Destination Delhi and Home

February 9-10, 2015

After our last game drive in Bandhavgarh, we drove to the airport in Jabalpur, a few hours away. There we said our goodbyes to Butch and Susi. They had a few days break before meeting up with their next guests and were returning to Tala after dropping us off. We flew back to Delhi, where we were met by a driver and escort and went back to the Sheraton Four Points Hotel and the same room we had at the start of the trip, but this time there were no raucous wedding parties across the hall.

After a good night’s rest, we spent our last day in India touring Delhi. We met our guide, Vijay, and our driver mid-morning and headed out for a tour of the city. We had a few specific things that we wanted to see but left the rest of the day up to Vijay. Our plan was to be back at the hotel by late afternoon to pack up and head to the airport at 7:30 pm for our 11:30 pm flight.

We headed to New Delhi, the seat of government within the heart of the city of Delhi, where many of the government buildings and embassies are located. These structures, along with the wide avenues that lead up to them were designed and built by the British when they ruled India. The area is green, open and pristine and stands in sharp contrast to the very bustling, crowded roads in the rest of Delhi. It was there that we saw the famous India Gate, a large triumphal arch and memorial to the 82,000 soldiers of British Indian Army who died during World War I and the Afghan war of 1919. We also drove by the houses of parliament and the Gandhi memorial.

From there we drove to old Delhi, where we made a brief stop at the Red Fort, just long enough to grab some photographs. Our main objective was a visit to nearby Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and largest markets in Delhi. It dates back to the 1600’s, and was built by none other than the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal and many other monuments and structures during his reign.

Vijay hired two bicycle rickshaws and off we went through a maze of streets and alleys, dodging other rickshaws, carts pulled by oxen or men, bicycles, and thousands of people. Along our route we came upon a group of men staring at a television screen outside a shop. The results of a major election going on in Delhi were being counted and the “Common Man Party” was trouncing the other parties, much to our rickshaw driver’s pleasure. He proudly showed us his finger stained with purple, evidence that he had voted. We had also experienced the local election in Tala and it was fascinating to see how engaged people were in the process and in celebrating its outcome. Voter turnout is so much higher in India than in the U.S.

We left our rickshaws to wend our way through the small alleys around the spice shops in the market, doing our best to stay out of the way of the men carrying huge sacks of spices and other goods. It was an amazing sight!  Stall after stall after stall of every spice you could think of displayed in large, upright burlap bags or trays. Most of the stalls were wholesalers, but Vijay took us to a shop where we were able to purchase small packets of spices and some special teas. In addition to the fabulous Indian peppercorns, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, saffron and a wealth of other spices, A. Kumar’s had amazing blends of seasoning for different styles of biryani, garam masala and even the mixed spices to make our own wonderful masala chai at home. Needless to say we couldn’t resist and ended up leaving not only with spices, but with a couple of bags of premium Darjeeling tea as well.

Had we gone alone to Chandni Chowk, we would have lost our way, but amazingly, following close on Vijay’s heels after leaving the spice shop, we were able to find our rickshaw drivers in the mob of people. We traveled down more small alleys through the cloth and jewelry shops and saw some of the most exquisite fabrics for saris and beads along the way.

After our tour we went in search of a good place to eat lunch. Although it might have been interesting to sample the fare of the Indian McDonald's on the corner, we opted for a restaurant recommended by our guide that specialized in southern Indian fare.  It was a good choice!

After lunch, we were reunited with our car and driver and headed off to visit Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the largest Sikh temple in Delhi. After entering the main gates, we went down to a room for visitors where we removed our shoes and socks and covered our heads with scarves, which are provided for those who don’t have their own. We waded through the shallow purifying pool at the temple entrance. Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world and started in the 15th century in the Indian state of Punjab. The Sikhs rejected the caste system of the Hindus and believed in one god and that all people were equal. Sikh temples are called gurudwaras meaning "Doorway to God". Inside the temple in the center of the hall on an ornate pedestal is the Guru Grantl Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs. Since the last human guru died in the early 1700's, the book is worshipped as the living Guru. We exited the temple next to an incredibly large and beautiful pool of water, where people can sit and reflect and the faithful can cleanse themselves of their sins.

