The itinerary said Jaipur to Ranthambore - 2-½ to 3 hours. The reality turned out to be 4 lonnnnnng hours of driving on roads that made our previous experiences seem ordinary. The landscape continued much the same; we’ve left The Desert but this is all semi-arid Rajasthan: sandy scrub with dots of irrigated mustard fields. Villages and small towns look much the same: stunning road congestion, vendors in small open stalls lining the road, men often sitting in small groups while women in colorful saris work - gathering twigs, carrying loads on their heads, selling vegetables. And honking - not aggressive, angry American horn-banging but little horn-tweets that say I’m here, I’m passing, I need the space where you’re standing, please move to make room for me, it’s my turn, thank you.
We left the splendor of our palace and headed toward Ranthambore National Park, to stay at the hunting lodge built in the 1930s by the Jaipur maharajah. What must that journey have been like for him? Maybe not so bad, before overloaded trucks and monsoon rains had combined to damage or destroy much of what may have been a smooth road surface!
I took just as many photos as each day before. Kenneth, in the front seat, is chief Spotter of Photo Opps and our dear driver joins him. There would be no point in my trying to put the camera down as they are right, each is fascinating (even if the light isn’t good or I don’t have time to catch it from the back seat). The subjects were mostly similar to ones you’ve seen before if you’ve been following this blog. But, to continue to try to provide the flavor of what each day is like, I would include many more IF I had easy Internet connection here. There is a complicated password, entered only by the Reception desk guy who has to walk outdoors to a far table on the terrace which is the one place it can come in. Of course I write in the wee hours, and as I write Tuesday morning, we have to be in the lobby at 6 a.m. for Tiger Trek #2, and off to Agra as soon as we return c. 10:30.
So the new photos of women working, camels pulling carts, mustard fields, pigs/hogs/goats with heads in garbage piles, cows ambling along, herds of sheep, Hindu temples, overcrowded tiny “buses” designed for 6 or 8 but with 12 or 14 inside and often 1 clinging to the back, ancient tractors pulling big loads, families of 4 on scooters built for 1 or maybe 2, tented housing along the road (not sure where they come from), men and women tending their little produce stands, men cutting hair in tiny sheds, women with giant bundles of twigs on their heads, camel carts - sometimes with 2 or 3 strung together, roads with sand so stirred up that visibility is low, these new photos will wait for sharing in The Books. But of course there are new photos from today that must be included to tell the day’s story.
When we asked about a heater in our palace room, an attendant showed us the faux-fire in the elegant mirrored fireplace actually is an easy-to-operate heater! It did a fine job of taking the touch of chill off.
I still have a bit of Mother, and knew she’d love to have a presence at the Rambaugh Palace...but not in the gardens where the Indian musician plays every night. So I settled for the jogging path garden with newly-planted annuals, big fountain, sun dial, and view of the hotel. A touch of fertilizer to keep the shrubs beautiful.
Leaving Jaipur, it was exciting to see a sign that said Toll Road and to hear our driver say it was just completed last week. Past the toll gate we found a very impressive tunnel blasted out of the rock. But on the other side, astonishingly, the same old road - no limited access, no even surface. Still sharsed with tractors and camel carts. Throughout much (most?) of today’s drive, the roads were really astonishingly, indescribably awful.
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We laughed in disbelief when we saw what caused one section of intense congestion. The giant piece of equipment on the truck bed is too high for the wires across the road. So several men ride on it and when they come to those wires they get out and raise their wooden forks to hold the wire up for the load to pass under. Awesome, no?!
This bus was packed with people inside...so maybe the roof is better?
In the middle of one very congested town we heard sounds of live music and as the traffic crawled even slower we came to an astonishing parade: hundreds and hundreds of women filling half the street, each carrying a pot with flowers (or sometimes a coconut), usually on their head. Headed to the temple, the driver said. I’m curious to know more. At the end was a curious float. What’s in it?
Another friendly Indian family. It’s really rare that anyone doesn’t return a smile.
These two win today’s prize for overstuffed tuk-tuks.
