We decided to take a weekend trip to Chitwan. It was our second attempt. Our first try resulted in us turning around after finding out there was a strike and people were burning buses. The drive wound us down steep, narrow mountains while trying to avoid colourfully decorated transport trucks along the way. There wasn’t much give on the road and a driver’s error of only a couple of feet could have had us toppling hundreds of meters to a rushing river.
Xavier and Asa completely unmoved by the danger of the ride.
Despite the danger, the drive was spectacular. The miles of waterfalls, rice fields, and terraced land was like a painting. The air was fresher and the natural beauty was awe inspiring. For about four hours we followed the long winding river nestled in the middle of the mountains. Then, all of a sudden, the mountains disappeared and we were in a dense jungle. The cool mountainous air disappeared and we soon became sticky and wet. We were greeted by black faced monkeys and we soon arrived at our resort.
Once we arrived at the resort we took a walk through the jungle with the kids. Our guide showed us leeches (which are abundant in Chitwan) and many signs of rhinos. He even showed us the kind of tree we need to climb in case we encounter one. Valuable information! In addition, we saw our first elephant of the trip. The kids were entranced.
We then dropped off the babies and the nannies at a crocodile infested river. They had to cross the river so they could get to the elephant breeding centre. While crossing the river, several grown elephants were following the canoe to bring food to the babies in the nursery.
Then, Axel, Heavah, Xavier and I made our way upstream so we could take a longer ride through the jungle in a dug-out canoe. I was a little worried about having a 4 and 5 year old on a canoe (especially Xavier-the boy with the wiggles) so I told them that all the flip flops (which were many) they saw in the river were from people who were eaten by crocodiles. I have never seen my children sit so still in all my life.
The ride was amazing. We were the only people on the entire river and we saw some spectacular wildlife. The children also knew they had to be quiet in order to not scare away any animals. The only noises we could hear were echoes of birds, monkeys, and elephants in the distance. We saw three kinds of kingfishers, who all had electric blue wings when they flew. We also saw three crocodiles (only the fish eating kind. There was also a kind of crocodile in the water called ‘man-eating crocodile’, but we didn’t get to see any) with their heads sticking above the water. However, the highlight was seeing the hornbill bird. It is unique to this area and it is becoming extinct. Many natives kill it for its beak, believing it has medicinal benefits. It was huge bird and it flew low enough that we could clearly see its hornbill sticking out. Even the guide said after working there for 20 years he had only seen a few. Axel took this picture while he was at the NY zoo last month. He said he always wanted to see one of these in the wild. His wish came true.
The ride ended where we dropped off the babies and we got to see the elephant nursery. This was where the local people breed and train the baby elephants for future work with the tourists. We bought cookies for them and one came right out of the pens to play with us. This one is only about two years old and we saw some as young at 20 days old. The babies were very cute.
When we returned to the resort we all collapsed because of the heat and humidity. Axel was exhausted and so were the kids. But, the guide asked if we wanted to go wash the elephants. We were all inclined not to go but we left the babies at home for a nap and went to the river. The kids and Axel were soooo happy they went! It was one of the highlights of the trip. The kids washed/swam/played with the elephants. They had a blast, and Axel even stayed up on the elephant longer than the trainer when the elephant tried to ‘buck’ them off. The kids were in love, and if it were possible I think they would have just stayed there all afternoon. Then we went home and I made sure the kids scrubbed down like they had just been exposed to radioactive waste (I have seen what those rivers look like upstream in Kathmandu...) and then napped.
That afternoon, the four of us got on our elephant and headed for the jungle to see what kind of wildlife we could see. What a surreal experience to be walking to the jungle in a line of about 10 elephants. It was so funny to see the elephants whack anything that came in their way. It didn’t matter what it was dogs, cows, or electrical wires. Those trunks have some serious force!
When we got into the jungle it was unbelieveable. It was a real jungle. The elephants divided up to look for the rhinos. Being higher than the ‘driver’ we got smacked with branches, sticks and spiderwebs but for the 2 and a half hours they were on the elephant, the kids didn’t complain for a second! They understood how extraordinary the experience was and the only thing Xavier kept saying was, “I can’t believe I am on an elephant!” Oddly the only complainer was Axel because he is terrified of spiders. So every 10 minutes or so I could hear him yelping and frantically trying to find where the spider from the web was on his body. I hate to admit it, but I laughed a bit.
Then the most magical thing happened. We came out of the dense forest to a grassy glen and there were six one horned rhinos eating grass and playing in the mud. I must admit I almost cried it was so beautiful. The kids were shocked too and we sat in silence just observing their every move. The rhinos weren’t at all afraid of the elephants and we got some great pictures. They looked so prehistoric and Xavier was amazed at how much they looked like a triceratops. I have seen them a hundred times in zoos, but for some reason seeing them in that glen was like seeing a rhino for the first time. It was amazing.
We then went looking for other wildlife. We saw two kinds of deer. A spotted one and a bigger one that was like an elk. Then we saw a jungle pig, which kind of just looked like a hairy pig living in the jungle, so I guess they named that one well. There were tons of trees dripping with orchids, most in bloom and lots of butterflies. Axel grabbed some kind of dendrobium from a tree just to say he collected one atop an elephant. And then we came home.
After we arrived back at the resort, we got to see the sun go down over the river. It was something Axel and I like to call a 'perfect moment in time'.
The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if we knew you were actually going to come visit us so we could do it all over again and have you in the pictures with us. Truly it was a time to remember!
