Ranthambhore National Park

Our second day at Ranthambhore started early … an alarm call at 6am and then we were split into two groups. Each group followed a different trail through the Park in search of the elusive Tigers.

It was VERY cold that time in the morning – the vehicles (canters) are open topped, open sided basic carriers and the suspension isn't great. We were given one blanket between two people but the seats were so wet with dew/mist that we had to use the blankets to cover the seats. Thanks to Jenni for the tip off – we had hats, gloves and scarves with us so coped better than some of our fellow travellers.

David was very impressed with our guide's ability to turn one scarf into a variety of turbans, hats, neckwarmers etc – he made several valient attempts and these are two of his better ones!:

It was very foggy and cold to start with, but it was a great experience and we saw lots of animals and birds.

After lunch we had a second trip out into the park. This time we followed a different route and although we saw some Tiger tracks we still didn't spot any Tigers. BUT, we spent a long time beside a tranquil lake watching freshwater crocodiles, lots of birds including Kingfishers, Ibis, Storks, cranes, egrets and the ever present, very noisy cockatiels. Peacocks are everywhere – a bit like pheasants in our English fields.

Here are a few photos from the two trips

These birds are everywhere in Rajhastan it seems, they are noisy and cheeky and totally unafraid of humans.   They are Rufous Treepies (related to our Magpies I think)

Water snakes:

Freshwater crocodiles:

White breasted kingfisher:

Successful fishing:

Black Necked Stilt (thanks to Mike Woodcock for the identification)

Painted Storks

Oops the pics are jumping out of order but I only have 30 mins wifi so sorry about that.

Purple Sunbird.    Just about 4" long and very 'busy' it took ages to get this shot but I was determined!   such a beautiful irridescent plumage

The monkeys are so prolific here you almost stop noticing them after a while, but we obviously spent too long looking at these two females and the babies as the alpha male monkey jumped onto our Canter and proceeded to tell us to back off. Our driver just kept saying … 'keep very still, don't make eye contact, don't make sudden moves' etc., The monkey wouldn't back down so the driver put his foot on the gas and tried to shake the monkey off .. to no avail. Eventually the monkey jumped off once we were well away from 'his' females but it was a scary moment. I took this photo whilst he had his back to me (I was in the seat behind him) but didn't dare take more once he turned to face me.

We didn't see a tiger but the other half of our group did. They'd been told that a tigress had successfully hunted a deer in the morning and was expected to return to the kill in the afternoon so they sat and waited in one spot for 90 mins and were rewarded with a sighting.

Whilst I'm sorry we didn't see a tiger in its natural setting, we had a brilliant day and saw enough wildlife to compensate – and we didn't have to sit around for 90 minutes in an uncomfortable vehicle.

After the afternoon drives we had barbecued Indian snacks on the lawn with local musicians to entertain us, followed by a delicious curry buffet.

The accommodation was basic but comfortable but no TV or internet (which was very nice actually)

The aftermath of our BBQ snack (prior to Dinner) and some very expensive wine.   We had been warned, but wine is very expensive.  Even the Indian wine works out at about £22 per bottle.    

Just for the ladies … some information supplied by our Guide.

Hindu ladies often colour the parting in their hair with henna dye to show that they are married. Married women wear face veils in public so other men can't look at their faces and they do this until they become Grandmothers at around the age of 50 years.

We saw lots of women wearing the veil in this way … a couple of examples:

The optimum age for marriage is considered to be 18 for women and 21 for men and traditionally with the arranged marriages, the whole village becomes involved in the selection of a partner of equal stature (caste). Careful checks are carried out regarding the family, wealth, educational status and health of the prospective candidate and when a candidate has been identified the headman and village council get involved with the negotiations regarding dowry so there can be no alterations once the contract is sealed. The success rate for these arranged marriages is 90% because so much preparation/research is done early on.

But …. these figures could be misleading as an unhappy wife probably wouldn't leave her husband as her own family would reject her for bringing shame to them. If she had sisters, her failed marriage would reflect badly on them and possibly prevent them finding husbands.

Even worse … In Rajhasthan in particular it was traditional for wives to throw themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands if he died before them. Forget all that tosh about the wife being so grief -stricken that she can't live without him. Apparently the alternative was so grim that they preferred a swift death to the 'other' fate. Widows were considered bad luck. They weren't welcome at social functions – particularly those involving young ladies/prospective brides in case the bad luck rubbed off. They had their heads shaved, were only allowed basic bland food – no exotic spices like saffron, ginger or cardamom and they were outcast with no support from the family or other villagers!

If a bride is betrothed to a man awhen still a child (which happens with a lot of arranged marriages) and the husband dies before the marriage takes place, the wife is considered to be a widow and she bears the blame for her husband's death.

The only creature considered to bring more bad luck is the CAT – particularly black ones. Our guide told us that the last time he saw a cat, it crossed the road in front of his motor bike. He stayed put until another vehicle overtook him and crossed the cat's path, therefore taking the bad luck with it, and our Guide is a well educated Delhi man!