Chitwan to Kathmandu Nepal
Monday 16th January 2006.
Early rise
This morning we were woken at 5:30am for a 6am departure. We didn’t have breakfast at the hotel but the staff packed a food box for each of us. It contained a cheese sandwich, a jam sandwich, two mandarins, two bananas and a fruit juice box.
We were not looking forward to being tossed about in the short wheel base Land Rover we were in yesterday. Five or more hours in that would have been very testing. We were delighted instead to have a Toyota Hi Lux mini bus which was far more comfortable. And it was heated, much to Jade’s delight on a cold, foggy morning.
Thick Fog
We set off at 6:30am at first light, not that there was much of that due to the very heavy fog. It was fairly certain that there would be no flights to Bharatpur today. It didn’t matter because we had no tickets anyway so we were destined to drive all the way the Kathmandu. Progress in the fog was slow for the first hour or so. The first few kilometres was dirt and terribly pot-holed. Added to those obstacles the driver had to dodge pedestrians, cyclists, motor bikes, carts, tractors, chickens, goats, ducks and numerous dogs. It was amazing just how much ‘traffic’ there was at such an early hour.
White Knuckle Driving
The first check point was unmanned. On the ‘main road’ to Kathmandu the going was smoother and the road was much wider – and sealed – with many pot holes. Now the driver had to contend with many slow moving trucks and buses, cars, motor bikes weaving all over the road and crazy wobbling cyclists with their bikes loaded up with grass, sometimes two metres high and two metres wide. Oh, I forgot about the pedestrians everywhere. Overtaking is hazardous here at the best of times and done with blaring horns and millimetres to spare. In thick fog it is downright suicidal. Often, oncoming vehicles just pull off the shoulder of the road to avoid collisions. And all of this is done at 60-80kph. I do not think that I had a true appreciation of the need for prayer when travelling until undertaking this journey!
Trouble in Nepal
Sunday 15th January 2006.
Bombings in Kathmandu
When we returned to the hotel we found out that the political situation had worsened overnight. There have been several bombings in Kathmandu and elsewhere and some police or soldiers have been killed. The manager informed me that I couldn’t stay as I had hoped. At 1pm he drove us to Bharatpur Airport but told us there were no flights today due to the fog. He went there to arrange for a driver to take us to Kathmandu. We drove through several army checkpoints along the way. The people are getting a little tense about the situation and the manager, although calm, seemed to be very cautious.
Another night at Chitwan
On arrival at the airport there were no drivers willing to take us to Kathmandu because of the trouble. The four hour drive had now slowed down to become at least six hours with long waits in an army checkpoint near the capital. Kane spoke on the phone to a Peregrine official in Kathmandu who really gave us no choice. There were no flights that day and no reservations for us in the coming days. Kane and Jade needed to be in Kathmandu the day after tomorrow (Tuesday) to catch their flight to India. Added to that there were no drivers willing to take us to the capital. We had to return to the Royal Park Hotel for another night, at Peregrine’s expense I might add.
Concerns
This situation concerns me but I am not worried. It has reinforced my decision not to try to get to Tansen. Bhairawa airport has also been fogged in and has been closed for several days. The fog does not look like disappearing; it is so calm. It would also be very risky trying to get to Tansen by road, not to mention expensive, if one could get a driver. Then there would be the difficulty of returning in time for my flight home. My only other options are to wait until Sunday in Kathmandu, or try to arrange an earlier flight home. I could even try to stay an extra night in Bangkok and even Melbourne on the way home.
Anything could happen
The manager has promised to take us to Bharatpur tomorrow morning, leaving at 6am. If there are no drivers there willing to take us, he will personally drive us there. The downside of this is the vehicle, an old short wheel base Land Rover. The road is very bumpy and the seats barely cushioned. Going early may avoid much of the traffic but not the pot holes, twists and turns. All through the drive this afternoon I kept watching out the back window. I expected to see one of our bags bouncing around on the road. They were just put on the pack rack on top with nothing holding them in place. A potential positive about driving to Kathmandu is the fact that, being tourists, we may be given a quick passage through any checkpoints – theoretically. In the current political climate this is only a theory. Anything could happen.
Rural Life in Nepal
Sunday 15th January 2006.
Rural Life southern Nepal
This morning we were up earlier. We were woken at 7am but I was up and showered by then. I had a good night’s sleep. I examined my feet this morning and they are recovering from the trek but rather slowly. Two of my small toes are still badly bruised and quite sore to touch.
Birding Walk
It was still very foggy this morning so I was not all that hopeful of adding many bird species to my list or even seeing any birds on our walk. Kamal took us on a short bird watching walk past where we had first had an elephant ride. Despite the fog I was able to see a few species.
