in the jungle- day 1

Let's face it.  We've been in India for 18 months.  It doesn't take much to excite us these days, but a recent trip to a national forest in India blew us away!  Maybe we haven't been out much lately, but after three days, our family was prepared to relocate to a cabin in the woods and track wild animals for a living!

Last year, we purchased a membership at a local hotel so that we could enjoy the benefits of a swimming pool in 110 degree summers.  While there, we noticed a small board advertising their other branch, located in the jungle.  But despite it's appeal, our desires to go never materialized.

Jason's parents came this year for Thanksgiving.  We toyed with the idea of a Taj Mahal trip, but plans eventually developed and a trip to the jungle was in place.  We had no expectations.  Often times in India, internet pictures are deceiving, and things aren't quite what you think.  So we were all cautiously optimistic.

As we drew closer, the roads became worse and worse.  We were afraid our worst fears were coming true.  Maybe the beautiful cabins we had seen online would actually be mosquito infested tents.

(The road leading to the lodge!)

But looks can be deceiving!  It was EVERYTHING we were hoping and a million things more!

After arriving, they gave a brief introduction of the property and then showed us to our cabins.  Each guest stays in an individual rustic home located deep in the woods.  In fact, after dark, the butler comes to retrieve you and escort you to dinner for safety.  It was beautiful, untouched, God's perfect creation!

The grounds were left as natural as possible, only enhanced by a few man-made trails to help with travel.  It was so quiet, serene... it's been 18 months since I've had a moment without car horns!  The silence led to lots of this.

But we did so much more than sleep!  The lodge offers many activities for their guests.  Each time we'd complete an activity, I was sure it couldn't be topped, but alas, they exceeded our expectations over and over!

Day 1 started with a jeep safari.  The lodge isn't actually located in the National Forest, so we traveled by SUV to a lake that separates the National Forest.  Once there, we took a short boat ride into the forest.



After arriving on the other side, our jeep awaited us.

Right at the start, we were bombarded by animals.  Monkeys, deer, peacocks... they were everywhere!

And here' s a blown-up version of the shot above.  Just more proof that mothers all over the world deserve medals!  And you never know what you get when you take a photo across a field...

Once we got into the thick of the forest, we saw many more animals.  We were on the lookout for tigers.  The morning group had spotted two, but we weren't that lucky.  We did see more deer, gaur, sambur, and more. (I realized I wasn't very knowledgable about animal names after this adventure!)

Even though we didn't see a tiger, we saw lots of prints and proof that they were on the prowl.



And spiders were in no shortage.  The wolf spider creates these tunnel webs EVERWHERE!



Our guides decided to make a special stop for "the children" at the end of our safari, but I'm pretty sure the adults were equally as awed!



This elephant farm is home to four grown female elephants, one bull, and the precious baby girl you see above, Latchmii.  She's 18 months old, and every bit as curious as an 18 month old human.  She was into everything.  We got to pet her, play with her, and even feed her.  It was an experience I'll never forget!









The "women" were enjoying their daily bath.  It was incredible to watch them!





I wanted to stay all day.  I just think elephants are one of God's most amazing creations.  And anything in it's "baby form" seems to be irresistible to me!  Luckily, we would meet Latchmii again at the end of our trip.



At the end of trip, we returned to the lodge to find wet towels, cold juice, and staff waiting to celebrate our sightings.  After each trip, they log all the animal sightings on this board.



(We were there on Thursday.  See the "tiger" sighting on Thursday morning?)

Dinner was held nightly fireside but since we had some time to kill, we all enjoyed a shower in the cabin's outdoor shower.  It had the luxuries of an indoor shower (huge shower head, heated water, wall for privacy) but trees hung overhead, birds sang nearby, and it was easy to stay in there long after your fingers had started to "prune up!"

We are so thankful for the things we are getting to experience in this time of our lives.  But I tell you... there's still no one else I'd rather see the world with than this man.



Every trip is better when he's there!

(There's too much to share, so I'll post more on Day 2 and 3 in another post.)