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Pugs, pudding & unlucky mongoose
Awoken this morning by the hotel wake up call. Being our usual cynical British selves however, the pair of us both set independent alarms and can report that the hotel was 6 minutes late - or we were 6 minutes early!
A hot shower started the process of getting me going - slept like the proverbial log but considering how little proper sleep we'd had in the last 48 hrs it's not surprising. A sweet hot cup of milky chai and a biscuit or two finished the job of bringing me round and we were now both ready to see some tigers.
Although humid, the temperature was very pleasant - probably due to the morning's low lying mist. However, I fully expected it to be roasting come 10am. We met up with CB in our safari jeep - known here as a Gypsy. Roofless, you sit on raised seats in the back which when in the forest, give you an uninterrupted view of anything cat-like that might be strolling past. However, on the drive to the National Park from your hotel, you stick out somewhat in addition to looking like complete pillocks. It turns out my near blue shade of skin is found 'fairly' interesting in India but more on that in later blogs.
After clearing the 1st check point into the renown Ranthambore National Park, our guides spot a couple of black-tailed mongoose. These are apparently very lucky animals and a good omen that we will be successful in our search for a tiger. Sadly this failed at the first hurdle as all the other vehicles cleared the 2nd check point and whizzed off into the forest whilst we sat watching them go. Turns out there was a problem - our gypsy was booked for 6 people and we had only 5. To cut the story as short as possible, we had to drive all the way back to the 1st check point, get them to ring through and shout at the 2nd check point guards. With things now sorted, we hurtled back into the park but having lost a serious amount of tiger time. We later found out the 2nd check point guards wanted money to let us through - not today my son!
Our driver asked if we minded him going a 'little bit fast' to make up for it - no, we replied, go for it. And go for it he did! The ride was bumpy at the best of times but going a 'little bit fast' turned it into a mix of WRC and that scene from the 'Italian Job' where they drive Minis down stairs.
Despite covering a lot of ground, we heard no deer alarm calls but we did see our first tiger pug marks. I didnt think there'd be any left what with the mass of vehicles moving about but there they were clear as day and mighty large too. No tiger sighting yet but we know they're out there!
Back at the hotel, we cracked on with 2nd breakfast - omelette and chickpea curry - and then after a busy morning, treated ourselves to a snooze before lunch. At 2.30pm we were due another safari by canter - a large open topped minibus - so CB took us early for a bit of surreptitious birding for Mark. He didn't get a great deal of this but he did get a nice song sung to him by a lady and her friend accompanying her on the drum. I find he gets this a lot.
The afternoon's canter safari was pretty much a waste of time sadly. We got the worst seats and saw nothing but Spotted Deer. The guides all tell us they are very good tiger food - so where are the darn things?
The hotel out did itself with dinner that night - cumin potatoes, garlic chicken, daal, vegetable curry, mutton curry, and parathas. Also on offer was what looked like a bowl of runny green grated carrot for dessert - turned out to be warm 'pumpkin' and very nice it was too. As you can imagine, Mark and I are in our version of food heaven - only Mark's doesn't include the pumpkin pudding in his.
Our host, in his gorgeous turban, persuaded me to have a gin & tonic to console me for the lack of a tiger sighting. I don't know what measure he used (if at all) but it was more gin & 'smell of tonic' or perhaps a closer description was, gin & 'tonic in the same room'.
I'm still surprised by the lack of insects - other than a giant green cricket, our room was devoid of interesting wee beasties. I'll have to look harder for them it would seem. It could, of course, be due to the extra large gecko we found in the roof.
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