Baby Elephant
Just past the National Park Information Centre we visited the elephants used for the rides in that part of the park. There was a baby elephant there and he wasn’t tied up. He was very friendly and very inquisitive and explored us all over with his trunk. I came home with elephant slobber all over the sleeve of my rainproof jacket.
Ox Cart Ride
After that we went on a two hour ox-cart ride through the countryside. Even though it was very foggy it gave us a close up view of subsistence farming and living. The people here have very basic homes with no windows because they are afraid of ghosts. The houses are wattle and daub style using local bamboo and mud. The families were huddled around open fires to cook and to keep warm.
Rural Life in Nepal
Every humble hovel has a dirt courtyard out the front or between the house and sheds. This is swept clean daily using an elephant grass broom. Despite their humble means they are obviously very house proud. I guess it would quickly become messy without this attention. Numerous ducks, geese, chickens, goats, cows, and oxen wander through or just hang around all day. And there are dogs and puppies and cats and kittens everywhere. It is also common to see elephants trundling down the street. The local street sweeper specialises in elephant droppings; these no doubt are utilised in his garden.
Museum Visit
Half way along the cart ride we stopped to visit a local museum dedicated to an understanding of the local people and their origins, culture and social structure. This was quite interesting.
School and Children’s Games
Along the way we saw many uniformed children heading off to a private school. Private schools are very expensive and only for the children of wealthy land owners. Only about 30% of children across Nepal go to school with a country wide literacy rate of about 27% according to our guide. I was amazed at how the children amused themselves with simple games. Some had spinning tops, some played simple games with a piece of string while others played more vigorous games kicking around a ball shaped bundle of grass. Shuttle cock also seemed quite popular.
Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Saturday 14th January 2006.
Royal Chitwan National Park:
I slept quite well last night although I needed to get up to go to the toilet several times. I didn’t think I had drunk that much late in the day. I woke at 7:30am, showered and dressed ready for breakfast at 8:15am. The rooms here are really good and are of a high standard. The beds are comfortable (especially when compared to those we endured on the trek) and the bathroom is decorated with marble tiles. According to the Lonely Planet Guide these rooms cost about US$20 (about A$28) per night so they are good value and very affordable. I have just asked the manager if it would be possible to extend my stay by an extra night.
Fog
There is a very real possibility that we could be fog bound tomorrow, necessitating a four and a half hour drive back to Kathmandu. There were no flights to Bharatpur today as there was heavy fog all day. It is now 6:15pm and the fog has come in very thick again. I am thinking now that it would be very risky to go to Tansen to visit the McArthurs as I might be stuck in Bhairawa and not be able to get back to Kathmandu on time for my flight home. I need to decide by 10am tomorrow. I would rather spend extra time here going bird-watching for a few extra days perhaps. Getting back to Kathmandu from here would be far easier than in Tansen or Bhairawa.
Another Elephant Ride
Today after breakfast we drove for 15 minutes to another section of the national park. We again had an hour and a half elephant ride through the park. During our elephant ride we again had great views of a rhino. We also saw Spotted Deer (chital) feeding its young and a brief glimpse of a Hog Deer. Later research shows that it might have been a Barking Deer. We also saw what I think were rhesus monkeys in the distance.
Birds of Chitwan NP
Because of the dull and foggy conditions we didn’t see or hear many birds while on the elephant ride but we did see another Indian Peafowl. We also had good views of a Red Jungle Fowl which is native to this area. The common chook is descended from this species. We also saw some Lesser Whistling Ducks and heard a few other birds. We didn’t dismount from the elephant where we had got on at the National Park Head quarters but continued on a back road towards the hotel. Along the way we passed some very basic living conditions in the local village. Many around here live in quite small mud and bamboo huts. I was able to get some good photos of life here as we went along. Eventually we went down the main street of Sauraha to the hotel, trying to duck under the electricity wires drooping over the road.
