Chitwan Jeep Ride

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014 / wrightsolution / Leave a comment

Our big adventure for this part of the trip was to go out into the jungle on a jeep. I’d been warned that the safari part of this was limited. There are animals there, but its not like Africa with an abundance of wildlife. So we took the adventure as a jungle trip, rather than a safari, as the experience of just being out there in nature is a special one. So first thing in the misty morning, as the first part of our adventure, we headed down to the Rapti river, which forms the boundary of Chitwan National Park. Its shallow and fast, and the only way to get across and stay dry (sort of) is by hollowed-out canoes. These are less than stable…I really thought I was going in!

Canoes made from hollowed out logs, ready to take us across

Rapti river

Heading out in the jeep

From the opposite bank, we walked to our jeep, and then drove dirt trails into the jungle. In the early morning, the birds were really active and you could see kingfishers and all sorts of colorful and beautiful birds. It was hard to capture them on film without a fantastic camera lens, but wonderful to be there and listen to them sing anyway. When we saw the first peacock, we reached for our cameras and he flew into a tree. Here is my best shot:

Peacock!

Later peacocks kept showing up everywhere. It was mating season, and the males were strutting around. By the end of the day, we were saying “oh that’s just a peacock” and recognizing their cries. Hard to believe that we got used to such a spectacular bird, so they seemed common like pigeons! As it got warmer, the mist lifted and the terrain changed. I loved how different areas of the jungle had their own feel. My favourite was the open grasslands and the cotton silk trees: the beautiful reed-like grasses and the angular, vaguely oriental feel of the trees were stunning. Add to this the imagination of what may be hiding in the grasses, and our eyes were set ahead, frantically scanning the view.

the beautiful silk cotton trees

elephant grass

We stopped at one of several viewing platforms to take a breakfast break. The rickety platform did give us more elevation to see around, but unfortunately no animals interrupted our meal.

Our rickety viewing platform. Note missing step!

Termite nest. Apparently these make tasty treats for sloth bears. You could see claw mark-scratched holes around some of them…made by sloth bears looking for a snack.

So what did we see that day? No tigers, unfortunately. They are now considered the prime wildlife sighting because they are so rare. There’s only about 200 Bengal tigers left in the park. But, fortunately, there’s now a concerted effort to stop poaching and track the surviving tigers. Hopefully, their numbers will slowly start to increase. We saw lots of beautiful birds, countless peacocks, monkeys, deer, boars, alligators, cranes and wild ducks, a rhino and — most significantly of all — a black sloth bear. A large, male actually. They are considered the most dangerous and unpredictable of all wildlife in Chitwan. He was actually frightened by us and ran along the horizon, trying to find a way to cross our path. He finally darted across our trail, but too fast for me to catch a shot. Maybe next time.

Review of Sapana Village Lodge, Sauraha

January 17, 2014October 13, 2014 / wrightsolution / 5 Comments

One of the 4-unit hotel buildings

Our arrival at the lodge didn’t get off to the best start. The resort was full and our names weren’t on the arrival list. But the manager somehow managed to find us rooms anyway. It was the start of a really different level of friendly service that I hadn’t seen anywhere since the Philippines.

They had great covered decks outside of every room. The chair was comfortable and the view was great.

I have to say, Sapana Village Lodge is really my kind of place. It was pretty and designed with thought and care, but it wasn’t too fancy which made it more charismatic and welcoming in my opinion. There were balconies outside the rooms with views, and places to sit in the shade and read…pillows and footrests.. There was a really chilled out bar area with giant floor cushions where you could just hang with a cup of coffee or something a bit stronger. I loved the large deck overlooking the jungle and the river. I could have hung out around the resort all day reading, except that I had to get the elephant bug out of my system….and I had to go ride in a canoe…..But now that I have experienced those, if we are lucky enough to come back, it will be to chill out, read, and just enjoy the countryside and friendly atmosphere for a few days.

The ultra chilled lounge. Just hanging out next to the jungle and river! This is where we spent new years eve in the dark, sitting next to a fire pit.

The rooms were pretty nice too. The bedspreads were made locally by a fair trade organization. We liked them so much we bought our niece one!

“Development Project for Poverty Alleviation” Not only was it a wonderful, friendly place to stay but it was run as a community project for the benefit of locals.

The lodge store had handicrafts made by locals from local materials. As we sat drinking our tea, we could watch people collecting the reeds from the river to make the baskets. 50 meters away was the elephant barn, and in the little shop they sold notebooks made from elephant dung. (Which are actually very nice…. The elephants actually do most of the work making pulp out of straw for the paper making if you think about it that way!) There was a constant connection between the resort and its surroundings…their elephants footprints were definitely bigger than their carbon footprints!

They had a culture of friendliness and interest in the guests that was unusual too. The service ethic was there, but sometimes a waiter would come over and talk just to get to know you, or ask about your experience in Chitwan. It was very engaging and yet laid back at the same time. I started my Christmas plans in October and initially booked Tiger Tops Resort, as everyone told me that it was the best, the most romantic, and well worth the very high price they charge . However, I’m really glad we changed our plans. I’m sure Tiger Tops has a lot going for it, but Sapana Village Lodge was excellent, friendly and very good value for money. I highly recommend it and am already working on ways to get us back for a few days!

Chitwan New Years 2013

January 15, 2014January 15, 2014 / wrightsolution / 2 Comments

The pretty bar area where we saw in the New Year

We had a slightly chilly, very chilled New Years Eve, camped outside in front of a roaring fire in Chitwan. It’s funny because December 31 was just a date while I was figuring out our roadtrip schedule and what exactly we would do wasn’t really discussed. As it transpired, the resort laid out a decent New Years Eve meal for everyone, and organized some local Tharu cultural entertainment and a Nepali three piece band who sang a mixture of Nepali folk songs and The Doors. Unlikely I know but, hey, it worked! It was simply done, easy to listen to and fun.

As the sun started to go down, we settled onto the wide outside sofas next to a newly roaring fire, sipping tea (or beer) and chatting with our Dutch neighbors. It gets pretty nippy in Chitwan, in December, after dusk….so we bundled up and fed the fire. We had all had a day full of adventures and our fill of elephant experiences, so there were lots of stories to share.

Outside deck of the restaurant and watching the sun go down over the river

Watching traditional Tharu stick dancing

Early evening. Lighting the bonfire for New Years Eve. It was too dark and chilly to try and take photos later. But we huddle up here for the evening, sharing stories.

Sitting around listening to the music, and feeding the smoky fire, it felt more like someone’s backyard party than a hotel and I liked it that way. If I wanted another drink, I could ask for it, but no one pushed drinks or bothered us. The waiters got up and danced with the Dutch medics who had shown up for their annual childrens health care clinic, and the party took off…. I’m sure the kids would probably have liked a more of a young persons New Years party, with more people their own age, but they didn’t complain and seemed to be full of so many new images from the day that it didn’t matter.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the last New Years we spent in Siquijor in the Philippines. There we had strolled barefoot on the beach, here we were bundled in front of a firepit. In Siquijor there had been a flashy floor show, big buffet and champagne. Here we sipped tea and shared a bottle of wine. And yet, some how they were similar: both years we looked ahead to the New Year in a beautiful, remote place, some how still with family, but in a culture that wasn’t our own. Isn’t that the best way to travel? Happy 2014!