Jungles and Mountains

The Python

Out of the dusty chaos of big city India our train arrived into the more rural West Bengal. Here we were met by our driver who was to take us to our lodgings outside J National Park.  Driving through leafy forests and lowland tea plantations we passed trucks bound for Bhutan, that mysterious mountain kingdom whose mountains rose from the planes just 20km to our right.  This is the part of India that pokes up into the Himalayas, between Bhutan and Nepal. Beyond the northern state of Sikkim is Tibet.

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The first afternoon safari we saw little, only a few peacocks and monkeys in the dense jungle. A storm was brewing, and most of the animals were tucked up in bed at home, evidentley. Still the forest was beautiful, lush, the trees lichen clad and sprouting epyphite ferns. It was good to be somewhere wild after so long in cities and towns.

The next morning we were more fortunate. This time transport was by elephant, providing a unique way to travel through the dense jungle and yet be high up to look out for wildlife. I also heard they would't let tourists walk through the park, for fear of one being eaten by a Bengal Tiger. Our first animal was not a tiger but a python, a huge python, coiled up beneath a log. I'm glad there was an elephant between us. Then across a stream, I spotted something huge and grey, it was a rhinocerous! It eyed us wearily before bounding into the scrub. Futher up the river some deers were drinking. Further on wild boars shot from view through the undergrowth to escape the elephants trample. Elephants are amazing animals, when my sunglasse were flicked from my face by a branch, our elephant was able to spot them in the leaf litter, and then pass them up to me with it's trunk. Such inteligence. That evening we saw bison on the savanah.

By our third day in West Bengal, it was time to ascend into the mountains. Climbing steeply on windy, earthquake damaged roads the palms gave way to fir trees and the faces became more Nepalese. At 1800m, high above the Neora Valley and on the edge of a national park was where we stayed. Our lovely little cabin was perched on a cliff, with soaring views across the deep valley. From here we went on walks into the hills.Our fury, four legged guides led the way, yapping at the odd cow or two that had wanderd into the park. The Nepalse food was amazing, and came in large quantities. Unfortunately I could not quite enjoy it, having been a bit ill for the past few days.