In September 1967 had visited the Nairobi National Park in Kenya as a seven year old kid with my parents and distinctly remember seeing a pride of cheetahs basking but not a pride of lions.Vividly remember till today of finding a wrist watch in the park while walking along a pathway with the guides towards a ravine where lions were presumed to be lazying. In 1967 dismounting from the tour vans and walking along a pathway to a location for spotting game was permitted in the Nairobi National park.In 1968 my mother and myself migrated to Mumbai while dad stayed back in Mombasa, employed as a "cargo supervisor" with the shipping agency Mackinon Mckenzie Ltd.I had never ever seen a wild lion nor a wild tiger although born in a country famous for lions, Kenya and living a lifetime in the country of tigers, India.Did visit the port of Mombasa in 1988 during my employment in the Merchant Navy, retracing memories of my childhood, also viewing a lot of wild-life handicrafts sold in tourist shops.Today, with the rapid decimination of wild-life in the wild i wonder if those curio shops still sell licensed wild-life handicrafts.Have visited some of the world's most famous zoological parks to date ,being a nature and wild-life enthusiast.Big cats have always fascinated me , hence after owning dogs took to breeding cats , my traditional Persian tomcat Matata being an identical copy of a miniature lion.In 2012, "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society)" were conducting a wild-life tour to the Gir forests and hence decided to at least attempt to catch a glimpse of a lion in its natural habitat, the forest ,rather than a circus,zoo or the numerous artificial small national parks around the World.Contacted "B.N.H.S" office in the first week of March and inquired about the camp logistics with Mr Asif.Khan, the tour organizer of the " B.N.H.S Gir Lion safari-2012(Wed 16-5-2012 to Saturday 19-5-2012)", also confirming my booking for the tour. Booked my departure/return train tickets to Rajkot on the "Saurashtra Janata Express" well in advance on Friday(9-3-2012) as May was the peak holiday season in India, all modes of transport being booked well in advance. After confirming my train tickets went to "B.N.H.S" office the next day and paid Mr Asif.Khan the tour fee of Rs 11,500, a nominal discount for "B.N.H.S " members, myself being a "Life Member" since 2002.
DEPARTURE MUMBAI(Tuesday 15-5-2012):-Had to board the "19017/Saurashtra Janata Express" at Bandra Terminus at 1735 hrs.Having taken up to bike and cycle commuting in recent years ,"Bandra Terminus" was new to me and hence thanks to logistic assistance from Jeffrey .Dias, Sabina's brother, managed a cheap and convenient route to the train terminus.My "Solo Backpacker " tour habits of traveling cheap, staying cheap, eating cheap but spending astronomically on sightseeing and "Adrenalin Junky" sports is a passion that's difficult to change, even on a semi-packaged group tour. Departed my residence in Prabhadevi at approx 1515 hrs,boarded a 33 Nos bus(Rs 12 ticket) and alighted at "Lucky restaurant" in Bandra West.Walked up the sky-way stairs situated near the restaurant alley and walked all the way to Bandra East , dragging my portable wheeled bag, the first time ever having used a sky-walk in Mumbai city.Alighting the sky-walk on Bandra East boarded a shared rickshaw which squeezed in 5 passengers, each charged a pittance of Rs 10, hence covered the entire distance from my house to Bandra terminus in just Rs 22, which otherwise could cost a minimum of Rs 200 by taxi from my residence.I had reached the station at 1545 hrs, very early and hence spent the rest of the time reading the biography of "Elvis Presley by Bobbie.Ann.Mason", a book i had borrowed from the "American Centre library".Thanks to "Solo-Backpacking tours", have become a seasoned cheap budget tourist, never ever wasting my "Tour budget' on either expensive commuting nor expensive hotel stay, barring travels with "Packaged Tour company's" or "B.N.H.S group tours".The train arrived on platform Nos 1 at approx 1700 hrs and i boarded compartment S6, finding my way to berth 1.Departure was punctual at 1735 hrs and the train was neat and clean.Anticipating a total vegetarian diet on the entire safari tour i had carried along a non-vegetarian tiffin food for the train journey.Dinner on train was home-cooked fried brinjals/ fried chicken and bread.Journey was pleasant, cool wind blowing through the train windows and had a decent nights sleep .Arrival at Rajkot was as per schedule, arriving at 0745 hrs, an excellent train journey in common second class berth. The meeting point for tour members was the "S.B.I ATM Depot" situated outside Rajkot station , adjacent to the bike parking lot.On alighting the train made my way towards the station exit, stopped for luggage inspection by the police as were a few other passengers.Gujarat State has liquor prohibition and hence strict checks for liquor smugglers, although in recent years another reason for luggage inspection is the scrouge of terrorism.Found my way easily to our rendezvous and was relieved to see our tour group organizer Mr Asif.khan along with other tour members waiting at the "S.B.I ATM" although not a single familiar face. Mr Asif.Khan checked the tour group list,a total of 23 "B.N.H.S tourists", but only 22 had arrived at 0800 hrs, the scheduled meeting time at "S.B.I ATM" in Rajkot.Finally we made our way to the tourist bus parked in the lane opposite the station, an air-conditioned vehicle, awaiting our last arrival tourist.Later, our last group member Dr Shamsher.Singh arrived and the bus finally departed from Rajkot station at approx 0815 hrs.The distance by road from Rajkot to Sasan Gir is approx 132 Kms and the entire stretch of road was an excellent paved highway, with no traffic jams.Freshly ploughed large fields on either side of the road indicated the importance of agriculture in this region. En-route, at 0930 hrs we stopped at hotel Saubhaghya in Virpur for breakfast, myself having a 'Sev-Ussal", typical common local Gujarati cuisine. We departed from Saubhaghya hotel at approx 1000 hrs, the journey being comfortable and pleasant due to the luxury air-conditioned bus as well as the excellent highway roads, broad and tarmacked .We reached Junagadh city at approx 1100 hrs, a typical former Nawabi city, reminding me of old Nawabi Lucknow .From Junagadh city the road was a bit narrow and wide in certain stretches and we finally reached our destination"LION SAFARI CAMP" at Sasan Gir at approx 1240 hrs.
Famous Maldhari tribesmen of Gir forests.Grazing cattle inside the Gir Forest.
