Kathmandu & Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge Bardia National Park

My final evening was spent with Miguel in Kathmandu. Fernando was out on the town with Miss Argentina. Thank heavens the unstoppable sex machine from South America had finally managed to get his leg over. I think his mattress was in for a good seeing too if the lady he'd picked up hadn't gotten between the hard to lie on object..... and the mattress.....

Miguel took me to a tiny little local place. Tiny! Two tables. He brought along with him Lumas, a local Nepali aged 28. I really nice guy. Miguel ordered chilli buffalo chunks for us all, along with two tumbahs. Tumbah as it turns out is a fermented millet drink. The best comparison of smell would be if you've ever left an open tin of sweetcorn in the fridge and then forgotten about it for a couple of weeks. If not try it. The smell is identical. I also think if you swigged the water from the bottom of the fermenting sweetcorn it would taste the same (for all you fishermen out there, it smells like off hempseed, and it looks like it too.). It's served in a large wooden mug. The mug is full of split black seeds (like cooked hempseed). The seeds form a type of quicksand that you slurp the tumbah alcohol from through a straw. There is a slight after taste of bad red wine. This is the part Miguel enjoys. The part I enjoyed was finishing it and deciding I'd never ever let tumbah pass my lips again.

My vegan persuasion has been long out the window due to my travels through India, and now vegetarian seems to have slipped for the time being. I realise over the coming few days I simply can't be too fussy. I'm not in the UK, Europe or US, sometimes it's a necessity to have to eat what we are hosts provide us with. As long as the meat is from a natural source, ie. nutritious and organic I don't mind. I don't really enjoy meat that much any more, apart from a slow cooked lamb shank and the odd home made organic burger. And health wise, the less animal protein the better. I'm not getting my home prepared huge portions of raw veg and massive organic soups, so I have no doubt that I am lacking nutritionally. This in itself could explain my illness, lack lustre coat, dull eyes and dry nose.... Grrrrr ruff! A bit of meat will probably do me good for the present time. Finally my digestive system is beginning to heal.... It was starting to get me down a bit.

After the meat based dinner Miguel ordered Lumas to take me to a local Rock Club called Purple Haze. It was great. A huge room with a stage and very good live rock band with a twist. The twist was it was open night, so anyone who fancied singing could do so. Posh karaoke if you will. I stayed an hour then headed back to The Radiant (sounds nice doesn't it? Dark, dingy rooms with a lack of electricity), but for £5.50 between the Fernando and I we couldn't complain.

The next morning Fernando headed off at 6.30am to Pokhara (Hara isn't a girl, this was not a misspelling). I packed my gear up. Ate some oats and fruit, then headed in to the streets of Thamel for a lovely cup of ginger lemon tea and a piece of baked cheese cake at The Pumpernickel Bakery. I met Miguel at 12pm. Miguel is 44. He's been living in Nepal on and off now for about 17 years. For a short man he walks with a speed that belies the length of his legs. I struggled to keep up with him as he strode effortlessly through the main sight seeing areas of Kathmandu. At Dubar Square where huge temples reside amidst a sea of pigeons and a handful of tourists we waited for Lumas. Miguel had some police business to attend. I got to join them.

The police interview rooms are very old style. A vast computer screen, deeper than the Mariana trench dwarfed the old desk it rested upon. An old tatty filing cabinet stood solidly against the cream painted walls. The officer who Miguel talked with had a soft smile and large red bindi just below his hair line. For some reason this seemed to provide him with an air of honesty and integrity. The seam down the legs of his cotton trousers appeared razor like. If they brushed past my hand surely my fingers would fall off. An hour or so later with more officers, we were done....

The back streets of Kathmandu main were stacked as high as the sky with this, that and the other..... Some beautiful stuff I might add. If I had a truck I'd bring a load back to sell, there really is some great quality items. As we headed back to Miguels hotel to rest for an hour the heavens slowly began to darken. We made a dash for it.... Which meant Miguel walked a little faster whilst I sprinted to keep him within sight. As we entered the reception the heavens opened. Gob stopper sized drops of rain bounced on the dusty concrete streets. Then clanking as huge pieces of hail began to crash amidst the rain. It was quite a sight. Five minutes later the sun returned. Steam began to rise from the streets as the heat caused the water to evaporate.

