2-7-20 RANTHAMBHORE: This was my favorite day. Lynn, Val and I were up an hour before dawn to start the morning safari. The jeep driver and guide picked us up at the hotel in the pre-dawn cold. We could see our breath. The jeep was totally open in back, no seatbelts and just a roll-bar to hold onto. We had blankets for cover. We tore through the morning traffic in Sawai Madhopur, passing camel carts and trucks on the right or the left. When we stopped at the gate to the Park to register, we were besieged by guys selling gear. After a bit of haggling Val and I bought watch caps.
The park is huge, 500 sq. miles. It has lots of ridges of uplifted sandstone, cliffs, one huge lake and other smaller ones. One hill has a 10th Century fort and walls and temples to Ganesh. We went to zone 3, where a female tiger and two cubs had been seen for several days.
The park is full of trails, two tracks in the dirt, in places bumpy and tilted. There were lots of dried up streams. The deciduous trees were bare and the grass areas brown, all waiting for the rains in summer, when the park is closed.
We, and lots of others in jeeps or larger trucks, explored the zone. It full of wildlife. The day dawned with a red sky and morning fog. I took pix of deer, boars, lots of new birds, a floating log that turned out to be a crocodile, monkeys, bats, ancient ruins. It was an exciting ride, especially as it warmed up. But no tigers.
'The dawn comes up like thunder.'
Tree at dawn filled with peafowl.
This gate is part of the fort complex, but has been taken over by a huge banyan tree.
Cormorant tree at dawn.
Ruins through the mist.
We were just as cold as they look.
Dirt tracks.
What's in that tree?
Bats, large bats called Flying Foxes.
Part of the fort and wall. Is there something in that tree?
Yes.
Monkeys are everywhere.
Another monkey with orange hair.
Not a log.
Deer in the dry grass and bare trees.
Boar, can you see the tusk?
Later in the morning, the crocs needed to warm up.
Four crocs on the beach.
The gate and the banyan tree from the other side.
Monkeys.
We were bummed about the missing tigers, but loved the safari for the setting, the topography, the animals. We had another exciting ride back to the hotel in the jeep for breakfast, a nap and a little down time.
I was editing the million pix I took in the morning, in my room with the door open, when I heard a noise in the room. I turned around and got a flash of movement by the door. I looked outside. A momma monkey had stolen the bananas that were in my room. There had been bananas, apples and cookies that the hotel put in our room to welcome us. Bill, Lynn and Sarah all had the same experience.
'Thanks for the treat, Human.'
At 2 PM, it was time for our second safari, after another harrowing ride to the Park, we headed in, stopping only for a mongoose shot, before trying zone 4.
Rikki Tikki Tavi, we were using Jungle Book names at this point.
Sandstone strata.
Can you see the tiger?
Zoomed in. Sleeping male.
The ravine separating us from the tiger.
He's up. All the guides were arguing about his ID from my photo.
He just rolled over, see the hind leg in the air.
We attracted a following here and...
...below.
We watched for a long time, were joined by many others, and then decided to look around some more. There was a rumor of another sighting. We headed for that spot with others, but no tiger. The other six or so jeeps headed one way, but our guide and driver opted for another direction and headed down hill. We got lucky.
Tiger about twenty feet away.
Very gorgeous female named Shakti.
She was thinking about a couple of deer not too far away.
Close up.
I think I see our jeep reflected in her eyes.
Nice teeth!
We watched her for a while and then she got up and walked up hill. We drove to where she might come out and spotted her coming through the trees—very hard to see.
Headed away from us.
Very hard to see in the woods.
She lay down in this depression and almost disappeared.
She left, and we left.
We watched for a while, then she left, and we had to head for the gate. It was getting late, and there’s a 6 PM curfew. On the way out of the park, we had a glimpse of the momma tiger and cubs that we didn't see in the morning, sleeping in woods away from the road, and we saw a sloth bear.
Baloo. Poor pix, we were hurrying.
The tigress and cubs sleeping in a pile.
Back at the hotel, we were telling the stories over dinner.
The park is huge, 500 sq. miles. It has lots of ridges of uplifted sandstone, cliffs, one huge lake and other smaller ones. One hill has a 10th Century fort and walls and temples to Ganesh. We went to zone 3, where a female tiger and two cubs had been seen for several days.
The park is full of trails, two tracks in the dirt, in places bumpy and tilted. There were lots of dried up streams. The deciduous trees were bare and the grass areas brown, all waiting for the rains in summer, when the park is closed.
We, and lots of others in jeeps or larger trucks, explored the zone. It full of wildlife. The day dawned with a red sky and morning fog. I took pix of deer, boars, lots of new birds, a floating log that turned out to be a crocodile, monkeys, bats, ancient ruins. It was an exciting ride, especially as it warmed up. But no tigers.
'The dawn comes up like thunder.'
Tree at dawn filled with peafowl.
This gate is part of the fort complex, but has been taken over by a huge banyan tree.
Cormorant tree at dawn.
Ruins through the mist.
We were just as cold as they look.
Dirt tracks.
What's in that tree?
Bats, large bats called Flying Foxes.
Part of the fort and wall. Is there something in that tree?
Yes.
Monkeys are everywhere.
Another monkey with orange hair.
Not a log.
Deer in the dry grass and bare trees.
Boar, can you see the tusk?
Later in the morning, the crocs needed to warm up.
Four crocs on the beach.
The gate and the banyan tree from the other side.
Monkeys.
We were bummed about the missing tigers, but loved the safari for the setting, the topography, the animals. We had another exciting ride back to the hotel in the jeep for breakfast, a nap and a little down time.
I was editing the million pix I took in the morning, in my room with the door open, when I heard a noise in the room. I turned around and got a flash of movement by the door. I looked outside. A momma monkey had stolen the bananas that were in my room. There had been bananas, apples and cookies that the hotel put in our room to welcome us. Bill, Lynn and Sarah all had the same experience.
'Thanks for the treat, Human.'
At 2 PM, it was time for our second safari, after another harrowing ride to the Park, we headed in, stopping only for a mongoose shot, before trying zone 4.
Rikki Tikki Tavi, we were using Jungle Book names at this point.
Sandstone strata.
Can you see the tiger?
Zoomed in. Sleeping male.
The ravine separating us from the tiger.
He's up. All the guides were arguing about his ID from my photo.
He just rolled over, see the hind leg in the air.
We attracted a following here and...
...below.
We watched for a long time, were joined by many others, and then decided to look around some more. There was a rumor of another sighting. We headed for that spot with others, but no tiger. The other six or so jeeps headed one way, but our guide and driver opted for another direction and headed down hill. We got lucky.
Tiger about twenty feet away.
Very gorgeous female named Shakti.
She was thinking about a couple of deer not too far away.
Close up.
I think I see our jeep reflected in her eyes.
We watched her for a while and then she got up and walked up hill. We drove to where she might come out and spotted her coming through the trees—very hard to see.
Headed away from us.
Very hard to see in the woods.
She lay down in this depression and almost disappeared.
She left, and we left.
We watched for a while, then she left, and we had to head for the gate. It was getting late, and there’s a 6 PM curfew. On the way out of the park, we had a glimpse of the momma tiger and cubs that we didn't see in the morning, sleeping in woods away from the road, and we saw a sloth bear.
Baloo. Poor pix, we were hurrying.
The tigress and cubs sleeping in a pile.
Back at the hotel, we were telling the stories over dinner.
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