Safari

The drive from Mysore to Kabini through the Karnataka state was beautiful. The countryside which apart from the endless streams of plastic rubbish that run like streams continuously along both sides of the road , is a wonderful rich burnt sienna and burnt umber, the earth is so fertile. Bullocks plod along tilling the fields belonging to an age gone by that doesn't sit at all along side the images of Bangalore and its suburbs. The country side is vast , the workers are thin and burnt like the land but they love it when you wave and in return the give those flashing white smiles ( Chin LRL ) . the men wear little more than rags , the women their brightly covered saris , the women do such tough work, it is not uncommon to see them with huge lumps of rock on their heads or huge bundles of wood twice their own body size. They walk continuously from one destination and back again. There is a visual feeling of closeness among the women workers, the working groups are seldom if ever of mixed sexes.


The nature reserve was the best experience yet . Our lodges were built on the edge of a wide sweeping river plane , under tall but bare trees. It is the dry season so the water level was low ,the river banks a faded pink colour, sloping down to the still water curving round in a gentle snaking shape into the hazy distance. The chatter of the workers on the opposite bank some 100 meters away echoed gently across the water. It was an idyllic setting.
We went out on four safaris . The road journey into the forest in the 4x4 s made you feel like your body was made of bean bags stuffed with led pellets instead of beans. Bounce , bounce ,bounce. Oh the bones! Once inside the Nagarhole National reserve we were so lucky to see wild tigers running away from the waters edge, leopards mating in the forest. This is quite rare some visitors had been out on a few trips and seen nothing. The best was the second evening trip. We had moved away from seeing the leopards and there seemed to be no animals at all, not the spotted dear or their friends the monkeys which are all through the forest, it was unusually still and quiet.Then suddenly from no where, CRASH! Crack! Rumble, lightening and rain like you have never seen , all in a matter of seconds. We drove on, the rain coming in the open sides of the truck. Then we hit a pothole and we discovered that the rain had been lying in pockets of the soft top of the jeep, it was like being at the Killer Whale show in Florida " when the whale smacks his tail on the water and drenches the front three rows. We were six in the truck and we were totally soaked through to our knickers. Eventually the driver pulled up at a "workers"hut and we took refuge, but this is the jungle and we were there to see animals, we soon spotted a huge tarantula spider on the window bars. (there is no glass in the windows).
When it finally stopped we started off again , slowly as the tracks were water logged with bright orange muddy rivers. Amazingly some animals were breaking cover after the rains and we saw three Sloth Bears just 20 feet from the car, beautiful. Lots of wild boar. Mongoose. Peacocks and many many types of eagles.
That night we were all back dressed in London warm clothes that were supposed to have been put away for our return flight home. We had got cold right through to the corps but it was the best afternoon ever.


This bit is girls only ,Ok.
Those young Indian safari guides were just SO scrumptious in their camouflage uniforms. OMG!
(We might have to check Elaine's suitcase )

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Location:Kabini river Western Gahts