Rhinos, tiger scat, and sloth bear scare! Oh my!

5-7 January 2011

Within minutes of arriving on an island in the middle of the Narayani River in Chitwan National Park we were riding on an elephant in search of wildlife. While I was slightly disturbed by burdening this beautiful animal by riding on its back, I was quickly entranced by its graceful maneuvers and its alarming ability to snap arm-sized braches with a twist of its trunk. As we rode along at the level of the secondary canopy, we were able to closely examine the dense green jungle and its stands of 20 foot high elephant grass (Saccharum sp.). Rambling along seemingly nonexistent paths, we began to notice that our elephant took a particular glee in coiling thin vines around his trunk and pulling on them until large sections of the canopy came crashing down around us. He seemed a little disgruntled, like a 5 year old boy begging for someone to watch him jump off a swing set.

Luckily for us, one of the groups had spotted a one-horned rhino. The elephant handlers communicated in the forest with a series of loud shouts and suddenly we were traveling at full speed (and hanging on for dear life) towards a distant “cooeee”. We made it to where the rhino was in just a few minutes and came within just a few meters of where a rhino was quietly munching on a tree. The rhino was huge and its skin had the strange appearance of concrete. The one thing I especially liked about this half ton of animal was its adorable little ears. They looked soft, twitched with every small noise, and had a more delicate texture than the rest of the beast. So cute! After a few minutes of pure voyeurism the rhino escaped into the dense vegetation and was out of view --- I think our presence annoyed him. Happy to have seen such an awesome animal, we all headed back to camp.

At dinner that night we were surprised to find our Lukla-mate Geoff was amongst the 20 or so guests staying on the island. We were all trapped in Lukla together back in November when our flights were cancelled for bad weather. Geoff was smart enough to get out after just five days, while we lingered for eight. He had returned to Nepal after a month and a half to do some paragliding near Pokhara. What are the chances of that?

Over the next two days we spent a lot of time walking, driving, and riding elephants looking for wildlife. And while the forest was beautiful and I was particularly infatuated with the riparian forest (who needs tigers?)- we really didn’t see much. When our guide gave us our “jungle instructions” he became very nervous when he got to the part about the sloth bear. His leg began to involuntarily shake, his eyes got a little larger, and his voice haltingly exclaimed “the most dangerous animal of them all”. This made me giggle a little as we had been joking about the sloth bear since October (the Lonely Planet for Nepal claims that sloth bears attack humans because they “hate our faces”). Maybe there is some truth to that statement after all…

On our last morning we went for a nature walk and ran into two rhinos munching on the understory vegetation. We were only about 20 feet away and our guides hurried us away to a safer distance (we practically ran away). From a safe distance, we nervously watched as the rhinos grazed and hoped that they would not become aware of our presence. If a rhino charges you, you are supposed to run “jig jag” and try to climb a tree. If a rhino catches up to you and hits you, you would probably die. Being trampled to death by a rhino- now that’s a trip-ender!

On the seven hour bus ride back to Kathmandu we reminisced about our short stay in the jungle: three one-horned rhinos, fresh tiger prints, steaming tiger scat, gharial crocodiles, a large python, getting close and personal with a few elephants, and beautiful riparian forests. Not too bad.

We are now SE Asia bound, heading back to the humidity and some island time! Thailand here we come!

Continue Reading...

Trekking in the New Year

27-31 December 2010

Walking up the 3,000+ steps from Tikedhunga to Ghorepani a strangely familiar and uncommonly wonderful smell fills the air. Where is that coming from and what is it? After a few moments we soon realized that the understory of the evergreen oak forest is dotted with blooming Daphne shrubs. Both Rachel and I, consider this beautiful, winter-blooming genus one of our favorites. Trudging uphill we stopped over and over to breathe deeply and enjoy one of nature's most sublime aromas.

The trail starts from Nayapul, approximately 1.5 hours by Taxi from Pokhara and ascends relentlessly over the course of three days. We loaded our backpacks with sleeping bags, down jackets and warm clothing (it is winter here in Nepal too) and started out with an easy stroll along the Modi River. After a brief stop at a teahouse for lunch we reached the small picturesque town of Tikedhunga. From Tikedhunga the trail turns sharply skyward, a seemingly never-ending stone staircase consisting of somewhere between 3000 and 4000 (yikes!) stairs. Over the course of the first two days of the trek the trail gains nearly 6000 feet in elevation.

On night one we stopped in the small town of Ulleri, perched on a steep hillside with beautiful views of the massive mountains, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli (we had to work a lot harder for views like this on our Everest trek). From Ulleri, on day 2, we continued uphill past numerous waterfalls, breathing deeply and inhaling the beautiful scent of blooming Daphnes, arriving at Ghorepani (9200 feet) early in the afternoon. The views from Ghorepani and the adjacent Poon Hill are simply breathtaking. In a mountainous country where grand views verge on becoming common, the view from Poon Hill is special. Spanning from right to left Dhalaugiri (the world's 7th highest mountain), Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machhapuchhare (aka Fishtail Mountain), and countless other peaks are all visible. From the top of Poon Hill at sundown the very tip of Annapurna I (the world's 10th highest peak) burns in golden light.

From Ghorepani, on day three, the trail climbs steeply over 1300 feet to Deorali Pass. From there, a grand 360 degree view encompasses dozens of high Himalayan peaks and distant views of Nepal's southern plains (known as the Terai) extending toward the Indian border. After a long descent along raging streams and waterfalls draped with icicles in shady sections, the trail ascends sharply to Tadapani. As we settled into the Magnificent Lodge, perched on a hill above the town, we watched as the evening light softened on yet another, even more grand panorama of mountains. From Tadapani, views of Annapurna South and Fishtail Mountain (truly one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen) are unobstructed. The glorious orange alpenglow that graced these mountains that evening will forever be burned in our minds.

After a long cold night and majestic sunrise in Tadapani we descended through dense moss-draped oak and conifer forest to the picturesque town of Ghandruk. Along the way we watched as a large band of Himalayan langur monkeys crashed and bounded through the canopy. We settled into the splendid Gurung Cottage, and much to our delight were served a steaming pot of fresh roasted French press coffee (a nice change of pace from the trekkers diet of Nescafe). We went to bed to clear, starry skies, but were awoken on New Years Eve to dense clouds and mist. Huddling for warmth in bed, stirred by a commotion, we rushed outside to witness a large avalanche plummet down the face of Annapurna South. Fearing an unfavorable change in the weather we packed our bags and began the long descent back to the trailhead. We hailed a waiting taxi and made it to Pokhara just as the rain began to fall.

After a couple of days of rest we are ready to hit the road and complete our final week of travel in Nepal. After a brief stop in town of Bandipur we will head out on a wildlife safari in Chitwan National Park. Leopards, tigers, and sloth bears, oh my!

Continue Reading...