Sikhism places a great emphasis on service. Everyday in Sikh temples, workers and volunteers cook a vegetarian meal, which is served free of charge to whomever wants to eat, regardless of their background. We were able to tour the huge kitchen with its huge pots over fires and the large griddle surrounded by women making chapatis. As we left, we went by the "dining room" where many people were sitting side by side on mats on the floor, enjoying their meal. Such a generous and astonishing practice.

As the afternoon wore on, we let Vijay know that we still needed to do a little shopping for gifts to bring home. We had originally planned to visit two shops that Susi had recommended, FabIndia and Central Cottage Industries Emporium, where items were sold at fixed prices. We wanted to shop without the hassle of bartering, but time was running short, and Vijay steered us to a shop featuring Kasmiri goods. We were overwhelmed by the huge selection of beautiful rugs, silk and pashmina scarves, hand painted jewelry boxes and carved elephants of all sizes. Although we made it pretty clear that we were not going to purchase any of the rugs, it did not stop the salesman from rolling them out, having us feel them, and doing everything in his power to change our minds. He even demonstrated how tightly they could be rolled up and packaged for travel home with us on the plane!  They were truly stunning, but we determinedly resisted temptation. Barb did end up with a beautiful scarf and Lydia a few mementos before leaving the shop.

We arrived back at the hotel in the late afternoon, where we thanked Vijay for our adventuresome and informative day and headed to our room to pack and freshen up before heading to the airport at 7:30 for our flight home. Fortunately for us, Barb happened to check her email at 5:30 and found an email from the airlines that had been sent out much earlier in the day, saying that our flight from Delhi direct to Newark had been cancelled. By 6:30 or so, after several phone calls, United had rebooked us on a 3:40 am flight that rerouted us through Heathrow on British Airways and United to O'Hare and then another flight on to St. Louis.  Despite our efforts to avoid Europe and Chicago in the middle of winter and to minimize our travel time and the number of legs of our journey, we ended up traveling through two of the largest and busiest airports on the planet with four flights. Once we got the flights sorted out, and rescheduled our driver to pick us up at 11:30 pm, we were able to enjoy one more Indian dinner - lamb biryani and Kingfisher beer. 

The rest of the trip was uneventful, but long! We had sprung for Economy Plus to Newark, which would have allowed for more legroom during the 16-hour flight. (United kindly refunded the cost of the upgrade.) Instead we were packed like sardines on the 9-hour British Airways flight to Heathrow. Then we had an 8-hour flight to Chicago before our final 1-hour flight to St. Louis. By the time we reached home we had experienced a 40-hour + "day" but forced ourselves to stay up until 8 pm so that we could start the process of getting over the jet lag. We always find that the return journey is the hardest part of any long trip – perhaps in large part because it means our fabulous adventures have come to an end!

Meanwhile, we are already thinking about what we’d like to do and see if we are able to return to India a second time. We barely scratched the surface of this fascinating country. We miss its diverse wildlife, habitats and cultures and its fabulous colors and flavors. Life at home felt pretty bland for a bit. Fortunately, spring has come to us and has diverted our focus somewhat. We find our longing for what we left behind when we departed Delhi is not as powerful as it was when we initially came back. Still, we manage to revisit our wonderful experience through the images we took and every conversation we have with people who want to know about the trip, so, thankfully, we do get to relive it again and again! Now, if only we could have a little poha for breakfast we’d be content to stay put for a few months, at least!

Bandhavgarh Days 2-6

We stayed in Tala, the village outside the main gate of Bandhavgarh National Park for 5½ more days. There were many highlights, just a few of which we will share here.

