Rhinoseri

"Nuts! We locked our key in the room."

"Well, there's no time to deal with it now. We have to meet the Land Rover jeep for our jungle ride."

Chitwan National Park is a wildlife bonanza. We stood in the back of the jeep, bouncing along dirt jeep paths, with our eyes searching the tall grasses, the wooded forests and the watering holes alert to any movement. "Stop the jeep. Over there!"

We saw three species of deer, langur monkeys in the trees, elephants, a sloth bear, wild bore, termite castles, crocodiles, flocks of cranes and herons, wild peacocks, and something else; something we had tried to see in Malaysia; something we figured we could definitely see in Africa, but we certainly didn't expect to see in Nepal: rhinoceros.

Getting to the park was as exciting as being in it. The jeep pulled down the streets of Sauraha and turned toward the river. We bounced along the shore line and then, without hesitation, right into the water. The river tugged at the side of the jeep and sent water first up to the wheel-wells and then as high as the doors.

People cross the river here all day long. Bikers hoist their bicycles in the air and wade the pulsing water. Jeeps cross; oxen pull carts across; people pole dug-out canoes from one end to the other.

"I see something. In there." Melanie, who shared our jeep ride with us, had eagle eyes. We all turned and watched a male peacock take flight into the trees. Just a few paces behind it a wild bore ran through the brush.

Three hours into our ride, we stopped at the Park museum. The building looked like it hadn't been opened in years. In the back was a small ranger station where we'd been told to look for Kumar, the orphaned baby rhino. Kumar didn't seem too interested in us, and didn't appear to be in the mood for a Kodak moment. The ranger gave him a jab in the butt and pulled at his ear. I thought his coaxing was a bit unnecessary. Kumar apparently thought it was aggravating as well, when he stood up he let loose a bladder full of liquid that could have filled a barrel. It ran under the ranger's door and into his office. That will teach him not to kick a rhino.

At 11:00 am we pulled across the river again, back to Sauraha. There we left the jeep and walked down the road to the Jungle Resort. It wasn't until we reached out hotel room door that we remember our key, locked in the room. "The owner must have spare keys to the pad-locks." No, none of the keys on his ring worked. His friend suggested trying the key from the room next door. That really made me feel comfortable, another room key opening our door. But that didn't work either. The final solution was equally as discomforting. One of them placed a metal rod under the lock and gave it a twist. Pop! Well, it sure is good to know that the Chinese make quality products. I'm not sure I'll trust 'Made in China' ever again.

The End.