Winter season in Nepal produces some amazing foggy conditions in forest areas. Sauraha town is a gateway to an amazing national park called Chitwan NP, teeming with wildlife. Right next to it is a buffer zone called 20 Thousand Islands that is, essentially, the same national park, but the area can be accessed independently by visitors (without a guide).
My friend and I (because it’s quite eerie to go on your own) went early in the morning as the first visitors. The fog was intense, and at times it was difficult to find the path if we stepped a few meters away from it. The crooked outlines of sal trees surrounding us from all sides felt disorienting.
In 30 minutes or so, the fog started to disperse a bit and we began seeing better, but now it was a race against time, as in another 20 minutes the fog would be gone completely. I found this amazing ant nest covering the base of a tree at the side of the path. From there, I tried to achieve the best possible separation of all the trees in the background, all the while being aware that rhinos, elephants, and even tigers are frequent visitors to this buffer zone area (those who have visited this place will know what I mean).
