Monday - Chitwan National Park - Elephants

Throughout the festival we have been looked after by young Kabin ("Kevin") and he arranged this whole trip for us. He had done a good job. Arriving at our lodge, we were greeted with a glass of cold juice and names taken for the park entry permits. After 30 minutes rest, the jeep reappeared with the guide, we piled in and headed off to the park entrance. The park is across the river, but on this side was the assembly point, with a dozen or so elephants all equipped with mahouts and a riding pad on the back.

Climbing up a little tower, 4 at a time, we got in, cameras and videos at the ready. Then it was off at an amble, rolling around with the elephant's gait and a risk of something akin to seasickness. First the elephants crossed the river, not very deep at this point and then moved into the jungle, with occasional nonchalant stops to snap a branch or tuft of long grass for a snack. Although I always knew it, the fact that elephants are hairy still surprised me, they have sparse but long spikey hair.

Through the trees, the jungle become more of a Savannah, with very long grasses, about the height of a man. Soon we saw our best sight, a pair of one-horned rhino, a male and a female. They became surrounded by elephants with snapping tourists on their backs and by now must have their images on Facebook, Piccassa, etc all round the world.

The trip was about an hour or so, we also saw deer and birds. Back at the starting point a soccer match had commenced in the elephant mounting field. This isn't much of a pitch, though it did have two standard regulation goal posts. The players, many in bare feet, then had to contend with bumps, returning elephants and a few cows who joined in for fun, too.

Back at the lodge we had supper - more dahl bhaat - and then a display of "stick dancing". Finally it was off to bed - an early start scheduled for the next day.