Another adventure

So for our 11 hour train ride (if it keeps time) from Goa to Mumbai.  We have upgraded this time to 1st class, just as it so long and we do not want to be crowded on seat and more room for bags.  Pretty good service, lots of space.  Good way to travel.

Only hiccup was that India Rail have an external system where you order food from a choice of restaurants and it gets delivered at what ever station you want.  1st issue, the app will not accept foreign credit cards, no worries it does say you can pay cash on delivery.  About an hour before the station we had ordered food for the order got cancelled – no indication why or anything.  Lucky on this train we did get some food direct from train buffet car – not bad either.

Staying in a cheap hotel – maybe not the best move in Mumbai, the cleanliness was really not good at all.
Our hotel was near the airport and planes going over head looked like they were touching the trees and almost touching trucks, so close.

A day wandering around the fort area of Mumbai – some great old buildings, but major roadworks going, the pavements either side had 2 plus meter high solid fencing.  The only way you can try and capture a picture is from almost directly underneath, (at the same time trying to avoid being run over) not other side of road, which would have been much better.

Again we are the attraction, everyone wants our names, country and photos.  We ventured into a shopping centre for lunch – about three times the size of our large Marion Shopping Centre, with about 1/20th the number of people.  Great if you actually want to go shopping.

Rubbish in Mumbai is a real problem and even though most of the shops have bins outside people just throw rubbish on the ground – or in one case we watched someone take a few bags of rubbish and throw them in a lake.  Sad.
One of the nicest buildlings is Victoria Terminus Railway Station, very ornate.

The average speed in Mumbai is about 20km per hour – on the fast roads and maybe 4km in the busy areas.  Crazy.  We had real trouble getting  a Tuk Tuk or Taxi as they did not want to travel more than a couple of km.  Luckily an Indian girl helped us and ordered us an UBER car.  When we got back to the hotel the whole reception, stairs and upstairs hallway was flooded, water streaming down.  Apparently a guest left something running.  Lucky it only lipped our room door as our cases would have been soaked otherwise.
The streets in this area area crazy busy, but fun to people watch.

Next stop Aurangabad for Caves.  Interesting when looking for a hotel I found ones that said “No Internationals” and another saying “No Locals”, very odd.

Ellora Caves, Fort and Mini Taj are todays outing.  We were both very impressed with Ellora Caves, just amazing.  34 Individual caves set over a walking distance of 1.7km one way.


Not far we said but it was so hot we were really struggling by the end.

UNESCO SITE, Ellora Caves

Next stop the Fort – but once we looked up and realised how far it was up and up we piked out – we did do it the next day instead though,  it was steep and long in the heat.  Over 750 steps to the top after you walk up the hill.

About a couple of hundred steps from the top there was a sudden huge swarm of bees?  A young lad told us to run other way as they sting.  His English not great but we thought he said they were honey ants… So down quite a few steps then wait and go back up.  Great views from the top.

The Mini Taj was interesting and a  lot less crowded than the Real Taj.

Yet again like Mumbai, Ellora and everywhere we go we need an hour more than we would want just for the amount of photos we are stopped for.  We definitely seem to end up more the attraction than the attraction.

Our hotel here or the town (not sure which) had power problems, power went on and off all day and night.  The other thing I found interesting in Aurangabad is that most restaurants advertise Southern Indian food, but this is not classed as Southern India.

Next stop Ajanta Caves and on to Akola. Ajanta has 29 caves and is surprisingly similar but also very different from Ellora.  One main difference is that these caves contain many paintings. Most tourists just go to the bottom but we were given info to start at the top at a viewpoint (thank goodness, would not have wanted to walk up) and walk down into the gorge.

Great advice and no-one else around although once past the waterfall and almost at the caves we came across a group struggling up to the waterfall.

We thought these caves even more amazing than Ellora – definitely worth doing both though.

There is a pathway leading along all caves but when they were used there was an individual ladder up from the bottom to enter each cave.

UNESCO SITE, Ajanta Caves

Akola – a town where we were told no tourists come, so even more stares and giggles. Visited Balapur Fort (but good for a game of cricket) and Akola Fort, which were OK, but not enough left to make them really worth visiting.

Pretty much no-one speaks any English here – even at the hotel so an interesting visit. This area – well from the caves to here was just teeming with goats, never seen so many. Guessing that maybe this must be the home of goat curry.

Train again to Chandrapur – No English at station but managed to get Platform 3. Waiting, but then suddenly sign shows our train number on platform 2 – just before it got there. Had to run like mad to try and get on our carriage and not get a repeat performance of the Mumbai train and struggling through the carriages.

Pretty scenery again but filthy windows so no pictures. The train this time ran half an hour late to our stop, then the driver couldn’t open his boot and broke the key. Late but off to Tadoba National Park and hunting for tigers, and with a change to safari time to it meant we missed the first part. Not an issue though as it happened we still found a Tiger and 2 cubs, plenty of other wildlife too.

The tigers were a long way away, not good for photos but great to watch the cubs playing in the water through binoculars.

Bonus in the evening as there was a Spotted Owlet in the tree outside our room. The second night a Wild Boar and her 6/7 offspring got through into the accommodation, funny watching the staff chase them out. Another day, another tiger.

This time just so lucky, as she (I should have said Tigress) was walking down the road as we were driving up. We had to keep backing up to keep a at least 4 metres distance. She did not worry about the vehicles at all and was just so close – Incredible.

Unfortunately we (again) just missed a leopard – not having our usual luck with leopards. Very fortunate thought to see a pack of wild dogs (dholes) after a young sambar deer, the deer just stood in pond and bashed their feet in water to keep dogs at bay. Cute to see young one copying the adults.

Pench National Park and then Kanha National Park, both amazing. More Tigress’s in both and our first (and only) male Tiger in Kanha, but not a great shot as in the grasses.

At our accommodation in Pench we were apparently the first ever International Guests, it was a beautiful place too, hopefully my reviews will help them to get some more. The first night we were the only guests and it is not a small place.

Lots of other new animals and birds. I particularly liked the Black Buck a quite stunning Antelope.

Each park has very different scenery – all good but Kanha was my favourite as it had a lot more variety.

Again we seem to be in accommodation in Kanha not often frequented by International guests, not a problem and the staff go out of the way to make sure you enjoy your stay. BUT there are some different customs that we found difficult like being woken up at 10.30 pm (rooms in resorts here all have very loud doorbells), to hand us bottles of water….. We have found all over India that things start later and finish later than we are used to, ie breakfast starting often at 8.30, dinner not starting till 8.30 too. That has been harder to get used to when you have to be up by 4.30am for safaris. Order food at 8.30, get it at 9.30 and straight to bed on full stomach – or sleep a lot less.

The guides in Kanha also told us it was great to be able to practice their English as mostly only locals come to this gate and area of the park.

The best thing about this park was the guides spoke English much better than in any other park so far – really helps when trying to find things or understand what is happening.

For all our and guides efforts we still did not find a Leopard, such a shame as India Leopards are different to Sri Lankan and African.

Off to Delhi next.