Rhinoceros Dreaming

3.45am. I wake up to the sound of roaring thunder, violent rays of lightning flashing through my room. The sound of heavy rain is welcomed as it cools the dry Assam land. I peel myself off my bed and wait for my eyes to adjust to the dim shades of lamps peeping through the curtains. It may be early but I'm excited, we're off to see the rhinos at the world famous Kaziranga National Park. I'm told, if we're lucky, the tigers, water buffalos, wild birds and even hyenas may make an appearance, it's likely too, with all the wet weather. All this on elephant back! A small treat to provide a break from the daily learnings and demanding travel schedule. We wait for a driver to come pick us up...we wait for 45minutes and finally we are greeted by the sound of an engine pulling up in the driveway.
The driver is determined to make up for lost time and breaks all (if any) road rules to get us there. 1.5 hours later we arrive to see a group of people and their elephant companions ride off into the sunrise...evidently, elephants, rhinos and tigers don't wait. We see a rhino in the distance, claiming its territory over the fast land - I can see why the wildlife tours here are so popular and famous. Ah well, next time. Nearby, an elephant and her baby must have sensed our disappointment as they gently walked towards us, just close enough for me to notice a gentle smile on the calf. The early morning drive was worth it. We drive back, crawl back into bed to get some shut eye before a long journey ahead to Dharmapuri.
Oh, I should also mention that during our stay here in Tezpur and the team at Baptist Christian Hospital (a unit of Emmanuel Hospital Association), we met with wonderful volunteers who work tirelessly with Dr Pratibha on the grounds in villages, schools and also petitioning signatures for Stop The Traffik!
We also had the privilege of meeting Jeremiah, who works closely with Dr Pratibha on the grounds in the villages we visited. He works amongst the people and lives to build safe communities, he also promised us that he will take us to Bhutan on a small pony next time! It's now in writing Jeremiah!
We also came across a very sick goat, which, all humour aside, was the only source of livelihood for two women who were working to build a life after being rescued by their mother from domestic labour. It had been attacked by a local dog and god works in mysterious ways as we happened to be visiting with a doctor on board, who used Carolyn's betadine cream and antibiotic to treat the wounds - I'm telling you, our aussie medication came in handy more than once, not for us but for the locals, humans and animals alike!
In all, it's been an amazing learning journey here in Assam, and we leave with humble hearts to see what is in store for us on the south side of india.