The Jungle

After the Everest experience, we headed to the jungle for a few days. We went to Chitwan National Park, a few hours southwest of Kathmandu. We stayed on an Island in the park, it was reminiscent of going to camp as a kid. There were organized jungle activities, set times for meals and rooms lit after 9pm only by kerosene lamps. Each day, they had 'elephant bathing'. This means, they take the elephants to the river and the tourists attempt to climb on the elephants, but usually get violently shaken off. Surprisingly, elephants do not seem to like having their ears grabbed. One guy lost his pants in the process of trying to mount the elephant and instead of pulling them up, chose to persist and let it all hang out. In an attempt to save his friend from further embarrassment by showing his ass to everyone, his buddy jumped on the elephant behind him. As his pants were still down, that was even more awkward for the group. Athanasia joined in the fun. The elephant showed his admiration for Greeks by not violently throwing Sia into the water.

On our first jungle tour we learned what to do if we encounter the following animals:

• Rhino: hide behind a tree; climb the tree (the trees have no branches in Chitwan, so I 'm not sure how that is possible); run in a zig zag pattern (apparently, a rhino can only run straight); or hit the Rhino on his bottom lip with a stick.
• Tiger: everyone should stare the tiger down. Per our guide, who was dressed in a zoo uniform, this lets the Tiger know we have the upper hand and that he is no longer king of his jungle. Also, one should not point at a tiger, as the tiger will think it is a rifle and counterattack. I have a hard time believing a tiger has started down the barrel of a rifle and lived to understand the potential consequences of not attacking.
• Sloth bear: Clap you hands and sing.

On that jungle walk we saw sloth bear poop, a rhino hoof print, a tiger paw print, and a grasshopper. Things were not looking good for us. On the second day, we took an elephant ride through the jungle and spotted a Rhino. We tracked it for a while, getting glimpses here and there. It was pretty cool. The jungle safari trip was saved.