This morning we got up at 5:15 A.M. We dressed in warm clothes and went to breakfast. At 6:30 we met our park naturalist then boarded the open safari truck to drive through section four of the park. In this wildlife preserve we saw a large variety of beautiful birds, deer, crocodiles, plants, and even banyan trees. There are over 450 species of birds in the area. I especially liked the iridescent feathers of the kingfishers.
Banyan tree
Spotted deer
Peacock is the national bird of India.
We came back to the hotel for lunch. During this break I went shopping at the hotel store. They have a beautiful selection of fabric, jewelry, tablecloths, and even handmade table runners. So far on this trip the hotel shops have carried some high quality items at reasonable prices.
Our hotel
After lunch we again met our naturalist and went for another ride in the open safari truck. We went to area three this time. We saw even more birds and animals. I am glad that Paul and I both brought our binoculars to see these beautiful animals. About 40 minutes before the park closed, our naturalist heard that there had been a rare tiger sighting. Our truck turned around and raced through the park along the very bumpy road. The guides of two of the trucks that we met said that they had seen the tiger walking along beside the road. The rest of guides in the next three trucks had not seen the tiger. Our naturalist apologized for not spotting the tiger. He seemed to be very upset. I felt sorry for him. I hadn’t expected to see the tiger anyway. It would have just been a bonus.
Mugger crocodile
Sambar deer
Dinner was a barbecue, but the only things that resembled barbecue were the chicken and potatoes. As I expected, most of the food served in India has curry in it. Curry definitely is not my favorite spice. We ate by candlelight outdoors at big round tables to lots of laughter among my trip mates.