The view from the roof top of Miguel's place was stunning. I could see right across Kathmandu in all directions to the surrounding mountains. I wish The Radiant had had 7 floors!

We ate, relaxed, then headed to the bus station, which turned out to be a 40 minute walk away. I love carrying all my gear around.....

I got on the bus at 6pm. Miguel returned at 6.36pm as the bus driver honked his horn repeatedly as he began to pull away from the station. I reached for my mobile and called Miguel. 'Yez, yez, I'm coming, they will not leave with out me.'. A minute later he sat down with tumbah breath...... A quick pre-journey apertife. Miguel has good contacts. He managed to get us front seats on the bus. These are much prized arse cradles allowing for almost full leg stretching area.

At 10.30pm we pulled over somewhere. It was a half hour stop. We unwrapped our crusty bread, opened a tin of tuna and carved a huge chunk of cows cheese. Miguel ordered us a beer whilst we prepared our picnic on the plastic table outside the little food stop. It tasted divine.

At 8am we arrived where ever the hell it was that we needed to be....

We changed buses. An hour later Miguel got off. I remained on for another 15 minutes to Ambassa, where the Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge staff would be picking me up.

I'd be reconvening with Miguel in 3 days time.

Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge:

As I lugged my backpack towards the checkpoint I was met by a friendly guide and his driver from Tiger Tops. The old Land Rover took us the remainder of the journey to my plush lodgings for the next 3 nights. It was only 10.30am so I was really making the most of it.

25 minutes later I was in the main dining area being briefed with regards to the facilities and safety precautions. Five more minutes and my face was buried in a bowl of fresh curd, fruit and muesli, washed down with a glass of freshly squeezed ginger juice and water. What a start.

Beem (one of the safari guides and hosts) suggested I relax for a while then join the other two guests for lunch followed by an elephant ride at 3pm. This sounded great.

Liz and Mary were two retired ladies, who'd set about having some top quality adventures. They were on the last 3 days of a Nepal village trekking holiday. They were both lovely ladies and made me feel very welcome. It was nice to have a little British company for a change.

As I entered cottage number 21 I was taken aback at it's beauty. I wandered in to the main sleeping area, where a kingsize bed awaited me..... A pair of slippers and pair of bath robes hung outside the bathroom. I immediately felt a wave of sorrow. This place was going to be our final stop on our travels last year. A treat for Amanda and I after months of backpacking and weeks of trekking. It was so beautifully decorated. Simple, clean and fresh. Amanda would have loved it. She may not have been bothered with the safaris but she'd have loved to just hang around this space and relax.

I pulled myself together and grabbed a shower under the rain fall style shower head. The water was hot and delightful. It was the first time I'd felt fully clean in over 36 hours.

Lunch was delightful array of fresh salad, noodles, rice and other bits and pieces. It was a little help yourself buffet. The food was continental, rather than Nepali, and a little Nepali would have been very nice indeed. But complain we did not! It was wonderful. If around the Lodge at lunchtime the buffet is your fare. If out on safari a wholesome packed lunch is served.

At 3pm we headed to our elephants. I had one and Liz and Mary shared another. How old are these elephants I enquired. Beem replied, '38 and 42'. For most people this would have little or no significance whatsoever, but to me it had plenty. 'Ha ha' I chortled. 'Same age as me and my wife.' I said. Amanda would have enjoyed the elephant ride.

Aboard my beast.

Approaching the bathing area.

Elephant surfing
(imaging Hawaii Five O music playing)

Not entirely sure how this panned out?

Just to let you know I am really here...

Hair wash....

Elephant and Nessie captured in same shot...

Playin' & Sprayin'

After riding the elephants through the forest on the periphery of the National Park, with the guides constantly informing us of the wildlife and local flora and fauna we arrived at a large pool on the river where the elephants were taken to be washed each day.

At the pool were about 10 huge Indian pachyderms, splashing, spraying and seeming to have lots of fun. It was a joy to watch these huge creatures in their element with one another and their handlers. There was clearly a good relationship between elephants and handlers.

We returned to Karnali Lodge on our lumbering four legged vehicles at 6.30pm ready for more food.