Lion Safari Camp in Sasan Gir-Day -1( Wednesday 16-5-2012):- At the entrance gate of this luxury safari hotel we were greeted in traditional Indian custom, a "Sherbet" cold drink at the hotel reception centre.Tour manager Mr Asif.N.Khan allotted us our individual hotel room keys, two tourists to a tent camp.Mr Feroze.Kerawala, a senior citizen from Mumbai and myself were allotted 'CAMP NOS 21".We all made our way towards our accommodation, one of the most beautiful resorts i visited , akin to the "Last Resort" in Nepal.There were a total of 22 air-conditioned canvas tents erected in a huge mango orchard, with raw Kesar mangoes still visible on the trees, waiting to be plucked once ripe.Mr Feroze and myself entered our luxury tent and were surprised by the neatness and simplicity of this posh air-conditioned temporarily erected one bedroom / en-suite bathroom tent.The Gir National Park has 410 lions as per the recent lion census taken in 2010. The Park is closed to tourists during the monsoon season, beginning from mid-June and later opening in mid-September, to allow regeneration and breeding of the lion population as well as other animal species.The "Lion Safari Camp" is also closed during this period, the air-conditioned tent accommodations dismantled and most of the staff transferred to other hotels managed by "Camps of India", a wild-life safari hotels management group. There are numerous tourist hotels in Sasan Gir that cater to the lion safari tourists and the "LION SAFARI CAMP" is definitely one of the best or even the best in terms of natural location and environmentally friendly designing.The perennial river Hiran having its fourth check dam called "Hiraneshwar Check Dam" in front of the hotel flows as a narrow stream opposite the hotel with lush reeds on its boundaries.Hence rich bird life as well as the occasional marsh crocodile can be observed from the lawns of the resort campus let alone venturing deep into the forests.After refreshing ourselves we all made our way to the main dining hall at approx 1400 hrs for lunch.To my surprise , the buffet lunch consisted of a non-veg dish of chicken along with various assorted vegetarian dishes, the first time that i ate a "Non-Vegetarian " dish at a 'B.N.H.S Nature Camp".After a lavish lunch made our way to the reception center where Mr Asif.Khan allotted each of us 6 tourists a 'Safari jeep".We were a total of 24 tourists including Mr Asif.N.Khan, "B.N.H.S" tour manager and our group was allotted 4 jeeps by the resort.Mr Sudhir.Bhakta , myself and a young couple from Mumbai ,Mr Samir.Gulavani, Mrs Gulavani and their two children were allotted Maruti Gypsy jeep nos GJ4D6565.Our driver cum unofficial guide was Mr Bhagat .Singh. There are a total of 3 different tourist time slots for jeep treks into the "Gir National Park". The time slots were as follows 1) 0630 to 0930hrs in the morning. 2) 0930 to 1230 hrs upto mid-day. 3) 1530 to 1830 hrs in the evening. As we had arrived in the afternoon our first jeep safari tour was the last tour of day, the "1530 to 1830 Hrs safari trek ".We all got into our respective allotted jeeps and were driven to "Sinh Sadan" at Sasan Gir, a 2 Kms journey, approx 15 minutes drive from our holiday resort, "Lion Safari Park"..Observed the countryside along the Hiran river, cultivation of sugarcane being a prime cash crop, thanks to the perrineal Hiran river.Passed by a Muslim graveyard, the "Siddhi Tribe" of Afro/Arabic origin being mostly Muslims by faith , also seeing a few of them in town.If i had to meet a "Siddhi " tribesman or woman in Kenya would have mistaken them to be local Kenyans rather than Gujarati Indians from Sasan Gir."SINH SADAN" is the main office headquarters of the Gir National park for getting permission for guided jeep tours into the National park and it also has a cheap government lodge meant for budget tourists.Mr Bhagat.Singh our driver collected Rs 100/camera , the nominal fees for photography inside the Gir National park.He later went to Sinh Sadan and got along the official tour guide , a mandatory requirement for a safari tour as no tourist jeep was allowed to enter the national Park without an official registered tour guide.Ultimately, each jeep entering the Gir national park consisted of 8 people, 6 tourists and a driver along with a Gir forest trek tour guide. There are a total of 8 different "Tour jeep safari routes" inside Gir National park, akin to a common bus route in a city , each route exploring a different part of this large and dense deciduous forests.On a normal day, a total of 50 tourist jeeps enter the national park in every 3 hours allotted time slot which could create a traffic congestion inside the park, besides disturbing the normal daily life of the wild-life.Hence the "Route System" of jeep safari tourism management is essential to keep everyone happy, the tourists as well as the animals inhabiting the park.
Classic "LION SAFARI CAMP" in Gir. Our residence in the forest.
"GIR LION SAFARI -1" (1530 - 1830Hrs):- There are a total of 8 different routes inside the park and our jeep was allotted "ROUTE NOS 7". Our Jeep finally drove into the National park at approx 1545 hrs.We all were absolutely tensed and hopeful of spotting a lion, the ultimate beast that lures all the visitors to Gir besides being the source of a multimillion rupees tourist Industry.Wild-life spotting is a question of luck and being at the right place at the right time.Although the Gir lions are accustomed to jeep tourists, they rarely ever venture out into the open tourist pathways, spending most of the hot day in shaded undergrowth deep in the forests.May is the best month to spot the elusive Gir lions as the deciduous forest floor is totally barren of grass and hence visibility within the jungle is excellent for spotting and photographing animals at a distance.This is also the time when most natural water sources in the jungle dry up and hence most forest animals including lions use the artificial water troughs situated alongside the jeep trek paths provided by the Park water tankers.This was the first time in my life that i had ventured into a authentic deciduous jungle and the feeling of being in the midst of nature was intoxicating, a real natural high!Unlike the Savannah Forests of Africa, there is no grassland in Gir but a dense number of barren deciduous trees and small thickets of shrub bushes.Hence there is a World of difference between the habitat of the African Lion and the Asiatic lion as also the temperament and differences in facial appearances. We drove past a Maldhari tribal settlement consisting of small hut like houses barricaded with a fence of sticks .After a few minutes of driving into the park we were greeted with a view of a few peacocks, the most common bird in Gir forests.It was a long winding drive through the dense deciduous Gir forests, spotting chital , Sambar and Nilgai along the way but yet to encounter a lion. Every jeep driver has a cell-phone with which they stay in touch with other tourist jeep drivers within the park and on spotting a lion the jeep driver on that particular route informs other drivers about the sighting, hence other tourist jeeps on that route converge to that spot.Luck plays a crucial role in spotting the elusive Gir lion since a tourist jeep cannot diverge from its allotted route path, unless the path converged with another common route path at a certain point in the large National park. All the 8 different route paths intermingle with a few other route paths at some point within the forest.The forest guards(rangers) patrol the forest on motorcycles and jeeps and are aware of the hideouts of a few of the lions living within their forest patrol range.People owning pet cats will understand the psychology of the "Big cats" as they are identical in behaviour and habits, only difference, the house-hold pet cat is small and tiny enough for us humans to domesticate and control. The Gir Forest rangers use the "Domestic Cat Psychology" to detect the habitat of their local resident lions while patrolling the forests and in controlling their movements for the pleasure of tourist sightings.After approx an hours of driving though the forest path we finally came across the unimaginable, a pair of male lions resting in a dense undergrowth, approx 60 to 70 meters away from us.A