Madhya Pradesh – The Heart of India!
I come from a family where our passports are full of stamps, so it’s not unusual if I meet family halfway across the world – it just so happened that my aunt and uncle from Toowoomba, Australia are in India the same time I am. I know I’d enjoy traveling with them and my cousin who happened to be wrapping up her job in Delhi so she can return to Australia. My Aunt had planned a trip to Khajuraho where we joined them to view the ancient temples, here’s a link to her blog about Khajuraho. http://www.toowoomba68.blogspot.in/2016_02_01_archive.html . Khajuraho is famous for the erotic carvings on the temples.
Here's a PG version of the Temple
Rated R version
The second part of our trip in Madhya Pradesh was to Bandhavgarh National Park for tiger viewing. The thrill of a safari never gets old regardless of how many times you get on the jeep to explore the jungle.
Park Ranger rides an elephant as he keeps a watch on humans and animals
We had reservations at TigerGarh ecofriendly resort just outside the national park. http://tigergarh.com/. My family and I have travelled extensively throughout India and TigerGarh is one of the best examples of Indian hospitality. The owner and his staff will take care of every details for you, most of the time before you even ask. The owner, Gagan Gahlot, followed his passion and quit his engineering career to run a safari lodge. Gagan truly loves what he does and wants to share his knowledge of the forest inhabitants and the surroundings. Bird watching is not something I enjoy but Gagan’s knowledge made me interested in the birds at Bandhavghar.
Kingfisher which I learned is not the national bird of India, it's just the name of the national beer. Photo credit: Jayshree Mangubhai
Breakfast halfway thru our early morning safari
hand painted beer bottle as a lamp in our room
I enjoyed the actual safari at Bandhavghar more than the safaris I did at Ranthambore National Park in 2010. The guides and drivers are professional at Bandhavghar, and they are also much more knowledgeable. On our Bandhavghar safaris we saw spotted deer, sambhur deer, nilgai antelope, wild boar, jungle fowl and the king of the forest a TIGER! I’ve been on a few safaris in India, Sri Lanka and South Africa and this was the first encounter with a tiger! (unfortunately we were in awe of the tiger and no photos were taken)
The chef at TigerGarh making us tasty tandoori after a long day of safaris
Village we stayed at close to Bandhavghar National Park