This last weekend, we ticked another Indian adventure off our bucket list - Kabini. Kabini, is about a 6 hour drive south of Bangalore with some very old and severely damaged roads. The last 40 km took over an hour..... But it was so worth it when we arrived - a little paradise in the middle of the jungle. There is the Nagarhole jungle on one side of the Kabini river and the Kabini Jungle on the side we were on. We checked in to Orange County resort which we had heard about from many expats with great reviews. We were here on a safari to see a tiger !!
After a long drive in the car, the boys were quick to find the pool and enjoy some fun in the sun. It is still monsoon at the moment, so it gets quite cool in the afternoons, especially in the pool, but that never stops our boys !! and to have a water slide was even better.
In the evening there was a local Tribal Dance show from villagers originally from the Nagarhole jungle. Many of the local tribes have had to be relocated since the government has declared the jungles 'protected'. It is quite weird to think that these gentle tribal people were one of the biggest threats to the wild animals. In many ways they still live in historic olden ways, but in many ways they have moved too far ahead. They use poisons, they have dogs and cats, they create large amounts of trash, they venture into the jungle ..... all these things are huge threats to wild animals. One of the guides was telling us that if a tiger killed a domestic cow, the villagers would go and poison the caracas to ensure the tiger would return, eat the remains and would then die and not kill again. This type of action has threatened the tiger and leopard numbers in a massive way.
The tribal dance was quite entertaining and the boys enjoyed it more than we did - Jack even joined in at the end. We were the only westerners around, so the boys were quite the novelty and there was nowhere to hid - you are always in the spotlight.
The following morning, we tried to watch the Swans play their final against Fremantle but with the wifi so slow, Jack and I gave up and grabbed some of the resort bikes for a trip outside the gates. We went up to the local village and played with some of the local children. The shepherds and villagers were so happy to share their morning with us, even if there was quite the language barrier. I can always communicate with the kids - a pocket full of candy helps. We had a couple of ladies wanting us to come into their homes, but they wanted money in return and I made decision not to take any cash for that exact reason.
Jack loved the chance to pat a baby goat and work off some energy in the sun on a bike. I love spending time with the boys like this - they learn so much from the locals. Many of the villagers were drying out mung beans in the sun - when the pods heat up, they pop and the seeds jump out. The children and women then sort them out for making daal and other meals. Each house had a huge pile of cotton or sugar cane sticks/stalks piled up for fire wood - the women go into the fields and collect the wood, returning home with huge piles of wood on their heads.
Jack and I have decided that grabbing a bike and heading out on own was the best way to see the real India - we are definitely going to do that again !! Tomorrow I will finish with our safari adventures.
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| Peak hour in Kabini |
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| Kabini dam |
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| Orange County in Kabini - beautiful spot |
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| Even though the water was cold, the boys were in !! |
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| Max was in heaven ! |
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| My boys xxxx |
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| The tribal dance show was lots of fun with Jack even joining in ! |
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| Kaveri the 50 year old elephant - so beautfiul |
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the boys really enjoyed their bullock ride around the property and the driver made them super happy
by driving in the river |
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| These shepherds were so proud of their herd - they picked up the baby goat for us to pat |
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| Such a sweet man |
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| There is never just a man on a bike, there is always a 'load' |
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| This sweet little girl had returned from school and was happy to play - for some candy |
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| The piles of firewood for the upcoming winter |
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| Our bikes and the drying seeds |
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This little girl could not stop laughing and smiling with us. She came running out of her muddy garden, yelling
'hello, hello, hello' !! such as sweety |
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| Jack loved our morning ride |
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| A local lady sorting the seeds out |
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| The bullocks had the morning off !! |
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| We loved this gate, we couldn't believe there would be a need for a padlock |
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| the only shop in town........ |
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