forest ranger was on the ground armed with just a wooden baton and standing approx 50 meters away from this pair of huge male lions .The Guards were there to maintain a law and order situation on the tourist jeep traffic that was gradually accumulating to view these lions. Admire the courage and confidence of these forest rangers for these are totally wild lions that kill other animals for food unlike zoo or pet lions that are hand fed by humans.Tourists are not allowed to step out of their jeeps or create a nuisance and hence the presence of forest guards whenever a lion is sighted .This pair of young male lions were brothers from the same litter and hence lived together in harmony without quarreling.Two male lions never live together in the same territory let alone lying asleep next to each other as were these two, my first ever lion sighting in a natural wild forest.Fellow jeep tourists Sudhir and Samir had good zoom lens camera's and went camera crazy while i produced a video as usual and watched these beautiful beasts with my binoculars.Thanks to Mr Samir.Gulavani and Mr Sudhir.Bhakta for allowing me to portray some of their wild-life photos taken on our safari's in my blog.I use my 8 Megapixel Pentax camera as a photo/essay aid for my blogs tours , a very convenient and sturdy camera.This camera is suitable for close-up photos, human portraits, party, and landscape, never for wild-life photography as its zoom lens is of negligible power.Although there was a lot of commotion in the tourist jeeps the lions seemed undeterred, never moving out of their hide-out. Photography was possible with powerful telephoto lenses and a costly professional camera.After viewing these lions for approx 15 minutes we drove away and headed towards Kamleshwar Dam. In the Gir forests a naturalist can study the basic changes in a forest Eco-system, the forests being totally dry at the entrance,mostly consisting of teak tree's and gradually turning lush green on the fringes of the Hiran river on approach towards the Kamleshwar lake dam..Tourist jeep Routes 1,3,4,7 and 8 converged at Kamleshwar Dam, the halfway end point of these jeep safari routes. From Kamleshwar Dam all these tourist jeeps head back to the end point of the safari through various allotted pathway road treks, finally culminating at "Sinh Sadan" in Sasan Gir, end of a three hour safari trek in Gir forests of Gujarat. Kamleshwar dam lake has the largest population of Marsh crocodiles in India and we spotted a few swimming in the hot calm lake.Although it was cool, the overhead Sun was absolutely hot and hence no crocodiles were basking along the banks of the lake.Spotted ibis, snake darters, herons, kingfishers and cormorants along the banks of the lake.After a brief stay at the Kamleshwar Dam end-point we headed back towards home.Enroute through the forest paths spotted numerous chital, sambar and peacocks, the jungle being rich in prey species and hence the lions were self-sufficient and no incidences of man-eating.Nature has its own method of creating an equilibrium between the prey and predator species that survive in the natural forests of the World, including the Gir forests of Gujarat.It is we humans, the supreme predators on planet earth that have upset the delicate balance of nature by creating species extinction as well as the latest scare, World climate change.There has been no recorded man-eating incidence amongst the Asian lions in the Gir forests although the lions do prey on cattle owned by the Maldhari tribals settled within the confines of the national park, the same compensated in cash by the Gujarat State Government.At the beginning of the 20th century there were less than 20 Asiatic wild lions in the Gir forests and today in 2012 there are approx 400 lions, one of the greatest successes in saving a species from extinction.Strangely, although living in the forests, the Maldhari tribe are vegetarians and famous for breeding the buffaloes that provide high quality milk and a means of livelihood. In Africa the "Man-Eaters of Tsavo", a pair of freak maneless male lions are a part of African legend, their man-eating exploits bringing the construction of the Kenya -Uganda railway to a temporary standstill in 1898 . This pair of lions aroused a debate in the British parliament when Britain colonized most of the planet. These lions preyed on the construction Indian labourors eating numerous labourors, some of whose ancestors must have been from Gujarat.These lions were finally shot dead by Lt Col John.Henry.Patterson and a film "The Ghost and the Darkness" is based on the book written by Col Patterson, "The Man Eaters of Tsavo". In India we have had numerous "Man-Eating Tigers" in the early twentieth century, some well documented cases written in the book "The Man-Eaters of Kumaon" by hunter/later conservationist Jim.Corbett who later migrated to Kenya after the Independence of India Our first sojourn into the Gir forests was extremely fruitful, spotting the elusive lions on the first day itself, a good omen.The uncommon birds spotted during our three hour jungle drive were the Night Jar, Indian Pitta,Changeable Hawk and the master of disguise, Indian Stone Curlew.The heat was intense during the afternoon safari and i consumed approx a liter of water from my water bottle.realized the importance of carrying a "Water-Bottle" as unlike the forest animals there were no sources of water for tourists during the 3 hour safari drive through this absolutely dry deciduous forests in peak summer.We finally arrived at "Sinh Sadan" at approx 1830 hrs and after the exit of our guide made our way to "Lion Safari camp" resort.
Evening at the "Lion Safari Camp".Indescribable ambiance in the jungle.
It was cool and pleasant in the evening, the Hiran river having a cooling effect on the resort .Tea was at 1900 hrs in an open-air shamiana and after tea went to the conference/recreation hall, a huge hall with an A/c canvas tent having a large Samsung t.v, a pool table, a carrom board and a table tennis table.A few group members took up to pool and carrom while i relearned my table-tennis skills with Alifya. Loharchalwala, a young lady from Mumbai whose co-tourist friend Urvi.Vani played pool, co-piloted a small plane and was a solo para-glider. After a brief game of table-tennis had dinner at 2100 hrs.After dinner went back to the recreation hall and watched television, I.P.L field players shenanigans being the latest hot news.For the first time got to view "Al-Jazeera" news channel,the Arab English news famous for being the first to broadcast late Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda videos and messages to the rest of the World. Bizarrely, a man-eating lion that terrorized and killed approx 50 humans between 2002 and 2004 in Tanzania was named "OSAMA". This young three and a half year old lion was finally killed in April 2004. In the modern 21st century, man-eating lions are not uncommon in Africa where lions are still numerous despite massive poaching and eradication of forests.Only hope that the African lions are not driven to extinction due to licensed "Trophy Hunting" and poaching as were the Asiatic lions, finally miraculously preserved in a miniscule number in the Gir forests of Gujarat.A get-together of all tour participants was later held in the Recreation/Conference hall where B.N.H.S tour manager Mr Asif.Khan introduced us to Mr Bachu.Singh a naturalist and tour organizer for "Lion Safari Camp" resort. Mr Bachu.Singh gave us a brief description of the Gir topography and status of lions in the forest.Mr Asif .khan had arranged for the "0630 - 0930" tour safari the next day, early morning being the best time to sight wild-life in the jungles.After the speech we all gave a short introductory speech introducing ourselves to other members of the "B.N.H.S Lion Camp Safari", tourists from different sexes, professions and age groups having just one thing in common, a passion for nature and wild-life. A hectic and busy Wednesday finally came to an end and we all departed to our respective accommodation tents myself setting up a wake-up call alarm for 0500 hrs on the cell-phone.Thanks to the A/c as well as a tired and hectic day ,i did sleep reasonably well. On most solo or packaged tours, sleep eludes me for a few days till i get accustomed to the routine.
