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This month was supposed to be the holiday of
a lifetime.
DONT book Lionscape to shoot tigers in India
without asking me why.
In fact it was great fun sporadically interrupted
by the idiocy of big companies.
We travelled via Heathrow to Delhi and on to
Raipur after an overnight stay.
I had planned to donate a genset to my favourite
charity and this had been ordered through Honda
in Bhopal. The plan was to meet it at Raipur
Airport and drive it up country in our 4WD.
I paid by draft weeks before and right up to
the last minute the Raipur based dealer was
being instructed via emails to the sales manager
in Bhopal.
Right at the last minute Honda said, we won't
deliver come and collect it !
I sent what might be termed a curt note and
got no reply...
On arrival at Raipur I was looking out for my
4WD driver and the man from Honda's agent.
Both were waiting - hooray ! BUT the Honda man
wasn't allowed inside the airport with my 1m
cube cardboard box on the back of a tuk-tuk.
We moved the 2 vehicles together just outside
the airport gate and were descended upon by
a platoon of soldiers in a large truck and accompanied
by a Ferret style vehicle.
There was lots of yelling in various languages
and then all became clear.
A VIP was flying out and we were being suspicious
on the convoy route. Eventually we moved the
genset, signed for it, and started to go on
our way - only to be stopped until the whole
24 vehicles went by.
When we got to the charity base in Kanha I bought
a changeover switch and various bits and pieces
and wired it to the house.
The very first evening, the lights came on at
6pm and promptly went out - we wound up the
genset and all was well. My good friend Maggie
will now be able to use her phone and email
when she needs it to order medical supplies
etc..
Our stay at the charity base was a couple of
days and we drove to Bandhavgarh to shoot tigers
- if we could find them.
The first 2 days we rolled around in a jeep
and saw a few bits of wildlife. Then we had
4 days on elephant following the tigers around.
On the next elephant was a lady sporting 3
huge lenses on cameras. When we were close we
could hear the camera shutter going like a mchine
gun. She was shooting continuously. When I questioned
about how quickly she might fill the camera
memory, she stated that she was using 32Gb cards.
She then added she was carrying 40 of them -
this represents some 80,000 pictures in a session
- we wondered if anyone ever looked at them.
I think she was a rich amateur - no professional
photographer works that way.
Then there is O2
I have a pay-as-you-go mobile - a Samsung Jet.
I arranged use in India before I left.
On arrival they sent me a text saying dial *111*
4444 for customer service.
What they did NOT say was dial *111*# and wait
for a call back - then answer the phone and
dial 4444#
So I had to text a friend in the UK to ask how
to connect to customer service.
Then I needed to top up my credit - of course
calls to customer service are £2 so if
you run out you can't top up.
I managed to add £18 with my credit card
- in theory anything from £10-30 but Mastercharge
only allow £20 and each top up call costs
£2.
THEN I can only do it once month !! I was using
£30 / session on my laptop.
Back to the friend by email to get more money
added. A helpful O2 shop added £500 to
keep me going.
Now the real hassle.
All non India calls had to be made with the
*111*# pre-dial - I eventually worked it out
but the lack of necessary help was daunting.
Just changing the origial text message would
have been very useful.
--------------------------
We are in good company at our hotel in Bandhavgarh.
the speaker of the Indian parliament is staying
in our hotel.
We are surrounded with troops and flunkeys and
hangers-on.
All the soldiers salute and ask our names but
sometimes 2 minutes after they last asked !
One benefit is that a troop of Baiga tribals
came to dance.
I cried my eyes out as the drums beat their
captivating rhythm
11 April
We had quite a good tiger day - shot some 700
images and at least 10
are OK.
Overall at Bandhavgarh we had a very good time.
food and room were just fine although a bit
countryfied.
The tiger shooting was wonderful and images
may be viewed here.
After 8 days chasing tigers we went to Kaziranga
to find the Indian one horn plated rhino
Wed 21st
I am lying here on my bed at Dipuhl River Lodge
after a nice supper and 3 large Kingfishers
(local beer) on the first night
There is no phone, internet or anything useful
!!
Thu 22nd
It is our first day at Kaziranga after a hairy
drive yesterday.
The lodge is on stilts because the whole area
floods.
After this first evening we are the only guests.
The bar area and restaurant are pleasant - this
looks to be OK too.
