Where We Be
| Selfie from atop an elephant |
| At the Elephant Breeding Center we watched a mom and her two babies chow down on dinner. Seeing the baby elephants up close was great, but we weren't big fans of the leg shackles. We did read that the elephants are able to graze freely in the jungle for part of each day. |
| We passed scenes of local village life, like these two oxen feeding from an enormous bale of hay |
| During our last day in Chitwan we took a 3 km stroll out to the Elephant Breeding Center, past astonishingly green fields |
| After the safari we bought a bunch of green bananas for 50 rupees as a reward for our elephant. Her eyes lit up and she reached out with her trunk, eating the whole bunch skin and all in one bite! |
| Our elephant tore into this downed tree, snapping off thick branches like they were twigs! |
| With some advance planning, you can sleep in this watchtower overnight |
| Five elephants crossed the river at once, drinking as they went |
| Robin loved every minute of it! |
| The elephants forded several rivers, stopping to drink along the way |
| Every once in awhile we'd enter a broad clearing. We saw a third rhino up close in this clearing. |
| Large portions of the safari were through jungle, where we saw several species of deer |
| This ability to get super close to wildlife without disturbing it is a big benefit of doing an elephant safari |
| Rhinos don't seem to "see" the people on top, just the elephant. That means you're able to get very close indeed. |
| Within minutes we came across a mother rhino and her youngster |
| The elephant handler uses his feet on the elephant's colorful ears to "steer" the elephant |
| So how do you get onto the back of an elephant? With the help of a wooden platform tower like this one. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Chitwan Park, Nepal -- Elephant Safari |
Time for one last Chitwan Park adventure -- an
elephant safari! We boarded our elephant from
a platform tower. Four passengers sat atop
each elephant plus the driver. Our home for
the next hour or so was a box-like container
with cushions. Thick blankets rested between
the box and the elephant. Ropes tied around
the elephant kept the box in place. Wooden
knobs stuck up that gave us something to grab
onto. Each person straddled a wooden knob,
feet dangling over the side. The elephant set
off with a lumbering, rolling gait. It wasn't
exactly comfy -- we found ourselves relieved
the safari was only expected to last 1½ hours!
Within the first few minutes we came upon two
rhinos very close at hand. It was a mother and
her youngster in a grassy meadow near the
entrance. Because we were on an elephant
they hardly reacted at all. They kept munching
grass and didn’t seem to mind when the
elephants walked right up to them. The rhinos
slowly ambled away, but with no sense of
urgency or concern. We saw a third rhino
towards the end of our safari and were able to
get so close Robin said, “It was almost under
me!” If she had jumped off the elephant she
could have landed on the rhino!
elephant safari! We boarded our elephant from
a platform tower. Four passengers sat atop
each elephant plus the driver. Our home for
the next hour or so was a box-like container
with cushions. Thick blankets rested between
the box and the elephant. Ropes tied around
the elephant kept the box in place. Wooden
knobs stuck up that gave us something to grab
onto. Each person straddled a wooden knob,
feet dangling over the side. The elephant set
off with a lumbering, rolling gait. It wasn't
exactly comfy -- we found ourselves relieved
the safari was only expected to last 1½ hours!
Within the first few minutes we came upon two
rhinos very close at hand. It was a mother and
her youngster in a grassy meadow near the
entrance. Because we were on an elephant
they hardly reacted at all. They kept munching
grass and didn’t seem to mind when the
elephants walked right up to them. The rhinos
slowly ambled away, but with no sense of
urgency or concern. We saw a third rhino
towards the end of our safari and were able to
get so close Robin said, “It was almost under
me!” If she had jumped off the elephant she
could have landed on the rhino!
