Travels in Nepal # 66 Ox Cart Ride
Ox cart ride in rural Nepal
After our fairly unsuccessful birding activities we walked a short distance to meet one of the local farmers. He had been organised to give us a two hour ox cart ride through the local farming areas. The fog was still quite thick and this did not make photography easy. In fact, I took very few photos on this morning. Despite the fog the journey through the farming area near Chitwan was very interesting.
The farms here a generally quite small and grow a variety of things, mainly vegetables. The farm houses are small and very basic when compared to what we are used to in Australia. Every farmyard seems to have a large collection of cattle, goats, dogs, ducks and chickens. We passed many of the women and children squatting around smoky fires in the farmyard.
Rural scene near Chitwan
Travels in Nepal # 65 An Early Morning Birding Walk
Baby elephant
Next morning we were up early to go on a birding walk straight after breakfast. When our guide found out I was really interested in birding he made this special arrangement for us. On this occasion I was rather doubtful whether we would actually see anything, let alone some birds. The foggy conditions had worsened over night and visibility was down to about thirty metres at best.
Soon after leaving the hotel grounds we visited the Royal Chitwan National Park headquarters where I did manage to see and identify several species of birds new to me. Actually, Kamal, our guide, identified them for me. I could barely see them in the fog.
A little distance on we visited another elephant enclosure complete with several baby elephants. While the mothers were still tied up the babies were free to roam. One of them took a liking to us and in his curiosity he sniffed all over us. My coat still had baby elephant slobber on it when it was washed back home several weeks later.
Jade, the woman shown in the photo, wanted to take this little elephant home to Darwin with her. They are rather endearing at this age, I must admit.
How does one smuggle a baby elephant back to Australia? In your trunk, of course.
Travels in Nepal # 64 Crossing the Rapti River
Canoe crossing on the Rapti River, Nepal
After our visit to the Elephant Breeding Centre at Chitwan National Park we had to cross the Rapti River in a dug out canoe. The river was relatively shallow at this point but the water was flowing quite quickly. The canoe operator had to use all his skills to get us across without too much drama.
As you can see in the photo above the evening was still quite foggy and misty. The setting sun over the river gave a lovely effect I think. At dusk that night we were treated to some traditional Nepalese dancing in the gardens of the hotel. This dancing was accompanied by some very enthusiastic drummers. After this cultural display we were treated to a traditional Nepalese meal in the dining room. This was rice and dhaal bart, spicy chicken and vegetables followed by fried banana. It was all delicious.
Elephant Breeding Centre, Nepal
Travels in Nepal # 63 Elephant Breeding Centre
Elephant Breeding Centre, Nepal
After our canoe ride on the river in Chitwan National Park we went on an hour’s visit to the Elephant Breeding Centre. This is a government run agency attempting to breed elephants. It is open to the public every day and while it is a little depressing to realise that the elephants are tied up at night the centre seems to have the right motives and methods.
Elephant Breeding Centre, Nepal
I am no expert on elephant breeding and my comments are merely a reflection of those made at the time by our guide for the afternoon. The elephants are tied up in an enclosure each night to stop them raiding the nearby farming land and doing immense damage to crops. The village and farming communities rely on their crops to eke out a meagre living. Their attitudes to the elephants would quickly change if they were allowed to rampage through the crops at random. There is a big enough problem with the occasional rogue rhinoceros raiding the crops. One rhino came through a nearby crop that night and we saw the damage next morning.
Travels in Nepal # 62 Canoe trip
Canoe ride on the Rapti River, Nepal
On the second afternoon during our stay at the Royal Chitwan National Park we were driven a short distance over a very rough track in a rather dilapidated old 4WD vehicle to an upstream section of the Rapti River. A canoe, together with a canoeist, was waiting for our small group to take a half hour trip down river.
The man operated the canoe with a long pole along the same principle of a gondolier. The river in this section was flowing quite rapidly and so he only had to guide it along. This section of my overseas trip was the best birding of the whole trip and it only lasted half an hour. I managed to add no less than 19 new species to my life list. (A ‘life list’ is a list of all the birds I have ever seen in my life.)
Our guide for the afternoon was Kamahl, also a keen birder. He was able to point out and name the birds we saw as we went along. My list would have been much smaller if he hadn’t helped me.
Although the trip was fantastic, there were a few problems. Too much, too quick and all too soon the boat trip was over. I had to juggle the following:
- Looking at the birds
- Looking at the scenery
- Looking at the field guide to identify the birds
- Taking photographs
- Using my binoculars
- Writing a list of birds seen in my notebook
- Trying to keep my balance in the canoe
- Trying not to be scared of the man-eating Mugger Crocodiles on the sand bars just metres away!