We were absolutely tired and enjoyed a lazy afternoon at Hotel Parkside. Meals were good and included as part of our deal. We ate a lovely lunch and then went and had a shower and freshen up before we walked down to the river to hopefully watch the sunset but there was too much cloud. It was great to have this relaxing time and company.
10th Dec
Breakfast with Bipin and he was surprised that for once I ate more than half of my meal. No chilli!this is where Bipin left us and we went on an elephant trek, hoping to see a one horse rhino. Sadly we didn't but we did find a footprint. It was misty and mysterious and we seemed like we were the only ones in this jungle area. Chitwan borders on India and there were army posts set up in strategic places. There is often prising, or poaching happening which has depleted the native animals in this area. We were on the back of the elephant for about 2 hours and saw many different birds, samba and spotted deer along with mongoose.
The elusive rhino foot print.
After our trek we went back to the hotel for Wayne to get changed into some clothes for washing the elephants. I decided, wisely, not to do this and was deemed the official photographer. It was fun to watch and Wayne seemed to enjoy the interaction. We were amazed at how gentle the elephants were. He sat on top of the elephant until the elephant was instructed to roll over and he became dunked in the water. We then went back to the hotel for a delightful non-spicy lunch.
I think the elephant is giving Wayne a bath!
Cuttng these toenails would be a mammoth task,
It was time for us to be driven down the road to have a ride on the river in a dugout canoe. They had already decided which canoe to use but changed their mind when they saw us. Too big for the small dugout the chose. It was lovely and calm being taken down the river watching the birds and the people working on the banks. We rounded a corner only to almost come face to face with a crocodile sunning on the bank. The paddler quickly moved us away but slowed to a stop so that we could take photos. Along this trip we also saw and heard a barking dear. Finally we had a short walk across to the hotel when our guide stopped and sniffed. There was a faint smell of a freshly dead animal. After looking around we found footprint of a tiger on the ground.
Our canoe is the biggest and fattes one. And we were the only passengers!
A family working along the riverbank.
The big crocodile sunbathing.
Fishing for the little fish for her dinner.
One of the many beautiful kingfishers we saw.
We were led to believe this was a tigers footprint.
11th Dec
Lazy start to this day - breakfast at 7, then a drive through the morning mist to the Elephant Breeding Centre. They have a number or elephants here and a lot of information about them. Fascinating. Some baby elephants as well as a pair of twins, which they tell us is very rare.
Wayne walking across the wooden bridge to the Elephant Breeding Centre.
The view from our hotel window.
Hotel Parkside entrance.
The rare twins.
On our way back I waylaid and found a spider web with dew on it.
This afternoon we were doing a jeep safari at 20000 Lake. Again we saw many varieties of kingfishers and other birds.We also saw a number of crocodiles. The reflections in the lake were magnificent.
That evening we were taken to a Cultural show. It was fascinating watching and listening to them dance, sing and perform.
A fire stick display.
10th Dec
Breakfast with Bipin and he was surprised that for once I ate more than half of my meal. No chilli!this is where Bipin left us and we went on an elephant trek, hoping to see a one horse rhino. Sadly we didn't but we did find a footprint. It was misty and mysterious and we seemed like we were the only ones in this jungle area. Chitwan borders on India and there were army posts set up in strategic places. There is often prising, or poaching happening which has depleted the native animals in this area. We were on the back of the elephant for about 2 hours and saw many different birds, samba and spotted deer along with mongoose.
After our trek we went back to the hotel for Wayne to get changed into some clothes for washing the elephants. I decided, wisely, not to do this and was deemed the official photographer. It was fun to watch and Wayne seemed to enjoy the interaction. We were amazed at how gentle the elephants were. He sat on top of the elephant until the elephant was instructed to roll over and he became dunked in the water. We then went back to the hotel for a delightful non-spicy lunch.
It was time for us to be driven down the road to have a ride on the river in a dugout canoe. They had already decided which canoe to use but changed their mind when they saw us. Too big for the small dugout the chose. It was lovely and calm being taken down the river watching the birds and the people working on the banks. We rounded a corner only to almost come face to face with a crocodile sunning on the bank. The paddler quickly moved us away but slowed to a stop so that we could take photos. Along this trip we also saw and heard a barking dear. Finally we had a short walk across to the hotel when our guide stopped and sniffed. There was a faint smell of a freshly dead animal. After looking around we found footprint of a tiger on the ground.
11th Dec
Lazy start to this day - breakfast at 7, then a drive through the morning mist to the Elephant Breeding Centre. They have a number or elephants here and a lot of information about them. Fascinating. Some baby elephants as well as a pair of twins, which they tell us is very rare.
This afternoon we were doing a jeep safari at 20000 Lake. Again we saw many varieties of kingfishers and other birds.We also saw a number of crocodiles. The reflections in the lake were magnificent.
That evening we were taken to a Cultural show. It was fascinating watching and listening to them dance, sing and perform.
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