Vic-Views - The Life & Times of Sheila & Norm

The first stop today was at Fatehpur Sikri, a small town 37 km west of Agra. The complex, built between 1569 and 1585 by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar was intended to be the joint capital with Agra. The site was chosen because a local mystic assured Akbar that he would have a son. However, it was a poor choice; the site was soon deserted because there was insufficient water to meet demand.

It remained largely untouched for over 400 years, although it did house a garrison of British India troops during the Indian Mutiny.It is the best example of the culmination of Hindu and Muslim architecture with designs, derived from both the Persian and Hindu architectural traditions. The Mosque is said to be a copy of the mosque in Mecca. One of the design features was a bed 2m off the ground so it could be heated or cooled according to the season. The bed was only used with members of the harem, not his wives!

After lunch at Umaid Lake Palace Organic Resort  we took an “Indian Mercedes” to a typical nearby farm where 3 generations of an extended family lived under one roof. Although they do have electricity, mobile phones and the internet, they lead very simple, semi-subsistence lives surviving on milk, their cattle, sheep and goats; there were no crops to be seen in the surrounding areas. They make their own yogurt, cheese and roti. Nothing is wasted - one of the women’s jobs is to make the “dung patties” with their bare hands; the patties are used as a source of fuel, and the resultant ash is used to clean pots and pans. This was a good visit - an opportunity meet and interact with “real people” in their own surroundings rather than at the major tourist destinations.

The last two hours of the drive to Ranthambhore were on a single lane highway passing through many towns and villages, each with many “calming” speed bumps. There were some crazy drivers coming the other way - no one seemed to employ the dipped headlight option! Despite the poor state of the road, it was a toll road - not sure where the money went, but certainly not to road upkeep.

We checked in at the Sher Garh Hotel  at 8.30, tired after a long day on the bus, but excited about the nature drives on schedule for tomorrow.

We had an early start the next morning heading for Ranthambhore National Park - home to big cats. Are we going to see any?

The game drive through the Chowki Lakarda Forest was in a custom made vehicle- they are open to the elements, sitting high off the ground. They are designed to handle the rough roads of the park, comfort is not a priority!! It had rained over night - green garbage bags were provided to put over the very damp seats; blankets were also provided to afford some warmth against the early morning cold. The park is in rugged terrain, formerly the hunting preserve of the local raj. Lots of deer, mule deer, monkeys, boars, and antelope were sighted along with a wide variety of birds - flamingos, peacocks, herons, cormorants and kingfishers were much in evidence. A mongoose was sighted but was too fast for the camera. Around the waterholes, freshwater crocodiles were relatively abundant. The morning drive came to an end without seeing a leopard or tiger. The quiet and solitude of the park stood in marked contrast to our travels to date. Air quality was also better - we saw blue sky for the first time on the trip.

Much to our surprise we came across a cycling tour within the Park. Could one out cycle a tiger? Certainly not on these roads! After a little checking, I found that G-Adventures among others offers cycling tours in this area. However, I wouldn't recommend a cycling tour in India - we did see some other cyclists tackling the traffic!

We returned to the hotel at 10.30 for breakfast and relaxation till the afternoon drive. The women enjoyed checking out the fabric and clothing available in the hotel. It was an outlet for a women’s co-op in the surrounding area. Clothes were made to measure the same day, and the profits stayed within the community.

The owner and developer of the hotel had started out hawking post cards at the Park. From that he had grown the business to the point where had built the hotel.  The design of the hotel was in keeping with the environs; no high rise here. In a garden setting, there was the main building housing reception and the dining room, while the cottages and luxury tents were spread over the grounds. As an aside, the use of marble in the rooms was stunning in the cottage rooms was stunning.He was justifiably proud of his achievements to date. Clearly he has unfulfilled ambitions!

The afternoon drive followed a similar pattern to the morning drive - that was until we passed another vehicle which had sighted a leopard.  A leopard sighting is rare, so the adrenalin was really pumping as we tried to find the elusive cat. Our guide and driver were among the most experienced - and it showed. They found the leopard for us. Its camouflage is exactly as you hear about in documentaries - the big cat was hard to see when not moving. It stayed within camera range for a short while allowing us the opportunity to get some shots. A few moments later, there was word that a tiger was sighted near by. Our driver, who till that point had driven extremely cautiously, suddenly started driving as if were in a Formula 1 race - it was a “thrilling” drive, but we did wonder if we would survive to tell the tale! When we got to where the tiger was, there were already a few vehicles with tourists straining to see this big cat. The tiger moved much less than the leopard, never really standing, staying well camouflaged in the long grass. We stayed with our focus riveted on the tiger for some 20 - 25 minutes. Some 60% of visitors see a leopard, while 30% see a tiger. We saw BOTH in one drive. We considered ourselves extremely fortunate.

Our afternoon driver made a point of stopping and picking up any garbage that he saw. The park was very well maintained with very little garbage once inside the park. Too bad, the same attitude could not be brought to bear outside the park.