"B.N.H.S Lion Safari Group"
LION SAFARI CAMP-DAY - 2 (THURSDAY 17-5-2012):- Woke up before the cell-phone alarm at 0500 hrs, quietly slipping out of the double bed, careful not to disturb hotel sharing partner Mr Feroz.Kerawala.Havin g done a few package tours as well as overnight tours, was used to the concept of a "Twin -Sharing" bed accommodation, although on solo tours i always book a self-contained independent room, the cheapest room available.Went to the bathroom/toilet and after a quick wash and bathe returned to the main room and woke up Mr Kerawalla. At 0530 hrs the hotel reception gave us a "Wake-Up Call" on our "Suite-Camp" telephone but by then we were already dressed up and ready for the days hectic schedule ahead. "GIR LION SAFARI -2" (0630-0930Hrs):- We all assembled at the "Open -Air shamiana" and after a cup of tea reported at the resort reception office for allotment of the jeeps.The same tourist jeeps allotment as on the first day was to be maintained for the entire "Lion safari" tours into Gir forests.Hence Mr Samir.Gulavani and family along with Sudhir.Bhakta and myself were allotted the same jeep(Nos GJ4D6565) and the same driver/ unofficial guide Bhagat.singh.We got into our jeep and drove to "Sinh Sadan" where our driver Bhagat. Singh completed the necessary formalities of booking a guide and camera tickets for the safari.We were allotted "ROUTE NOS 2" and drove towards the Gir National park entrance gate.We entered the National Park at approx 0635 hrs, the beginning of our 3 hours jungle safari tour.Just on entering the National park we spotted the spotted owlet sitting on a tree, our driver and guide being the first to spot the bird.Driving ahead we suddenly encountered a huge tourist jeep traffic jam at 0800 hrs, forest guards on motorcycle patrolling a dense thicket away from the main tourist jeep trek. Rumour was that a pair of lions were seen mating in the vicinity and had disappeared into the thicket, tourists anticipating that the lions would come out of their matrimonial hideout into the open forest pathway.We did wait for approx half an hour even hearing the loud roar of a lion but never ever seeing the beasts.Honestly, the anticipation of viewing a wild lion was a bigger thrill than the actual viewing, a suspense wild-life thriller.Finally we departed from the spot as did other jeeps as there was still a vast jungle to explore ahead in the 3 hour allotted time slot from 0630 to 0930 hrs.Driving ahead we spotted a pack of 8 wild boars drinking water near a artificial water trough situated approx 30 to 40 metres from the tourist jeep route.The first time in my life that i viewed wild boars in the natural forests and realized that they are identical to normal country pigs, except that they have a thick mane like hair around their neck.None of the wild boars sported the huge sharp tushes as seen in " National geographic Films" on African wild boars.The Indian wild Boars had small tushes jutting out of their mouth and if not in a jungle could be mistaken for domesticated village pigs. Passing the herd of wild boars we drove ahead and again came across a "Tourist safari Jeep" forest traffic jam! A lone lion was sitting under a scrub tree shade further away from the main tourist jeep route. There were a few forest guards on foot guiding each tourist jeep into the narrow forest alleyway, each jeep allotted a few minutes of viewing and photography time.We waited in queue for approx half an hour before our jeep was guided into the lion hide-out location.The sight that greeted us was straight out of a "M.G.M Film" lion mascot, a majestic old lion seated under a scrub tree, totally not bothered about the forest guards on foot and tourist jeep approx just 50 metres away from him.What if he charged the guards or jumped into a open tourist jeep?After photographing this majestic beast we drove to "Sinh Sadan" and after dropping our guide, back to "Lion Camp Safari" resort. Breakfast was at 1015 hrs, excellent continental as well as Indian breakfast cuisine.After breakfast we discussed as to which jeep and tour group had the best forest sightings of this morning tour trek.My room-mate Feroz.Kerawalla's group had the best lion sighting of the trip, they spotted a pride of lions arrive at a artificial water trough near a road for drinking water.This is the ultimate lion sighting that every tourist visiting Gir forest dreams of, some realizing their dreams .Wild-life sighting is a question of luck and season of the year. Month of May is the best time to spot lions in the Gir forest, but, many tourists have also returned home without spotting a single lion as these lions rarely venture into the open for drinking water or walk alongside the forest jeep treks.Lions are nocturnal by nature and venture out into the forest once the Sun sets, hence their pug treks can be easily spotted early in the morning while driving across the forest path.Approx 50 tourist jeeps enter the Gir forest national park on every allotted slotted tour time and hence a total of 150 jeep tours are done in the 3(0630- 0930 hrs, 0930- 1230 hrs and 1530-1830 hrs) slotted tour times in a day.Hence for a common tourist travelling in jeeps, spotting of a lion is rare and a matter of chance.A minimum of two to three safari rides is mandatory for a tourist to go home satisfied of spotting the majestic Gir lion .Three of our four jeep groups including ours had managed to spot the Gir lion in two safari trips while a third group had yet not spotted the elusive Gir lion.Departing home without spotting the majestic Gir Lion is like visiting Agra and not seeing the Taj Mahal.After breakfast went to the Conference /recreation lounge and watched T.v later exploring the resort campus, the ultimate in natural living.Lunch was at 1400 hrs, mostly vegetarian buffet lunch with a chicken dish for carnivores like me.After lunch we all assembled at the resort reception for boarding our respective jeeps, akin to boarding a bus for tourist sightseeing, only difference, this was a sightseeing of jungle wild-life.
Cattle grazing in the Gir Forest.
