The Lady of the Lake

Monkey's heckle us as we drive through the main gates and become engulfed by the jungle. Eyes peeled asthe jeep creeps along, hunting for a flash of orange and black. We arrive at the top of a rather large hill at a sharp drop off point which marks the end of the trail. Binoculars out, focus on, we look longingly into the distance, hoping beyond all hope that one of the (approximate) 25 tigers living within Ranthambore National Park will appear.

Suddenly, the guide perks up and starts talking quickly to the guide in the jeep that had just pulled up next to us. They exchanged only a few words before the other guide started looking intently through his binoculars towards the area to which our guide was pointing. Excited he exclaims that it is a tiger! Binoculars turned towards a ravine, sure enough there is a Tiger approaching a pool of water, taking a drink before entering the water to relax. Camera clicking like mad, I was so excited to be seeing a tiger in the wild. (Even though it was so far away you could only see it with binoculars.)

10 minutes passed before the tiger left the water. However, instead of wandering back towards the area she had come from, which was unreachable in the jeep, she crossed the water and started in the other direction. In a blur, the jeeps (there were now 3 of them including ours) whirled around and began racing down the hill. Holding on to the rails for dear life, we flew towards the road where the tiger was headed, suddenly slowing down to make a turn and then crawling towards the tiger the rest of the way.

Once again the guide got excited, (this time his excitement seemed more genuine, like he himself was in awe of this stunning creature before us) this was not just any tiger, this was Machali, the queen of Ranthambore, the Lady of the Lake and one of the oldest tigers in the park. She was so unbelievably beautiful, walking with a majestic strength that both intimidated and intrigued. In fact, I was so utterly bewitched by her magnificence that it actually took me a while to realize that the reason she was getting so much bigger with every step was that she was walking directly towards us.

Sitting in an open top jeep with no doors and no where to run or hide with a wild tiger heading straight for you is terrifying! My heart was pounding so hard I swore she could hear it. Once she was close she turned ever so slightly to walk directly past us. She was so close that if I had reached down from my seat I could have actually stroked her. I was so excited and nervous that I didn't realize until she had passed us that I had been holding my breath.

The jeep slowly rolled along next to her so we could watch the Lady of the Lake while she decided to be in plain sight. I was so focused on Machali that it wasn't until she crouched down low and crept next to one of the other jeeps that I noticed several sambar deer drinking from a pool of water on the other side of us.

Machali used the jeeps as cover as she prepared her assault, ever muscle tensed as she moved slowly to the last camouflaging jeep. Pausing for a few seconds, waiting for the perfect moment, when suddenly she was gone in a flash. (Click here to watch her in action!)

The group took off running, but it was too little too late for one female sambar who had ventured too far from the herd. Machali sunk her teeth into it bringing it down is a single bound. Ensuring her catch was indeed dead before daring to let go. It was a few minutes before she began to move. It was obvious that she wanted to drag her kill off into the jungle, but the dead weight of the full grown sambar was too much for her to drag out of the water so she dug in right in front of us.

According to the guide, this was a massive victory for this royal tigress as she had not had a recorded kill in quite some time. In her youth Machali was the most dominant & most famous tiger in the park due to her impressive figure and strength. She was even caught on film taking down a 14 foot crocodile. An absolute legend of the park, making even the strongest of males back down, the guide was obviously sad to see her getting old & pleased to see she could still obtain such a substantial kill.

We sat talking, learning all of her most epic stories as we watched her until twilight (well past the length of our tour), only leaving to get out of the gates before they are locked for the night.

The strength, beauty, power, grace, and mystery of this legendary tigress is an inspiration. She continually triumphs, against all odds, surviving. No longer the super power she once was, she lives on, just as strong. Machali is proof that where there is a will there is a way, and I will never forget that as I will never forget her.