Birding
After a short break we had lunch and then we had an hour free, so I did some bird watching in the hotel grounds and along the nearby river bank. In the hotel grounds I identified Jungle Babblers, Black Bulbul and Yellow Billed Blue Magpie. These are all “lifers” for me. (The first time I’ve seen this species in my life, hence a “lifer”)
Canoe Ride
At 2:30pm we were driven in the hotel mini van up river for a dug out canoe ride downstream. The boat operator stood on the back gondolier style and guided the boat downstream with a long pole. The current was strong enough not to need any paddling. The journey took about half an hour and was definitely the birding highlight of the trip so far. Our guide Kamal is a keen birder and he pointed out all the different birds we saw. The list of “lifers†I saw is impressive:
Black Crowned Night Heron
White Throated Kingfisher
Sand Martin
Pond Heron
Fantailed Robin
Lesser Adjutant Stork
River Lapwing
Red Wattled Lapwing
White Tailed Stone Chat
Common Kingfisher
Stork Billed Kingfisher
Blue Bearded Bee-eater
White Bellied Drongo
Black Drongo
Lesser Coucal
Olive Backed Pipit
Tree Pipit
Indian Roller
Ruddy Shelduck
Mugger Crocodiles
We also saw several Mugger Crocodiles on the sand bars as we drifted along. I did a rough count in my notebook and over the last 24 hours I have seen here at Chitwan about 29 species for the first time. Wow! And a rough count for the whole trip has added about 40 new species for the trip. While this is good and quite exciting, it is still far short of my initial expectations. I have come to the conclusion that one needs to seek out dedicated birding sites and spend quite a few days with a bird specialist guide to get anywhere near a significant total in the hundreds. I just didn’t have the time on this journey. Maybe on the next trip to Nepal….
Elephant Breeding Centre
After the canoe trip we visited the Elephant Breeding Centre. We saw many trained elephants coming in from a day in the rainforest followed closely by about 8 or 9 baby elephants. I took many photos. It was sad to see the adult elephants being tied up for the night. They do this to prevent them from raiding the nearby crops, such as corn and rice. They would probably do quite a deal of damage if left to themselves. They have recently installed electric fences around the perimeter of the centre in an attempt to stop the wild bull elephants coming in and mating with the females. They can cause other problems as well.
Cultural Dancers
Before dinner we were treated to an hour of local cultural dancing in the grounds of the hotel. Most participants were male and they were accompanied by drummers. The dancers used sticks to beat the rhythm of the dance. One dance featured a traditional fire dance.
Traditional Nepali Food
Dinner was traditional Nepali food; rice and dhal bhaat, spicy chicken, spicy vegetables followed by fried banana. Yummy! After dinner Kane and Jade retired early while I spent some time talking to a Nepali man who was sitting with a German lady. A few minutes later I was joined by the hotel manager as I had requested of the waiter. I am thinking of staying an extra two nights and not going to Tansen at all. There is a general strike and demonstrations in Kathmandu on Monday. It will only cost me an extra US$20 per night and meals average about $6. That is far cheaper than in Kathmandu. I can also hire a guide to go birding for about $10 for three hours. That seems to be great value.
Elephant Ride
No Comments »13th January, 2006; Category: Animals, Birds, General, Himalayas, Kathmandu, Nepal, Photos
Friday 13th January 2006
Rural Nepal
The country in this southern part of Nepal is very flat which seems strange to say with all the huge mountains in the rest of the country. There are rice fields stretching from the road into the immediate distance. The standard of living seems very poor with many shanty style houses, yet there is an electrical supply to every little hovel no matter how humble, a many sport television antennae.
Royal Park Hotel, Chitwan
The standard of housing seemed to deteriorate as we moved further from the main road and closer to Chitwan. It was a pleasant surprise then to drive into the hotel grounds to find very pleasant grounds with rooms spread throughout the gardens. We took our bags to our rooms and then had a bowl of soup and some toast as a very late lunch at 3pm.
Elephant Ride
We then went off for an hour and a half elephant ride through the national park nearby. This took us across the Rapti River and through tall grasslands on the other side. The grass here is up to 3 metres high, higher than us on the elephant. We were delighted to have good views of a rhino for about five minutes. I took some great photographs.
Birding in Chitwan National Park
The bird watching was frustrating. An elephant’s back is not a good or stable platform but I did manage to identify Green Bee-eater, Red Wattled Lapwing, Baya Weaver and the Black Bulbul. Later in the ride we saw about five Spotted Deer (Chital) and a magnificent Indian Peafowl which is native to this area. On returning to the hotel we were treated to a cuppa and a plate of hot potato chips because we had missed out on lunch.
Nature Guide
At 6:15pm most of the Royal Park Hotel guests gathered in one section of the garden to watch a 30 minute slide show. This was presented by the resident hotel nature guide called Kamal. He was particularly knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the national park and specialised in birds, which pleased me. As it turned out he was our guide for the rest of our stay. He stated during his talk that there were still about 300 tigers in Nepal but only about 1% of visitors ever see one.
At dinner we spoke to another Peregrine guide who has been coming here regularly for 22 years and he had only ever seen two tigers in all that time, both on the same day. We had a long talk to him. He is here on holiday with his wife and daughter. Having worked for Peregrine Travel he knew both Dorgie and Ananta.