"GIR LION SAFARI-3" (1530 to 1830 hrs):- Reached "Sinh Sadan" at approx 1530 hrs and after the usual formalities entered the national park ,being allotted "ROUTE NOS 1".Today we really did feel the dry heat of the Gir forest.The deciduous trees resembled dry burnt tree stumps, shred of every leaf, just a tree of twigs.Spotted the same Nightjar bird that we saw sitting on the same tree on our first safari trip.As usual, it was sitting like a statue on the tree, barely 20 to 30 metres from our jeep trek.Driving along the forest road we suddenly saw a pair of the largest deer antlers hanging from a short tree, kept there by some forest guard.It was intact with the deers skull indicating that this was a "LION KILL" and not the normal shedding of antlers, a yearly feature in deers.We stopped alongside the tree and Mr Samir.Gulavane and myself took a individual photo with the antlers, the first time i ever saw such large antlers in a forest. Spotted some langurs and observed a strange difference in the Gir forests, the total absence of the common macaque Rhesus monkey. Rhesus monkeys are common all over India including a city like Mumbai where they are used for performing road-side tricks.Strangely, the Gir forests was totally devoid of Rhesus monkeys, the entire forests having a rich pack of langur monkeys spread all over the forest.Observed pyramid shaped stone mounds at various parts of the forests and on inquiry with the guide was told that these "PYRAMID MOUNDS" were the boundary markings of the territory patrolled by an individual forest guard.Every forest guard was allotted a certain part of the huge Gir forest for patrolling and hence they also had intimate knowledge of the wild-life and local resident lions living in their patrol territory.Excellent Wild-life management and a reason for the grand success of the Asiatic lions in the Gir Forests. At approx 1725 we reached Kamleshwar lake and as usual stopped at the end of the dam.Spotted a pair of crocodiles swimming in the deceptively calm lake infested with Marsh crocodiles, harmless to humans although no human would venture a swim in these waters.As we were returning back from the lake we spotted a unique sight of a lone large Sambar deer approaching the lake cautiously for drinking water.We had a "Bird eye view" of the sambar deer from the Lake dam road and watched it cautiously approaching the water, a typical wild animal behaviour unlike in zoos or small enclosed parks.We also spotted an osprey, a rare migratory raptor perched on a tree ,a distance away on the lakes shore.While returning back to the exit of the park, the only mammal we spotted was a young mongoose, the lion totally out of sight on this safari trip.We only saw the lions largest kill in these forests, the huge deer antlers proof of the same.This proves that in order to get a lucky glimpse of the Gir lion, a tourist has to make at least two safari trips into the jungle, we being lucky to spot a lion on our very first safari trip. On arrival at "Sinh sadan" our driver showed us the "Crocodile Breeding Center" situated next to "Sinh Sadan".Most of the crocodiles released into Kamleshwar lake were bred in this crocodile farm enclosure.Seems the enclosure had seen better days and was very poorly and shabbily maintained.There were a few crocodiles kept in small enclosures, the cages rusting and unlike the beautiful maintained Gir forests and lion conservation success , this crocodile zoo/breeding center represented the worst of our zoological parks. To me, it seems this crocodile zoo/breeding center was neglected due to the success in rapidly breeding the marsh crocodiles and releasing them into Kamleshwar lake, hence not important anymore as a source of crocodile breeding, just an ordinary zoo enclosure.
Jeep Safari's in Gir Forest.
We finally reached "Lion Safari Camp" at 1800 hrs, refreshing ourselves with a soothing cup of tea.A group of young students had arrived at the resort and on inquiry realized the meaning of a globalized World.These students were from St Stanislaus School at Bandra in Mumbai, a school renowned for producing some of India's notable hockey players and were on a school sightseeing holiday.Later in the evening went out with my torch to explore the surroundings around the Hiraneshwar Check dam. I was later joined by Feroz.Kerawala and we both walked upto the dam, observing the water gushing through the forth stage.A Inauguration nameplate in Gujarati was translated by Mr Kerawala and it indicated that this Check dam was built in June 2006, a very recent construction. After a brief walk alongside the river we returned to the resort for dinner.Dinner was at 2045 hrs and this time on advice from co-tourist Urvi.Wani ,along with the usual chicken savored a typical local Gujarati cuisine Rotla/Gud(chapattis made of Bajra eaten with jaggery).The dining hall was crowded with the school students .At dinner table we got to know each other a lot better, all co - tourists being total strangers to me .Urvi.Vani fascinated me by her adrenaline junkie adventures, a lady who flew a plane on instructions from her pilot boy-friend , solo para-glided and was a film-roll camera collector. Strangely, she also had very good knowledge of my profession the "Mercantile Merchant Navy".I was one up on her having done "Bungy-Jumping", advising her to try the same telling her my personal experiences at the "Last Resort" in Nepal. Normally whenever i toured on the single or overnight day trips from Mumbai with "B.N.H.S Group " did always come across a known acquaintance but this was the first instance where ever person was a new acquaintance..After dinner made my way to the Conference/Recreation hall and played a few table-tennis strokes with the young Stanislaus boys realizing that i was not bad at the game for my age.Went to my A/c tent and changed over to Kurta/Pyjamas. Later Mr Feroz.Kerawala came over and told me that co-jeep safari tourist Mr Sudhir.Bhakta was giving a flute recital , inviting me for the same . I presumed it was a private recital in a tent and was surprised to see the entire tour group busy listening to the beautiful flute recital.Sudhir.Bhakta was learning classical flute music from a tutor and gave a demonstration of some Hindi tunes.Later realized that amongst our tour group there were two more classical music players.Mr Hemant.Kirkire , some of whose photos i have posted on this blog was a versatile classical Hindustani music teacher, teaching various instruments including vocals while his colleague Mr Bhushan.Samant was a classical tabla player.A group from Indore had a young professional trained Disc-Jockey named Prithvi amongst them, complete with a beautiful large tattoo on his arm.Although he studied "Disc-Jockeying" he didn't practice the same, seems it must have been a hobby on the road to a family business profession.As for me, i didn't disclose my passion for "jamming sessions", a "Chela(Disciple)" of Rolling Stones Rock-star Keith.Richards, where age is no bar for enjoying and performing music .Have been picked from the crowd on two occasions ,once performing a single song "Guest appearance" with the local Mumbai band "Scribe" at "Bandra Amphitheater" and later also at the International "MiMs Show" at Blue Frog in Mumbai.Have attended every notable international English rock or pop concert in Mumbai and Bangalore.After a grand performance by Mr Sudhir.Bhakta we all departed to out tents as it was again an early morning rendezvous with the Gir lions the next day.
Mr Asif.Khan of "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society)" our group tour manager and guide..
LION SAFARI CAMP - DAY - 3 (Friday 18-5-2012):- As usual, woke up early, brushed, shaved my head as i now sported the "Bald metal style", fed up of seeing the same reflection in the mirror.Mr Feroz.Kerawala was busy doing some stretch exercises, definitely very fit for his age.We dressed up and as usual had our early morning tea at the open - air Shamiana and later boarding our respective jeeps .This was the last day of our "Gir Jungle safari jungle " trips, with only two safari's remaining, the "0630- 0930 hrs" and later in the day , the "1530 to 1830" safari..Till date,, one jeep in which "B.N.H.S" tour manager Mr Asif.Khan along with 5 other group tourists were touring had yet come across the magnificent "Asiatic Lion", a bizarre fate of wild-life luck.We all were hoping that this group would finally get to view the lion as the rest of us had all seen the Asiatic Gir lion at least once during our last three Safari routes in the jungle.
Jackal crossing our path.
