Re: In search of the Legendary Swamp Tiger - Sundarbans Tiger Reserve Quote:
Originally Posted by Subrat Seet Day 2: We started exactly by 6.00 a.m. Sunrise was extremely beautiful and......... Attachment 1347310[/center] |
Hello Subrat Seet,
That was one great thread - both the write-up and the photos have captured the experience in the best possible way. It is a real pity that the big cat did not show up, but it is indeed the rare visitor who catches a glimpse of His Highness!
We had made a trip there in Nov 2013 (a package tour! - I know, I know, the veterans must be already yawning!) But I had good reasons - our daughter, whose marriage we had recently attended in Florida, was coming down to India with her brand new husband and in-laws (mom&dad-in-law, younger brother-in-law as well as her 89 year old grand mother-in-law!) - all red-blooded Americans!
With all the ghosts of our ancestors breathing down our necks (and visions of Anupam Kher nodding sagely and saying "Ladkiwale hain, jhukna to padega hi!" in Hum Apke Hain Kaun!) we needed to put our best foot forward. And an 89 year old lady too - the worry list was long and since we had discussed a Sunderbans trip earlier, the die was cast - but, to play safe, we decided on a package tour (1 night and 2 days) on a house boat which would be meandering through the estuary, with a night at anchor thrown in for good measure!
To be honest, it wasn't a bad experience - our worries were all imaginary, the least of all being that gallant 89 year old lady! Grandma Rhode - my son-in-law's grandma, not mine! - proved to be a spry old bird, jumping from the jetty on to the boat and back, disdainfully refusing any help ! - In fact, she climbed all the steps of the observation tower as well as the Mangrove Centre without any help. Her enthusiasm throughout was infectious and made the whole trip worth it.
We had taken photos during the trip and and with the above prologue as an explanatory foot-note, I am encouraged to write a thread on the experience in the future. |