December 1, 2015 – We started at 7:00 again and RK, our guide, took us back into zone 4. Our fellow jeep passengers were a nice family from Boston. They had a 10 year old boy who was very excited and anxious to see a tiger. We had a good driver who was calm and the ride was not so bumpy and dusty. But, we were prepared with extra blankets, bandannas and windbreakers. The day was hazy and there was actually thunder in the distance. The park was very quiet as I imagine the animals were preparing for potential rain. We went past several jeeps and the guides talked to each other. All trying to determine where a tiger might be seen. Some people get upset if they don’t see a tiger, but truhfully the beauty is all around. We drove up to the top of a ridge and drove along some roads that were very overgrown. The ride was an adventure and tons of fun. The animals were not as plentiful except many deer. We finally did see a tiger but he was sleeping in a ravine. Many jeeps were there and many pictures were taken by the jeeps of a sleeping tiger! He was sleeping like a baby, I guess when you are the top guy in the park, you cna sleep through anything!

After the safari, we returned to the hotel for a delicious lunch. Then we went on a nature hike aroundthe  property with Mittal, the naturalist. She showed us tracks, taught us about the birds and the butterflies, and was a delightful guide!

In the afternoon, RK and Artie showed up to take us to the Ranthambore Fort. We were expecting RK to come in a jeep and were prepared for the dust ride, so we were thrilled to see Artie and his car! Plus, it was all fixed and his door and bumper looked like new!

The fort is perched on top of a mountain and was made in the 6th century. It is full of beautiful old ruins and is home to a temple as well as hundreds of monkeys. RK showed us all around and even had us climb into some areas of the ruins that were off the path. There were no tourists there  – just Hindus going to the temple (all newly married couples go there to ask for the marriage to last) and monkeys were everywhere. It was so fun! The views were great and the ruins were majestic. Caroline would love to spend time taking pictures here and I tried to channel her artistic spirit! RK was great fun and he took lots of pictures of us too! Some local people asked us if we would take a picture with them so we also took pictures together. They were so cute and had children. It was me, Hubert and their whole family! I gave the little girls some candy and the mothers asked if they could take pictures of me giving the candy to them! I taught the 3 year old how to blow kisses! The teenage boys wanted pictures with Hubert. It was a lot of fun and just shows that differences do not matter! We are all the same everywhere. The fort was so fun and one of our favorite things about the trip!

We got back to Khem Villas and got ready to go to the campfire. We met a woman from DC who was traveling with her 13 year old son. She was an anthropologist and had been working in Delhi. They joined us for dinner and then we had drinks afterwards with her and another lady from Australia when the rain finally came. It had the feeling of camp – campfires, rain, nature and new friends. It was a special place that we hope to return to someday with the girls.