"GIR LION SAFARI-4"(0630 to 0930 Hrs) :- The usual routine as the previous morning.After reporting at "Sinh Sadan" we collected our guide and headed to the "Gir National Park" main gate, being allotted "ROUTE NOS 6". At the entrance of the gate came cross a group of local Gypsy traders known as "Bhanjarans" on bullock-carts.Their bullocks were huge, absolutely freakishly abnormal in size with huge horns compared to the average bulls seen in Indian villages.These local gypsies in their unique colourful attire have special permission to travel inside the Gir national park for barter trade. They trade in cattle and other commodities with the small tribal settlements like the Maldharis who live within the precincts of this huge protected jungle.Took photographs of this rare Gypsy caravan,unique to us city dwellers.On entering the park we quickly spotted a black ibis and herds of chital deer along with peacocks.Driving along the forest path early morning is a very pleasant experience, especially in a dense virgin forest, unpolluted by humans and populated with wild-life. At approx 0720 hrs we came across the usual tourist jeep traffic jam, a lion being spotted in the sparse undergrowth a distance away from the road.When our turn arrived realized that we were looking at one of the oldest male lions in this part of the jungle.Its face was scarred and his photograph clicked by Mr Asif.N.Khan is the mascot of my my blog, a classic photo difficult even for a professional National Geographic photographer .Another photograph clicked by Dr Shamsher.Singh , travelling in another jeep of this same lion is another classic, photographed with his mouth open and a large left canine tooth missing. A Guard as usual patrolled the vicinity at a distance on foot, just with a wooden baton."Adrenalin Junkies" would have a natural flair for the thrill of employment as a Gir national park guard, a job requiring the ultimate presence of mind and a study of animal psychology. Most of the Gir National park guards belong to the "Siddhi Tribe", a unique ethnic tribe of Black African and Arab/African descent.As for me, i just admired nature and this lion with a close-up view from my binoculars.After admiring and photographing this magnificent beast we drove along and came across a typical jungle law, "survival of the fittest".Observed a fight between a black ibis and a jungle crow taking place high up on a tree.The ibis had a nest which the jungle crow was continuously attacking and the Ibis defending the same, both birds evenly matched in size and natural predatory weapons.After watching the attack and counterattacks of these birds we drove away speculating on the outcome of a natural way of living of the jungle beasts , birds, reptiles and insects.After 3 safari trips into the jungle we first time tourists had also developed our skills of spotting wild-life, akin to our driver and guide . Mr Samir.Gulavani suddenly yelled at the sighting of a jackal crossing our path , quickly disappearing before we could spot it.Luck favoured us and we soon saw two jackals approaching our jeep pathway , eager to cross the road.This was an excellent sighting, very close for candid photography.Driving along the jungle forest tracks we came across a Maldhari tribesman grazing his buffaloes in the forest. The meaning of "Maldhari" means owner of "Animal stock" and for generations they are synonymous for producing high quality milk which was sold to the Rajas, Nawabs and in recent years, the local population.Every year many of their cattle fall prey to the lions and the Maldhari's are compensated for the same by the Government.We passed by a artificial waterhole occupied by a herd of Sambar. Nilgai(Bluebull) sightings are comparatively rare compared to chital and Sambar deer.Spotted numerous Langurs on a tree on a small hillock.Akin to a watch-tower these langurs were sitting high up on a tree getting a beautiful "Birds eye view" of the forest below, probably keeping an eye on the jungles stealthiest tree climbing predator, the leopard.According to forest animal census, the Gir National park has the highest leopard density amongst Indian forests.Spotting them on a common tourist safari ride is like searching for a needle in a haystack, even in the absolutely dry forests in May.The very fact that there are no man-eating leopards in Sasan Gir villages unlike the "Borivili National Park" in Mumbai indicates the rich abundant prey species of the Gir forests. Our Morning forest tour ended as usual at approx 0930 hrs.
Resting in a shade.
On arrival at "Lion safari camp" it was normal Continental/Indian breakfast as usual.We discussed our sightings and photographs, the old male lion being sighted and photographed by 3 of the 4 jeep groups. Dr Shamsher.Singh had got the ultimate photo according to me, the lion with its mouth wide open, a huge upper left canine tooth missing,a "National Geographic" quality photo. He shared this classic photo since he is not a professional photographer earning a living from selling photos and the same is in the photo collection with his name on the photo to avoid plagiarisation, a common phenomenon on the "Internet".Once a classic poster-card photo of my traditional Persian cat "Matahari" was pliifered on the "Internet" and the same photo posted under a different cat's name.I debated the matter on the "INTERNET COURT" with the publisher of "Wikimedia commons" and the same was later removed from the "Wikipedian Encyclopedia" on "Traditional Persian Cats".It was a "Intellectual Property" crime equivalent to republishing an authors novel or thesis under a different name. Since that bitter experience of "Intellectual Property rights" pilferage i always tag the photo with the publishers name, mine or the photographer concerned.After breakfast strolled outside the resort, the Sun was too hot to venture too far away from the luxurious A/c resort with its open-air shaded shamiana's.Took a photograph of a Maldhari herdsman grazing his buffaloes along the Hiran river bank just outside the resort entrance.Later went to the conference/Recreation hall and watched television, the behaviour of the "Stockmarket" making me thankful for being an "ADRENALINE JUNKY"! Rang up home and spoke to my house-keeper Sabina.Dias , the lions reminding me of the cats at home.Hope this miniscule population of approx 400 Asiatic lions survive for future generations.The local population definitely protects these lions and the forests as they are source of a huge tourist Industry, providing livelihood to numerous human lives.Remove the "Gir Lion" and overnight the tourist Industry of this unique area in Asia would vanish. The danger to the Gir lion population arises not from humans but from an unforeseen epidemic or natural catastrophe.In Africa, although the lion is poached and in some areas legally hunted as "CANNED TROPHY", their population is well distributed in East African nations and South Africa. Hence a localized epidemic or natural disaster will not wipe out the entire lion population as could happen to the Asiatic lion population in the Gir Forests of Gujarat. Lunch was at 1345 hrs and as usual went to the Conference/recreation hall for television viewing. Tuning to "Vh1" music channel read about the demise of 1970's disco queen Donna.Summers, famous for the disco musical movie movie ,"Thank God its Friday".Memories of another era and another stage in growing up in life.
This lion had one of its canine tooth missing.
