May 23, 2003 04:54 PM
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(Updated May 26, 2003 04:04 PM)
It was a bright sunny morning and as usual we were lazing in the cool shade of the water tank in the terrace of our hostel. Suddenly Kaushik came out with the familiar idea that it is time to pack our bags and travel somewhere. We had visited Shantiniketan four times in the last few months and the first word that came out from us was '' Oh no, not again''. Smiling mischievously Kaushik laid out a map and it had an image of the rhino on it. How about Royal Chitwan Park? And before we could say anything he picked up his Banjo and started singing a tune he had picked up from the local tribes at Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. And not before long we the FLMLB ( Father Less Mother Less Bohemians, that was what we three; Kaushik, Utpal and I were known as, in the campus because of our lifestyle) were ready. Things started to fall in place quickly mainly because all three of us by some stroke of luck had managed to accumulate some money.
So there we were in Katmandu on a bright sunny morning. The weather was pleasant and we were rearing to go for the jungle. It was our first trip outside India and we were in a frenzied mood. Nepal is known for the breathtaking views of the Himalayas but we were determined to explore the Gangetic flat lands of the Terai that stretches through out the southern part of Nepal. We took a bus and after a painful seven hours reached Tadi.
From Tadi you need to cover the six-kilometer distance to Sauraha on an ox cart or a rented jeep. If you have read so far, I guess you know what our choice was and there we were shouting at our top the voice scaring fellow tourists towards our dream destination.
Accommodation in Chitwan is quite expensive and all hotels and resorts located inside the National park come at a whopping price. You are treated royally though. You will love it if you have the money. But if you are looking for budget hotels opt for Sauraha, situated just outside the park. This is backpackers' haven and competition is so intense among the hotels that bargaining is very common.
We checked in at the Sauraha (Chitwan) - Park View Lodge. It is a decent place and comes at an affordable price. The view is not bad but compared to the luxurious resorts inside the park it is nothing. We didn't mind, though.
The Royal Chitwan National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site in 1984 and it really deserves that recognition.
The biggest star in the park is the one horned Asiatic rhino. The population came to a startling figure of 100 a few decades ago but through effective conservation efforts the recent count puts them at 400. There are three main vegetation types – open grasslands, riverine vegetation and hardwood forests. It is home to more than 400 species of birds and its inhabitants include include leopards, sloth bears, wild boar, deer, langur monkeys and the tiger. The river is full of gharial, marsh mugger crocodiles and freshwater dolphins.
We received all these information from the manager of our lodge and went to sleep brimming with excitement. The next morning Kaushik greeted us with his customary wake up call, a folk song. We were ready for action. Chitwan could be explored either on an elephant or by jeep safaris. We were the first to cue up for the tickets for the elephant (govt employees!!!) and were shortly joined by a group of Danish Ladies ( gosh you should have seen the smile on Utpal's face; he got busy with his Pentax while Kaushik never stopped singing from that point onwards). As we entered the ''elephant grass'' savannah we saw deers and wild boars. Shortly afterwards we saw something that made Utpal clicking like a maniac and Kaushik stop singing - we were a couple of feet away from a mother rhino and her cub and on the back drop the sun was rising. Sitting on a giant and looking into the eyes of a gorgeous beast I could not stop thinking - what have we done? We kill her because of the horn since it is supposed to be aphrodisiac, the dung laxative, the urine cures tuberculosis and asthma and the blood can help cure menstrual problems. And all these stupid ideas can snatch her away from us forever. I could never forget that moment the mother and the cub in their natural habitat, the mother cautious of the approaching elephant, the chirping of birds in the background. It was majestic. We didn't see the tiger and I was not at all disappointed.
You can take a jungle walk with the help of a guide or could go for a boat trip and catch the crocodiles and dolphins.
Over the next few days we repeated the boat ride and made endless walk along the periphery of the jungle and made a few friends at the neighboring Tharu villages. At night Kaushik entertained one and all with his music. Used to start with Bengali but then slowly moved to god know what Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams etc. Everything to impress - you know whom.
Dining: If you are staying inside in the park in one of the luxurious resorts you don't need to worry for food. All of them maintain good clean restaurants. For poor souls like us there are a few decent dining places in the main market place at Sauraha.
The best time to visit is between October through February, when the temperature averages 25 degrees Celsius. The months of March, April and June has the potential to fry you while it would be advisable to avoid visit July-September (the monsoon season).
We visited this place in 1996 and I have tried to give details as best as I could remember. We stayed there for three nights and it was an experience that we fondly cherish and never stop discussing whenever we manage to get together. I know that this review is meant to be on Nepal in general but this is basically the one place that I have visited and so… I hope you don't mind.