On Wednesday, our alarms went off early and were followed by a knock at the door at 5:15 and the delivery of a pot of tea and several cookies (biscuits) to tide us over. We hurriedly dressed, bundling up for the chilly ride in the gypsy down to Zone 2 and then took a few minutes to savor the tea and snacks, before heading out the door. We met Butch at the parking area in the dark and loaded our gear for a return to Zone 2, where we did not see any tigers, but saw lots of birds, including fields of peacocks, deer, monkeys and the dawn breaking over a lovely landscape. As became our pattern for the next few days, we headed up to the center point of the area a little later in the morning where there were carts set up and local villagers selling everything from chai to cooked food and packaged cookies and candies. It was a chance for everyone to take a break and use the facilities and for the guides and drivers to confer on what had been seen where. After about fifteen minutes people climbed back into their vehicles and headed out again to continue to look for wildlife, with everyone due out of the park by 10:30 or so.

Vendors Awaiting Tourists at Center Point

Vendors Stands and Hungry Onlookers

Tea Time Break at Center Point

The park stays closed on Wednesday afternoons, so we used that opportunity to catch up on some reading and writing and also walked the short distance from Tiger’s Den into the village with Susi. We visited the room Susi and Butch keep in Tala for when they are not staying with guests at the lodge. We also went to a couple of craft shops, one run by Susi’s friend, Neelam, who travels the country looking for regional crafts and has a shop full of treasures. Neelam kindly shared many of her wares, opening up and showing us shawl after shawl and any scarves, jewelry or artwork in which we expressed interest. A brass necklace and some lovely hand painted cards caught Barb’s eye. 

The cards were painted by artists from the Gond tribe who live in the Madhya Pradesh region. Their art calls to mind some elements of aboriginal artwork from Australia. The Gond are storytellers, and have a long history of telling their stories through vibrant paintings, consisting of colorful dots and lines to depict nature, their gods, rituals and celebrations. Apparently, they carry this art into their homes by painting their walls and floors in this bright and distinctive manner. While Barb was fascinated by the art and jewelry, Lydia was searching for gifts to take to friends and family. One could have spent hours browsing through all of Neelam’s gems, but we also didn’t want to have her take everything out, only to have to pack it up again. We each made a couple of purchases and headed back to the lodge, where a nap seemed in order.

Map of Tala Zone

On Thursday morning we went to Zone 1, the Tala Zone. Each time we arrived at the entry gates, we would get into a line of vehicles – or start the line, as we were often the first ones there. For each safari, Butch would have to check us in with one of the park officials, showing paperwork with our reservations and our passports, lest someone else took a seat we had purchased. In the mornings in particular, we were bundled up and had been given blankets by the lodge, so we’d recline on the benches and close our eyes for a bit, or watch the beginnings of the breaking dawn. Butch, with our guide in tow, would rejoin us as the opening time approached. We’d all take our places and then, when the gate was lifted, we’d enter the park. Based on assignments from the park, the previous day’s sightings and their own knowledge and intuition, Butch and the guide would determine our route to start off the safari.

As Susi had predicted, we found the Tala Zone was even more beautiful than the Magdhi Zone, It provided wonderful views of the fort and such a variety of habitats. It would be hard to pick an area we liked best.

Sunrise in the Park

The Fort

Waterhole, Grassland and Forest

We didn’t see any tigers that morning, and were aware that fewer than normal had been spotted in the Tala Zone since the park reopened in the new year. The older dominant male tiger was in a power struggle and was being pushed out by a younger challenger. Apparently the whole tiger community was unsettled and was much more reclusive than in the past.

