Wednesday we went to the Ranthanbore National park, renowned for its tigers. It is a 400 square kilometre park, a one time hunting ground for the Raj of the times, now a sanctuary for samba and spotted deer, antelope, peacocks, langur monkeys, sloth bears, leopards and 40 tigers. That's fifteen more than the park can hold, but of course India/the world is running out of space for these creatures so they make do, with the odd foray to a neighbouring safari hotel for a tasty tourist morsel... no not really, but they do leave the area and have been seen hanging around the hotels nearby. So many tigers for such a 'small' area makes for good lottery odds on sighting one, as well, this time of year the park is a hot dry desert so the animals are seen often at the few remaining water holes. After the monsoon in Novemberish the park is lush and tropical with abundant foliage and bird life and fewer tiger sightings. However, despite the odds in our favour we didn't get to see a tiger or a leopard or a bear although we saw the tracks of each. We weren't disappointed though, we saw plenty of the deer and monkeys and peacocks at close range and our main goal was to see India as nature intended it, before the billion human bodies reduced it to plastic bags and blasting horns. It was beautiful.

The jeep ride though the surrounding rural country side was a joy in itself, seeing the woven huts and cowpat stacks at close quarters with the motifs (not unlike American Indian or Aboriginal art) painted by the women for goodluck on the mud walls of houses and gardens. The fields are beautifully tended and there was no rubbish once we left the crowds. The park is rugged rocky crags and dry dead looking scrub that comes alive after the rains. The river beds are still holding some greenery, and the animals. It would be totally stunning to see in all its finery and without the heat. We began the 'safari' at 5.45 am and it was blistering by the time we got back to the hotel at 9.30am.

The girls swam in the pool till it was time to catch the train to Agra. Then we were on the move again...or not. The train was an hour late which meant we had to sit on the platform and wait. Just getting out of the rickshaw brought a rather large crowd which I tried to capture on camera but they get very excited by photos and all immediately began to pose... (and after, ask for money for the privilege of taking their photo!!!!).

Sitting on the platform was something else! As we walk some of the baba types will touch our feet and bow to us. Regular people want to touch our hands or have their photos taken with us - they are besotted with Abbey! But once we stop moving they just gather around and stare, the men and children openly, the women overtly. Pleasantly, I tried holding their gaze. They do so unflinchingly, but it is emotionally taxing to be so exposed... its easier to look away and pretend they aren't looking. As we sit so did they. If someone gets the inspiration to try their English I'll try chatting. Sometimes the conversation is limited to 'what country you from?' 'ahh, Ricky Ponting!'. Other times the speaker has a reasonable grasp of English. Often they want to be a brother, take your phone number so they can count you as their friend...The crowd immediately grows and presses in. Gerard goes to find out about train times, platforms, toilets... anything to avoid it. Frances feels like a monkey in the zoo. Abbey finds it amusing. It is interesting; taxing, but educational, a window into their world, their way of thinking. I have done some calculations, the price of things here is about ten times cheaper here than at home... but they earn about forty times less than us. It means that their cost of living is at least four times higher than ours. A loaf of bread for them would cost an Australian equivalent of$12 to $15 dollars, a kilo of rice $20. No wonder their thoughts are consumed by money, they see us as money banks(as our taxi driver told us). Never-the-less there are are many good people and opportunities to make connections that may never occur in Western countries.


The train suddenly arrived at the wrong platform. We leapt up and staggered awkwardly under our massive loads wondering which end of the platform our AC coach will be.

We arrived safely in Agra, negotiated a taxi with the skill of seasoned travellers and made it to our hotel around midnight. And what a hotel!!!! Many people had told us about the unpleasantness of Agra and Gerard didn't want to take any chances so he had booked us into The Gateway Hotel, a five star hotel straight out of Pretty Woman - all the stuff laid on such as welcome drinks while we checked in and so forth, plus a view of the Taj Mahal from our window.

We had another early start to see the Taj at sunrise. Into the tuk tuk by 5.30am and many stops along the way to buy tickets and so forth, each time there is the pressure to buy souvenirs or take carriage rides from dilapidated nags. It is rather impressive to see mostly stallions working together and standing together without a murmur. Is it that they have become accustomed to it or is it just sheer exhaustion?

Eventually we arrive, make our way through the east gate, and there she is, The Taj Mahal. So delicate in the soft light of dawn. It is truly the most beautiful creation, exquisite in every detail. Again I am awed by the capacity of humanity to achieve such wonders. Every detail so intricately manifested and so perfectly crafted. She is a swan resting in the quiet foliage of the surrounding gardens. Words cannot do it justice nor photos... it is to be experienced.

By nine the heat has set in. Delhi is having a heat wave at the moment. We head back to the hotel to a fancy breakfast and a day by the pool.

In the evening our tuk tuk arrived to take us to the Red Fort, where the creator of the Taj spent his last days overlooking the Taj, locked up by his son for fear he would bankrupt India if he was allowed to fulfil his obsession to build a black Taj to match the elegant white. I guess they could never guess how much tourism would be created...



From the fort we pressed on to see the Taj at sunset from across the river, in the gardens that were laid, along with the foundations for the Black Taj. It was quiet there but still, when the girls flopped down in the grass for a moment of countryness (after so many months of city living) they were immediately surrounded by adoring people wishing to have photos of their children taken with them. Gerard and I left them to it.

We picked up our luggage and headed off to the train station. This time the train was three hours late. We wouldn't get into Delhi until 3.00am! A helpful station guard rushed off and bought us tickets on a train that was just pulling in. We raced again to another platform and he directed us to our seats... chair class!! Neptune said we should try it all. So there we were after two lonnnng days in baking summer heat, with no AC, seated in the coaches that regular Indian travellers travel in. It was hot and noisy. The windows are barred but open so the rattle of the train and passing trains and the whooshing of the hot wind are all one can hear. We drank litres of water and the girls slept on our laps.

We eventually made it to our rooms that we had booked when we had visited with Nina and Judy when we passed through Delhi, sooo lonng ago. Well somehow instead of the two rooms we had requested we were in a 'dive'. A room with no window, no AC, no flush on the loo, only three single beds (complete with bed bugs) not even a tele. What a come down from The Gateway!! But still a fraction of the cost and all a part of the whole experience of India. We crawled into bed at 1.00am and slept till lunch time, helped by the fact we couldn't see a thing. We ate, packed our bags for the plane, walked around the neighbourhood, ate again and went to bed early and woke at 4.00am to take a taxi to the airport.

And so ends the India part of the journey. What an experience! So much we have seen and learnt that we can only touch on in these writings. We have visited it and lived it and it has been truly amazing. So from here to the beyond...