Day 6 - Ranthambore Game Reserve
Another very early start this morning for a game drive starting at 7am.
We piled into large jeeps called canters, seating 20 people each, including a large and annoying Italian lady who complained about anything and everything but was roundly ignored.
Our first drive lasted around three hours. The scenery was quite dry and barren - I would like to see the difference after the monsoon, when all the trees burst into leaf. We saw a lot of cheeky Indian Tree Pies (like more colourful magpies), spotted deer, huge sambar deer, a crocodile, a baby viper curled up in the middle of the track, black-faced langur monkeys and two water snakes. We also saw a dying stag, which the driver tried to revive with some water. Cruelly, when we drove back later it was still alive but a large crow had pecked out one of its eyes. It died around midday. Although we saw tiger prints and some old dry tiger poo, we didn't see any tigers. All our hopes were pinned on the afternoon's drive.
Back at the gorgeous hotel I breakfasted on mango juice and sliced papaya before going for a head and shoulder massage at the spa in a beautiful old building next to the swimming pool. Ed told me that this building was part of the original old palace, around which the hotel was constructed in similar style in 2005. They did a fantastic job! The massage room was beautifully styled, with a flower bath to one side, and my massage was very effective at loosening my stiff neck and shoulders. As a bonus, the oil is a great hair conditioner! And all for R800.
After a spot of chicken malai tikka, naan and tonic water for lunch, I set off for my room to change into my swimming togs. Strangely, on the way I managed to get sucked into the shop and accidently ordered two sets of kurta/pajama/dupatta (otherwise known as shalwar kameez or churidar) to be made for me from a silk/cotton fabric to my measurements by dinner time. Eventually I made it to the pool and spent some lazy time in and by the pool chatting with Carol and Michael.
At 3pm it was time for our second and final game drive. This time I managed to sit in the front seat of the canter, next to the driver. Behind me stood our rather gorgeous guide and spotter Raj. In our canter were some of another Travelsphere group travelling with their guide Kim, and she and I had a good old chat as we drove to the trail. We did partly the same trail as we'd done in the morning, but it looked very different in the afternoon light. There were fewer animals about - a few deer, a crocodile... however almost as soon as we'd entered the park there was a movement of the grass over at the edge of vision, and was *just* possible to make out that it was a leopard! Leopard sightings are extremely rare so, although we were still hoping to catch a glimpse of a tiger, we were very pleased to have seen one even at a distance.
As the afternoon wore on we began to lose hope of seeing a tiger but then, oddly, we came upon a group of German tourists standing around in the middle of the jungle. Where was their canter? Why were they out of their canter? They had been watching a tiger, they said, just over there.. WHY THE HELL are you out of your canter??? Not getting any sense out of them we left them as tiger food, turned our canter around and slowly drove back along the trail. Suddenly the driver yelled TIGER! and simultaneously slammed on the brakes. We were all thrown forwards and my head hit my knees. I'm not entirely clear about what happened next but according to the people in the back, Raj was thrown forward, somersaulted over the roll bar, landed on top of me and then somehow managed to roll onto the driver and then get up. There was a moment of confusion in which we ascertained that nobody was hurt, before we all remembered that we were supposed to be looking at the tiger! We could just see her in the grass next to the track and started firing off photographs and then, amazingly, she emerged from the undergrowth and walked slowly, majestically, and without throwing us as much as a glance, straight across the track in front of us. She was so huge, so beautiful, so elegantly powerful that I lost all ability to think straight and only managed to capture a couple of wobbly photos rather than the video I could easily have taken. I was so overcome that once she had disappeared into the bushes I burst into tears! A fitting end to our safari and a moment I will never forget.
Back at the hotel time for a quick shower before dinner of butter chicken and rice, and jalebi (fried batter in sugar syrup) for dessert. After dinner I collected my clothes and modelled for Carol and Nicola, who persuaded me to order another pajama in a different colour. They're good at spending my money for me :)
Finally to the bar for a rum & coke and a natter before bed and dreams of tigers.
