Crocs and Gators

 Crocs and Gators

Ever paddle with an alligator? Ever do so with a crocodile? Patti and I did the gator paddle in Florida. Steve and I did the croc paddle in Nepal.

A few years back, Patti and I paddled our canoe on the Suwanee River in North Florida. We had already paddled with manatees further south on the Gulf Coast. That was amazing, but we had another encounter, this time with a not so docile reptile. On the river we came upon a dead tree hanging low over the water. On the tree was a small turtle. Behind him and perched on the tree was a crane staring intently at the turtle. Behind the crane and also on the tree lay an alligator, smiling his crooked smile, his beady eyes boring on the crane. For a moment we were a few feet away, until we power paddled downstream, not wishing to see the conclusion of this drama.

In the fall of 2022, on a lowland Nepali river near the Indian border, were Steve and I on safari in a dugout canoe. As we coursed down the river, we noticed many crocodiles along the river bank. We, in our somewhat tippy canoe, kept our balance with a wary eye on the toothy crocs. The guide assured us, somewhat unconvincingly, that they already had breakfast. Along with all the other exotic creatures we had seen in Nepal - rhinos, monkeys, elephants, deer. peacocks, water buffalo, to name a few - it was another wild animal adventure we will never forget.