Update: The last few days we've spent traveling from Nepal to India and in Darjeeling in the Himalayan mountains. Internet connection has been poor and thus we have not updated our blog. But we will be doing so now so please check back to see the latest updates. This post (23rd Oct) is new!
23rd October: We leave the lake side town of Pokhara this morning and make the drive to Chitwan National Park on the southern part of Nepal. The drive took a little over 4 hours as we headed away from the mountains to the north and made our way to the sub-tropical plains. Our bus pulled off the highway about 7 kms away from our lodge. Almost all of the accommodations around this area are outside the park except for 3 or 4. We were able to secure ourselves accommodation within the park itself.
We transfered all our luggage and ourselves onto 2 jeeps then drove towards the jungle passing by acres of paddy fields that were being harvested. As small villages disappeared from sight our surroundings turned to forest then jungle. About 25 minutes later we arrived at a river where a few men and canoes were awaiting our arrival. We boarded the canoes in small groups and crossed the river with the help of the boatmen. The river was fast flowing and added to the adventure of crossing it. Then loaded our bags onto 2 other jeeps that whisked us away to our lodge.
We were now truly in the jungle. With no fences around the lodge we were exposed to all the animals that lived in this region, from tigers to sloth bears to rhinoceros and more. The lodge is eco friendly and a lovely place. The cabins have no electricity and kerosene lamps are handed out at night. One truly gets the feel of living in the wild. Our first activity after lunch was to go on an elephant safari. Our 2-hour ride took us through various landscapes from forest to fields to dense jungles, river crossings and more. It was certainly the highlight for today and most of us got to see animals!
