Kabini - elephants

Kabini - elephants

We traveled east of the western ghats and down 300 meters in altitude to a fertile area producing cotton, bananas, sugar cane, and assorted vegetables. Today was the 9th day of Dasara, the 10-day holiday honoring the goddesses. Buildings, houses, and vehicles of all sorts--even our safari boat--had been decorated with flowers and banana palms and elaborate parades and light shows typically take place in the evening. The holiday atmosphere and new natural surroundings made for an intriguing bus ride this morning, at least until we started hearing a loud scraping sound from under the bus.

We were still 10 km from our destination, in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, and our bladders were full. Great timing. As soon as several of us marched to something called a hospital (auyervedic treatment center) and were able to use the facilities, we were fine with this asterisk on our adventure. We even got to see a herd of cows marching down the road. Locals came out to satisfy their curiosity and offer opinions. Turned out the bus problem was only a bus air-conditioning problem. Some bearings from the AC had fallen out to cause the worrisome scraping sounds. So we propped up the roof vents (the ones you use to escape in a rollover) and rolled on into the next Orange County Resort, recently named one of the world's top 25 eco-lodges.

The resort borders two national parks where wildlife is seriously protected. The tiger population is growing, which apparently says the whole system is working well. The larger area here is known as a biodiversity hot spot, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. On a boat safari late in the afternoon of day one we saw many, many wild animals and gorgeous birds--including a total of about 17 elephants-- feeding on the grass and enjoying the water's edge of the Kabini Reservoir/River. The crocodiles made me the most nervous--especially with people telling alligator disaster stories-- and the snakebird was the most intriguing. This is not to suggest those elephants were chump change. As the sun started to set the water turned to glass and the guide cut the engines so we could spend a few minutes without artificial sounds. I thought about how thrilling it would be to paddle my kayak here, until I remembered the crocodile.

Day 2 started with a misty dawn departure by boat to the Nagarahole National Park. This was once the private hunting reserve of the Mysore royalty (we will see their palace in a few days). We boarded an open-sided safari truck and drove around to see the birds and animals away from the water, back in the forest. Alas, the tigers and leopards eluded us. But we saw two species of monkey, elephants, mongoose, wild boar, tons of spotted deer, and small herds of gaur, the largest wild cattle in the world.

During both safaris I had moments of complete confusion about where I was. It seemed as if we were in Africa. Maybe that's one too many viewings of "Out of Africa" speaking. it was wonderful and eerie. Very serene.

Our accommodation here is a one bedroom house with a private jacuzzi, a back porch, and a hammock, in a style known in these parts as "rustic chic." The decor leans toward heavy handmade wood pieces with finer touches reflecting the symbols used by the forest and hill tribes who have lived here for centuries. 

We took a very informative visit to a nearby village--another one adopted by the Orange County Resort. They have built a primary school and provide teachers. About 40% of the staff here come from this village or local area and they are trying to get that above 50%. We stopped and visited with a family who served us jaggery coffee, which is mostly ginger. Imagine a sweet, sharp ginger flavor with a coffee overtone. I loved it. One of the daughters-in-la, only 20 years old and he month of a sleeping 7 month old baby girl, served the coffee. The mistress of the house and two of her grandsons were also present. They kindly answered many personal questions with the help of a translator. These included everything from who chooses the name of the baby (usually the mother) and who announces the name to the world at the Naming Ceremony (usually the maternal uncle). Peter enticed the ten-yr old boy, Raju, to sing some songs on video to show the grandkids at home.

This time of year we are seeing chilies drying, pumpkins growing on roofs, millet straw stacked and shaped into what looks like a round house in the fields. We will see more of that and also the detritus of the big Dasara celebrations on our way to Mysore today. This segment of the trip returns to urban sight-seeing, including the fabled Mysore Palace. We're told the hotel adjoins a big modern mall. Hmmm....