On the Tiger Trail... Pt. 3 [Returning to the ship]

After a busy four days at the lodge it was time to get ready for the return journey assuming that the ship had arrived in Mumbai the day before. Our routine was the same, up at 5.15 and out in the jeeps by 6.15. [Here they call them Gypsys.]

This was our sixth game drive and we had seen several tigers and now really wanted to just take in the beauty and tranquility of the park. This we did and it was wonderful. As luck would have it the mahouts had located a tiger in the bush and we were soon astride another elephant lumbering through the swamp and brush to get a last look at a tiger. 



This time the tiger was in a drowsy state but at least upright. It is rather hard to describe how I felt up there. I wanted it on film but I also wanted to burn it in my memory. It is a bit like a cool glass of water when you are thirsty, you want it in the glass and you also want it sliding down your throat. When it is gone, it is gone! 

Soon we were taking roads less travelled and absorbing the often unseen beauty of India. We then had a quick breakfast snack and the driver and guide accompanied us to the camp. We asked the manager's permission to show the driver and guide some of the pictures we had taken while with him over the four days there. They were a little uncomfortable at first, they are not usually in the guests dining room. After the computer slide show started the smiles and grins started and the serving staff also took the time to see what is in the park, as they likely have not been in it!


After a shower and a bite to eat, we put our travelling clothes on and around 12.30 we started our three hour drive to The Katni Junction railway station. It was a bit sad to leave the area and head back into what we knew was ahead for us, cities and all that go with them, the sights that turn so many people off regarding India. The ride was exhilarating in a sense, to witness day to day life in the towns and villages and the rural areas or a cluster of small homes and shacks. The making of bricks is a big opportunity for a person with the right clay on his property. They build a kiln the size of a small house for drying purposes. 

The journey on the way to the station was savoured by me at least. Every few hundred meters on the road there was some beautiful colourful photographic opportunity. Sometimes people, animals, or just colour in the trees. Somehow the bright colours stand out so much with the dusty nature of the countryside.









We eventually made it to the station where our driver escorted us to the platform and stayed with us, actually boarding the train later to make sure we settled in OK. We only had to wait an hour on the platform and it was daylight this time so it was a bit less intimidating. We stocked up on mango juice and cookies to supplement the box lunch that the lodge had made for us. 


The train we were catching had started in Calcutta 17 hours earlier, the destination was Mumbai and it was a main line express train. Nevertheless we had a 17 hour journey ahead of us. We had noticed days ago that the return tickets did not have the four of us in the same compartment. Interesting. Fellette and I had one ticket with two berths on it and eventually found it. There were two Indian gents sitting there. We showed them our tickets and they indicated that we could all sit on the bed/bench. No, no, Dough is not having any of that crap. When they realized we knew the situation they left to find another roost. 

Meanwhile Gail and Jim were in their allotted space where there was an Indian gentleman sleeping. He, and another gent were to be Gail and Jim's compartment companions for the 17 hour overnight trip. After a bit of trying to sort it out with a conductor we realized it was pointless. The decision was made that Fellette and Gail would share the two-berthed compartment, as cramped as it may be, it was better than the alternative. Shortly we were all in the big compartment chatting with the gentleman who had been sleeping. His name was Bubou. As it turned out Bubou made the trip delightful for us. He was a proper gentleman and we spent hours talking about India and the affairs of the world.


Soon it was time for dinner, or at least something in our stomach so the growling in our tummies would not keep us awake. Dinner consisted of a few samosas, a banana, a cup of mango juice and a sip of water. None of us had had any stomach issues at that point and now was not the time to risk it. Besides, the less in your bladder and stomach the better the chance of avoiding the toilets at the end of the car. Remember, the train has been underway for coming on 20 hours.

Rather early, around seven, the girls kipped down for the night, again fully clothed and hoping that the curtain divider would protect them from who knows what during the night. [They were sleeping parallel to the tracks in a very narrow bench that was on the corridor.]


Jim slipped under his sheet, fully clothed as did I. Babou was reading for some time but it did not bother me. For me sleep was in bits and pieces. The train is smooth but does make stops where people get on and off. We had an empty berth at bedtime because the chap allotted the space had acquired  a compartment with his friend. That berth was then allotted  to an Indian gentleman who joined our cozy little compartment at 3.30 AM. He snored! 


Eventually the car came to life around seven and the tea and coffee man singing his little tune as he patrolled the corridor gave the whole thing a bit of charm. We could afford this type of thinking because we knew that within hours we would be in our sparkling little cabin on the ship and guess what, with our very own toilet! Habit got the best of Fellette and I and we bought two of his coffees. Poured out of a steaming hot stainless steel server, it was a mix of coffee, milk and sugar, in a paper cup. Absolutely delicious. Cost 12 1/2 cents. So good we had another.


Breakfast was the five of us, including Babou, who shared his breakfast with us, [some home made cookie-like things]. How could we refuse? We gave him the excess peanut butter and marmalade containers from the ship for his niece. Our breakfast was devilled ham and crackers, with the remains of our water.


Miracle of miracles after a 36 hour journey that traversed all of India from coast to coast, the train was within five minutes of it's scheduled arrival time.


Within 10 seconds of being on the platform a smartly dressed man with shirt and tie identified himself as our guide. Outside the terminal was this big clean air-conditioned SUV. Presto-Magic, off we go!

That was the end of a fantastic six days for us. Our minds were boggled and our brains were fried, at least for me. It was marvellous, exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, unsettling and a myriad of other emotions all rolled together. It is nice to know that as old as we may be we can still have such an adventure and, are not afraid of the unknown!


Change in Subject:

On the way to the ship from the train terminal we asked if we could see the 'Tiffin' men. An explanation: In Mumbai for years there has been a system of delivery of lunches from your home to your office or factory, and then returning the tins or tiffins to your home after lunch. The lunch is prepared in your home by your wife[?]. The 'tins' are picked up by a local man on a bicycle or cart. These are then delivered to the local train station. The tins are picked up and sorted in lots on the train prior to drop off at the main local train station in Mumbai. There they are picked up and delivered to your desk or lunch table. After lunch they are again picked up and sorted and delivered to your house. The cost, about 70 rupees, or $1.75 per month. Babou explained the system to us. In the 27 years he used them he always got his lunch. This is made more amazing because there are no names on the 'tiffins', just something distinctive.


DHL has studied the system. Prince Charles saw it working and took some of the staff back to London to explain it to business students. All of the people who work in the Tiffin system are uneducated, unskilled workers. Oh yeah?

Above compliments of Babou!

For your information the trip cost us $1100 per person. That included the flight from Chennai to Mumbai, the flight from Mumbai to Bhopal, the train sleeper from Bhopal to Katni and transfers where needed. [Driver and guide.] Three nights accommodation at the Lodge, six game drives over four days, and full meals. Two elephant drives to see tigers were included. Then transfer back to Katni, and sleeper train to Mumbai, and transfer to the ship.   Contact  www.indebo.com   [Swagat is the man!]

I have had some rough things to say about India because that is what I saw and how I felt. It holds a certain charm if you can see beyond the down-side, I have never been in a place that is so fascinating