough, they move to the work camp and continued their life in captivity.
I just don’t understand how an endangered species, in fact one of the most endangered animals in the country, the Asian elephant, can still be used as a tractor. So much taken fron the gene pool as well as taking these animals from the wild.
I only went in to see Ronaldo – a wild bull elephant who was in the area. One of about five wild bulls that frequent the place. Named Ronaldo as of the 27 people he had killed, yes that correct, he has killed 27 people, most were killed by being kicked. He hung around stealing from the feed piles while people ran towards him throwing rocks. He didn’t care. He kept eating.
Saw a goat and a calf having a ‘fight’.
We then walked back across the river via another suspension bridge. This one was an Arch Bridge, with the hump going up.
Back for lunch.
Thursday 13th Feb, Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
The afternoon session was a jeep safari through the national paro. About a 50 km loop. We started on our side of the river and crossed in a dingy sized canoe with a guy poling again. Then into the jeep and off we went.
The afternoon session was a jeep safari through the national park. About a 50 km loop. We started on our side of the river and crossed in a dingy sized canoe with a guy poling again. Then into the jeep and off we went.
The park has Grasslands that are mainly elephant grass, and Sal forest. We drove around crossing many dodgy timber bridges.
There are four types of Deer in the park. We saw three – Spotted, Samba and the very shy Hog deer. A few of the Samba bucks were huge with towering racks.
So many lovely birds including heaps of Peacocks. Saw a peacock in flight. Very talented with its lack of aerodynamics with that tail. A Crested Serpent Eagle. I haven’t seen an upset one yet. When they are, they fluff up their crest all around their head.
We saw a few different troops of the black-faced langur monkeys, also known as the Hanuman langur. These guys were great fun. Leaping from tree to tree and throwing branches at each other. Yelling and having fun.
We also saw a huge troop of the Rhesus Macaques. They hung around near the rangers station. When we stopped to get out, our guide made sure we had everything with us. We then saw a few dive into different jeep, raid it and dash off with arms full of goodies.
We went and looked at the Crocodile Breeding facility. Gharial Crocs are highly endangered so they breed a release. It was great to get a close look at them. Their snout is sooooo long. Ridiculously long. But then the crocs are the longest of the Crocs. Up to 6 metres. The snout must be so fragile. They are very fussy eaters and only eat fish. Not tourists. It’s the muggers that do that. But only a few a year. I’d read that the males have a bulb on the end of their nose. Didn’t expect it to be as big as it was!
And then we saw a Sloth Bear. WOW! A termite eating bear. Dark and shaggy – with a 300mm long bushy tail. It looked very much like a Newfoundland dog as it ambled along. It stopped and stood up tall to sniff a tree. Amazing. Baloo from The Jungle Book is a Sloth Bear!
And a short while later we saw another walking across an open patch. Wow. How lucky!
Brilliant day.
And that was it for Chitwan. Tomorrow off to Kathmandu.
Friday 13th Feb, The road back to Kathmandu.
He headed off on the 145 km drive back to Kathmandu. We left at 8.30am and arrived at 4 pm.
This road is rated as one of the worst drives in the world. Not dangerous. Just bad. The potholes, the road works, the incomplete bridge. Almost funny.
But of course the sites out the window were great.
Towns. Farmland. Bridges. Dwelling on the side of this non stop highway. Buses that race each other to be able to say they are the fastest on that route. Crazy drivers.
And more washing hanging out in the dust and smoke. 1 meter off the road sucking in all the fumes.
Went past a cremation ceremony happening down on the river. This river flows into the Ganges so it is an important place.
Getting a load of sand had a different meaning here. Not phone up for a load, but take your dump truck into the river and fill it with sand, shovel at a time.
Low tech road crews. Amazing farmland with terraces on every slope.
At our rest stops I had a great Lemon, honey tea and later a fantastic Marsala Tea.
Back in Kathmandu we went out to a tiny hole in the wall place, with only one burner so our meals came out as each one was cooked. Staggered dining! I had some Buffalo but they forgot to mention it was stinking hot. Nearly took the top of my head off. Luckily they had cucumbers. I ate a plate of it. We drank “Hot Toddies” as one of the group had a cold.
Off to Bhutan in the morning.
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