28 December 2015 - we were shouted at 0630 when it was dark and misty outside. Luckily the Villa Resort has hot water so we managed a hot bath before heading to breakfast at 0730. Fortified by tea, toast and omelette we set off at 0830 for a village walk.
The local village was a 15 minute walk and when we arrived was just springing to life. As there is no LPG everyone has taken to the more traditional means of cooking on a wood fire outside. The village still maintains its traditional plastered houses with elephant grass roofs - although corrugated iron roofs are more weather proof and so generally used with grass thatch being reserved for the animal huts and the typical veranda. The design takes account of the fact in summer the temperatures get up to 40 degrees celsius.
The village presented many photo opportunities and once again the polaroid camera was a great hit. It is a pity it is such a poor design and therefore temperamental !
No sooner were we back and had a cup of tea when we were off again for an elephant lesson.
With the sun high in the blue sky the afternoon was to be a leisurely affair as we drifted down the river in a dugout canoe with the birds and the crocodiles being pointed out to us as we moved downstream.
Clambering ashore we started on a walk through the woodland on the park-side of the river ending up at the Government Gharil Crocodile breeding centre. These fish eating river crocodiles are an endangered species and are only found in Nepal and the upper reaches of the Ganges.
However judging by how polluted Indian rivers are its hard to believe there are many in the Granges itself. The centre rears the baby crocodiles for a few years before releasing them into the wild. Judging by the numbers we saw ion the river banks the programme seems to be successful.
The local village was a 15 minute walk and when we arrived was just springing to life. As there is no LPG everyone has taken to the more traditional means of cooking on a wood fire outside. The village still maintains its traditional plastered houses with elephant grass roofs - although corrugated iron roofs are more weather proof and so generally used with grass thatch being reserved for the animal huts and the typical veranda. The design takes account of the fact in summer the temperatures get up to 40 degrees celsius.
The village presented many photo opportunities and once again the polaroid camera was a great hit. It is a pity it is such a poor design and therefore temperamental !
No sooner were we back and had a cup of tea when we were off again for an elephant lesson.
With the sun high in the blue sky the afternoon was to be a leisurely affair as we drifted down the river in a dugout canoe with the birds and the crocodiles being pointed out to us as we moved downstream.
Clambering ashore we started on a walk through the woodland on the park-side of the river ending up at the Government Gharil Crocodile breeding centre. These fish eating river crocodiles are an endangered species and are only found in Nepal and the upper reaches of the Ganges.
However judging by how polluted Indian rivers are its hard to believe there are many in the Granges itself. The centre rears the baby crocodiles for a few years before releasing them into the wild. Judging by the numbers we saw ion the river banks the programme seems to be successful.