Our time with Aaron, Isaac and Annika has been way too full and busy for us to keep up with blog posts! The highlight of the past week was without doubt our trip to Jim Corbett National Park. This involved a drive of about 300 km in each direction, but Corbett was well worth the drive. We also learned that Aaron seems to have been born to drive in India! He handles the crazy traffic "like an experienced Indian", and he drives so safely that he never causes his passengers to feel at risk.
We stayed overnight inside Corbett, at a the 1928 vintage Bijrani forest rest house. We were up early for our 7:30 ride through the jungle on "Asha", a 40 year old female elephant. Sharif Khan, our mahout and guide, made every effort to track down a tiger for us, but there was none to be found. The ride itself through unspoiled north Indian jungle was more than worthwhile.
Since it was Christmas Eve, we had intended to return to Mussoorie immediately after our elephant ride. We had been looking forward to Lynn's Christmas dinner on the 25th. Instead, we decided to postpone the dinner until the 26th and stay a little longer in Corbett. We are very glad we changed our plans, and lined up an afternoon "jeep safari" with a driver named Sajid. He told us the chances of seeing a tiger were good, and he did not disappoint.
We were privileged to come within about 50 feet of a gorgeous female tiger and two of her two-year-old cubs. As you can see in the slide show, the mother posed beautifully to be shot by our cameras! So, here's the slide show of our memorable Christmas Eve visit to Corbett Park.
Wow!! Amazing pictures and how wonderful to be riding an elephant together.
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