Day 2 morning we got Zone 1 i.e. low tiger chances and hope of a leopard. As it turned out no tigers or leopards. Despite the guide's best efforts we did not see much wildlife. I managed to get a few nice shots of a peacock admiring itself at a pond.
We headed back even before the park timings forced us as to get out as we got no signal of wildlife in zone 1 that morning.
We again did a repeat of Day 1 i.e. lots of food and sleep! By the way the IRRITANT after fighting with the staff at the booking centre had managed to get Zone 4. But couldn't see a tiger!!
All three of us decided to go for the evening safari on day 2. And after following the magical cure of the hot Indian summer sun, we were more or less in shape. We had for company this time a family who was on a Rajasthan tour from Pune. They were clearly very excited especially the kid. This time around we went to we wandered around till five o clock with no hope! Our driver and guide were an enterprising lot and travelled a lot more than the other cars who decided that it wasnt worth the effort and waited at the waterhole. The driver took us through a rocky road to a place where there was another jeep standing! Seeing another jeep standing and the passesngers peering to one side could only mean that a tiger was in the vicinity. I managed to catch a glimpse of the tiger also, but it was a bit far away and was very well hidden by the undergrowth. However, I was really happy that my new binoculars had finally come to good use!
We came back to where the other cars were waiting by around 5:30 and no-one had heard any alarm calls or seen any sign of any animal movement. The driver and the guide decided that we would go to another part of the zone which was under the dominion of another tiger. And as soon as we reversed out and started moving towards the next destination, who should be walking towards us but the KING! The tiger started moving towards us as we were in between him and his watering hole! As the tiger started moving towards us we started reversing and reached the place we were waiting earlier. Now the other jeeps were informed that the tiger was on its way and there was a mad scramble between the jeeps to get into the best position at the watering hole while waiting for the tiger! The photographers (me included) starting checking camera settings, took blank pictures to ensure that when the KING arrived, there would be no screw ups in taking the pictures! However, even after 15 minutes, the tiger did not arrive! Our guide whispered something in our drivers ears and the driver started reversing the car! This was met by vociferous protests from my side that we will loose the nice position we had got ourselves to for photographing the tiger! The guide waived away my protests and the driver started driving the jeep back on the road on which we had met the tiger.
And guess what there is no beating experience. The guide was spot on! The tiger had spotted the commotion at the waterring hole and had decided to take a break right on the side of the road. I got umpteen shots of the tiger before any of the other jeeps came in!
Finally after ten minutes, the other jeeps must have realised that something was afoot and came to where we were standing! However after the great photo ops on the Day 2 evening, we were back on the way back to the hotel.
If we thought that was the end of the excitement for Day 2, it was not. Near the gate there was a huge number of jeeps which had stopped. These jeeps had spotted a leopard on the side of the road drinking water but by the time we got there it was on the higher side of the cliff. I still managed to see its silhouette climbing the cliff.
We made our way back to the hotel to great food and chilled beer at the end of an amazing safari!!
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