Greeting Hivers. This is only my 2nd post in this community and last time I didn't put the pinmapple pin but I think this time I have it figured out. I would like to return to one of my favourite countries - Nepal, with a filming trip I did with my great Spanish friend Gustavo. We ventured into the hot humid area of Nepal that borders India way down on the plains and far from the mountains of the Himalaya range. There is an amazing wilderness refuge there called the Chitwan National Park.
For me the coolest thing about the park is its history connecting it to the great author Rudyard Kipling. Although Kipling was based in India the jungles of his stories were over the border in Nepal and it's what is now the Chitwan National Park that Jungle Book and other great stories were about. When you go there it's easy to feel transported back in time. There is a typical chaotic township that of course has grown tenfold over the century and a half since Rudyard Kipling was born, but just over the river one immediately steps back in time.
Its bizarre and unlike anywhere I have ever visited. On one side of the river you can dine on seafood, sip imported wine, drink lattes and retire to your modern hotel with cable TV and internet etc etc. Cross the river (which by the way has crocodiles), take a few short steps away from the shore to enter the forest and there is a bloody real danger that you could be eaten by a tiger. Or trampled by a rhino. I'm not even kidding.
Venture another 50 metres into the forest and all traces of the modern world are gone. You are in the jungle and it's filled with animals including the mighty tiger. While I was there filming we interviewed people that had survived tiger attacks just yards from the edge of the river.
Our filming brief was to simply shoot as much wildlife as we could over four days inside the park. Each night we returned to civilization over the river and recharged our camera batteries and enjoyed icy cold beers as the sunset over the forest. It was hands down one of the greatest filming gigs I ever had. We were close enough to rhinos to reach and and touch them at one point and my guide was absolutely freaking out because i exited the vehicle to get closer and closer for a better shot. He was furious and threatened to cancel the whole day.
We started our journey to Chitwan by connecting the wonderful Hem Baral in Kathmandu. We did an interview with him about the park and what we could expect to find there and also the various issues that the region is facing, including human/tiger conflict and encroachment on parklands by poachers and hunter gatherers. Hem organised a jeep for us every day and we sould start by walking nervously across the crocodile infested river to meet the jeep for a day of exploring.
As we were shooting a film started to take shape and that was essentially the story on the Greater One-horned Rhino. We had amazing close up shots of them in multiple locations so for sure enough footage to make a short film and then complimented by lots of clips of other wildlife plus b-roll of the park and ourselves exploring plus the interviews with Hem. Below is the final edited video that was produced with all the filming that Gustavo and I did over four days. If you love wildlife and want to get up close to tigers and rhinos then head to Chitwan in Nepal. You will love it and I cant wait to return one day.
