Navigating Nepal II: Welcome to the Jungle

A continuation from my “Navigating Nepal”, I (Ethan Stranger) will be talking about my recent trip to Nepal (both within Chitwan and Kathmandu) to my surprise, I was quite shocked at how much had changed since the last time I set foot on Nepali Ground (between 2015-2017). 1st thing that I and parents upon arriving in Nepal was taking a 7-hour drive from Kathmandu to Chitwan national park (which didn’t happen the last time we went to Chitwan, as we flew there), then the next day my parents and I began walking around the Tiger Tops sanctuary (Sign Picture: Top), where rescue elephants (Picture: Below) are given the best care of there lives, plus we get a chance to both feed and pet them (don’t worry, they’re quite friendly), but it doesn’t hurt to be a bit cautious, for elephants can be unpredictable.

The most exciting moments were whenever the rescuers would allow the elephants to wander down to the lake for a nice relaxing bath (Picture: Below) and where guests can sit down alongside the shore and enjoy the beautiful sunset, while also enjoying the elephants put on there own little “Splish-Splash of a show” (thus now, cue the music):

Now, remember, these elephants were rescued from organizations that use elephants to give tourists rides on their backs, which is animal cruelty (as the tourists who ride on the backs of elephants are unaware that they themselves are hurting the elephant's back), thus is why the Tiger Tops Sancuntary was made to give these elephants a chance to be free from that kind of cruelty, but there is still that business that does tours that involves elephant back-riding….

And now here are some pics (Center Below) of the elephants under the care of the Tiger Tops finests caregivers, see how they climb on the backs of elephants and clean them before they lead them to the lake for a bath (only the caregivers can ride the elephants, for the elephants themselves trust them).

There were also several other animals (Picture: Center Below) that I’ve seen, from (Left to Right), this lizard, this stray cat (that I nicknamed “Jungle Cat, J.C. for Short), and these Water Buffaloes (as well as several farm animals as Tiger Tops is near farmland)...

But perhaps the biggest surprise (while on a safari within Chitwan national park) was encountering so many Indian Rhinos (Picture: Center Below), I remember seeing Indian Rhinos the last time I was in Chitwan, but this time, I was experiencing Indian Rhinos extremely up close than ever before, no matter where the safari guide drove us throughout the park, we spotted a rhino after another rhino after another rhino (at least our so-called rhino experience didn’t end up being like what happened in 2017s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle):

Sadly no tigers (was really hoping for a tiger, as I didn’t have any the last time I was in Chitwan), all I found were some “Tiger Tracks”, but no luck, it was (as I mentioned before) Indian Rhino after Indian Rhino (one of the Indian Rhinos I’ve spotted looked so gloomy, I nicknamed it Eeyore), even at one point, I accidentally “snorted” (because of seasonal allergies) and Eeyore the Rhino briefly looked at us, but luckily, it didn’t charge at us, as the safari guide said that we weren’t in the Rhino’s actual territory…

On Wednesday (after spending several days within Chitwan), it took a 7-hour drive from Chitwan to Kathmandu, by the time we got to our hotel, I feel a bit car sick (felt feverish, my legs were cramped and felt extremely tired). Despite my condition (as well as the monsoon season), I was able to revisit several places within a country I once lived in for 2 years (read more about that experience within my Navigating Nepal) and if you ever go to Katmandu, check out the Chez Caroline Restaurant (can’t believe it still standing).

I also decided to take the opportunity of the time I had in Nepal to revisit the “KAT CENTRE (Picture: Bottom Right Corner)” (Read more about that experience within my “How to treat the World III: Day of the Dogs”), though that place really changed since the last time I was there, they moved a bit further from there the previous location and made the facility itself larger than it previously before and that’s a good thing, for I see a bright future for the KAT CENTRE, do hope they expand into Hyderabad…

(Check out the KAT Centre Website to see see what you can do to help)

https://katcentre.org/en/

(Check out this slideshow that I (Ethan Stranger) made a while back in 2016, Enjoy)

All I could say is that Katmandu really went through some changes, like how the grocery store (salesway) is completely gone (and even this butchery shop that sold ostrich meat), there was even some remodeling done across the area where we used to live (and even across the many places where we used to wander around Kathmandu), there was my old animation academy (Maya), not sure if it was closed for good or just closed for that week, there used to be another animation academy down the street from Maya (not sure if that academy is still open or not), there was this “Butchery shop that sold Warthog Meat”, that place looked new to me. Judging by so many changes that have happened from my previous time in Nepal, I wonder to myself if I wanted to live again in Nepal after seeing these major improvements (as I was living after the events of that earthquake of 2015), luckily I wasn’t present during the earthquake, but that disastrous event transforms Kathmandu’s living condition forced me to live in this harsh condition, thus making it look like “it was a jungle out there” (cue music):

All around wherever I went within Katmandu, I could see the people trying hard to rebuild their city after the earthquake (though it was done at a snail's pace), but it’s not so bad, plus it was nice not to see any beggars, swindlers nor fake tour guides over at the monkey temple (something that my parents and I had to deal with from the last time I was in Nepal), plus I got the chance to show my parents on where they shot my “Monkey Temple Scene” for 2016s Dr. Strange movie (that part didn’t make it into the final cut), though I do remember on how they shot certain scenes for the trailer, I was unable to revisit my famous cameo scene (Picture: Below Center), not even sure if that alleyway still exists anymore…

It’s a shame that my parents and I were unable to reunite with several people that we became good friends during our tiem in Nepal (like I was surprise on how our former nurse was still in Nepal), I could’ve reunited with my former Nepali friend (DIP) but again, we aren’t so much on speaking terms anymore, plus I was unable to find my friend’s (Mr. N.Oliver) sister (for she’s now living in Nepal, not sure on what she could be doing and I wish I got a chance to meet her, for I like to know on what’s her secret on hwo to “Survive in a forgein country without breaking down” (for she must be like “Silver Sable”, Picture: Bottom Right Center), she can read more about her in my “Every Cloud has a Silver Lining Story: The Silver Sable Story”, Plus I don’t even know if my Former High School Crush (Picture: Bottom Left Corner, read more about her within my High School Crushes: Preparing for Love) could ever survive a foregin Country like Kathmandu (even if you’re a marnier, Nepal ain’t like the USA), it’ll take more than just “saying Peace Out Kathmandu”, only the chosen can survive…