An early wake up followed by a large offering at breakfast before we hoped back on the same elephant as yesterday todays adventure.
Very windy in grasslands, lost hats. Still and joy in forest and more jungly due to rattan. Addition of foot rests not a success ?too high or just not needed. Very relaxed and tired. Spent a long time looking and saw lots of spotted and swamp deer, occ jog deer. Despite being across the river could see us and followed despite being nervous, except for brave young spotted deer at the back so curious she nearly lost the rest of the group. Withered the forest we saw another Indian Eagle Owl and a magnificent Crested serpent Eagle just perched low in the branches of a nearby tree.
Saw three majestic samba deer larger than a tifer and seemingly as big as a horse, no wonder when a tiger catches one he doesn't need to eat for a week!
Returns to camp, half hour later others arrive having seen a leopard and her cub. Jealous much of our samba deer haha. The camp is very shady and again close to a flowing river but the river is silent and there is no breeze and lots of bugs (the bitey variety!).
After a "continental lunch" - salad, chicken kebab, walnut bread, focaccia and a version of a quiche with a stunning hummous like spicy dip, we sat back to theink about a plan for the afternoon when the wind started to whip up gently as it usually does around 2pm but it was accompanied by thunder and some large fat round drops of rain.
At 3pm we headed to the river the wash ourselves and the elephants and the thunder and lightning continued, never had a bath with an elephant in a thunderstorm before? I would highly recommend it and I hate thunderstorms. The elephants and ourselves thoroughly clean it was time to change for our ritual evening trek. The elephants meanwhile having got clean then covered themselves in dry mud - natural sunscreen and insect repellant in one. Cathy is definitely considering the merits of it as part of her decent towards being the wild woman of Nepal! On return to camp a dining tent had kindly been erected in case of rain.
We set off down the river bank on foot tonight, the evening much cooler due to the thunderstorm earlier and sat in a quiet spot, I must admit I think I drifted off few a few seconds after sitting on the floor observing the ant highway I had suddenly dumped a large leg like obstruction into. Watching the ants beaver away trying to get around the problem was fascinating. Meanwhile elsewhere in the riverbank a solitary male peacock wandered down the bank and a few birds flew across but little else although crashing so in the jungle from the opposite bank promised much but failed to deliver. We walked back and jumped in the jeep to walk to another waterhole, today the main hunt being for tigers but despite staying til dark our only treat were the swamp, hog and spotted deer on the drive there and a solitary rhino who payed a fleeting visit.
On arrival back at camp we had dinner, a masterpiece in Nepalese curry once more, followed by a well earned sleep. Tonight I feel I have been bitten by the Tstse fly, falling asleep whenever stationary for more than 30 seconds.
Sleep was broken we several mini squalls although no further thunder.
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