One collusal journey and one day later and we had made it to Nepal. Leaving Varansi at 9pm in the storms, a short walk through the flooded streets, a rickshaw ride through some more flooded streets, a night train, a jeep ride, another walk accross the border, a local bus, a 12 seater mini-van (with 27 of us including the 2 guys on the roof) and the back of a pick-up and at 7pm the following day we had arrived. In Sauraha, that is, on the border of the Royal Chitwan National Park. Herre we are to see some of the wildlife in monsoon time.

Our resort host was only too willing to organise some action packed days for us the the folling day still bleary eyed from the travelling we were up at 5.30 again to jump on an old dug-out canoe down the river bordering the park but no crocodiles were to be seen. After departing our canoe the two of us and the two guides started into the park for our jungle walk. Hopefull of seeing tigers and leopards we were told this was unlikely but probably thankfull due to the sole protection we had being entrusted into the big sticks carried by the guides! It didn't take long for them to pick up the trail of some rhino and we went crashing the paths into the dense undergrowth merely keeping up with them a problem let alone being quiet! Running off the path was, initially fun, then, depsite the boots and trousers, less fun when we realised we had been infested with leeches. Most of them got pulled off before they attached but i had a beauty on my leg and steve had a fat one on his stomach which after looked more like a bullet wound. After this we were constantly finding them and pulling them off. Our guides who were in bare feet had loads but were never phased by them. They even asked us to take off our boots and socks to go through some deep water - my reaction was they had to be kidding and I was more than willing to walk with a boot full of water than risk bare foot in the crazy place! Having said that we did get to see some other wildlife including boar, the 2nd largest deer in the world (more like a small horse), barking deer, monkeys, and 'wild' chicken.

The afternoon was then filled with an elphant safari, where, from high up on the back of an elephant we again crossed the large swollen river into the park - the water rising just over the elephants mouth and slightly more nerve racking when it stumbles trying to get out the other side half in the fast current, half on the steep muddy bank! The ride was excellent and the wildlife seemed less bothered about a herd of elephants than a couple of measly humans on foot. We got really close to some wild boar and deer. Our elephant man seemed intent on being clever and skipping to the front by just crashing straight through the foliage the elephant clearing the way with its trunk but leaving the high branches in our way for us to deal with. Our guide must have been out earlier and new there were some rhino in the area and tracked them down with relevant ease in the undergrowth then promptly used our elephant to flush them out into the open grassland by trumpting/growling/smashing it's head into trees. It worked and we got some magnificant views of the mother and (adolescent?) child.

We also visited then Elephant Breeding Centre here where they have a sucesfull program and an interesting set-up. It could be described as pretty much a w****-house. They keep only female elephants mostly chained up (although we were assured they were allowed out after breakfast) and the wild male elephants were allowed to come and just take their pick. We were lucky to get there at the time when a wild male was visiting and he had a little charge at the handlers cowering on the porch of their hut but he didn't get down to any business this time!

This has been a great start to Nepal and left us wondering why we didn't get here earlier. I also manged to smash my accommodation record again - now 45p for a bed for the night. I think it will take some beating.