Nahargarh Sawai Madhopur

... was great.

After checking in to my bungalow (with an outdoor shower and views of the park), I inquired about a quick trip into Rathambore park to visit Ranthambore Fort and a Ganesh temple I had heard about. Within minutes I was off with Dinesh the driver and we entered the park. Entering the park you feel like you are really entering an open air zoo...but with no cages or protective measures between you the animals. Other than the ever ...

... front of their typewriters, taking statements from locals who cannot read or write. In our case, I asked Prakash to find a notary who had an English typewriter keyboard, so that I could write my own statement - it took a while, but we managed and two of the photographs today are of me at work in Notary Square, Bundi, Rajasthan! Once that was done, we went to the police station and after another round of discussion, huge ...

... together with another caner and a couple o jeeps. Minutes passed in relative silence and then our driver shouted "tiger down the track" and there was a tiger a couple of hundred metres back in the middle of the track.! Our driver reversed at speed back to where the tiger had walked off the track and there it was 20 meters away in the light bushjust walking steadily along level with the track. After following it for a minute or so, our driver indicated to the othes to move down the ...

... and then have to remind myself I'm getting into a huff over 60p. But a a tourist, the whole system here is set up to rude you out of your cash money, and you have to constantly fight for a bargain. I'm SURE, that most hotels I have been to lie about the availability of rooms, saying there are no single places left, just doubles, and increasing the price when they see my fair skin and deep blue eyes. I base this solely on the prices for specific hotels Ive ...

... a toilet break off**ed which Dara eag**ly takes. She wasn't to know that the toilet was behind a tree ov**looked by an obs**vatory lodge deep in the forest. She also wasn't to know, until finishing the deed, that the male obs**vatory staff w**e obs**ving more than tig**s that morning. Lastly, we're given a short break to stretch the legs in a clearing. We're told not to stray too far just in case. I raise a few s******'s on board by suggesting "of course not, we wouldn't want to ...

... to keep dry and a torch to guide us past the lakes, lawns and sky-reaching ferns while listening to the night sounds of bats, crickets, monkeys, frogs...wonderful. God I miss that place... The day after we arrived, David and I went for a stroll in the grounds and came across Lakshmee and Mala. They were the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. They were female elephants. I went absolutely mental and my eyes went all teary as I moaned ...

... a little bit irritated. I was carefully minding my own business when a beautiful bird left a present on my elbow, I wished that they would stop feeding the birds. Grrr ;o) Apparently though its a sign of blessing and good luck. It was beautiful, especially at sunset. Even more awesome was the fact that we got to see the Bengal tiger, maybe due to the bird present on my elbow or maybe not!.

... into the hilly overgrowth beyond. By this time we were covered in dust - not the conservation viewing of a tiger that we were hoping for! 2 more jeep rides to go - hopefully we will be lucky tomorrow! following day up early again, on a bird watching trip. The trip wasn't that exciting, as the reservoir that we visited was pretty much dried up and hence not many birds were visiting. Our disaapointment ...

... dry, deciduous forest with a high density and variety of flora and fauna alike. It is also one of the few reserves where tiger sightings were still a possibility - as we were about to discover. Day 0 Our journey began on a December night at a crowded platform of New Delhi Railway Station. Amidst the clatter and wheezing of train compartments, the world and his wife and their countless children and luggage were in various stages ...

... tiger tracks. The chase was on. Our jeep shot forward on the big cat´s trail. We had to dodge low hanging tree branches as our driver raced forward. Everyone´s demeanor on the jeep became focused and serious-we wanted our prize. We came to a halt next to another jeep, whose guide told us that they had seen the tiger and that it had lumbered off the track a few hundred metres back. Our guide made the decision to take a risk to go off track and we hurriedly ...