Nonetheless, at one point, while we were stopped and listening, we heard the alarm call of a deer not far off. Could there be a tiger nearby? Butch instantly noticed a difference in the call, which we couldn’t discern and he said very quietly, “leopard”. That was unexpected! Of all the animals we knew we might see in the park, a leopard was barely on our radar. Butch turned the gypsy around and headed back to a small spur of the road. The gypsy climbed the hill slowly and then, much to our amazement, the guide said “there”. And there it was, lying in thick brush, staring out at us with its startling beautiful green eyes. Although we had each seen them in Africa, neither of us had ever seen them so close. How he discovered the spotted cat with its perfect camouflage is beyond imagination. You know experience has a great deal to do with it, but the guides must have incredibly keen eyesight to find the animals in so much underbrush. We watched if for a few moments, before it rose and moved off. When it was gone, Butch turned the jeep around and headed back down to the road we had been on when we had first heard the alarm call. Once again he stopped at a quick word from the guide. There was the cat again. It had climbed a tree and sat in the crook of a branch looking around and then looking right at us. We were able to watch it for longer this time, and were even able to get some photographs of it before it eventually hopped down and disappeared for good. Not only was that the highlight of the day, it was one of the highlights of the trip.

Friday brought us a couple of new bird species, including the distinctive brown fish owl, which we saw in a tree over a very pretty, secluded spring fed pool. We also saw our first king, or red-headed vulture. We added a new mammal to our list with our first sighting of the diminutive barking deer in the forest. We had no tigers on Friday morning, but with each visit we became more and more enchanted by the beauty and serenity of the Tala zone.

At the end of each drive, as we left the park, we needed to stop and check out, much as we had been checked in at the start of the drive. Butch pulled the gypsy up next to a small building and left us in the vehicle while he went off to check out.  A minute or two later Lydia said "look at this guy coming - a guy's coming”. Barb assumed she meant one of the guides, or Butch or someone from the park and it didn’t register that she was really supposed to turn around and look until something hit the back of the gypsy. The large object bounded onto the back of the jeep and then jumped from the conveniently placed vehicle onto the roof of the building. It was a rather large langur monkey and his shocking antics nearly scared us to death.

A Langur Monkey Making Itself At Home On The Gypsy

On Friday afternoon we returned to Zone 2, because there were, uncharacteristically, reports of better tiger sightings there. Upon entry to the park we learned that we had just missed seeing the new dominant male chasing away the old dominant male. We did, however get a very good sighting of a young male traveling through the undergrowth close to the side of the road. He stayed parallel to us for some time and then gradually moved further off. Eventually, all we could see of him was just the movement of tiger legs in the dense bamboo thicket. Later in the afternoon, after much looking and waiting, we turned around and drove back to the area of a previous sighting to see a large female cross the road right in front of us. The numbers of our tiger sightings were, happily, exceeding our expectations.

Saturday morning was another glorious morning back in Zone 1. We saw the brown fish owl again and made the acquaintance of the very tiny common kingfisher, a lovely bird with turquoise back and rusty orange under parts. We saw many of the animals that had now become standards for us: rhesus macaques, langur monkeys, often interspersed with spotted deer, sambar deer, and a nice variety of bird species. 

Spotted Deer and Langur Monkeys

Langur Monkeys

Indian Roller

As we drove, Butch found tiger pugmarks on the road, and eventually we heard alarm calls. We found a tigress making her way through the thicket. She crossed the road in front of us and then headed up the hill towards the fort and her cubs that were, we were told, waiting there for her. We had some really fabulous views of her and were able to get our first tiger photos. Lydia was even able to capture her walking silently through the grass on video.

As great as Saturday morning was the afternoon at Tala was even more fabulous. We got amazing views of two greater racket-tailed drongos, in open woodlands. They are iridescent black birds with two exquisitely long outer tail feathers that are devoid of webbing for most of their length except towards the end. The ends are shaped like… well, like the face of a racket.

We made our way back to the area where we had heard the alarm calls and seen the tigress earlier in the day. Again, and to our utter amazement, our guide spotted her stalking something in the brush on the left side of the road. She was very intent on whatever it was and we tracked her for a bit. It was so incredibly unreal to watch her. Eventually she lost interest in whatever it was she was following and came out onto the road. For the next 45 minutes we experienced one of the most thrilling encounters of our many years of watching wildlife. She walked down the road toward us for over half a mile; however, we were never half a mile away from her. Butch, using his understanding of, and empathy for tigers would only let her get so close to us, before he would put the car in reverse and back up down the road.

