Can't A Person Get Some Rest?

As we returned to the hotel after the first day's adventure, our hopes for a good nights sleep were somewhat dampened as we realized that preparations for what looked like a wedding were under way.  This was confirmed as we rounded the corner to our room to find a professional photographer and his light set-up blocking the door to our room.  He was in the process of shooting what appeared to be the bride...a beautiful young woman dressed in a stunning sari.  After interrupting the shoot so that we could get into our room, we both wondered why the dark hotel corridor with the maids cart as the backdrop was the chosen sight for the bridal photograph.

We met Susi and Butch for a quick dinner and then returned to the room to pack for the next morning's 4:30 AM hotel departure to catch our flight to Ahmadabad. We were happy to turn out the lights at 9 PM with hopes of getting some rest.  At 9:35 we were rudely awakened by the fire alarm going off in our room.  By the time our feet hit the ground, the alarm had stopped.  Back to bed but 5 minutes later it went off again. This time Lydia thought it might be prudent to stick her head out the door and see if there was indeed a fire.  The alarm stopped again and no one else was abandoning the building, so it was back to bed.  When it went off for the third time 30 minutes later, it was time to call the front desk!  We were assured that there was no fire and that the situation was being corrected.  

The night only got worse as we discovered that the room across the hall was "the place to be" after the wedding.  Door slamming, loud conversation, laughter and more door slamming...finally ending a little after 1 AM.  So much for our good nights sleep!

A Day in Delhi

Dear friends,
Please note that we are having a great time, but have had some connectivity issues, so we are far behind on getting posts online and are so busy that we're having trouble keeping up. So here we go with our report on our first full day in India.

 We arrived in Delhi a day earlier than was necessary for the start of our tour, because we didn't really savor the idea of landing at 9:30 one evening, checking into a hotel to try for a few hours of sleep and then getting up at 4:30 the following morning for another flight at 7:30 a.m. So we decided to take a breather between travel days, hoping that might also help us adjust to the time difference. Susi and Butch kindly offered to show us some of the sights. Possible Items on the agenda included a tour by car to get an overview of Delhi, a visit to the national museum, which Susi said was very impressive, another monument or two, some craft markets and checking out a birding location within Delhi, which might also be of interest for their future guests. 

There were major obstacles to several of the day's options, unbeknownst to all of us. The museum is open on Sundays, but when Lydia went online to investigate our options so we could make a decision, she discovered that the museum was closing at 1:00 pm that day in preparation for the commemoration of Republic Day on the very next day, January 26th. We thought we could still make it there for a couple of hours, but when we were picked up by our driver, Vikram, he informed us that the area around the museum was heavily congested, because President Obama had literally just landed in Delhi for meetings and the festivities. In anticipation of major traffic jams, we retreated back to our rooms at the hotel to gather our birdwatching gear and after a brief delay with some sketchy directions we set off again, but this time in search of the bird refuge. We wended our way through the streets of Delhi, trying to find Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary. This became quite the adventure. We were immediately exposed to the peculiarities of Delhi traffic. Drivers in Delhi, as we had read, use their horns constantly to make their way through traffic, notifying others of their desire to get by. Though there are lane markers, driving in a single lane appears to be optional. Blinkers don't seem to exist. Vehicles include cars, bicycles, motorbikes, three wheeled auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws and trucks of all sizes. There are other things to contend with on Delhi's roadways: camels or people pulling carts, cattle, buffalo and even an elephant. 

As we made our way, we also experienced a phenomenon we had read about in the book Delirious Delhi. Vikram stopped along the way to consult with various people getting directions over and over until we finally arrived at the Sanctuary only to find it closed! Unfortunately, the sanctuary was investigating the deaths of nearly 50 birds. Ultimately, it turned out that most of the birds that died were seed eaters and the sanctuary puts seeds out for them. Apparently, the seed had been treated with pesticides, which led to the death of the birds. Most unfortunate on several levels.

From there we began again and made our way, with several stops for directions, to the Basia Wetlands, where we enjoyed getting to know some of India's water birds.

