Our guide strongly suggested that we leave this morning at 7 rather than 9 because although the ride to Chitwan National Park, where we were to spend two nights is only 50 miles or so, it can take all day to get there. We quickly found out why: it’s not exactly a 7-lane freeway. It is the main route into India, and there are many large trucks and buses in addition to the usual cars and, for those particularly brave or foolish, motorbikes. So we left promptly at 7, opting for breakfast along with way. It was good to leave the frenetic pace of Kathmandu, but to say the road is not good is an understatement. If an accident were to happen, or if a truck broke down and blocked the way, or if a landslide were to happen, the road could close completely. The road took us over a mountain pass and down into a beautiful valley. We stopped at a roadside restaurant that was surprisingly good: a full buffet of Nepalese goodies and masala tea. After breakfast, we were back in our bus, which didn’t have the best shock absorbers but our driver was a real pro. Several times, it was unclear how we would get past two oncoming buses coming our way, or whether we’d be squeezed out by a local bus trying to pass on a blind curve. Many of the trucks had signs on the back, “Honk Please” or “Now is the time for love.” (more like now is the time for luck or divine intervention!) And we saw a few vehicles that had landed in a ditch. But somehow we made it, and within four hours.
Chitwan National Park is a huge place with jungles and rivers, and people flock there to ride elephant safaris and try to spot a tiger or two. We learn that it can be very hot and humid in the summer, but it’s a bit on the cold side when we arrive – and being December, it’s low season. We’re staying in one of the many lodges near the park border, the River View Lodge. When we arrive, the manager is waiting for us with welcome drinks and a description of the activities for the next two days. After lunch, there’s a village tour and a visit to the Elephant Breeding Center, where we can see baby elephants with their parents, including two recently born male twins. For tomorrow, there’s an elephant safari ride, and an optional four-hour jungle walk. The manager goes into great detail about how risky this jungle walk is, and about the time a Belgian tourist was gored by a raging rhino. He claimed you could “see his heart and lungs” and that his jaw was broken in five places – but he is OK now. Then our guide chimed in and said that one time, a very large woman broke her leg and it took five men to carry her out, then hours to transport her to the nearest “good” hospital in Kathmandu. But of course, they told us, it is up to you – we are only your guides, it is your decision. So I opted for the village tour and Elephant Breeding Center for today, which turned out to be quite enjoyable. After we returned to the hotel that evening, the manager took us down to the river so we could see a rhino (behind a protective wall) and Hoyt captured some great shots of him. After an early dinner, we were quite tired so it was time for another early turn-in.
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