Then, when she finally walked off into the brush, another group had found a male, whom we watched through the brush for some time. After a bit, we backed up to allow him to cross, which he did - straight from one side of the road into the thicket on the other side

On Sunday morning in the Tala zone, we encountered our first Gaur, or Indian bison. It was a small herd browsing on foliage within the forest. They are the largest living wild cattle species in the world. They are dark brown in color except for four white socks. They have curving horns, which are quite impressive.

In the afternoon we waited patiently by a lovely waterhole within the forest in hopes of seeing a tigress making the rounds of her territory. She was expected to head up the hill near the waterhole to her cubs and a sambar deer kill she had left with them. While we waited, we were visited by a forest ranger who was monitoring the female and her cubs. Apparently the tigers follow much the same route on their daily survey and marking of their territory and he too expected her to come this way. He arrived atop a very large elephant, which very noisily moved through the brush toward the waterhole. If you wish to sneak up on someone or something in the forest, you are advised not to travel by elephant. They do not walk quietly! However, we were told that they also don’t disturb the tigers. It was fun to see the elephant so close up. It was not long after the ranger left us on his large steed that the female quickly made her way by the waterhole. She was clearly on a mission to return to her cubs, calling out to them as she climbed the hill.  Were we there a couple of weeks later, we might have seen her with her cubs in tow, but it was a little early in the season for that. Perhaps on our next trip!

Our final drive was on Monday morning. No tigers that day, but we saw many animals and a couple of new bird species. As always, we soaked in the beauty and peacefulness of this gem of a national park. It had provided us with some wonderful scenery and wildlife and we both feel like we want to go back and visit it again.

Then, just before leaving, Butch drove us up to a steep hill, to visit a very special human made site, Sheshshaiya. We parked the gypsy and walked up a series of stone steps to a most magical place, which is thought to have been built in the 10th century AD. At the top of the steps we found a large stone statue of the Lord Vishnu, reclining atop a serpent. Vishnu is one of a trinity of three Hindu gods. The three are Brahma, the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Lord Vishnu is 35 feet long and carved from a single sandstone rock. Adjacent to it is a cylindrical representation of Lord Shiva. They are perched alongside a lovely stone pool, which is the spring fed origin of a stream, which, along with others it joins within the park, supplies water to the park throughout the year, as well as to the village of Tala and beyond. That was the perfect way to end our visits to Bandhavgarh. We really loved that spot and I would have gladly perched there for hours just to quietly soak in the serenity, while keeping an eye out to see what birds and other wildlife happened by. We tore ourselves away with difficulty and made our way out of the park, back to the lodge, where we made our final preparations for departing in the afternoon.

Bandhavgarh - Day One

February 3-9

As much as we liked the desolate salt desert, moonscapes, acacia scrub, wetlands and wildlife of the Little Rann of Kutch and the lush woodland savannahs, waterways and birds of Keoladeo, it was Bandhavgarh that truly gave us the sense of being in wild India. We understand why Butch and Susi make it their home base, and it is, after all, where they first met. (For their story visit: butchlama.com, see "about us" and click on "our story" at the bottom of the page.)

We arrived in the village of Tala in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in time for lunch at Tiger’s Den, where we would reside for the next six days.

The accommodations were very nice and spacious, with a great shower and plenty of hot water, after allowing a few minutes for the heat to make its way to the showerhead. The food was wonderful, and the dining room was looked after by the ever-smiling Manish, who in a past life may have been a Jewish or Italian mother. He was always on the lookout for an empty plate to refill with all sorts of wonderful Indian delights, including a never-ending supply of naan or chapattis. The grounds at Tiger’s Den were lovely with beds of flowers and shrubs and lines of bottle palms interspersed with a tree that reminded us of a closed umbrella. 

After lunch and settling in, we had our first game drive in the park.

