Gir National Forest

As I was trying to figure out what to do with the last two weekends I had to spend with my mom, I had to go against warnings that it would be too hot and head to the state of Gujarat to try to see the Asiatic lions. I had heard from other teachers who had made the trip out, that it would be a toss up as to if we'd actually find a lion or not. For the most part they either saw one on every safari they took or  didn't see one at all. I decided it was still worth a try, especially as these lions are restricted to such a small area of India (about 7,700 square miles) and have only reached an estimated population of 523 in May 2015. Needless to say I wasn't holding out high hopes of seeing a lion, but I figured the trip would be worth it anyways, to check out one last nature reserve in this country before I left. We scheduled just two safaris, due to flight times and a 3 or 4 hour drive from the airport to Gir National Forest, and I could only hope that would be enough.

We told our naturalist that we were interested in birds and weren't just there for the lions. (although I have to admit as I said that, I had to wonder how true that was....I really wanted to see a lion). The unexpected advantage of that statement was that the he allowed the other jeeps to tear off ahead of us, and we took our time to go through the part on our designated route. I found out that I really do like owls (and owlets) and could watch them for a long time. The variety of birds was fascinating - from eagles to small woodpeckers the it was a colorful and plentiful mix.

With about an hour left in our safari, all of a sudden our guide said, no more slow....they might be a lion at the end. Let's go! So off we headed at what at times felt like a break neck pace (literally, when you hit the dips of the dirt road) to come to a halt by about 6 other cars. Climb up on the seats, and there, under the tree (as mom said, where the shadow moved) sat a lioness resting. To be honest I would have been happy with that. An honest lion sighting. Then a couple of the forest walkers hopped out of jeeps and circled around so that as the lioness began to walk she headed towards the road. Then...there....there are two of them! And they climbed up to the edge of the road, walking along as if they owned the space (well, I guess they do here) And so we got half an hour of following the lionesses at a slow pace. Taking breaks to breathe hard until they had had enough, and sat down to rest while we were chased out of the park as our time was up. We saw lionessssssesssss!

Agrasen ki Baoli

Step wells have recently been "rediscovered" in India. Or perhaps it is more fair to say brought back to the awareness of locals and tourists alike. There are several scattered around Delhi, and while my family was visiting we took the opportunity to stop at Agrasen ki Baoli in central Delhi, in the middle of the modern city. Originally dug down to allow residents access to water (after a descent of 108 steps) it is now mostly dry (just a bit of damp at the very bottom) although a residence for a bat colony. It is a popular spot for the locals, where they hang out, use it as a backdrop for photo shoots or just relax on the steps.

Originally thought to be built somewhere between 1320-1520 due to its architectural style, it actually was full of water until at least the 1970s, when Delhi's growth and development resulted in drastically lowering the underground water levels. Buried in mud and silt it took work on the part of the Archeological Survey of India to restore the site. However, this unique spot seems well worth the work.

You can read more about it here, and even find directions.

Kaziranga National Park

My mom's month visit gave me the opportunity to check a few more places off of my India travel bucket list. I'm down to a month left in the country, so that doesn't really leave much time for travel. In fact, I'd have to say that I've done my last trips in India (yes, it is getting to the season of lasts). One of those trips was to Kaziranga National Park in the northeast, on a trip to search out the one horned rhinoceros, a unicorn of sorts. The Indian rhinoceros have been restricted to this one location, as well as a single park in Nepal. In my mind, I thought that this might mean that sightings of these prehistoric looking beasts might be rare. Luckily for us that turned out not to be true, with rhinos taking the key role on each of our safaris. A morning safari on elephant back brought us up close to these animals, close enough to see the amour like plating that make up their think leather skin.

In addition to this up close and personal view of the rhinos we also saw a mix of other animals. Most notably, a pair of great hornbills feeding their baby. A smattering of eagles. Water buffalo, cooling off in the river. Elephants, boar, deer, frightening red ant nests in the trees, and a smorgasbord of birds. There is something about seeing animals in a natural location that is so much more like discovery. A way of making yourself feel that you have truly seen something special.