A brief presentation about the various animals that reside in the protected land of the Bardia National Park along with highlighting the continued battle with poachers who slay the Asian One Horned Rhino and Bengal Tiger for big money to Chinese traders involved in Chinese Medicine (I use the term Medicine very loosely here). At 70km long and approximately 20km wide, the Bardia National Park is similar in size to the Isle of Man. The park is unfenced, the boundary is set by rivers and natural land marks. The animals just choose to live here as it's their natural habitat.

There are approximately 50 bengal tigers in this area. And I was really hoping to see one. Beem told me the best way to see one was to do the all day jeep safari.

As we dined on a delicious three course meal Liz, Mary and I decided we'd head out for the day on the jeep safari in the hope of seeing one of the 27 Asian One Horned Rhinoceros, 50 Bengal tigers or a wild Indian elephant. We knew there were many other creatures to see aswell, so would not be disappointed if we didn't see one of the big three.

The next morning consisted of a huge breakfast. Curd, fruit and muesli, followed by poached eggs toast and fried potatoes and grilled tomatoes. I was set up for the day.

The temperature was cool first thing, we huddled in khaki green coloured blankets as the Land Rover trundled it's way along the track leading in to the national park.

We reached the gates where upon the guides signed us in and the adventure began.

Beautiful wild peacocks and brightly coloured bee eaters filled our eyes. Spotted deer bounded across the track in large herds. Huge birds of prey took flight or sat perched in trees watching us. A Changeable Hawk Eagle (After this bird I was hoping to see the 'Stubborn as you like Falcon Owl,' but apparently according to the guides it probably doesn't exist) sat proud on the large limb of a leafless tree, whilst a serpent eating eagle soared to our right, presumably searching out serpents. I love huge raptors such as eagles and kites, they so huge, powerful and graceful.

The land within the park is incredibly diverse. Within in minutes the Land Rover can be cruising on a track through dense forest straight out of a Brothers Grimm tale, speckled with mustard coloured neolithic looking towers reaching almost two metres in height... termite sky rises, then before you know it gnarled and twisted trees like witches fingers reach skyward from the dry earth. Plains dotted with dead looking trees still comatose in their winter nudity. Old rickety wooden lookout towers stand proud against the flat landscape. Dense grasslands border the Karnali river as it meanders it's way around and through the park.

By 10am we'd taken to foot, following the river in search of something large. As we walked a wonderful array of birds were pointed out to us by Beem and Shambu. At one point Shambu stopped in his tracks then raised his binoculars to point out a Brown Fish Owl perched on an overhanging log. What a great bird to see. Beautiful white throated and pied kingfishers pricked the sandy banks of the river with their gorgeous plumage, whilst large snakehead fish eeled their way upstream in pairs to spawn. We settled down on a high bank. We sat and waited patiently whilst the guides listened out for monkey or deer alarm calls. These alarm calls translate in to 'TIGER' 'TIGER'.

In the Land Rover....

After 45 minutes we walked back to the Land Rover.

Our next look out point had us sat for a couple of hours.... alarm calls were heard, but the tiger was resting up in the long grass out of sight of prying eyes.

We headed further in to the park. We pulled up in front of another safari jeep. We whispered to one another. No talking when approaching view points, as wild animals can pick up the slightest sound and spook. As we approached a guide from the other team approached finger to mouth, then signaled a monster style charade. A silent 'Raaa' with arms raised and fingers curled in to claws.

We walked fast behind him.

Firstly a huge One Horned Rhino frolicked in the small water hole 20 feet below us and 70 metres to the right, boom!

Guide chilling...

Asian One Horned Rhino...

From his better side......

Then the piece de resistance. I borrowed Beem's binoculars and focused on a water hole 400 metres diagonally to the right. I was told to look to the right of the large dead logs in the water.

With much initial eye straining, sure as anything there was a blob of orange in the water right up against the submerged dead tree. Was it really a wild Bengal tiger??? Or was it an orange balloon painted with a little black and white paint to form a tiger facade.... Ooooh did it just move?