Zone 2 - Magdhi Gate

Bandhavgarh is divided into three or four zones, depending upon your source of information. It has a large number of hills, some of which rise 1,000 feet above the lowlands of the park. One of the most impressive hills is called the fort. It sits in the middle of the park, and has been used, traditionally as a fortress because of its views of the surrounding territory, and the protection provided by its steep slopes. 

The habitat is a rich mixture of fields, tall grasslands, forest dominated by sal trees, bamboo thickets and a variety of water features from streams running down from the hills to reservoirs, which are frequented by wildlife, especially in the hotter weather. 

Sal Forest

One of the Rocky Hill Tops

Grassland and Forest Edge

Spotted Deer at Water Hole

For our first drive we were in zone 2, the Magdhi zone. During that first afternoon game drive, Butch was in his element behind the wheel of our gypsy. A gypsy is a 4x4 Indian made vehicle that is akin to a jeep. They are used in Bandhavgarh as the primary safari vehicle. 

The gypsies are deep forest green and open topped with two rows of bench seats – the back one raised above the front one so those in back can see over other passengers’ heads. Although we saw them loaded to the gills, they seat up to 4 people comfortably on the benches, with bucket seats for the driver and a passenger in the front cab. In addition to having Butch as our driver, we picked up an official guide for each safari, who provided another pair of very experienced eyes for tracking tigers and other wildlife.

Butch drove the sandy roads searching for signs of tigers – whether paw prints (pug marks) on the road, scratches on trees or in the sand to mark their territory, evidence of where a tiger took a rest along the road, or scat. 

We would also come to a dead stop at times, and Butch would turn off the engine, so they could listen for any telltale sounds, such as alarm calls from prey species within the park, proclaiming the presence of a tiger nearby. He and the guide conferred frequently in Hindi, interpreting the different clues and trying to anticipate where the tigers might be and where they might show up next. Along the way we saw lots of other animals: herds of chital or spotted deer, the less gregarious sambar, the largest deer species in India, and two species of primates - rhesus macaques, and the quite handsome langur monkeys. The short grass fields were rich with deer and an abundance of peacocks feeding.

Spotted Deer

Langur Monkey

Butch and our guide conferred with every other vehicle we passed. No one had seen a tiger that afternoon. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that sightings were sparse and our expectations of finding tigers were fairly low. Other groups had completed two drives a day for five or six days without seeing one of the big cats. 

Sign as you leave the Magdhi Zone

It would be disappointing to come so far and not see a single tiger, but I think we each tried not to get our hopes up and sought consolation in the fact that we really were enchanted by the terrain with its mix of landscapes – open grasslands, savannahs, closed canopy forests, lush tree tunnels as the road ran along creek sides and the high points in the park with lovely rocky balds on the hills. There were also plenty of other mammals and lots of birds to keep us happy.  So we remained upbeat and enjoyed what we did see.

Late in the afternoon, Butch pulled off the road again to listen. While we sat quietly, we heard several sharp alarm calls from deer in the vicinity. These calls alert other prey to the presence of predators, and the guides use them to home in on the location of tigers. We were on the alert, sitting quietly, watching for any other signs of activity and listening for further calls. We eventually proceeded, took a turn onto another track and drove down the road to see one very large tiger lying in the road. Upon our sudden approach, he rose and ambled across the road and off into the undergrowth. We were amazed at how quickly we lost sight of him in the bush. That bright orange color and striping provided amazing camouflage. Butch identified him as a sub-adult male. So, just as we were each silently resigning ourselves to how difficult it would be to see a tiger, there he was, if only briefly. It felt slightly unreal – a magnificent, pinch yourself moment.

