This park has a bit of a sad recent history, but a good future ahead. Having started life as maharaja's hunting estate, it became a large national park and eventually a tiger preserve for the last twenty years. Unfortunately, a census two years ago revealed that the last 17 tigers in the park had all been poached within a short span of time. Efforts are now underway to move out a village in the midst of the park and re-route a road that cuts through the center. After this, tigers will be reintroduced. 
The terrain is hilly and rocky with low scrub trees. In the valleys there are rivers,
palm trees, and greener vegetation. The climate is dry and pleasant in the winter, lush and green in the monsoon season, and scorching in the summer.
We went on an early morning jeep safari to have the best viewings of the wildlife. Visitors are not permitted out of the open-topped jeeps while in the park. This is an excellent rule for many reasons. Our driver was skilled and our driver most informative, to the point of knowing the Latin name, Indian name, and English name of all the plant and animal species that we saw.
What we saw were warthogs, crocodiles, several varieties of deer and antelopes, jackals, monkeys, and a great variety of birds. The highlight for me were the kingfishers with such irridescent blue wings, a bright orange belly and a huge, fish-grabbing beak! It was a memorable safari even without the large cats. Several species such as leopards and "jungle wild cat" (a kind of bobcat) do still live in the park but are nocturnal.
John and I took a walk in the evening after the jeep safari. We came to a cluster of farmer's cottages near our lodge and approached the compound slowly. Our presence created quite a stir, much as a man in a dhoti and a woman in a saree might create if they walked down a street in our neighborhood! Children, men, women, babies, dogs, and goats all milled around us. We asked (sign language mostly) if it was ok for us to pass through and if we could find a walking path. One fellow turned out to speak reasonable English and "volunteered" to be our guide for the walk. It was good that we had him. He answered our questions about the flora and fauna and farming practices. He also helped us steer clear of the next cluster of homes in which there were biting dogs, according to him. We climbed a hill and had a nice panoramic view of this corner of Rajasthan.
In the end, he invited us to stop at his house for a cup of tea. Not wanting to offend, we agreed. His house, like all the others, was thatched-roofed mudwalled hut, plastered over with white paint. He gave out orders to everyone who was milling about, and soon two string cots (the main type of bed here) were brought out on to the front porch. We sat down with him on the cot and waited for tea to be brought. Meanwhile, a few steps below us, a herd of goats was prodded along, cows were milling, and one was being milked. Barefooted children circled around to stare and gawk at us. We were the subject of much amusement for them. Eventually, milky tea was brought to us in ceramic cups while everyone else had tea in the metal cups. By some miracle we didn't get ill from the water and the fresh milk in the tea we were served. Our host then invited us inside the house, which consisted of one room with a packed earthen floor, a tiny fireplace with no chimney set in the corner for cooking, and nothing else. The one piece of furniture had been brought outside for us to sit on. This is simple living at its barest.
The second day, our jeep safari guide took us on a hike up a fairly dry riverbed that rushes madly during the rainy season. There was enough water that we viewed interesting birds all up and down the riverbanks, caught frogs, and spotted some fish. The scenery was wild and lovely, and even included a rather remote temple crawling with monkeys. Owen thoroughly enjoyed exploring the riverbanks and lifting the rocks (we found a "nest" of 10 or more baby frogs!) until the guide warned him about big bad scorpions in the area!
Our meals were provided by our lodge, and being the only guests for the last 2 days of our trip, we received plenty of good attention. The dining hall was an open air structure with a 15 foot ceiling and splendid views on all sides. We could tell that the loss of the tigers in the park had weighed heavily on this area as a tourist destination. The return of the tigers will certainly be welcomed by everyone in the park's vicinity.
My next posting will talk about my three day trip to South India, complete with palm trees and rice fields.
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