Safari in Chitwan.

I thought he was joking when the elephant driver looked back and said "okay, now you drive elephant." I jokingly replied with a laugh "okay, sure." I was a bit shocked when he handed me his stick and jumped off the the animal. I hesitantly crawled out of the safety of the basket strapped to the back of the elephant over to sit on her massive head and carefully straddled her neck. The feeling you get when you mount the largest land mammal on earth is not an easy one. The idea that I might control this beast was beyond me, and looking down the 10 or so feet below, I dug my heels into its neck and hung on tightly. She took her first step and her huge shoulder bones pushed up into my buttocks pushing me way off balance. I simply held on tight trying my best not to hurt the creature below me.

Al and I began our safari at Chitwan National Park by exploring the villages of the Tharu people, the tribal peoples that inhabit the terrai region of Nepal. The people here have retained a culture that goes back thousands of years that is tied to the jungles and grass lands that are found here. Agriculture and fishing is the areas main use, the landscape could not be more different from what I have previously seen in Nepal. It amazed me that the country that is home to the worlds largest mountains is also home to this vast flatland of jungle and grass. Most of of the countries crops are produced here in the rich soil and warm weather. We walked through the village watching the people live a simple life in huts made out of mud and grass, happily harvesting crops and chopping wood. Elephants would pass by every now and again with a driver and a load of wood. We came to the Narayani river and watched the sunset over the vast grasslands.

We woke the following morning at sunrise to begin our canoe ride down the Narayani river in hopes to spy some Crocodiles or rare bird species. We were joined by a very nice couple from Bangladesh. The air was cold in the early morning though the water was extremely warm. The water was quiet and many species of birds were seen on the banks of the river. The ferryman whispered something I didn't understand, everyone on the boat gasped, and I was disappointed to find out that a crock surfaced next to the canoe and I was looking in the other direction.

We landed the canoe on a remote bank down the river and disembarked. The Bangladeshi couple looked a little nervous when the canoe pushed away and started back without us. We turned to only see a wall of jungle in front of us. We stepped up the bank and into the wild, following our guide. A few meters into the jungle our guide stopped and turned. "There are few risks on walking safari. If you see rhino, run in zig zag. If you see bear, make some noise. If you see Tiger, pray." This statement was a little disheartening, and our safety seemed a little unsure when our guide presented us with his only means of protection, a four foot long stick. The walk was very exciting, first through thick jungle and then through the tall grasslands. Our guide was very knowledgeable in tracks and signs. He pointed out several rhino and deer tracks and scat, and we found a tree full of claw marks. "This is how tiger marks his territory."

We didn't come face to face with any deadly creatures, though we were startled a few times hearing loud rumbles in the grasses, never really knowing what was out there. The real adventure began after the walk when we finished our walk and climbed onto the back of a full grown Asian elephant. From an elephant is the only real safe way to see rhinos, as the rhinos will not be aggressive to the massive creature, and are generally not concerned with their presence. Our elephant stomped its way through the jungle our driver at the head, hoping to find some of the parks 350+ black rhinos. The driver moved us to an area where he heard some noise and sure enough we were lucky to spot two full grown rhinos. They were unfazed by us and went about foraging for food, and one took the biggest bathroom break I have ever witnessed. We watched them for a few moments and let them be. On the remainder of the safari we spotted several types of deer, but didn't come across any tigers. As it got later, we turned to go back to our lodge for the night. It was then that our driver jumped off handing the wheel to me.