Elephants in the Terai...

The next morning I awoke to almost unbearable heat in my bedroom in Lumbini. Of course, being Nepal, the power had failed and the large fan was no longer spinning. It didn't necessarily matter however, as I would be leaving with the Irish boys for Chitwan National Park very shortly after. Or so I thought.

Sooner than I expected, It heard footsteps outside my door and John announcing that Hugh was "very ill". This immediately put a flaw in my anticipated journey to Chitwan, and was hindering my time with the precious elephants. After speaking to Bikram at VCD Nepal HQ, we decided to take Hugh to a cool room at a nearby hotel, and wait a couple of hours to see if he would feel better. After plying the boys with cool water and a Sprite for Hugh, I went off to occupy myself with breakfast and a book for a couple of hours. I am currently reading 'Little Princes' by Conor Grennan which is the most fantastic true story of one man's work to bring home families torn apart by child trafficking in Nepal.

Wildlife Adventure Resort - that is my straw hut perched on the bank

11am arrived and I went back to check on my responsibilities. Hugh had improved dramatically, but they all made the decision to stay in Lumbini for one extra night so as not to make anything worse. I ended up leaving for Chitwan in the car alone, as I needed to be there to return to Kathmandu the next morning on the Tourist Bus. The journey across the Terai was the hottest I have experienced, and unfortunately, outside the quaint, mud-hutted village of Sauraha, there is not much to see except for flat, sunburned grassland. Rounding a bend on the dirt tracks through the National Park, however, was my first glimpse of a beautiful elephant. It was at the other end of the road, and was proceeding to douse itself with cold water from a nearby tap in an effort to cool off. I was immediately excited.

The resort I was staying at is called Wildlife Adventure Resort. It can be found right on the river bank and quite isolated from anywhere else. Only the sounds of jungle animals, and the occasional splashing from the river disturbed the quiet of the resort. Had it not been so incredibly hot and humid, I would have enjoyed this serenity more. Unfortunately it was so warm that even sitting still could not control the buckets of sweat that I was enduring! After a failed attempt to eat lunch (consisting of boiling tomato soup, and very hot spaghetti, potatoes and veg), I clambered into the resort's jeep and sped off into the jungle to come face to face with my beloved elephants. The elephant park was full to bursting. Today was a good day.

Zana (the larger elephant), and her painted friend

Though I was stupidly hot at this point, not a lot could falter the enjoyment of riding my elephant (named Zanacotili). She was graceful, and full of personality - stopping occasionally to vocalise her disgust at the direction of choice by her rider. My right leg also suffered a drenching when she was allowed to trudge into a large pool of water to stay cool. Oblivious to her passengers, she went on to spray herself (and me) with the cold river water. Of course, I could not complain - I was on an elephant for heaven's sake! It always amazes me that a creature so huge can be so gentle. The Indian elephants in Chitwan move so slowly and carefully that it really makes you wonder how they could ever be considered dangerous. Saying this, though, Zana did decide to showcase her might at one point by pulling down a considerably large tree branch and standing on it to snap it. Pretty impressive.

Whilst on the elephant safari, all I saw were a few different species of deer. Once again, the rhinos that are (allegedly) so common on these rides had evaded me. By the time I returned to VCD Nepal HQ the next day in Kathmandu, all Bikram could do was laugh at the fact that I still had not seen any rhinos in Chitwan. Climbing out of the seating on top of Zana, I asked the little elephant rider if I could stroke her and take some photos - he happily obliged. Stroking her long trunk I could see her eyes slowly closing - I would like to think that she was enjoying the attention. I seemed to be the only one interested in actually petting the elephants, as many other people stood a great distance away from the animals and just had some quick holiday snaps taken. Of course, I also had my photo taken with Zana, but I spent longer stroking her soft trunk. I was determined make this moment last as long as possible. Eventually, I had to say goodbye to the beautiful creature, and hopped back into the jeep to return the resort.

That was it. I had come to Chitwan to see and fall in love with the elephants all over again, and with that completed, I was completely satisfied with my time in Chitwan. Facing the inordinate amount of bugs and spiders that I knew were lurking in my riverside hut, I retired to my bed, tucking in the mosquito net tightly around my mattress... I was not taking any chances. Nobody wants to wake up with a spider the size of a basketball on their face.

Mosquito bite count: 39