in the jungle- day 2

After our first day at Reni Pani, I wasn't sure the jeep safari could be topped.  We came home, enjoyed dinner inside a rustic lodge, and returned to our cabin for the evening.  Here's a look at our room:

I dare say the best parts of this room aren't visible in this photo.  For starters. when we pulled back the covers, we were surprised to find old-fashioned hot water bottles for everyone.  It was pretty cold in our room (no central heat and air in India) so these "old school electric blankets" were perfect.  In fact, we enjoyed them so much, we all bought some when we got home.  

My other favorite part of the room was the outdoor shower.  No one in my family was up for a shower photo... imagine that!  But I assure you it was glorious.   Privacy was available from the stone wall that enclosed it, but the huge brass shower head, trees overhead, birds singing, cool air, and hot water encouraged me to take more showers than usual!

We were scheduled for a boat ride bright and early on the morning of Day 2.  We were told it would include looking for crocodiles and bird watching.   I was excited about the crocodile part, but bird watching?

On our drive to the lake, we were all cold, tired, and a bit groggy.  As we traveled down the dirt trail , the guide was telling Jason about leopard activity in the area.  No one had ever seen them, but they'd seen plenty of tracks, and motion cameras collected proof that they were in fact in the area.  Not 30 seconds after he said this, a leopard crossed right in front of our truck.  And seconds later, another followed right behind.  It looked something like this:

Truth is:  I didn't have my camera out.  And it was one of those moments where I could possibly risk the insanely loud noise of the velcro as I tore open my camera bag, or I could sit and take mental pictures and enjoy the moment.  So you'll have to settle for a stock photo in place of the mother and her cub that we watched that cool morning.  It was such a neat experience.  And we were the envy of the entire lodge... even if I don't have any pictures to show for it.

Even though we could have turned and gone home and that point, completely content, we pressed on for the lake.  Here are some shots of our drive:


(Village homes- just as rustic as you'd imagine a hut in India to be.)

(Huts where farmers watch their fields at night to be sure animals don't eat their crops.)

(A lady gathering the water for the day from the village well.)

The lake was beautiful.  Quiet. Still. Peaceful. Untouched by humans.  Nothing we are used to seeing in India.



And there were lots of birds to watch.... if that's your thing.

But me... I'm more of a crocodile watcher.  So I was ecstatic when we spotted this monster on the bank.

Evidently he was having a morning nap, and regardless of how close we got, he just laid there motionless.  He was HUGE.  After our boat trip, we came back by this same spot, and he was still sunbathing, with little intentions of moving for a while.

During our trip, Max had to take his mandatory restroom break and as we pulled up to the edge of the bank, a smaller, obviously unnoticed croc made a dash for the water.  We saw his splash, but we missed seeing him.  On our way back by later, he had made his way back on the shore for some sun.  But he didn't stay there long once we approached.  This time I caught his entrance into the water.



You can see from the first picture that he'd already "slid in" once today.

One of my favorite parts of this trip was the unexpected sitings of animals.  Just as we were preparing to leave, we spotted this huge buck just by the water's edge.  We went to see birds and crocodiles, but we came home with stories of bucks and leopards!

But before we could get home, our stomachs were growling.  And what do you know?  Our tour guide whipped out breakfast on the boat.  These people seriously know the way to my heart!

We made one last stop on the way home at a silk-worm house.  Apparently, they put a net around the giant worms to protect them.  Some cocoons are kept and matured, while others are used for their silk.

The day ended with a walk through an Indian village.  Jason and I got in some great Hindi practice, enjoyed some tea with the lady below, and got to see how life is lived outside the city limits.

As we laid down that evening, I couldn't possibly imagine that Day 3 would hold any more fun, but with elephants on the horizon, there was a strong possibility it would be the best day yet!