December 17, 2024
We were up at 6:00 AM, ignoring both the 12.5 hour time difference between where we were and California and our 40 hours of travel, and were down at the extensive and excellent breakfast buffet by 7:15. Chris and I especially liked the black rice in a purple pudding--more dessert than breakfast!
A driver in a small minivan came to pick us up at 8:00 AM. Our luggage caused him and the hotel staff some distress. They spent over twenty minutes strapping it to the roof, and we finally got on the road at about 8:30.
We headed east-north-east through the finger of India that lies between Tibet to the north, Bangladesh to the southwest, and Myanmar to the southeast. I had no idea that India was anything other than the downward-pointing triangle I always pictured it as.
The distance was just over 200 km, or 125 miles, but it took us 4.25 hours of driving.
It started out well enough with wide, scenic roads lined by vendors, most of them selling oranges.
By the way, we finally found a working ATM along the way in what looked to us like a pretty sketchy place. We were able to withdraw 20,000 rupees, or about $230, by taking out smaller amounts three times. Apparently asking for only a little bit at a time is the trick.
When we arrived at Diphlu Lodge just outside Kaziranga National Park, the wonderful staff was waiting with cool, wet washcloths and refreshing lemonade. This happened just about every time we arrived back at the Lodge after numerous drives. What a treat!
We crossed some wetlands on a bamboo bridge . . .
. . . and were shown to our rooms, which were actually large cabins on very tall stilts and with a balcony facing the river.
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| Under the cabin |
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| The balcony |
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| The view |
Between our cabin and the river, a lush jungle somewhat obscured our view, which was disappointing as we had hoped to see wildlife on the banks.
However, we did see some animals in the jungle itself. Sadly, there were no tigers roaming around--just a cow or two . . .
. . . and monkeys.
All our meals were provided by the lodge, and although the food was not at all like the Indian food I am used to eating in California, I thought it was generally delicious. Surprisingly, I liked it much more than Bob did (for once).
At 2:00 PM we left on our first safari with our guide. We would have two more safari drives on Wednesday and two more on Thursday. Bob added a few more on Friday while Chris and Stan and I did other things. Typically, the morning drive was from 7:00 AM - 12:30 PM, and the afternoon drive was from 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM. Those times included 20-60 minutes of driving time to get to one of several park entrances. In between safari drives we came back for a delicious lunch.
My next few posts will cover some of the highlights of those drives.
(Bob) I did not realize the distance from Guwahati to Kaziranga was such a short distance. That was a long drive for that distance. I loved our cabin and the eating situation. The eating area was very close to our cabin. I liked our food there as much or more than any other of our stays in India, except perhaps in New Delhi. I struggled with the very strong Indian food, much more curry infused and spicy than we are used to in the U.S. Another thing I did not realize was that the outer edge of Kaziranga NP was ringed by population and that the distance between entrances could be quite significant. About 1.5 hours from Diphlu to the eastern entrance of Kaziranga NP and about an hour to the western entrance.
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