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Monday 18 April
We set off from Coonor heading Mudumali - the Jungle Retreat which would be our home for the next two nights.
We wound our way back down the mountain but not on the same road, passing many Tea Plantations - some when the ladies were picking tea. Thank goodness I'm not a tea picker it looks seriously hard work!
We stopped at a very interesting rural village that was preparing for a festival and took some photos. Soon after we headed thru a national park which is a Tiger Reserve!! Out the otherside and almost straight into the Jungle Retreat!!! Hmm bit close to roaming tigers I think!!
We were reassured the property is surrounded by electric fence ... good .. but in the same breath we are told sometimes the elephants break thru ...bad ...
After we had a great lunch in the bar area we are escorted to our rooms ... a thing we become used too ... ours is as far away from the main section as possible ...bad ... but the lady in the office who gave us a briefing said we would be escorted to and from dinner in the night by a unarmed guard good/bad is he going to throw rocks at the charging tiger or leopard ... hmmm ...
Putting that aside we went to the natural lagoon .. well not really natural but really pretty with mountains in the background making a spectacular view! And the cows and goats drinking from the pool only improved the photo if not the actual hygiene of the pool ... but it was lovely to swim in!!
Come 6pm or so the heavens opened up literally and therein bucketed down!! Our guard arrived at 8pm to find us on the porch drinking g&ts watching the rain and wondering what was watching us!!!
As we walked the long stone path with the unarmed guard to the restaurant I wondered why I go on some many holidays where there is a real possibility of me getting eaten??!!!
Dinner was great and afterwards the kind fellow that runs this place put on a slide show of the animals that had been spotted here by still camera and video camera traps ... the footage leopards outside the bungalows in the early evening where we are staying and have to walk the long stone path back too in the dark we probably not the best viewing in my opinion!!!
We scampered back up the trail .. me glued to the back of the guard .... to the safety of our room!!
Tuesday 19th April
Up early for coffee ... then there's work to be done ... we are off washing elephants .... as you do in India!!! We went by jeep along the river to where the elephants are being scrubbed by their keepers - first a baby elephant who was 4 years old then a few older ones between 30-56 years old. These older elephants had been mistreated in temples and forts and had killed people .. now they live their lives out peacefully having a scrub each morning and night and being left to graze in the reserve the rest of the day ...lovely ... so I jumped in with one and gave his back a scrub!!! He has a good life now!!
Back to the retreat for breakfast and a Thai foot massage by the lagoon!! Yes ... it's a good holiday!!!
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