Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
View WORLD ADVENTURE on siandrach's travel map
Roaming in Rajasthan- Tiger hunts to camel grunts!
11.12.2009 - 17.12.2009 sunny 28 °C
View WORLD ADVENTURE on siandrach's travel map.
Fri 11th– After a long 5.5 hour train journey, we arrived at 6.45pm (45 minutes late of course), into Sawai Modhpur station and were met by the deputy manager of Jungle Niwas. 30 minutes in an open top jeep over bumpy roads at about 60mph and we had arrived at our resort (Rach’s birthday present!). We were shown to our luxury tent (with a tiled en suite!), set within peaceful gardens. Before dinner, we sat around a campfire and watched a documentary on Tigers in Ranthembore Park via a projector, hoping we would soon see these magnificent animals in the flesh for ourselves! Si picked this particular park as it had been documented as the 'best chance' of seeing a Tiger in the wild in India. Sadly however due to poaching from surrounding villages, the number of these incredible beasts has been seriously depleted over the last 20 years with numbers in India falling from 3,500 to less than 1,500 (in 2008). Ranthambore, which is part of the 'Project Tiger' initiative set up by the Government to help combat this, has seen an increase of 18 Tigers in the past 5 years to a total of 44. With the facts and figures fresh in our minds, it dawned on us the chances of actually catching a glimpse were against us, but both desperate to see just one, we kept our fingers crossed. Dinner was by candlelight under the stars. With the resort empty bar one other family, we were tended too like kings and sat in anticipation as we were bought curry after curry and as many chapatis and papads as we could eat! It was heaven!
Sat 12th- Awoken at a very cold and misty 5.45am, by our personal, smiling Indian butler Buddhibrakesh, who arrived with a warming pot of chai and a large plate of biscuits- we could get used to this!
A quick nibble and change later and we were up and awaiting our safari vehicle.... Unfortuantely, due to only booking the safari the night we arrived, we were told we may only be able to get a 'canter' - a 16 seat, open sided truck instead of the (more expensive but more desired) 6 seater jeep that we had hoped for. By 7am nothing had arrived, so, disappointed, we went back to bed having been told that we would 'definitely' get a safari that afternoon instead. Undressed and back in bed, 10 minutes later Buddhibrakesh was shouting through the tent that they could infact get us a 'jeep', but at a premium of an extra 500 rupees! Typical we thought, probably just another Indian scam, but desperate for a safari of any kind, reluctantly we agreed to the extra money and were whisked off to the Park gate to meet our awaiting jeep. India_121.jpg On the dusty dirt track en route to the gate, we were in safari mode and getting excited; keeping our eyes peeled for anything that moved, especially after being told that there was almost as much wildlife outside the park as in it! 5 minutes in and Si shouted 'there, over there in the bushes!'... he could see some movement.... ready with our cameras as the jeep drew nearer, the object soon came into focus. Unfortunately, this 'rare' animal happened to be an old Indian farmer, crouching down, taking his morning....... Mortified, we thought it best to put our cameras safely away until we reached the park. We climbed aboard our 6 seater safari jeep with 4 Indian guys already chatting away to the guide. Having been told a tiger had just walked passed the first 'check point' one mile into the park, we swiftly headed there and switched off the engine to wait. Sadly, 15 minutes came and went without a single sighting; all the while, the Indian boys continued to talk and didn't seem at all interested in what was around them. With not a hint of a tiger in sight, our guide took the decision to search deeper into the National Park and its thick undergrowth. Over the next two hours, we saw samba deer , spotted deer , lots of black-faced Langar monkeys, crocodiles, kingfishers and numerous other birds, but unfortunately, apart from a few 'pug marks' (tiger footprints), there was no sign of any of the 44 tigers in this 400 sq km park. Sambar Deer
Hairy faced and on the scout for food, and a small langar monkey behind!
Despite the help of our 'highly trained' guide, we headed back to our tent disappointed but hoping our afternoon safari would tick the remaining box and the reason we were here; the illusive tigers!!
Back at the lodge for 10.30am, we tucked in to our 'all you could eat' breakfast and dozed in the sun, relaxing in the quiet countryside for the first time in days. Before we knew it, our Indian friend was soon calling us for yet more food - an enormous curry buffet awaited us.
Gawping at the sheer volume of the dishes on offer, we were happy to see three hungry faces appear from another luxury tent - the only other guests in this 20 tented lodge. Bellies full to the point of bursting and ready to see some tigers (we hoped!) we were called to our second safari at 2pm. Arriving to the familiar gate of the Park, we boarded the remaining canter available.
Full to the brim with other eager tiger trackers, Rach sat upfront, squeezed between the driver (practically on the gear stick) and an old man with more camera equipment than David Bailey. Si took a cramped seat further back, frustrated by his restricted view. Immediately impressed by this guide's English and knowledge of the surroundings, we were hopeful for a better safari. It started well, Si managed to blag his way into the guide's seat and we soon caught a glimpse of a shy jungle cat darting up a tree, followed by antelope, black tailed mongoose and a family of wild boar, plus more of this morning's sightings.
