Jungle Adventures

Left on November 29 to go to Chitwan National Park. Chitwan is in south central Nepal and is a tropical jungle. Total switch from trekking and the big cities. Spent most of the day travelling to Saurhara the city by the park. Got there without issues and immediately felt relaxed. It was small and quiet. The accommodations were awesome and I had a comfortable bed. Crazy how the little things affect you. We went for a walk in the evening to the river. Immediately saw crocodiles lounging on the islands in the river. Watched the sun set and then visited an orphanage that Sarina had been to. Late supper and then off to bed. Very excited for the next couple of days here.
Got up late in the morning of the 30th and had a late breakfast in the

sun in the courtyard. Sat around until about noon chatting and warming our bodies in the sun. About 26 degrees which was about perfect. Decided to do a walking tour tomorrow and then Jeep safari the next day. Looking for tigers, rhinos, elephant, and all other jungle animals. Went walking to downtown Saurhara to check out the shops and town. Was a nice relaxing day. Ready now for some activity. Have had too many down days. Went to a restaurant for supper where we met up with some people I had met on the Everest trek. While we were there, a group started filming a music video. Was crazy and interesting watching the process. At one point it was just us and the film crew in the restaurant. Tried to get in as an extra, but old folks like me don’t make for good music video footage. Ended up being quite a late night for Sarina and I. She was once again fighting with the boyfriend and I was the consoler. Got back at midnight to find we were locked out of the guesthouse. Finally got let in when I started to climb a fence. Tomorrow is a 19 km walking jungle safari.

Can’t wait!
Got up a 6 to have breakfast. Found out that Sarina had been up vomiting all night. Bad food we think! She decided to go on the walk with us, but looked like hell. I thought this probably wasn’t a good idea but it was her choice. We started off taking a canoe 45 minutes down river. It was quite eerie as it was really foggy and we are floating down a crocodile infested river. Got off on a quiet river bank and started hiking through the jungle. The path was quite well trodden. In about a half hour we came across a rhino laying in the bush. So exciting to be that close to such a big animal. Moving on we ended up down by the river where we saw storks and crocodiles. Came across some tiger tracks in the mud. Just a reminder that they were around. Want to stay in the middle of the group in case! Our 2 guides have only sticks to ward off animals. They have told us what they want us to do in case of an encounter. None really that comforting. No one is allowed guns in the park except the rangers. Trekked all morning seeing a variety of birds, monkeys, lizards, and other assorted creatures. Very interesting place. Spent lunch eating cold fried rice with our hands by a stream in the jungle. Pretty cool! The afternoon was less adventurous as most animals are staying in shade or napping. Did see some rhinos later in the walk and lots of crocodiles lounging in the sun on the banks. Ended the day walking satisfied back to town. Great day for a hike. We were tired but happy. No tiger this time. Probably good because we were on foot. Sarina made it through the day. Just barely. Again an early night. Big day on the Jeep tomorrow. Happy Birthday Taylor on her 21 st.
Again an early start of the day. This time Sarina stayed back and the 4 of us headed out on an all day Jeep safari. Our hope was to see a tiger, but we knew the chances were very remote at best. Travelled for about a half hour and we caught a brief glimpse of two rhinos crossing the road. Was a good start to a day that I will not soon forget. We headed up the road and sat at an animal crossing waiting and hoping for animals to cross. After a half hour of not seeing anything we headed down the road. About 10 minutes later Doris spotted some orange on the road up ahead. OMG a tiger! We thought that brief glimpse was all we were going to see. We drove the Jeep up to where he went into the bush. The tiger had stopped about 25 feet into the bush and was standing sideways just looking at us. A full grown male tiger in the wild. We were just in awe as we stared. Only got 2 pictures before he ambled off. The smiles and joy on everyone’s faces said it all. The guide was happier than all. Could have gone home right then and been happy! Spent the rest of the day chasing around after rhinos, deer, wild boar, and hoping for another tiger. No more tigers but we saw 6 rhinos in all. Lots of wild boar, deer and others. We saw more animals than most do. Again lots of crocodiles. We stopped at a crocodile breeding place as well. That was very interesting. We arrived back at town so happy and satisfied. Had a sad night as Sarina and Doris are staying while

Tavis, Flo, and I head to Kathmandu. Sad to make such good friends and then just disappear into the mist. You hope you meet again, but expect not to. Chitwan was a magical place for me. Loved every minute of it and will miss my friends.