Most of the day was spent driving. All the over-exertion and sickness was catching up to me, so this was the perfect opportunity to sleep and rejuvenate. I probably slept all but 30 minutes of the 5-6 hour drive, despite having a great night sleep the previous night. We made a few stops along the way one of which was to a summer palace of a Muslim king, Tipu Sultan, built in the 1700’s. Tipu Sultan’s kingdom was the last to fall to British colonialism after having defeated the British army numerous times. The grounds were beautiful and filled with lush grass and colorful flowers. Inside the palace, detailed paintings lined every surface: some depicting historical wars with the British, while others were just intricate patterns. The palace had been converted to a museum and we admired the old silk clothes, swords, portraits, etc. that filled its interior.
Our next stop was to the burial place of Tipu Sultan and his family. A large white dome, resembling the architecture of the Taj Mahal, with ornate carvings covered his tomb. A guide latched onto us and told us some facts about the place and Tipu before demanding to be paid for his services repeating, “Madam, I’d like something” and stretching out his hand. Of course we paid him, but laughed at his bluntness.
Our next stop was to the burial place of Tipu Sultan and his family. A large white dome, resembling the architecture of the Taj Mahal, with ornate carvings covered his tomb. A guide latched onto us and told us some facts about the place and Tipu before demanding to be paid for his services repeating, “Madam, I’d like something” and stretching out his hand. Of course we paid him, but laughed at his bluntness.
After another stop for lunch in Mysore and more hours on the road, we reached our guesthouse called Secret Ivory. The name sounded like it was part of a poaching society, but was actually just the opposite. It was perched on the border of a wildlife sanctuary and tiger reserve. Immediately after dropping our things in our rooms; we loaded into two jeeps for an evening safari through the reserve. We were pretty much guaranteed not to see a tiger, but we ended up being pretty unlucky with seeing anything else either. We spotted a rabbit, rat, rooster, and some bison - nothing particularly noteworthy. The sunset, however, was incredible, as they all seem to be here. The sun transformed into a perfectly round tangerine colored orb that became more brilliant in color as it ducked behind the trees, lighting up the jeep behind us - the perfect safari sunset. The darkness of night quickly enveloped us once the sun had set and soon everything was cloaked in black.
I think our guide felt a little guilty that we didn’t see anything so we continued to roam around listening for sounds or glimpses of anything in the headlights. At one point he pulled off the road, switching off the engine, and glided along until we heard something in the bushes. It was an elephant just beyond the trees. While we never saw it we heard it crushing branches as its trunk ripped them from their trees and every once and a while we could hear its deep breathing. It was such a peaceful moment, only disrupted by the occasional car and truck passing by. After listening for about twenty minutes, we restarted the engine and five minutes later happened upon a family of elephants, including a baby, in a clearing just off the side of the road. We watched them in silence through the beam of the headlight until we had attracted a crowd and decided to head back. Along the way we also spotted a wild boar. So the safari was a success after all.
We were served a large buffet of Indian food for dinner. A group of us lingered after eating, watching a group from Bangalore badly sing songs around a campfire. We played phase 10, eventually just making up our own rules and phases until one by one people dropped off and headed to bed.
I think our guide felt a little guilty that we didn’t see anything so we continued to roam around listening for sounds or glimpses of anything in the headlights. At one point he pulled off the road, switching off the engine, and glided along until we heard something in the bushes. It was an elephant just beyond the trees. While we never saw it we heard it crushing branches as its trunk ripped them from their trees and every once and a while we could hear its deep breathing. It was such a peaceful moment, only disrupted by the occasional car and truck passing by. After listening for about twenty minutes, we restarted the engine and five minutes later happened upon a family of elephants, including a baby, in a clearing just off the side of the road. We watched them in silence through the beam of the headlight until we had attracted a crowd and decided to head back. Along the way we also spotted a wild boar. So the safari was a success after all.
We were served a large buffet of Indian food for dinner. A group of us lingered after eating, watching a group from Bangalore badly sing songs around a campfire. We played phase 10, eventually just making up our own rules and phases until one by one people dropped off and headed to bed.