Over the next 3 hours, the old man next to Rach pointed at every single animal in sight and named it, (no matter how many times a 'sambar deer' appeared) and at one point, Si feared Rach was going to shove the old man's telescopic lense where the sun doesn't shine. Thankfully, he soon spotted an array of birds which kept him quiet for the remainder of the tour. As the end of our safari drew close, from the distance, our guide heard a 'roar'. 'Tiger! Tiger!' he shouted and suddenly, the canter did a u-turn and we were heading back for the location of the roar; along with every other jeep and canter in the area. After 5 minutes we came to a stop, the engine was turned off and the guide told us all to sit in silence. He listened for the 'danger calls' from the monkeys and deer but unfortunately, despite trying to pin point the tiger's location, time had run out and we had finished the safari without a single tiger glimpse. Still disappointed but much happier with the other animal sightings we had seen, we returned to the tent and decided to book one final safari the following morning in another canter (they were half the price of a jeep!). Back at the tents and realising we were out of money, Si risked life and limb, in the dark and winding dirt tracks to be taken by one of the hotel workers on the back of his motorbike to the nearest village/ATM. One hour later and walking like John Wayne, Si was back with some dosh. As the night set in, feeling tired from our long day we headed to dinner - yep you guessed it, more mountains of delicious curries! After feeding was over, the manager took us on a night safari of his own, in his jeep. Telling us that just 2 days ago he had seen 2 leopards near the hotel and that tiger sightings frequently occurred in the villages surrounding us, we headed out expectantly. Sadly our luck was still out and all we saw were a set of 'eyes' glaring at us from the bushes - what they belonged too we shall never know.
Sun 13th- Another early morning wake up call and we ready for our third safari's transport to arrive. After chatting to the manager the previous evening, we found out that the park is split into 5 zones and some were better for sighting Tigers than others. Zones 3 and 4 for example, had many more regular sightings of tigers than Zones 1 or 2; which as bad luck would have it, happened to be the first two zones we were in! When booking our third Safari, we specifically requested zone 3 or 4 or not at all. As the canter pulled up we spotted the 'zone 3' sign on the side of it and hoped this was a sign - surely today would be our 'third time lucky'..?
As we got into the canter, we made sure we had good seats - directly behind the driver. Driving into the National Park, our guide immediately set out the ground rules; silence when he commanded it and that the priority this morning was to find a tiger; as they were more active in the morning. After 30 minutes driving following a few pug marks, we heard what we hadn't heard before ourselves, the high pitched alarm calls of the deer and monkeys in the distance. Excited and ready with our cameras, the canter sped throught the forest to their location. As the tension rose, the canter fell silent. 10 minutes later, a faint outline came into focus and there she was. A beautiful and powerful tiger. She strolled through the sparse forest, a mere 30 meters from our canter and at this point we knew she was worth the wait.
Suddenly, she crouched down, stalking 'breakfast' in the distance. Before we knew it, she had made a move on a pack of deer but unfortunately, due to the alarm calls of the animals, they had realised her position and she was out of luck. Empty handed she disappeared into the long grass and waited for calmness to return. We sat and waited, 15 minutes came and went but unfortunately she was more patient than we were. As time ticked on, our guide decided he would take us to explore more of the parks wildlife. Another bird that we cant remember the name of!] Touring around Zone 3 we could see the mark difference in vegetation and landscape in comparison to the first two zones we visited.
The large lakes were where the animals spent more time and thankfully, we had picked the best zone to end in - it was third time lucky for us! Happy in the knowledge we had seen what we had wanted to see (Happy Birthday Rach!), we headed back to the lodge for the usual belly busting buffet breakkie. With no more safari's, we decided to explore the area around Jungle Niwas, soon being hassled by some farmer's kids who wanted 'pens and sweets'. PC163648.jpg
Well prepared, we filled their grubby little mits with a few sweets and headed on. As the sun grew stronger, we headed back to spend the afternoon sunbathing and reading as we once again, had the whole complex to ourselves. After dinner, we sat around the campfire watching Rajasthan songs and dances on a DVD the owner had provided, until the fire died and the cold had set in.
Mon 14th- Up late and with no safari to get up for, tea and biscuits were delivered to our tent. After breakfast we lounged in the sun and packed up our bags ready for our lunchtime departure. Just as we were about to leave, the manager presented us with an unexpected bill for 1500 rupees! 600 rupees each way for the pick up to and from the station, as well as 300 rupees on the water they 'provided' each and every meal, but was actually not included in the 'all inclusive' deal. Livid by the last minute charges, we demanded to speak to the owner on the phone and after 5 minutes of heated arguing, we were told 'don't worry about it, just go'. We had had an amazing time at the hotel and it was such a shame that this had left a sour taste in our mouths. Although once we had calmed down a wry smile rose in our cheeks, realising we had saved ourselves some money for the first time in a while!
At the station, as we waited for our 14.35 train, we were approached by a couple of Indian students, intrigued by us and wanting to practice their English. As Si chatted away, more and more men listened over their shoulders, unable to join in due to their lack of English. Rach looked on for the train, eager to get away from the growing crowd of gawping men and feeling a bit like goldfish in a bowl. Thankfully (for once!) the train arrived on time and we boarded our CC class seats to Jaipur. 5pm the train pulled in and we were greeted by a chirpy Poonam, the friendly manager of our hotel Chit Chat. 10 minutes drive and we were welcomed to a large double room with en suite and a very nice, quirky restaurant. You would have thought by now we would be sick of curries but no; we ordered two thalis and tucked in. We then spent the evening surfing the net for some sight seeing ideas for the morning. The manager suggested that if we wanted a tuk tuk, he had a friendly, reliable and most importantly 'cheap' driver for the following day. After chatting to 'Super Salim' (and checking out his personal website!!), we were happy to book him for the following two days - at a knock-down price!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
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