Chitwan National Park, Tharu Cultural Show – Chitwan, Nepal – Day 2

Thursday October 23

One of the fun things every day was driving through the village to get to the National Park. Adults and kids alike waved at us and seemed excited to see tourists. One kid waved as we drove past saying “bye-bye, baby”. (perhaps learned a phrase from TV?) Greg and I cracked up.

It was a misty morning and viewing was interesting, but it did add to the ambiance.

Since it was a full day game drive we had a packed lunch. While we had a break earlier at a spot that would have been a perfect place to have a picnic with benches, we later had our lunch at a viewing tower where we had to sit on the floor or stand. The driver brought up the padding from the seats in the back row, but still not comfortable so we all stood. The packed lunches were always the same with way more food than needed, but if you didn't like something there was plenty to choose from. There was always a piece of chicken (hard to eat) a couple of large samosas (my favorite) fruit & juices and maybe a sandwich. I don't really remember what all was in there. It wasn't refrigerated so that was a concern. 

Since there were no restrooms, we just let Kamal know when we had to “mark our territory”. Bhim would get out and check the area (and behind the vehicle was always a good place) to make sure it was safe.

Today we saw more Wild Boars, many Spotted Deer, many birds and again lots of Rhinos. The most interesting thing we saw today was a Rhino in the water with a young crocodile on his back. Not sure how it got up there or if the Rhino was under water and happened to come up as the croc swam over him, but it was quite a site. The guide said he’d never seen anything like that. It was hard to get photos of it, and it would have startled them if we started up the jeep and tried to get a better angle. Mainly, it was tall grass in the way but of course the position of the vehicle could have been better.

Of course, we were always on the lookout for tigers in the Katan, Bhaluwahi, and Jarneli areas. We circled a particular area as they saw signs that one had been there earlier. We did come across some tracks, and we got out and the guide showed us how to measure the tigers’ paw prints to determine how large the tiger was. That was the closest thing to seeing a tiger that we got.

our room was a half of this duplex

Blue-throated Barbet

driving through the village

Lesser Adjutant

Lesser Adjutants

entering the park

Bhim signing us in

Muscovy Ducks

people bathing in the river - we saw this every day, people bathing in whatever water was available

Tiger paw print circled

Kamal & Greg measuring the print

at a distance is a mother rhino and her young one

zoomed in

Bhim rattled a branch that startled them

Red-headed Vulture

small croc on the island

our jeep

small crock on the rhino's back

"long-nosed croc" - Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) - critically endangered

Oriental Darter

wild boar

white-spotted deer

monkeys and deer are often seen together for protection from the tigers - they alert each other

Black Drongo

Woodpecker (?)

our lunch spot - I assume it was chosen since Tigers can be seen down by the water

White-rumped Vulture

the Nepal Army's use trained elephants for anti-poaching patrols and security within Chitwan National Park

both front legs were chained

We later took a canoe ride where the driver met us at the end to go back to the lodge.

River Lapwing

2 "long-nosed" crocodiles on an island

boat driver

water buffalo in the road in front of our vehicle

Before dinner there was a Tharu Culture show. The Tharu are the people that live in the village that we drive through.

With Diwali in full swing every night at the lodge we could hear music and fireworks. We really couldn’t hear it well in the bedroom, but in the bathroom, it was pretty loud. Not complaining, it was fun to experience it.

Tomorrow, Kamal said we would try a different area in the park. Still hoping to see a tiger....

Chitwan Day 2 https://photos.app.goo.gl/5f8Uu1KX9QzeFcqz8