A busy day in the jungle today: another jeep safari in the morning, an elephant encounter mid day and a river boat trip in the afternoon. Unfortunately, that generated a whole ton of photos that, miracle of miracles, downloaded flawlessly while we slept.

There was a steady drizzle for the jeep ride but clear weather for the rest of the day.  But hot? I never saw a thermometer, but it must have been well north of 90 and humidity readings to match. The ride in the rain wasn’t quite as hot but when the sun came out you could fry an egg. . . Maybe poach an egg.

Animal wise, we encountered a mother jackle and her baby wandering down the road. I’d always thought of jackles as being fierce, but they looked like something you’d want to take home as a pet.

We saw another species of deer – the hog deer, so named because they like to crawl under things rather than jump over them. The big treat was to watch a male rhino first munch his lunch in an open area and then see him swim across the Rapti River. He actually waded since the river isn’t very deep. Did I mention that this river becomes the Ganges River when it crosses into India  

Later, back at our room, I looked out our window to see a rhino floating in the river, not going anywhere, just floating. Some say I’m crazy (multiple reasons are cited) but I swear it was floating on his back  Center of gravity issues may make it tough for a rhino to stay inverted but there was no question in my mind that the animal was there to chill, both thermally and relaxologically 

Someone asked our guide, Mehesh, what his favorite animal is. He said, “I really prefer birds.” His lifetime list is almost 1,000 species.

He’s another local boy made good. Mehesh was born, raised and educated here, went away to university, spent 11 years working in a tiger reserved in India and came back home to guide tourists in his boyhood playground.  Much of what he knows he learned from his father and older brothers as they spent time in the jungle.

Actually, we didn’t travel in Chitwan National Park – it won’t open for another week or two when the monsoon season has passed and things have dried out. Rather, we were in a buffer area surrounding the park that is a mixed use area. People are allowed to gather wood, pick fruit, etc. and animals are free to travel back and forth to the park per se. Hunting, of course, is strictly prohibited.
Mehesh is not married and, since he’s over 40 is unlikely to become so. All the women his age have been married off my anxious mothers by now.

You can see in the pictures what the elephant encounter entailed. Suffice it to say you needed to wear a bathing suit. We actually ran across the elephants in our jungle safari as they walked to our lodge. Riding elephants through the jungle as a tourist activity is no longer allowed. It’s too hard on the elephants and too dangerous to the handler and tourists. Judy and I did such a trip 10 years ago.

The canoe ride was a four o’clock affair. Very pleasant float down the river. We spotted the back side of a couple of crocks but I didn’t get the money shot: full monty crock with its mouth wide open. Maybe next time.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are gourmet affairs, delicious and varied. It’s a set menu and included in the room price. But last night all but a few opted for the Jeff Special pasta dish rather than the exotic fare.

So now it’s an afternoon flight back home to the Marriott in Kathmandu. Judy has a massage scheduled at nine and I’m going for archery practice I need the practice since I haven’t hefted a bow in anger for well over 50 years.