Our first big solar panel sighting - in the middle of the countryside. But we don't know what it's for.
One long stretch of road with lots of agriculture had wells placed fairly frequently along the road. We saw men and women washing clothes, babies, and themselves.
A garland-making stand
Lunch-time. This squatting position is awesome.
Got any ironing for her to do?
New bus message
What are all these women in the countryside meeting about?
Favorite load-bearing women today
An inventive toll-taker has figured how to position himself to easily get your rupees and pass them to the inside guy (how can they collect any money for these “roads?” How long can cars - or bodies - last when their innards are in constant bounce-motion?
Finally to the lodge by 1, and time for a quick lunch. A musician in the dining room made it clear that I must put a 100-rupee note on the mat before I can take his picture. The room fills with tour groups, and the choices are salad fixings and Indian or bland-Western. We’re true to our no-salads promise, and are thrilled to truly love the very simple chicken broth with vegetables.
On the golf-cart ride to the room i pass a biggg thriving vegetable garden that would thrill Michelle Obama. Happily, the tender is picking broccoli and carrots for tonight’s dinner. Our room is lodge-appropriate, a nice size, with a good, big bathroom. The property became a hotel in the mid-80s.
Into our open-air safari jeep at 2 with driver and naturalist, and off to the park. The government certainly has a commitment to protect the extraordinary variety of animals here. The tiger population is controlled; each needs an enormous amount of territory, and as the population grows some are relocated. It’s a huge park, with only a portion of it open and that portion has nine access-controlled roads. Papers must be shown going in and coming out. Visitors must be out by 5:30 in the afternoon.
The result, of course, is a terrific, peaceful preserve. But, OMG, the “roads” seem built and “maintained” with an eye to discouraging anyone from entering. I have no words to accurately describe the experience. Fortunately, Kenneth’s sense of humor was intact. But we could as easily have wept, grasping the bar in front for dear life. I thought of the rides in Orlando theme parks where you are belted and buckled in. No such thing here, and open sides, and a long long ride to the spot where a mother and her cub were seen this morning.
But parts were certainly beautiful. And soon after entering the park an eagle popped onto a branch long enough for a photo, then snatched a snake and flew up to a treetop for lunch. Two kinds of deer are plentiful: lovely spotted ones & a biggest-in-Asia variety. Of course since they’re protected they don’t run when cars approach.
We spent about an hour at the tiger-hoping spot. The naturalist circled a cub’s paw print in the sand. Temperature was pleasant and it was a good experience to just sit and watch and listen. Kenneth’s good humor continued. I found a new-favorite bird, well nicknamed the Indian tiger bird for its coloring. And we watched a mongoose check out the territory (can you find it in the picture below?)
By 5 we had to give up and speed away to get out on time. I was regretting my 3 bowls of chicken broth and 2 cups of tea for sure, and was happy to go. By now it was seriously chilly and I should’ve stopped to put my coat over my fleece. But they were in a hurry, and I didn’t...and wonder if that contributed to the current scratch in my throat. At the exit we found dozens of the cute black-face monkeys sitting on the wall and frolicking in the trees.
Back at the lodge at 6, I snapped our duo (who reported that only the jeeps on path #2 had seen a tiger today). And that at this time of year only 25-30 percent of visitors actually see a tiger.
Hot tea and cookies on the veranda welcomed us back. Then a bit of time in the room before the 7:30 supper. The broccoli and carrots were delicious and I loved the fish. A team of cooks on the terrace were making naan bread by the light of the fire. A full Odysseys group has arrived.
Our mission tonight: get out every bit of warm clothing we brought. Not only do we face the bumpy ride in the park in the morning, but it is likely to be in the 30s when we depart - in the same open vehicle. Why is it I thought this was an essential part of the experience?! Hot tea “and cookies” will be served in the dining room from 6 to 6:30; then a full breakfast when we return at 10:30, after which we need to quickly leave for the drive to Agra. Double sadness: it’s a long drive AND a good part of it retraces where we drove today.
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