Everyone focused on the rhino. He was impressive, but most of him was submerged, much like the tiger. I sat with the binoculars firmly pressed to my eyes for the next hour. The guides had given up on seeing it move and sat in a circle whispering to one another. Liz and Mary enjoyed their huge packed lunches, and a French couple snored in the hot afternoon soon. I remained focused. I sat on the ground, on my own with total tiger observing concentration. Suddenly it moved. Bloody hell it really is a tiger. The huge cat dipped it's head under the water and returned to the surface. Now I could barely see it all. I stubbornly continued to observe.

After an hour the tiger lifted turned and waded to the bank. He walked up the bank, I watched in awe. He stood and looked back as if he could see straight down my binoculars.... then he shook his coat to remove the excess water. He lay down, then got back up and disappeared in to the forest.

I walked over to everyone informing them of what I'd just witnessed. No one else saw the tiger leave. It was just me and him.

15 minutes later two locals sauntered past where the tiger had been bathing continuing their journey to the waters edge where they walked along the river.

I like to make this wild animal scenario as real as I can in my own head. If I go fishing at dawn in the UK I feel blessed to see our local wildlife. Deer, fox, badger, stoat or hare..... all great animals, and these are what I'm likely to encounter as I stroll the river bank. But here in India you can come across, rhinos, wild elephants, tigers, leopards etc. It's just awesome. These huge mammals are their foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and hares. Brilliant.

We remained in position for an hour as Beem felt the tiger may come across and round providing a view from 50 metres as opposed to 400 metres. We eventually moved on to one of Beem's personal favourites. Here we watched as a rhino emerged from the grass, gently walking in to the river before immersing himself. A few minutes later he exited in to the long grass. We continued to watch for half and hour before continuing our safari by checking in on various watering holes and waiting. We saw two different deer species too. Spotted and swamp deer. Both as jittery and nervous as the next. That's what I love about these animals. They really are wild. They don't really want to come across humans, which is why the guides insist on quieteness and stealth. We don't want to disturb only observe.

We returned to the lodge at 6.45pm. We were all well and truly shattered. Sitting and waiting patiently or stubbornly is tiring. The guides suggest bringing a book, but the worry of missing something is too much for me to distract myself with literature whilst on safari.

That night Liz & Mary said they loved the day but couldn't do another full day safari, and opted for something more relaxing and sedate, a morning wandering the local area whilst bird watching. I hoped I'd be able to snag another full day safari. An hour later it was settled. I would get to spend the morning on a walking safari, then the Land Rover would deliver lunch and take us to watering holes further in to the depths of the park. I was excited. Beem was too. He could see the enthusiasm I had today, the dogged stubbornness to give up on the tiger. He knew we could go places where the ladies may not have appreciated...... I had a feeling this was going to be fun.

By 7am Beem, Ram Jin and I were walking over the dew covered plains following a track in to the grasslands. We bumped in to the guides who were at the place where I watched the tiger at a distance. He mentioned that as soon as our Land Rover door closed and the engine rumbled the tiger came out from the grass on to the river bank opposite them. The big cat was a mere 80 or so metres away. Foiled!

We continue along the silent track. Suddenly a monkey calls. And again. Beem and Ram Jin whisper excitedly. They look to where the monkey is watching. We circle back and try to see if we can observe a relaxing tiger. We push through the long grass on a tiny goat track..... But nothing....

We change direction and stumble upon fresh prints, something being dragged too. A tiger has made a kill. Only small, but it was visible in the sand where the prey had dragged in the sand now and again. The tracks continued. 

Tiger pug in the sand....

The next thing we are pushing fast over the rugged terrain. Ram Jin, 55 covering one area, me following close behind Beem in the other. Beem is pushing through the shoulder high black tipped golden grass. My vest and long green board shorts were no match for this brutal foilage. It scratched and spanked the skin, but the excitement blocked any pain. We were now in head high grass. Beem carrying a thick bamboo stick, me carrying my camera equipment and my tripod. We weren't set up to defend ourselves from a huge marmalade coloured cat, with claws as long as my fingers and teeth to match, that's for sure.

Chasing claws and teeth through the long grass....

