Despite a loooong drive, we arrived safe and sound at Dev Vilas just in time for lunch. The hotel was a pleasant surprise. Located just outside of the park entrance, it provided great access to Ranthambore, and the rooms were some of the largest that I've stayed in, in India. Although the accommodations were simple, everything was very clean, the staff was nice and the food was good. They have a small, but nice, swimming pool, and there's even a resident elephant that was part of the owner's mother's dowry.
We kicked off our stay with an afternoon safari, and finally, yes finally, saw.....TIGERS! We were really lucky and got a good guide and a good draw for a zone within the park. As compared to Corbett, Ranthambore is smaller in acreage and more densely populated with wildlife. They've also created some man-made watering holes near the jeep tracks, so your chances of seeing the
tigers are better. At first, we spotted two tigers at a distance in some brush. We watched them for a while, but when they didn't seem inclined to move out into the heat of the day, we continued on into the park. However, on the way back we passed through the same area and this time the tigers had moved to the watering hole and were much closer. The pair that we saw were a brother and sister, about two years old, so not mature, but still very big cats. We hung out for quite some time, just watching them bathe and play with one another. The tigers are graceful, in the manner of a highly-trained athlete or prize fighter, and they're fascinating to watch. It's as if my tabby cat, Teddy, just got blown up to jumbo size - you have this odd urge to pet them, because they seem just like big kittens, at the same time that you realize you're observing a finely honed killing machine. It's eerie, and it definitely makes you understand how those stupid people who get too close to the animals at the zoo, or in nature parks, end up in such predicaments.We were pretty thrilled with our safari and made our way back to the hotel on a high. We were really lucky as well, for although it seemed like tiger sightings were there for the taking, it had actually been over three days since any of the guests at Dev Vilas had sighted a tiger. The staff looked absolutely relieved that we'd had success. We spent our evening with a swim and cocktails under the stars, and concluded it with a lovely dinner in the dining room. We hit the sack pretty early so that we could be up and at 'em bright and early for our 6am safari.
On day two, we didn't have as much luck - no Tigers. We explored a different zone of the park, high on a ridge overlooking the area we'd been through the prior day. It was beautiful, and we again saw lots of wildlife - parrots, spotted deer, peacocks, and a golden oriole. I enjoy the safaris, but when they're not fruitful, you get tired of just looking so hard. I almost didn't believe it when we did see tigers, since it was my 5th try or so. However, all of the eye strain was worth it in the end, and despite the fact that we didn't see tigers the second day, the trip was definitely a success - whew! I felt somewhat redeemed as a tour guide, given all of the issues we had with the first leg of the Tin Amigos extravaganza. After our safari, we got cleaned up and had lunch, and then headed back to Jaipur for dinner and some turbo sight-seeing at the City Palace. Shannon and Kevin were ready to hit the road, but Lauren and I still managed a speed round of shopping that yielded silk dupattas for me and Mom, and a silk bed cover set for Lauren. Devindar, prince among drivers, was helping us negotiate to get the best prices. The coverlet seller was driving a hard bargain, and Lauren wasn't sure if Devindar was making any headway, in his polite way, so she stepped in and offered a new price of 2200 Rs. Little did she know that Devindar had already locked in a price of 1800 Rs. Devindar kind of shook his head and got a good giggle out of it, but moral of the story is - let Devindar do his thing, no matter how antagonistic or unproductive the negotiations appear to be.
With our Rajasthani road trip coming to a close, we headed back to Delhi and the bubble of home. The next day, I went back to work and the Tin Amigos headed to Amritsar for night-viewing of the Golden Temple and the show at the Wagah Border. On Friday, Devindar took Kevin, the girls, and a shopping list and ran errands in Delhi all day. I joined them for one last Indian dinner at Balluchi, and the we were off to bed. Eight AM, the Tin Amigos depart Delhi, leaving an exhausted and very-happy me, and a just-plain-exhausted Devindar in their wake.
Three cheers for friends who'll travel halfway around the world to see you - huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!
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| 3 Amigos - Ranthambor |
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