To add to that excitement, we heard something we were told is very rare – tiger growls coming from within the forest. Apparently there was some jockeying for position among the members of the tiger community and they were being uncharacteristically vocal. Hearing the growling, which occurred intermittently for some time, was almost as good as seeing the tiger. Both were a real thrill. We waited around for some time, in hopes of another sighting, and caught up to some other gypsies full of wildlife watchers that had gathered in a spot together along the road near where someone else had caught a quick glimpse of another tiger. We watched and listened, but in the end, it grew late, and we needed to be out of the park before dark, so we headed for the exit, quite content with all we had seen and heard, and very much enamored of Bandhavgarh National Park.

It was a great day – the first of many, and to top it off, we were so warmly greeted upon our return to Tiger’s Den, as though we were old friends returning home. We freshened up and then had a wonderful meal, washed down by a tasty Kingfisher beer. Soon after, we collapsed in our beds, knowing that we were set to wake up at 5:15, in order to be back at the park gate when it opened just after dawn.

The Midnight Train to Katni

February 2-3

After a wonderful day in Agra, we headed to the train station to catch our 9 PM overnight train to Katni. The Agra Cantonment Railway Station was a bustling place, even at that time of night. With the help of porters we moved all of our gear onto one platform, only to discover that our train was changing platforms. So we hurriedly picked up the pieces and moved quickly up a ramp, over some tracks and down to the correct platform and waited for our train to arrive. Susi had warned us that, depending on when the train pulled in, there might only be 2 to 3 minutes to get everything on board before it pulled out again, so we were to let Butch and the porters deal with the luggage and follow his lead. It is a bit of a challenge to sit back and let others handle your bags when we are so used to doing it ourselves.

The cars are labeled with a letter and number and there are corresponding numbers on the platform. We stood at our designated spot, H2, and waited for the train to pull in. When the train arrived a little ahead of schedule, we scurried to get ourselves on board and out of the way and let Butch deal with the luggage. In those few short minutes, we managed to find our berth in the first class sleeper car and get settled in.

Not really knowing what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of our berth where the four of us would spend the night. There were two bench seats facing each other, each with a bunk above.

Lydia on a lower bench that folds out into a bed

Upper bunk that folds down when ready for bed

Once underway, we got ready for bed knowing that we would have an early morning arrival in Katni and had only a few minutes to make a quick getaway at that train station. Sheets, pillows and blankets were provided so we made up our beds and settled in for what we thought would be a decent sleep, hoping to be lulled into slumber by the gentle rocking of the train. Let me just say that it was a bit more than gentle and sleep was intermittent. 

We had also been very careful with our intake of liquids prior to the trip, as we had heard some daunting tales about using train bathrooms and were hoping to minimize our need to avail ourselves of the facilities. But again, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only was our nearby bathroom clean, it was a "western" style toilet...which means there was a commode and seat...and there was toilet paper! 

All in all it was an adventure, but happily, a relatively short one. 

When we arrived at the Katni station in the morning, we were met by porters offering to help with the luggage. We were amazed and mightily impressed when one of the porters, who couldn't have weighed more than 100 pounds, adjusted his turban so that it was flat on top and put both of our 40 pound suitcases on his head and carried them to the car. Settled into our vehicle it was onward to Tiger's Den and Bandhavgarh National Park.

Iconic India - Agra and the Mughals

February 1-2, 2015

After one more morning of birding in the beautful Keoladeo National Park, and a great find of the hard to see black bittern, we left Birder's Inn in Bharatpur to head for Agra. Our drive included a stop along the way at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just 25 miles from Agra. We visited Fatehpur Sikri, a magnificent Mughal fort built by the Emperor Akbar in the late 1500's. For those of you who, like us, don't know a great deal about India's long and complex history, the Mughals were of Persian descent and, in the early 1500s, they conquered much of Northern India, ruling there for roughly two and a half centuries. In fact, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal was Akbar's grandson.  

Upon our arrival at the fort, we met up with our very knowledgeable guide, Chandrapal Singh, who accompanied us to the historic sites we visited over the next two days. He explained that after several military victories, Akbar decided to build the fort complex there in 1571, in honor of a Sufi saint who had resided at the site. He chose to use it as his seat of power, although he abandoned the site by 1585. There is still some debate as to why it was deserted. One theory had to do with the lack of a sustainable water supply. Another with whether the location was strategic enough to help stabilize the region. 