To cap off the day we drove back into the heart of the city to visit an archeological site from the Moghul period in the 1200's, Qutab Minar. It is a compound featuring a major architectural feature - the oldest minaret.


Once we were done there, back to the hotel we went, for dinner and what we hoped would be a decent night's sleep. (to be continued)

Up in the Air and a Soft Landing in Delhi

Friday, January 23
Caught a midday flight on a cramped little jet from Saint Louis to Newark. For some reason that 2 hour jaunt seemed to take forever. Spent several hours hanging around Newark before the process of boarding the giant 777. Took off and traveled up and over Labrador, skirted Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.  Crossed Latvia, where Barb's paternal grandmother was born and then Belarus and Russia before dropping down across Afghanastan and Pakistan after a few other Stans.

Made it safe and sound and an hour early into Delhi at 8:30 pm due to a great tail wind. Indira Ghandi International Airport is a sparkling modern airport from which we walked out into the cool air of light fog and heavy smoke into a sea of male faces waiting behind a barricade for people exiting the terminal. It is amazing how quickly you find the face you know in such a crowd - Butch was there to meet us, along with our official escort. They took us away from the exit area while Rahul called our driver and within ten minutes our Toyota Innoza van arrived and whisked us away. There was, as expected, lots of traffic, lots of honking and all sorts of vehicles, including the ubiquitous green and yellow auto-rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, a couple of riders on horses, 2 vivid and noisy wedding processions, tiny little shops specializing in just one specific set of wares and some fancy hotel properties were along our route to the Sheraton Four Seasons. We arrived at the hotel to find Susi waiting for us in the lobby. Our escort checked us in, we freshened up, initiated our journey together with some biriyani and a Kingfisher beer, a shower and a not so successful effort af going to sleep. Jet lag and time changes will impact us for at least a few days, but we are here at last!

Indian Itinerary

Follow along as we explore three national parks, the Taj Mahal and Delhi and view the wildlife and wonders of India. We are two close friends traveling with our pals, Butch and Susi who have been leading photograhic and wildlife tours in India for over 15 years. This is our first foray into Asia, and what better way to be introduced to our sixth continent than to be taken under the wings of our very experienced tour guides! Here is the plan:

Friday, January 23: 
Travel from St. Louis to Newark to Delhi, India

Saturday, January 24:
Arrive Delhi 10 pm; Meet up with Butch and Susi at hotel

Sunday, January 25:  Explore Delhi: driving tour; visit the National Museum, markets and shops

Monday, January 26:
Meet escort in lobby at 5 AM. Drive to airport for flight to Ahmedabad. Drive 2 hours to Dasada. Afternoon: first birding excursion to salt pans/marshes.

Tuesday, January 27:
Morning and afternoon birding/game drives in the Little Rann of Kutch National Park

Wednesday, January 28:
Morning and afternoon birding/game drives in Little Rann of Kutch NP

Thursday, January 29:  
Morning excursion. Return to Ahmedabad. Fly to Jaipur then 4+ hour drive to Bharatpur.

Friday, January 30:
Morning and afternoon bird watching in and around Keoladeo National Park

Saturday, January 31:
Morning and afternoon bird watching in and around Keoladeo National Park

Sunday, February 1:
Morning excursion. After lunch drive 90 minutes to Agra. Explore the historical city, key sites, views of Taj Mahal. 

Monday, February 2: 
Early morning visit to Taj Mahal, Sightseeing. Overnight Train to Katni

Tuesday, February 3:
Morning arrival in Katni. Drive 2-3 hours to Tigers Den. Afternoon safari in Bandhavgarh NP

Wednesday - Sunday February 4 - 8:
Morning and afternoon safaris in Bandhavgarh. 

Monday, February 9:
Morning safari. Depart lodge at 11:45 AM. Drive to Jabalpur. Fly to Delhi.

Tuesday, February 10:
Tour Delhi. Evening departure for US

Wednesday, February 11:
Arrive in St. Louis late morning

And here's a map, thanks to Susi.