DAY TWENTY NINE

The tiger safari began 6.30am with a ride in a cantor (sort of elongated jeep) round many of the posher hotels in Ranthambore. There is no suspension in the cantor so every bump is felt most sorely. After an hour or so of the ‘hotel safari’ and getting really cold because, at last the temperatures really have dropped (a little too much for my liking…. Morning and evening are now reminiscent of UK November temperatures), we eventually made it into the tiger reserve.

There are apparently lots of tigers in this sanctuary. So many that some tigers have to be exported to other sanctuaries. None however, chose to reveal themselves, despite us going on two and in Tim’s case, three, safaris.

We did get to see nilgai (huge, horse like deer), sweet Bambi deer (chital spotted deer), sambar (also big deer), baby crocs and some fearsome larger versions, and lots of birds… spoonbill, crane, peacock, egret, ibis. There was a tense moment when we wondered whether a friendly, unassuming mongoose would become breakfast for an alert eagle.

India Cycle Touring Rajasthan
Wary mongoose
Bambi…. the baby Chital (Spotted Deer)
India Cycle Touring Rajasthan
Baby Crocodile (or the lovely Hindi word “Magaramachchh“)

The afternoon’s safari was not so good; The guide in the cantor was only interested in tiger spotting, so drove past all the other interesting creatures, even a leopard that Tim spotted !

I’d ended up getting really chilled twice today and this seemed to cause a sudden fever in me. I went to bed and slept for hours, feeling terrible.

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