Chandrapal took us on a walking tour of the vast fort and its mosque and explained both its history and its architecture. Fatehpur is a meticulously planned city, surrounded by a vast wall, constructed of the local red sandstone that was used in much of the magnificent Mughal architecture of India. 

After our tour of these amazing structures, we continued on to Agra, arriving during the busy afternoon rush hour traffic. We tried to navigate the city and get to the bridge and across the river to view the Taj Mahal at sunset. Unfortunately, traffic was too snarled, so we turned around in a most unique Indian way, driving against oncoming traffic - it is amazing what the drivers do and what other drivers put up with, all as a matter of course. We opted to check in at our rooms at the Gateway Hotel and settled in for the evening. We discovered that we did have a view of the Taj Mahal from our room, although not one you normally see in photographs.

We had dinner there and headed to bed with plans to meet up very early in the morning to catch the Taj in the soft colors of the new day.

We arose while it was still dark and departed from the hotel so we could arrive at the Taj Mahal close to sunrise and be there when the gates opened. The Taj was built as a mausoleum for Shah Jehan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. She died giving birth to their thirteenth child. The mausoleum took seventeen years and thousands of workers to complete. The outlying buildings and gardens took an additional five years.

Chandrapal guided us through the site, pointing out many of its amazing features and highlights. Although it is one of the most iconic sights in all the world and you feel as though you know what to expect, the Taj is surprisingly larger than the classic photographs lead you to believe. In addition to the mausoleum with it's four minarets, there are also a mosque and an assembly hall on either side of the central area, as well as four entry gates. As all the structures were laid out to be perfectly symmetrical, the mosque and assembly hall are mirror images of each other. 

Mosque at the Taj Mahal

One of the Gates to the Taj Mahal

The white marble is a departure from the red sandstone that was used more widely during that time. Brought all the way to Agra from Rajasthan, the marble is exquisite, in large part because of the fact that it changes hue depending upon the light, the sky, and the season. The marble is inlaid with semi-precious stones such as amethyst, cornelian, coral, jasper, lapis, mother of pearl, malachite, onyx, paua shell, tiger's eye and turquoise. In addition to the inlaid stones forming intricate floral and geometric patterns, there is much inlaid calligraphy on the structures, scaled so that all of it appears to be of the same height from the ground. 

To say that the Taj Mahal is awe-inspiring is an understatement. It is so incredible and so intricate that one visit barely serves as an introduction. There is so much to see and learn about it that, despite the fact that it is likely the most visited site in all of India with the crowds to prove it, it warrants numerous visits just to begin to grasp its wonders. 

After our tour we went back to the hotel for breakfast and to check out. In the afternoon, Chandrapal took us to one of the shops where gorgeous white marble tabletops and decorations inlaid with the same semi-precious stones as the Taj are made. There, at Akbar International, we learned about the marble and the inlay process and watched two very skilled craftsmen preparing and setting the stones. They work so closely cutting and shaping thin slivers of stone with a hone that they tend to lose their fingerprints. Their work was incredible, and we couldn't leave the shop without some coasters to take home.

Craftsman Inlaying Semi-Precious Stones in Marble

A Work in Progress

Lydia's Coasters

We also visited some other historic sites in Agra: the red sandstone Agra Fort, where Shah Jaheen actually lived, and then the white marble Tomb of I'timad-ud-Daulah, also referred to as the "Baby Taj", as it is thought to have been part of the inspiration for the design of the Taj Mahal. In the later afternoon, we were able to get across the river to view the Taj from a bit more of a distance as the sun was low in the sky. Truly spectacular. 

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

"Baby"Taj

Inlay Detail at "Baby" Taj

View of Taj Mahal from across the Yamuna River

From there, it was on to grab a bite to eat and prepare for our next adventure, the overnight train ride from Agra to Katni.