India Awaits: Orange County

One of the main reasons we had Kabini on our bucket list for India was to go on safari in hunt of a tiger........ We were so excited to go out and venture into the jungle and see what we could find. However, as we waited to board the boat (and wait for the countless rude and late Indians....) the weather turned bad - very bad ! It was late in the afternoon, and the wind and rain was not easing as we travelled across the Kabini river and climbed up the bank on the other side. As we waited for the guide to get the paperwork sorted, there was a break in the weather which was very fortunate for us all, and off we went.

We were very lucky to have a great guide. We were very unlucky to have a young boy in the jeep that was happy to scream and yell at high volume for most of the journey. The guide was not impressed, and continued to try and convince the parents that it was there responsibility to keep him quiet for the sake of the others. They, on the other hand, did not agree. I could blame the little boy for no tiger sightings but I think that may be a bit harsh.

First sightings were deers and we were all very excited, until we realised that we would see hundreds and hundreds of spotted deer...... oh well, at least they are pretty little things. As we continued on we came across some wild Gaur - the Indian Byson. These animals are incredibly large and appear to have the most incredible back and shoulder muscles. Very impressive !

We continued on our way but then had a call to go back a couple of kilometres, as there were some wild elephants !!! Oh, how excited I was. I just LOVE elephants and to see them in the wild was fabulous. There were 5 adults and a little baby - probably 5 months old. They are the most majestic animals.

Moving on and we saw a wild pig, which apparently is very rare to see - I have to admit that I wasn't that impressed - strangely Max was super impressed. We also saw some wild peacocks and quite a few monkeys (Langur) before coming across a large female Sambar - a large indian deer. They are different to the spotted deer, in that they travel alone rather than in groups and are very big. As we sadly headed home without seeing a Tiger, we came across another Gaur just on the side of the road - very impressive and oh so close.

Jack and I decided that we need to try one more time to see an elusive tiger, so we booked in for the morning safari and set the alarm for 5am !! The weather was much, much better and we headed in a couple of different directions in the jungle, so we were feeling positive. Jack was a great spotter and managed to spot a wild owl, an eagle, lots of deer and quite a few different birds. We knew things were changing when we realised we hadn't seen any deer in about 30 minutes...... that meant the tigers and leopards were out and about !! We were even more excited when we came across fresh tracks, and then we got the call - there was a leopard sighting. We raced off but unfortunately we miss the leopard by about 2 minutes !!

We once again saw quite a few monkeys and, then we found a male Sambar - he was huge! Our time was running out so we had to accept that we weren't going to see a big cat. As we headed back to base, we came across the same herd of elephants again but this time much much closer and to top it off - they started trumpeting. The sound in the jungle was amazing. What a way to end our safari.

Jack and I have agreed that we have to try and see that tiger, and will try and go back again when it is summer, when the cats are more visible. So watch this space for a tiger.

We had a great weekend, and returned to Bangalore for Mike to fly out to Tokyo for the week. So, it is no surprise that today (with Mike away), that Selvi starts screaming downstairs - I run down and she is shaking and as white as white as a ghost - 'snake madam, huge snake !!!' WHAT !!!!! I grabbed my phone, called the snake guy and checked all doors and windows. We didn't see it again but it was a fully grown cobra, slithering down the back of our house, and it ended up being sighted by a few other houses nearby. The snake catcher told me to 'stay with the snake next time, so he could find it' - hell no !!!

So, for the next couple of days we will be staying out of the garden !! Never a dull moment for us.