We piled into large jeeps called canters, seating 20 people each, including a large and annoying Italian lady who complained about anything and everything but was roundly ignored.
Our first drive lasted around three hours. The scenery was quite dry and barren - I would like to see the difference after the monsoon, when all the trees burst into leaf. We saw a lot of cheeky Indian Tree Pies (like more colourful magpies), spotted deer, huge sambar deer, a crocodile, a baby viper curled up in the middle of the track, black-faced langur monkeys and two water snakes. We also saw a dying stag, which the driver tried to revive with some water. Cruelly, when we drove back later it was still alive but a large crow had pecked out one of its eyes. It died around midday. Although we saw tiger prints and some old dry tiger poo, we didn't see any tigers. All our hopes were pinned on the afternoon's drive.
Back at the gorgeous hotel I breakfasted on mango juice and sliced papaya before going for a head and shoulder massage at the spa in a beautiful old building next to the swimming pool. Ed told me that this building was part of the original old palace, around which the hotel was constructed in similar style in 2005. They did a fantastic job! The massage room was beautifully styled, with a flower bath to one side, and my massage was very effective at loosening my stiff neck and shoulders. As a bonus, the oil is a great hair conditioner! And all for R800.
After a spot of chicken malai tikka, naan and tonic water for lunch, I set off for my room to change into my swimming togs. Strangely, on the way I managed to get sucked into the shop and accidently ordered two sets of kurta/pajama/dupatta (otherwise known as shalwar kameez or churidar) to be made for me from a silk/cotton fabric to my measurements by dinner time. Eventually I made it to the pool and spent some lazy time in and by the pool chatting with Carol and Michael.
At 3pm it was time for our second and final game drive. This time I managed to sit in the front seat of the canter, next to the driver. Behind me stood our rather gorgeous guide and spotter Raj. In our canter were some of another Travelsphere group travelling with their guide Kim, and she and I had a good old chat as we drove to the trail. We did partly the same trail as we'd done in the morning, but it looked very different in the afternoon light. There were fewer animals about - a few deer, a crocodile... however almost as soon as we'd entered the park there was a movement of the grass over at the edge of vision, and was *just* possible to make out that it was a leopard! Leopard sightings are extremely rare so, although we were still hoping to catch a glimpse of a tiger, we were very pleased to have seen one even at a distance.
As the afternoon wore on we began to lose hope of seeing a tiger but then, oddly, we came upon a group of German tourists standing around in the middle of the jungle. Where was their canter? Why were they out of their canter? They had been watching a tiger, they said, just over there.. WHY THE HELL are you out of your canter??? Not getting any sense out of them we left them as tiger food, turned our canter around and slowly drove back along the trail. Suddenly the driver yelled TIGER! and simultaneously slammed on the brakes. We were all thrown forwards and my head hit my knees. I'm not entirely clear about what happened next but according to the people in the back, Raj was thrown forward, somersaulted over the roll bar, landed on top of me and then somehow managed to roll onto the driver and then get up. There was a moment of confusion in which we ascertained that nobody was hurt, before we all remembered that we were supposed to be looking at the tiger! We could just see her in the grass next to the track and started firing off photographs and then, amazingly, she emerged from the undergrowth and walked slowly, majestically, and without throwing us as much as a glance, straight across the track in front of us. She was so huge, so beautiful, so elegantly powerful that I lost all ability to think straight and only managed to capture a couple of wobbly photos rather than the video I could easily have taken. I was so overcome that once she had disappeared into the bushes I burst into tears! A fitting end to our safari and a moment I will never forget.
Back at the hotel time for a quick shower before dinner of butter chicken and rice, and jalebi (fried batter in sugar syrup) for dessert. After dinner I collected my clothes and modelled for Carol and Nicola, who persuaded me to order another pajama in a different colour. They're good at spending my money for me :)
Finally to the bar for a rum & coke and a natter before bed and dreams of tigers.