Beem and Ram Jin whistled to one another. We veered together before sneaking up on two densely covered 'almost' watering holes. A good place to feed.... Nothing. A deer barks, a monkey shouts. Beem begins to run 'come, come' Ram Jin whispers 'hurry'. We all break in to a light jog. It's hot, I'm sweaty and covered in black streaks from head to toe. The tips of the burnt grass having made their mark. I was wondering where we were headed. Was the tiger so close we were going to stumble upon it. What did they know?

As it happened we ran almost 1.5km to a river crossing we'd sat at the day before. They assumed the tiger was going to cross here very soon. We arrived sweaty and out of breath. Two Dutch ladies were there with their guide. Nothing had passed yet..... Two hours later still nothing. Well I say nothing.... A cracking big old rhino showed up and we got a lovely view of him from about 150 metres. They still thought there was a tiger in the trees to the left of the river, but they felt we'd waited long enough. We ate and then jumped in to the Land Rover to head to new spot.

On arriving at our new spot the previous one produced another bloody tiger an hour after we left. It was at 150 metres, the same place as the rhinoceros had chilled out. Ah well.

As we drove a huge bird of prey lifted and landed on a limb right up against the tree trunk. Beem focused his binoculars and exclaimed excitedly 'Oh Oh Wow!!! A spot bellied eagle owl. Rare to see really rare!' It was a real treat. I love owls, and to see one of the worlds largest owls in the wild was superb. We checked another couple of spots for tigers, and I could feel Beem was getting desperate. We'd had two very unlucky missed opportunities.... Both occassions Beem thought we should stay a while longer, but knew there was a chance we would get a closer view elsewhere. We gambled. It suited me fine. It's akin to fishing for me. Sometimes you catch sometimes you don't. It's all in the chase.

Ram Jin decided to sit at a very likely water hole. We'd heard monkeys so there was a tiger moving somewhere. Beem headed us in the direction of 'The Four Lakes'. This was a good hike through forest, then down a steep bank on to a dry river bed. The driver climbed a nearby tree to keep look out. It was all hands on deck to find me a tiger. They were as keen as I was. It was lovely. We approached the first three watering holes with the stealth of pebble hopping ninjas.... But nothing. These were places no one else had been for a few days. No human tracks. This was a treat especially for me. Beem knew I'd go anywhere. He said I was strong and keen.

Then we spotted some big tiger paw prints..... and little baby cub prints too.... we pursued along the sandy river bank.... We reached a spot where the tigers had slept. The fluffy sand compressed. Beem felt the tigers may have retreated in to the long grass sensing our approach. Been went around the back of the large grassy area. I followed as closely as possible.

Suddenly I was aware we were in sharp yellow grass which dwarfed Beem and matched me for height. This was super exciting. Would we see a tiger and cub, or would be inadvertently disturb them and cause them to flee or cause the mother to fear our approach, mistaking us for a threat..... Suddenly the ground rumbled and the tall dry grass rushed toward us. We both froze, in that split second I saw Beem's stick rise, my heart had moved from chest to mouth, everything happened in what seemed like an instant. A million thoughts flashed through my mind in a millionth of a second. Everything and nothing happened simultaneously....

A spooked huge swamp deer bolted full speed towards and to the left of us..... I released a whispered 'f' word of relief whilst Beem mumbled something under his breath.... no doubt expressing his own sense of still remaining un-mauled by a tiger!

We checked the prints again but it wasn't to be our day.

We tried a few more watering holes on the way back out of the park but to no avail.

In all honesty the day of tracking was so much more exciting. The running, the chasing, the following fresh prints. The terror I felt as the invisible swamp deer bolted toward us doing it's finest tiger attack impression. The day was a complete success.

Yesterday I was privileged enough to be able to watch a Bengal tiger in it's own habitat doing it's own thing..... It was incredible. I saw wild Asian one horned rhino's, lots of beautiful deer and a huge array of wonderful birds from the thumb sized to the mansized!

Tie this wonderful experience in with guides and staff who simply can't seem to do enough for you makes Tiger Tops Karnali Lodge and safari experience something I'd love to do year on year.

After one more delightful night of imagining my lovely Amanda was still here with me in our beautiful lodge, and then sharing breakfast with Liz and Mary in the morning, I'll be off to meet Miguel to head even deeper in to Wild Nepal.

Miss you all, love you all.