"GIR LION SAFARI-5"(1530- 1830 Hrs) :- The last safari tour of the forests was an anticlimax to all of us, those who had spotted the lion were anticipating a leopard sighting while a lone single tour group were yet to spot the Asiatic lion.Wild-life spotting for common jeep tourists like us in the jungles was purely a game of chance and a little bit of tour planning.We were touring the Gir forests in peak summer the absolute right time to view lions .18 of our group members had spotted lions on almost all safari trips while 6 were yet to spot a lion.As usual all 4 jeeps made their way to "Sinh Sadan" and after the formalities we drove to the Gir National park entrance.Would we be lucky in spotting a leopard or a pride of lions as shown in "National Geographic"? At approx 1545 hrs we entered the Gir National park on "ROUTE NOS 4".On entering spotted a group of langurs, a few mothers with baby's clinging to them.The speed of the langurs in climbing trees with their baby's clinging to their underside was phenomenal. Langurs are favourite prey of leopards as leopards are the only large predators skillful in tree climbing.The large population of langurs in Gir forests meant an ample supply of food for the leopard .Basic reasons for a leopard or a lion turning into a man-eater is habitat as well as prey destruction by human encroachment.Although the Maldharis as well as gypsy's frequent the Gir Forests, they never ever prey on the wild-life and hence themselves are not preyed upon by the large carnivores. A group of Chital deer passed our pathway, accustomed to humans and vehicles.At approx 1620 hrs we approached the entry road to Kamleshwar lake dam, stopping at the entry dam road.Spotted a black ibis and a pied kingfisher demonstrating its fish catching skills, hovering in mid-air and instantly diving into the lake water for a fish.After observing the aquatic birds we drove towards the end of the dam lake.Alighted the jeep and strolled alongside the elevated dam road towards the edge of a cliff precipice. Observed a Maldhari tribal settlement in the distance with my binoculars, very similar to the settlement situated at the entrance/exit of Gir National park.It was a windy afternoon and after years heard the loud whistling sound of the wind as it blew across the valley onto the open dam lake. Departed from Kamleshwar dam at approx 1700 hrs and as usual drove along the forest route , eyes alert for spotting wild-life.At approx 1720 hrs we came across a young male lion sitting under a tree about 50 metres away from the road.A Siddhi guard was on foot patrolling the cars driving to the vantage point to view this majestic young male lion. Most of the Gir National park forest guards are from the Siddhi tribe ,a hereditary profession as they have been living in these forests since centuries, initially arriving from Africa.After feasting our eyes and camera's on this beautiful lion we drove away, allowing other tourist jeeps to get a view of this magnificent specimen of a lion in the natural wild forest.Ahead we spotted the beautiful and rare bird, the paradise fly-catcher and as usual, ample herds of chital.Suddenly our driver stopped the jeep and pointed out at the rare "yellow footed green pigeon".The bird was sitting on a tree branch next to the pathway, approx 30 metres away from us.I couldn't spot it initially due to its extreme camouflage, totally blending with the trees branch and leaves.It was the first time i viewed this bird, absolutely amazing in its colouration and camouflage.Photographs were clicked, myself observing the bird with binoculars, admiring natures creation within the forest.Driving further ahead we spotted a Tickell's blue flycatcher bird and at approx 1745 hrs came across 4 Nilgai's(blue-bulls), much rarer than the chitals and sambar deer.We were almost at the end of our stipulated 3 hour jungle safari drive, contended that we did spot a lion , the ultimate in any safari drive in the Gir forests.
Suddenly at approx 1800 hrs we spotted some guards on foot gesticulating to a jeep ahead of us and to our disbelief sitting along an elevated mound on the right side of the jeep track were a pride of young lions.They were just sitting and staring at the jeeps gradually accumulating in a queue along the road, approx 40 metres away.Our jeep was positioned in the right spot at the right time and we got one of the best views and photographs of this pride of 6 lions, three of them young cubs, one a large juvenile male and the other two, large lionesses.After a few minutes, the largest lioness got up and started walking away parallel to our jeep road.She was followed by the rest of the pride and the scene was straight our of a "National Geographic" documentary, only difference, we were physically witnessing the same in the Gir forest and not on television or "youtube".This pride were similar in behaviour to kittens following the mother house cat and reminded of the scary and thoughtful advertisement by "NatGeo" on Tiger conservation.A clip was shown of a wild-life photographer recording the daily life of the average house cat ending with the message that this would be the videos produced in future if the tiger disappeared from the wild.Seeing this pride of lions with my own eyes reminded me of my traditional Persian cat Matahari and her litter of 6 kittens delivered in 2009, their behaviour mimicking these wild lions. We drove away at approx 1820 hrs, in a hurry to reach the exit at closure time of 1830 hrs.Providence had been on our side on the last day ,the last hour of our last safari in the Gir forests.Thats the definition of luck, in just 3 hours we spotted a single lion and a pride of lions, something that eludes the majority of tourists.We finally arrived at "Sinh Sadan" relieving our guide Mr Chetan.Bela, the luckiest guide on our 5 safari trips into the forest.Bid our driver Mr Bhagat.Singh goodbye, a lucky and very educative 5 safari tours of the Gir national park. We pooled some money as tips for the driver and went to the open-air- shamiana for tea. Everyone was excited as three of the four safari jeeps had managed to come across the pride of 6 lions at 1800 hrs, including the jeep group that was nervous of leaving Gir forests without ever spotting the Asiatic Gir lion.
A unforgettable wildlife safari in the Gir National Park comes to a end.Luck favoured us in spotting the "PRIDE OF LIONS" on the last day of the last tour during our last hour in the forest before heading to the exit and back home to Mumbai.
We all were happy that the "Lion Safari camp" was a grand success in viewing lions, my room partner Feroz.Kerawala's group being the luckiest, viewing a lion pride on 2 out of the 5 safari trips into the jungle.After tea spent the rest of the time in the conference/recreation hall watching t.v, later returning to the A/c tent camp. Dinner was at 2045 hrs, Vegetarian buffet as usual with a single chicken dish.This would be our last dinner, end of a happy and fruitful safari, all "B.N.H.S" tourists having a positive report on the Safari trip. At approx 2130 hrs went outside the "Lion Safari Camp" resort with my torch, exploring the dam waterways and reeds in the pitch darkness.Outdoors have always fascinated me since childhood, beginning as a air-gun hunter in the village forests of ancestral Mangalore in the 1970's with my cousins during vacations.Now , a conservationist , treks and safari's with "B.N.H.S" are a distressing and educative diversion from a stressful business of speculative earnings.The forest darkness doesn't frighten me as does traveling in a lonely street in a notorious city famous for mugging by fellow humans.Wild animals are at times more predictable than humans,the Gir safari park guards being outstanding models of deciphering animal emotions , hence patrolling the forest on foot and controlling the lions from a distance with just a wooden baton and never a rifle!Returned to the hotel reception lounge and had a discussion about the Gir forest with naturalist Bachu.Singh.Later returned to my tent camp and jotted my rough notebook, writing and reading being a passion for decades , thanks to the isolation during voyages at sea. The invention of the internet was an opportunity to write for a larger audience and in the process exchange ideas, irrespective of bouquets or brickbats.Remember, you can't please everyone.Mr Sudhir.Bhakta was to give a flute recital late in the night and Mr Feroz.Kerawala attended the same, myself keeping to my camp, a bit tired from days of roaming in the hot Sun, besides, i am not very much a Classical music fan, English or Hindi. Hindi film music and English rock, pop and now rap are types of music that i understand and love imitating.Sleep eluded me, and hence had a restless night waking up early at 0430 hrs.
