October 3 -- Bumpy Ride and Stops Needed

We left Jaipur and began our drive to Ranthambore about 8:30 AM. We were told it would take between 4 and 5 hours to get to our hotel. That was definitely accurate as we traveled along bumpy roads. Even the highway wasn’t smooth. They seem to be constantly working on the roads. Makes me wonder how much worse it was. Worst part of a long drive is having to go to the “facilities” and knowing that there are few along the way. Our first stop was after about 2 hours of riding. Along the way, we stopped to watch a celebration of some kind in a town. We were able to watch up close as a man (blindfolded) used a sword to slice a banana that two men held in the mouths. The people were very friendly, probably as interested in us as we were with them. A young child kept tapping me on the back, trying to get me to give her some money. It’s a sad situation that there is so much begging going on. We have to ignore it or there will be many more kids asking for something.

After we returned to the bus, it was time for a nap. When I woke up, the bus had stopped and I noticed there were few people on the bus. Most of them were off taking pictures of sheep that were on the side of the road. I took a picture from the bus… good enough for me in my groggy state. As we continued the drive, we saw groups of camels and donkeys walking with their herders along the side of the road. Many of the donkeys were carrying baby donkeys in pouches on their backs saddlebags) on the donkey.

We were finally able to make another toilet stop about 2 hours after the first one. Usually that isn’t a problem (the amount of time) but we all had to “go” following the bumpy ride.

We stopped at a liquor store before going the rest of the way to our hotel. The funny part was the sign, which in English was “Wines Soap” They often write the wrong English for the Hindi words. This one should have been “Wine Store.”

Arriving at our hotel, we went straight to the dining room for a buffet lunch. Our hotel in is the Ranthambore National Park near the town of Sawai Madhopur. The park is part of Project Tiger, a conservation program in India. The hotel looks like it’s very old but was built about 6 years ago. The rooms are huge with furnishings that appear to be from the past.

Later tonight, we’re joining the other OAT group for a slideshow about the park. Dinner will be in the hotel. Tomorrow we’re scheduled for two game viewings in the park.