NO TIGER, BUT ...

Wednesday, December 10, 2008: We have been / will be “out of range” of the Real World for several days – no television, no newspapers, no Internet connectivity (although cell phone coverage still seems available) – as we journey out into the countryside.

On our first day we drove between Jaipur and Ranthambhore National Park, about a six hour bus trip, with two stops along the way.

The first was at an elementary school supported by Grand Circle Foundation funds (underwritten in turn by a per trip fee charged those participating in Overseas Adventure Travel tours). Ten years ago the current head teacher / principal (a Dialet “Untouchable”) began teaching thirty pupils under a shade tree; now – with Foundation funds – there are five teachers, 125 students, four (tiny, tiny) classrooms (with a fifth under construction) and modern restroom facilities plus a playground on the grounds.

The school day begins with prayers (Hindu and Buddhist both), recitation of the school pledge, some yoga-like physical exercises and the singing of the Indian national anthem. Teachers then inspect everyone’s hands and teeth for cleanliness, and classes begin with students crowded into their classrooms and seated on the floor, slates in hand, ready to learn.

OAT visitors usually bring supplies with them on these visits, so there are lots of magic markers, pencils, maps and globes around; otherwise the teacher makes do with a white board on which to write assignments and such. The kids learn in both English and Hindi from kindergarten onward and begin Sanskrit in third grade. All go on to high school!

I can’t begin to express how emotionally moving this experience proved to be – even now I tear up just thinking about it. The opportunities this one young man has opened up for an entire rural community are just amazing. And Grand Circle Foundation support shows just how much can be accomplished by giving back to the community even just a small portion of one’s accumulated wealth. What an inspiring brief visit this turned out to be!

Later in the morning we stopped at what our trip leader described as “an ashram for cows.” Here old and feeble “sacred cows” are cared for in the name of a guru who took them in as a sacred duty. He also began the production of temple incense sticks using a mixture of sandalwood, herbs and cow dung (!), providing employment in the process to a bevy of local women who sweep up the dung, cart it off to the “factory,” mix in the other ingredients, form the mixture into sticks, dry it in the sun, and package it for distribution. You can guess what everyone is getting for souvenirs from this trip …

After a brief stop at a rest area a little further along the way, another couple of hours brought us directly to Paradise – the Nahargarth Hotel on the outskirts of Ranthambhore. A "reproduction" of a hunting lodge belonging to the Maharajah of Jaipur (who would have had to have ridden days to get here!), this luxury “heritage hotel” opened for business just four or five years ago. It’s truly an amazing experience to be here; just look at these pictures …

Over the course of our two night stay here, we have taken three safari trips into the national park, one of sixteen refuges set up to work towards preservation of the Indian tiger in the wild.

On our first excursion we hiked up to the ruins of an abandoned mountaintop fortress occupied over the centuries by all manner of military forces.

Incorporated in the site is also the reputed birthplace of Ganesh, the Hindu god of wealth and prosperity. As a consequence Indian devotees come from all over the subcontinent to worship here – there are even long metal railings to allow for orderly queues when major festivals are scheduled!

The shrine itself is surprisingly modest, one might even say, decrepit. A mouse nibbled away at the altar offerings while we were there; no one seemed to mind at all…

Every visitor merely offers a prayer and/or an offering before the shrine alter, then receives a blessing (marked on the forehead with a red dot) before departing. Nearby one can also leave a prayer request and receivesa in turn a string tied around the wrist to remind one of the prayers being offered on one’s behalf.

The overall mountain plateau setting is magnificent: lots of ruins – columns and stone platforms and brick walls everywhere – and far-reaching vistas. To be there at sunset was particularly nice – although the hike up and back was no picnic!

Twice the following day, early in the morning and again at mid-afternoon, we were joined by a park naturalist on two tiger hunts. We happened upon evidence of recent prowlings on both occasions but never did see a tiger. However, we did encounter lots of other wildlife – as documented in the following photo album …

And when not out on safari we’ve had this magnificent accommodation in which to luxuriate – tea and dinner outside in one of the courtyards, gourmet food at every meal, costumed service personnel forever at one’s beck and call: one could get used to this all too easily!

Thursday, December 11, 2008: Our bus trip yesterday brought us to the Overseas Adventure Travel camp outside the village of Geejgarh just off the new main trunk route between Jaipur and Agra (where we’re headed today following our overnight stay here).

We made only one stop along the way, visiting a family home extensively decorated with drawings done by the woman of the house – indigenous folk art extraordinaire and quite charming!

Other photo opportunities were confined to what we observed out the bus window, but that provided diversion enough to keep us all happy until our arrival in Geejgarh.

Our camp accommodations consist of a number of individual cabins, each with a covered veranda, surrounding a common green and facing the dining hall and a roofed pavilion with outdoor seating. The room itself has a cloth tent-like ceiling and lots of screened windows plus a big king-size bed, a couple of chairs and small tables with bedside lamps. There’s a good sized dressing room and a full bath as well. Hardly what one might expect at the “sleep away camps” of our youth …

So what does one do at camp these days? Well, the seven of us all took a camel ride, that’s what! Much more relaxing and comfortable than riding a horse, said those who had. Both experiences. We also were treated to a cooking demonstration featuring locally-grown organic ingredients, many grown in the camp garden. Before dinner we also watched colorful local dancers accompanied by drums and an small accordion-like organ keyboard instrument.

But the best part was surling up in our big bed, toes touching the supplied hot water bottles we each had been provided. The stillness and pervasive surrounding solitude all around made sleep all the easier. This morning, too, the sounds of the awakening village nearby bring back fond memories of similar early mornings in Thailand all those decades ago -- for the two of us, this experience is probably as close to that of our Peace Corps years as any we’re likely to have while here in India.

Next we're off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!