Elephant bathtime

Spent this past weekend in the Terai, in and around Royal Chitwan National Park. Very touristy but an incredible time. Two of my friends illegally trespassed in the park (unknowingly) to go skinny dipping, and then were almost charged by two rhinos that chased each other across the river about 100 feet from where they were getting dressed. When they returned to Sunset Point, where we, along with about 100 other people, were waiting, they got a long lecture from a park official about how lucky they are. Ridiculous story! The next morning we took a safari on the back of an elephant into the park and saw rhinos (they're often called rhinosaurs here - I think because of different emphasis on syllables, but it makes me laugh), wild deer, wild boars, crocodiles, and peacocks. Peacocks can, by the way and to my complete surprise, fly, even with their tails! The first one I saw was perched fifty feet up in a tree, and the second one was preening with its tail spread. But after the safari we got to go give the elephants baths, which was one of the most fun events of my entire life. The entire town turns out to watch the elephants (and tourists) bathe in the river, and it is so much fun! Two friends and I clambered up an elephant's trunk and then were repeatedly tipped into the water as the elephant, whose name was Bijuli, or light, submerged itself. We would then ungracefully climb up its leathery, hairy side and do it all over again. Bijuli also kept spraying us, and I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. The final part of the day was a languid canoe ride down a crocodile infested river (made me think a little of Okeefenokee swamp, just minus the spiders and hysterical family) to the elephant breeding center. There we watched the adorable baby elephants - one just learning how to walk - and two escaped to come play with us!