Four wild tigers, 10 Thali's, 32 hours on trains, 13 hours on local government buses, spaces of expansive Indian country side, spaces where space is a foreign reality and there are hundreds of very pushy bodies, 30 hours without seeing another white person, temperatures of 107 degrees, sunrise boat rides on the Ganges, watching a corpse roll by on top of a rickshaw, taking 523 photos, and knowing that it's all just an illusion. Since leaving Agra it's virtually impossible to believe that it's only been 12 days. What has just occurred is one of the many reasons that I have not only come to love India, but have fallen in love with the mystery of travel. I made a wonderful travel friend named Anthony when I was up north in Mcleod Ganj. He is the reason why I have now been only 15 feet from a wild tiger, and have seen more of rural India than I ever imagined I would.
On the train to the tiger reserve which was in the middle of nowhere-land, even our fellow Indian passengers didn't recognize the name of the town we were going to. It was full immersion, and the kind of nowhere that feels like the farthest place I've been from anywhere. We took two safari trips out into the stunning national park, and saw 3 tigers on our first trip out. That was pretty much all there was to do in nowhereland, and yet it was one of the highlights of this trip for me. Despite the horrible reality of tiger poaching that is still present, after seeing the preserved beauty of this park I feel that there is still hope for India to remain wild. To see India's National treasure, the royal tiger, was a sight I will never forget.
I'll upload some really special photos soon!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
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I'd like to see photos of these tigers, please. love from India!
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