Elephant Feeding & Tharu Village - Chitwan, Nepal - Day 4

Saturday October 25, 2025

After breakfast we met with 2 elephants and their mahouts. First, we fed them and then they showed us various things the elephants had been taught. As a tip to the mahouts, we handed the elephant money which they didn’t eat and handed it to the handlers. They showed us if they dropped their sticks the elephants would pick them up for them. The same with the mats they sat on. They showed us how they got on and off the elephants.

Kamal showing us what to feed them

Namaste

showing how they get down

getting back up

They walked behind us on our way to the village visit. Bhim, our driver wanted a photo with us and of course Kamal wanted one too.

Bhim

Kamal

leaving the resort grounds for the village walk

The families were proud to show off their homes and animals and were gracious to invite us into their homes. The first house and farm we visited had baby goats that could barely stand and still had their umbilical cords. 

she was proud to show her baby

mother with 2 kids

trying to get up

almost...

he made it!

hey, don't you want to get up too

I can do it!

she invited us into her kitchen

outhouse

we continued to the next house

bedroom

in the back of their house were their animals

water buffalo & a couple of hogs

their bedroom

outhouses

Our next visit had an outside shower with a meter. The two houses share the kitchen, water and outdoor toilets. The mother lives in one house and the daughter in the other. Unusually the wife moves to where her husband lives, but her husband moved from his home to be with her. He was from a different village and she didn't want to leave her home.

their shower

Kamal showing us their water meter as they were connected to the village water

their birds

"7-11" neighborhood store

public water pump

outdoor kitchen

the guy that owns the store also had a small restaurant

she wanted her photo taken, then she got shy

garden

on the wall of their house

chickens

these two little cuties really wanted their photos taken

the girls' family invited us into their home

kitchen

adding another room to their homes with elephant grass covered with dung mud

grandma with her grandson

blurry photo of a Hoopoe in a distant field

continuing on our walk

the guide said the nicer homes were the owners of many houses that families lived in

planting sprouted potatoes

bowls made from leaves

One woman had a washing machine that her husband that works in Dubai bought her. She was so proud of it. She had her arm in a cast, and he said she needed one to wash their clothes. It was outside their back door.

Her 2 little girls would not stop hugging me. Their grandma was my age 72 and she also wouldn't let go of me. She wanted to see their photos, and we sent them to Kamal to send to them or post on her Facebook page. Yes, she has a Facebook page. They just kept hugging me and touching my hair and skin. They said I was soft. I don't think they see many Western tourists.

their home

the 2 grandmas

tiger right before the airport - just rubbing it in that we didn't see one

We had a 2:15 flight to Kathmandu and we were escorted to the VIP lounge.

in the "VIP airport lounge"

We learned that the guide has 3 grown children. One works in Dubai, one an ophthalmologist working in a hospital, and the son is getting a degree in agricultural science. His guiding has enabled him to afford college for them.

We didn't see any tigers, but it was still an amazing experience. The guide did his best but it’s up to the tigers to be found. 

I think I mentioned the odd sized wide bed with the double sheets and comforters, but the pillows were an issue for my occipital neuralgia. They were fat and hard, so the first night I used the fluffy bath towel which worked well enough. The second night the towels were thin hard like I was sleeping on a brick. The third night the towels were too thin and rough, so I used my blowup travel pillow with a smaller towel in the gaps and that worked well enough as well. 

I got an email from customer support with Highlights travel and they issued refunds for missed things in Tibet and wanted to treat us to a special farewell dinner for issues. 

When we went to check into the Marriott, we didn't have the same great experience as the first time.  The young lady that checked us in was useless. She finally got us checked in but struggled to understand that we needed to order breakfast boxes as we had a 4:00 in the morning pick up. at hotel checking in and ordering a boxed breakfast for the early start in the morning. 

Tom and Cathy opted out of the dinner. We had several phone calls from the lady as we were trying to shower and get ready. One phone call came after she had seen them eating at the hotel restaurant and asked us if it would be easier if we just had our farewell dinner at the hotel and they would pick up the tab for the four of us. We agreed that would be great. Greg and I ordered the Chicken curry that was so good. 

Early to bed since we had such an early start tomorrow to fly to Bhutan.

magnet

Chitwan Day 4 https://photos.app.goo.gl/LFxLUy5ihaMkhfTU6