شائع شدہ: 25.09.2018
Even though the clock shows only 7 o'clock, it is incredibly hot and humid. We are heading out for a canoe trip on the Rapti. The peace and quiet of nature around us is only interrupted by strange bird chirping.
The canoes are carved by hand from a single tree trunk. What a job. Amazing!
Our guide explains that the river is up to 5m deep and we should keep our balance. So far so good. We step in and fold ourselves one behind the other on small stools. The nice looking Asian woman behind me, who doesn't speak any English, seems to be really panicking because with every wobble she lets out little screams of horror. Poor thing.
The ride is great. We see blue glowing kingfishers and lots of crocodiles.
Here there are two types, the long-mouthed ones are fish-eaters and harmless to humans. The short-mouthed ones, on the other hand, eat meat and don't say no to a person who falls into the water. The Asian woman behind me stiffens at this information.
Then we go for a walk in the jungle. The forest is simply fantastic and the path too.
Our guide chooses a less-used one. Less used because it is significantly more dangerous, as there are more tigers here, he says. I'm excited, even though I wonder if this guy would keep his cool in case of emergency and could really protect us. I have my doubts. I squeeze in directly behind him, because it seems to me to be the safest place and the best chance for great photos. We only find out afterwards how many people die each year from attacks by tigers and leopards, but above all from aggressive rhinos. It's dangerous, that's for sure! The guide asks us to be quiet so as not to scare away the wildlife. My sympathy for the nice Asian woman quickly fades because she doesn't stop chatting loudly with her better half. Ugh! I'm about to turn into a beast here!!!