We reached the station during wee hours of the morning, so decided to wait a while before heading for our camp. As a few hours passed by, I haggled my best with an autowalla outside the station, like a spirited yet price conscious Indian traveller. We sealed the deal for 80 Rs and he agreed to take us to our camp. The 20 minute auto ride was an experience in itself. The road was bumpy, and one had to manoeuvre through numerous cattle herds every now and then. Cattle on roads is not an unusual site for me, as I (like every other Indian) have grown up on these. But what I found peculiar about these cattle was the length of their horns. They were so huge and sharp that I felt they would pierce our autorickshaw covers, while the poor vehicle tried to make way through the deluge of cattle. I huddled close to Manish, my husband. On our way, we saw umpteen canters and jeeps, filled with tourists, all set for their early morning safari to the Ranthambore Park. One could see the excitement writ large on their faces...most of them doing a last minute inspection of their camcorders and cameras, in the anticipation of capturing different moods of the tiger.
The best time to go to Ranthambore is during winters and owing to the expected crowd during the long weekend of 26th Jan, we had got our jeep safari booked in advance. My pre-travel R & D (which typically involves days of googling and advice from some travel savvy friends) had convinced me that a jeep was a more comfortable and fun mode of a safari than a canter. I was glad that the decision of opting against the noisy canter was right. We had booked two safaris spread over a period of two days; the first one being in the afternoon. A guide and a young driver accompanied us on our first safari..and we were as excited as tiny tots set to go for school picnic. Private vehicles are not allowed inside the park and the jeeps as well as canters are assigned different zones. Drivers must drive within a specified zone since flouting rules could attract strict penalties, we were told.
Safari jeeps tread such rugged forest paths at high speeds!
So, our jeep started off on our designated zone i.e. zone number two. Zipping through the jungle, we caught hold of beautiful flora and fauna. Herds of spotted deer, sambars, peacocks, alligators, Tiger bird, Cormorant, Indian Roller were some of the wildlife that we were lucky enough to spot (below are some pictures).
Rival sambars locking horns!
A herd of spotted deer grazing near the forest lake....
A beautiful pair of Ruddy Shelduck..called Brahminy duck in India!
As we proceeded, we saw ruins of old monuments still trying to stand tall inside the forest lakes, with the splendrous sun's rays gently trying to touch them. I could'nt help but go back into history and imagine the Kings and Queens, in their shooting attire, roaming about the wilderness of Ranthambore.
I was woken from my reveries when I heard a frantic message on our guide's walkie talkie. The fellow guides on other vehicles were relaying the message...A TIGER HAD BEEN SPOTTED IN THE VICINITY........ We were told to sit tight and get ready for a jet set ride through the forest, as we had to reach the site as soon as possible, before the tiger evaded us. The jeep bolted at about 80kmph through the rugged jungle terrain. This speed seems nothing for a well manicured metropolitan road, but it was a ride of a lifetime offroad, inside the jungle. All of us latched on to anything and everything that we could, fearing falling off the jeep. Nevertheless, our adrenaline levels seemed to go through the roof in the excitement of catching a glimpse of the mighty cat. We reached the point where all other vehicles had halted...the guides instructing everyone to keep quiet. All ears were alert to the "call" likely to be given by a sambhar or a monkey. This "call" is a warning signal made by these animals to alarm other denizens of the jungle against the tiger's presence. It is one of the most crucial and helpful ways to track the movement of a tiger, besides following its pugmarks.
After about 20 minutes of waiting and watching, there rose a mighty image from the forest floor. Its huge stature, with resplendent black stripes on its yellow skin, almost merged with the colors of the surrounding forest. Such was the power of a true camoflauge, I realised then. Stretching itself, the Royal Bengal tiger rose its tail and started walking majestically in the other direction, oblivious to the presence of humans around it. At last, the seemingly ever elusive King had been spotted in its very own natural habitat, in its very own Kingdom.....