The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms properly
equipped
We have air conditioning in the room, but so
far a fan has sufficed.
We went on our first game drive this am started
at 7.30 and drove about 10 miles to the main
gate.
We were joined by a soldier with a service rifle,
to protect us from marauding rhino, Indian vistors
don't warrant a guard !
Within the first hour we had seen the one horned
rhino - just eating near the road but half submerged
in elephant grass.
Then another rhino walked across the road right
in front of us.
We saw pelican, hornbill, drongo, vulture and
long beak eagle.
As we got to the far end of the park a female
rhino roared out of the bush across the road
in front of us.
A few moments later it's mate appeared and took
the same route.
So I have pictures of 3 rhino on the first day.
It rained on us and we got soaked but who cares
Thu 22nd
We just finished our first day afternoon drive.
It was very quiet - saw several rhino in the
distance including a baby.
There were lots of birds including the open
billed stork.
We had a lot of dragging along seeing nothing
and suddenly a tiger lying in the grass.
It got up and ran off fairly quickly and it
was impossible to shoot apart from a fleeting
glance of it's departing bum.
As we left the park we saw huge herd of water
buffalo
Thu 22nd
After sups at Kaziranga and several gins on
the first game day.
I am a bit bored with Indian food and need a
plate of shepherds pie.
There were bangers and chips for breakfast -
maybe tomorrow I will succomb beyond my cereal
and banana
I am sitting here naked and the only sound
is a ceiling cooling fan.
A big thunderstorm is raging outside - the electricty
is on and off
The local mobile phone system does not accept
incoming calls from the UK.
My phone doesn't even connect to the tower a
few yards from my room.
This is a 'security' issue
Fri 23rd
Last day here tomorrow
We were on elephant again at 5am this morning.
Lots of people and lots of elephants, most of
which had following babes
We saw more rhino but I still haven't got the
shot I am looking for - there is always a piece
of grass in the wrong place - often across his
eye !
This afternoon we went looking for gibbons
but didn't find them. The drive was very pleasant
in a leafy forest in the next reserve along.
We also found an acre of marijuana.
I normally do email about ten times a day.
4-5 days without and I am worrying about what
I will find. It has probably been good to be
off the net but it doesn't really feel like
it
One of my camera bodies has failed - it won't
focus, however it was one of two the same so
no real problem. Nikon will probably want £250
to fix it - I wonder if I will bother
Tomorrow morning another elephant ride with
the rhinos, an afternoon bump around the reserve
and it will a few beers before the madness of
the drive back to Guwhati Airport
5 hours on a 2 way road like our 'B' roads,
being overtaken by someone who is being overtaken
- so we are 3 abreast.
In the opposite direction 2 approaching trucks
travelling side by side compete for their nearside
lane.
In the middle of all this probably 20 cows on
the road and numerous motorcycles.
At the very last minute someone gives way and
it sorts out, only to be repeated a minute or
2 later.
As soon as we hit a clear bit our driver may
resort to the RH lane if it looks smoother.
Coming up here from Guwhati we overtook some
50-60 trucks running nose to tail in convoy.
Our little 4WD had to push in each time something
came the other way.
If we came across a really bad piece of road
- maybe washed away - all vehicles head for
what looks like the best route through, noone
waits, we get passed on both sides in both directions
and all the time everyone is hooting.
Occasionally you see wrecks at the side of the
road, they are always complete write offs.
Trucks in 2 pieces, unrecognisable lumps of
squashed car and sundry things like an engine
or axle lying in the road.
We are on our way back to Delhi - I am dying
to see if our return flight is delayed by Iceland's
vocanic dust
At least I get WiFi at my Delhi hotel
Thinking about the last 3 weeks in India, it
is fair to say we had our share of problems
that might sway an unseasoned traveller.
But I have been India several times and both
my wife and the UK based tour guide are also
seasoned travellers
Expensive, but I have a ruck of pictures to
choose from for a show in July
Seeing wild tigers at play as well as hunting
is great stuff.
The one horned rhino is also an interesting
beast
AND 3 weeks in India without Delhi belly !!!
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We got home to a mad situation with Orange
Mobile - they are run by idiots.
My photo studio spare part (4m of aluminium
bar) was delivered before we got home even though
the actual delivery note said drop on a specific
day. |