We are now towards the end of our trip and have travelled on to Chitwan in the south of Nepal. This morning we got up and were transported to an elephant sanctuary where we took a 1 hour jungle ride through the Royal Chitwan National Park on the back of the beautiful “Lakshmi”, a 35 year old Asian elephant, weighing in it at a mere 5000kg. Just several minutes in to this unique ride we came across a rhinoceros laying in the shade, It was enormous and chock-full of muscle but compared to the elephants it looked tiny. A bumpy hour later of wading through rivers, thick mud and occasionally trampling over trees we had seen various types of deer, wild boar, peacocks, kingfishers and crocodiles; what an amazing experience!! When we had finished our safari we fed Lakshmi bananas, which she took gently with gratitude, sucking them out of our hands with her trunk. After lunch I was dragged further out of my comfort zone than this trip had so far taken me as we boarded wooden canoes down a crocodile infested river. Looking back on it now I think I must have spent three quarters of the trip with my eyes closed and the times I had my eyes open, I was aware of every ripple on the water’s surface and every floating log, and praying that they would not be an eight foot reptile. But alas I survived! 

We are now currently sitting around the campfire eating hot chillis!! I am going to miss this place very