Blog 13. Of orchids, lizards (in and out of trees) and joining in the village dance
Day 11 – Sunday 24th November 2019 – Bandhavgarh
04:45, After a good long night of undisturbed sleep I felt considerably better. If only I could get rid of this cough my health would be perfect. My senses were alert and as we left the treehouse I revelled in every little detail.
“… woke up early with that strong feeling of otherness, of another world that is beyond all thought … there is a heightening of sensitivity. Sensitivity, not only to beauty but also to all other things. The blade of grass was astonishingly green; that one blade of grass contained the whole spectrum of colour; it was intense, dazzling and such a small thing, so easy to destroy …” Jiddu Krishnamurti
05;20 at the central hub instead of the proffered coffee I asked for Ginger in hot water which came in a lovely little pot. I had picked up this trick on our trip to kerala in 2017 it’s origins I believe lie in Ayevedic medicine. The ginger eased my throat. Incidentally ginger water is also good for keeping colds at bay and aids digestion.
The Australian couple were there too waiting for their driver. They asked if we had yet seen any tiger. They had been there three days and seen none. We sheepishly had to admit we had seen six so far – an awkward silence fell. Then we were off down to the gypsy where, already wrapped in three layers with a face mask and scarf on my face to keep out the dust I readily availed myself of the Blanket Poncho and the hot water bottle. The ever lovely was a little peeved as yesterday she had my bottle too.
At the Magdhi gate waiting for the off we couldn’t help but notice that Adwait’s usual broad grin was even broader, seriously threatening to split his head in two. I asked why he was so happy. He told us he had become an uncle for the first time last night. Later on the drive he stopped the gypsy. The ever lovely and I looked around for the animal sighting. Adwait said” I now have a click of my nephew would you like to see it”. This wasn’t quite the sighting we had expected but was a special moment for him and for us. To be brought into his personal world amid this wonderful Indian jungle.
Our first sighting proper was Dotty’s son crossing the road. He is about 22 months old and already a wonderful specimen of male tiger. The other two cubs had already passed. I asked the name of the tiger. Adwait said that it is practice that reserves do not give tigers a name until they have fully dispersed from their mother, usually aged 28-34 months.
Adwait pointed out some orchids growing in the trees. This is a sign of a healthy biome. We saw many more orchids before we left Bhandavgarh.
A pair of jackal graced us both basking in the early morning sun. Then a wild pig and an oriental robin, more pigs babies this time whilst an Indian Vulture soared above us on the rising thermals. We had a good sighting of a spotted deer doe drinking from a waterhole and then plunged into a thicker jungle where many trees were being entwined in strangler vines. A group of Langur Monkeys entertained us before heading back to the gate we saw a Monitor lizard poking his head out of his hole ten feet up in a tree.
Out of the park, Adwait still grinning like the cat with the cream, Adwait fulfilled his promise of showing us some funnel web spider nests. At the mouth of one a Garden lizard sat. I even managed to get a click of a spider in its funnel nest.
When we were having our chai debrief we met with an Indian couple who had just arrived from Kolkata. They asked if we had seen tigers and we told them many. I still felt full of energy and must have been feeling better and suggested that we walk down to look at the Lake. Adwait guided us there and told us of the migrating noble warrior dragonfly. Here we saw bronze winged Jacana padding their way across the lilies whilst an Indian pond heron stood inert in the sun.
I was looking forward to learning more about their life in India over lunch, but it appeared that they were not eating. I asked if they were joining us and they said “No we will eat later” I thought yeah, you’ll eat with the staff and have the proper hot non-tourist fodder…I felt truly envious. He came from Uttarakhand. His father had a house there which he inherited and which was full of stuffed animals that his father had shot. He said “I don’t really like them, but what do you do with them? It seems a waste to throw them away”.
Back to the treehouse for both of us to take a short nap before lunch.
In the morning we had told Adwait that we would like to see a leopard. So, this afternoon we took a ride into the mountains to look for spotty cats. We heard one and tracked it across the mountain side for several hours but never could catch a glimpse in the dense undergrowth. But wow, was the scenery wonderful.
But I get ahead of myself, as we entered the reserve we passed the main camp for the elephants the staff use to track in deep, vehicle unfriendly terrain. There was such a cute baby there.
Adwait, again became animated at the sound of a birdcall. He said that it was a male Hornbill calling to his mate. Not just any hornbill but the Malabar Pied Hornbills again. This was way outside the territory of the previous sighting. Borrowing my binoculars, he identified the female sitting in a tree on the other side of the valley. As I zoomed in with my big lens the male landed near her on the Ghost tree. As I reached for my 2 x extender he said “You’ll never get a click of that, not at this distance”. Well I did and was I happy? Ghost trees are so named because their bark is reflective and at night when the moon is out they “shine” in the dark.
As the sun started setting and the sky took on those late afternoon warm tones growing into pink with a hint of salmon hue we arrived at some caves. The caves were over 1,000 years old and had been used by the maharaja’s security guards. This area was his favorite hunting ground and we could quite see why. In the cave were horseshoe bats. There was a gate to stop tigers and bears using the caves entering.
Back at the Hideaway we were told that before dinner we were invited to a travel show. Oh no, we thought this is where they sell us things. But no, it was local villagers who entertained us with a variety of traditional dance and songs. We sat round warmed by braziers and chatted to the Australians. There was also a party of French Canadians who seemed aloof and not really engaged with the experience. The Indian couple joined us and we chatted more with them. The show’s climax involved a sort of sub continental morris dancing. Each of the male dancers had a wooden baton and they gyrated and banged these together just like they were in a May dance on an English Village green. The only difference was the background jungle noises and Indian soundtrack. Without exception we all joined in the stick bashing. Touristy yes, but through the veneer of smart dance costumes we could imagine local dances going back centuries if not milenia. Dinner was at a long table under a pergola. The French Canadians kept to themselves, still and the Indian couple were again on a late shift. The Australians made good company.
Adwait seemed disappointed that we had not made a leopard sighting that afternoon. He told us that he was involved in filming the leopards in Mumbai. I remembered seeing the documentary a few years back and Adwait said that after dinner he would show us something special. Dinner concluded Adwait took us through to reception where he produced his laptop. On this were several outtakes and highlights from the NG programme. The leopards live in the Sanjay Gandhi Park in northern Mumbai and are attracted to the stray dogs. They may occasionally attack an adult human if they were squatting as this mimics the actions of their natural prey. They have been known to take a baby if left unattended but this is very rare.
Back to the room to pack. We had to leave at 10;30 the next morning and wanted to get the best out of our last few hours tomorrow. Little did we know what was in store for us.
Join me next week as we travel to our final destination and observe Indian rural life from another car
