Thursday, 5/24.  Last real day of this Adventure.  An elephant briefing, then a fantastic time giving her a scrub with a rock.  Extremely well behaved.  Throw my hat on the round, she kindly picked it up and handed (trunked?) it to her handler.  Twice, because the first time I was too amazed to take a picture.  I’d compare the experience favorably with the Panda Sanctuary.  I have the option of riding an elephant tomorrow, but I’ll pass.  I doubt that it can compare with washing one.

Four hour drive around the National Park.  It’s a preserve, so no guaranteed look at anything.  Mostly trees and bushes.  The rhinos were the high point.  A brief look at a komodo dragon, many deer, birds galore.  Gators in a breeding farm.  (During monsoon season Nepal’s gators flow downstream to India, so they have to keep releasing more into the wild.  I don’t know what India thinks about the process.)  No sign of wild elephants or tigers.  The Army has 1,000 soldiers stationed in the park to discourage poachers.  It works: last year not a single rhino was poached.

Tomorrow we fly 20 minutes to Kathmandu (109 miles: a drive would take 5 hours!).  A farewell dinner.  Saturday I fly to New Delhi (a five hour layover) , then Hong Kong (six hours), then LA.  Arrive Sunday.  I shall probably post a recap of the entire Adventure, but it may take a while to get all my thoughts in order.  Movies to see, ribeye steaks to eat.  Pizza!