Bird-Watching
"LION SAFARI CAMP-DAY - 4(Saturday 19-5-2012):- At 0545 hrs ,after a quick bathe, decided to explore the Hiran river bank as birds are most active at dawn and dusk.Room-mate Feroz decided to join me in the early morning discovery walk along the Hiran river. We both walked towards the river dam and sighted many birds, a few of which i could identify .Later a few of our group members came to the river bank awaiting the arrival of Mr Bachu.Singh who was to conduct a "Bird-Walk" alongside the Hiran river bank.At approx 0615 hrs Mr Bachu.Singh arrived and we joined the group in identifying and spotting birds.It was a pleasant slow walk with chirping birds in the trees, We identified the following birds 1) White Ibis 2) Black Ibis 3) River Tern 4) Purple moor hen 5)Paradise Flycatcher 6) Bee-eater and 7) Kingfisher.We also spotted a lone crocodile in the river, the first time i noticed a crocodile in this river dam just outside our resort.These river crocodiles are harmless and never attack humans although no human ventures deep into these waters. At approx 0700 hrs i excused myself from the "Birdwatchers" and made my way to our tent accommodation having to get my luggage packed and ready to say adieu to "Lion Camp Safari" resort.After packing our luggage Mr Kerawala and myself went to the dining hall, our luggage being carted by the resort staff to the reception center.Breakfast was at 0800 hrs, typical Continental/Indian food, the last breakfast at this wonderful and scenic resort, one of my best holidays, including overseas tours.The very fact that we got to see lions as well as a pride of lions meant the tour was a success, the "Lion safari Camp" resort accommodation being a naturalists luxury.After breakfast we all met at the reception, exchanged e-mail addresses and later posed for a group photograph outside the resort with the Hiran river as background. Happened to meet a lone tourist who had just arrived at the resort with a camera costing approx over Rs 5,00,000 , the latest in the "Canon Series", along with the lenses. He was an amateur photographer and i wished him the best of photography luck, a very important element in "WILD-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY".Our Co-jeep tourist Mr Samir.Gulavani and his family had booked a trip for a pilgrimage to the Somnath temple while Dr Shamsher.Singh had plans of visiting Diu, hence an extended private trip by them . I would have visited Diu on a private visit but having been with "B.N.H.S" group on a out-of Maharashtra state tour for the first time was unfamiliar with their tour logistics.In hindsight, i should have visited Diu as it is close to Sasan and hence in future would visit other close tourist sites on a "Solo-Backpacker tour" after completion of a normal "B.N.H.S Nature" tour.At 0930 hrs we boarded the luxury A/C bus and Waheed our driver began the long 132 Kms return journey drive to Rajkot. As mentioned, the highway from Junagadh to Rajkot is excellent, no traffic jams and no potted holes for those horrific bumps. At 1210 hrs had a short stopover at Hotel Saubhaghya for toilet and refreshments.We finally reached Rajkot Station at approx 1330 hrs, most of us returning to Mumbai by the "19018 Saurashtra Janata Express" scheduled to arrive at Rajkot station at 1520 hrs. Admire the excellent logistics timetable of "B.N.H.S" and luckily everything went as planned on schedule. Urvi.Wani was eager that we relish some exotic Gujarati lunch and hence a few of us hired three rickshaws at the station and drove to 'Thakkars" restaurant which had a waiting list of people outside the restaurant.Realising the lunch queue at "Thakkars" could make us miss our train we went to another popular restaurant named "Bhabha". "Bhabha" seemed the typical original Gujarati style restaurant unlike "Thakkars" which resembled a posh graded hotel."Bhabha" was a normal restaurant,akin to the numerous "Udipi Reataurants: in Mumbai doing a bustling business.They served us the "Gujarati Vegetarian Thali", a buffet style thali with a no-limit eating agenda. I ate the most number of "Gulab Jamuns"in my life in a single sitting at this restaurant.After a lavish dinner at a very reasonable price of Rs 140 per person we made our way to the exit.In hindsight, the rickshaw charges to find a e lunch restaurant proved more expensive than the cost of the lunch itself.Mr asif.Khan and Urvi.Wani were to catch the plane from Rajkot to Mumbai while room-mate Mr Feroz.Kerawala was to board the late evening train to Mumbai. Mrs Alifya.Loharchalwala, Mr Sudhir.Bhakta, and myself boarded two hired rickshaws outside Bhabha restaurant as the luggage was excessive and alighted at Rajkot station. We arrived at the station at approx 1445 hrs , Mrs Loharchalwala having booked in the A/C compartment while Sudhir was awaiting a confirmation ticket.After saying goodbye i went onto my platform and met co-tourists Mr Hemant.Kirkire and his fellow companion Mr Bhushan.Samant, both travelling on the same train to Mumbai.The train arrived punctually at the station and i made my way to Bogie 6 berth 32 and at 1520 hrs the train departed for Mumbai.Mr Hemant.Kirkire was in the same bogie as me and i spent a part of my my journey finishing reading the book "Elvis.Presley" by Bobbie.Ann.Mason, an excellent no-holds barred autobiography of the singer.The train was very clean, unlike my recent experience of traveling from Gorakhpur to Mumbai in November-2011, returning from a solo tour of North India and Nepal.Arrived at Bandra terminus at approx 0545 hrs, an excellent journey despite the hot summer weather.Walked out of the train terminus and inquired the taxi fare to Prabhadevi.Almost suffered a "Stock-market nosedive" when the taxi driver quoted a rate of Rs 350, having done the same journey in reverse by public transport on a budget of just Rs 22! Boarded a "Shared Rickshaw" costing Rs 10 /person outside the station and alighted at the Bandra(East) station sky-walk.Walked up the sky-walk into Bandra(West) and later to the main road for a local bus.It was Sunday, a holiday when the frequency of the early morning public bus transport is less compared to a normal working day.After waiting at the bus -stop for approx 15 minutes boarded a direct bus to Prabhadevi at a cost of Rs 12. Reached home at approx 0645 hrs on a fare of just Rs 22 compared to Rs 350 quoted by the taxi driver.Ultimately, "LOGISTICS" of any city, be it your home-city or a foreign Country is mandatory tour study for any traveler, be it a "Solo Backpacker budget tourist" or a ultra Wealthy tourist wanting to experience the life of a commoner.An extremely memorable safari tour had finally come to an end.
P.S :- A Big Thanks to "B.N.H.S" Safari Tour Manager Mr Asif.Khan and Co-Safari tourists Mr Sudhir.Bhakta, Mr Samir.Gulavane, Dr Shamsher.Singh and Mr Hement.Kirkire for sharing some of their "Wild-Life Photos" taken with powerful Zoom lenses and allowing me to illustrate the same in this blog. Wild-Life photos require some of the costliest camera equipment as well as patience and that eternal quest for lady luck!