Elaborate Ellora Caves

Bright eyed and bushy tailed from a relatively restful sardine-style head-to-toe-in-a-twin-bed nights sleep, we were off. After rallying the troops we checked out of the hotel and scurried outside to meet our driver at half past nine. Scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and toast made a happy wait (for our late driver) and we were soon full and on our way to the Ellora caves. (Only stopping along the way to buy two liters of water each to add to the liter we each had already. No dehydration today!)

There are 34 caves at Ellora which are spread out over a vast expanse of desert. A very strange site to take in, the landscape looked as though during monsoon season it is a lush tropical paradise with water running through it. On this day, however, it was a barren waste land blowing up dust storms and slowly killing the emaciated puppies and water buffalo inhabiting it.

Front Face of Cave 16

Unlike the Ajanta caves which are carefully carved caverns in a rocky cliff face, the Ellora caves do not have the same cave like feel. In fact, to call them caves is quite an injustice. The temples at Ellora are magnificent structures built into hills. Some are similar to the caves at Ajanta, but many are large compounds, completely open to the elements, with several levels and rooms. It is also interesting to note that while the Ajanta caves are all Buddhist monuments, the structures at Ellora were built to support three different beliefs. Caves 1-12 are Buddhist, caves 13-29 are Hindu, and caves 30-34 are Jain. This makes Ellora particularly fascinating because each set of caves have their similarities and their unique differences. Visiting these temples back to back in the way Ellora offers, helps you to learn and understand some of the religious differences you may have never noticed going to different complexes on different days.

Elephant Statue

Cave 16, a massive Hindu temple built into the hill, made for a fabulous start to Ellora. As the largest and most ornate temple we saw in Ellora, this was probably my favorite. You enter the cave through an enormous gateway leading you into a courtyard where you find yourself facing two enormous elephant sculptures just to the front and on opposite sides of an elaborate two story temple. As you look around you realize that the gateway you entered is actually one of the four walls surrounding the courtyard, each with two levels of stone sculpting to

Cave 16

enjoy. The carvings included stories of the Hindu gods and elephants everywhere (view pictures below) making your mind thirsty for the stories depicted in the walls. We were lucky to have a friend with us who could explain most of the stories as we wandered through the various parts of the temple, making for a more intellectually fulfilling experience.

View of  central building at Cave 16

Once we had taken in all we could at cave 16, we continued on to temples 10, 12 and 14 which were all Buddhist temples. 10 was simply stunning and took your breathe away as the Ajanta caves had just the day before. You walk into a courtyard towards a two story temple with an open door. The sun is so bright that all you can see is a black hole in the entry way. Once you walk through the door, your eyes adjust to find a monumental cave complete with a cathedral style ceiling and a  massive Buddha in the center. The cave was cool and the ceiling made the echos of the spiritual humming fill the cave making an overwhelming sense of tranquility descend upon the inner chamber. In this idyllic moment it was not hard to visualize how one could meditate in there for hours and we took a moment to just breathe and relax in this remarkable place. On our way out, the cave monitor offered to let us go out onto the locked balcony upstairs to look down into the temple. Obviously accepting quickly and graciously, he lead us up the steps and through the locked wooden door. Yet, another amazing view for our eyes to feast upon and our cameras quickly began snapping away.

Seated Buddha in Cave 10

We trekked back to the car, stopping along the way to buy some small gifts, before being driven to caves 30 - 34. These Jain temples were by far the most fun to explore as they were all intertwined via ornate tunnels within the cliffs. You had to be quite agile to make your way between these caves as some of the steps were very steep and you often found yourself  climbing through interesting gaps. As someone who is somewhat afraid of the dark this maze of Jain temples was made particularly exhilarating by the pitch black hallway or jet black cavern you had to jump down into with a blinding light at the other end which was the way out on the other side. The smell of bat droppings was particularly pungent in these darker areas and I would stand and listen at the doorway for the location of the squeaking bats watching nonchalantly as others went through before me. Each passage brought you to new beautiful rooms devoted to various aspects of the Jain religion.

"window" in Cave 26

After quite sometime we headed back to the car which took us to caves 19 - 26. However, unfortunately for us due to a landslide we could only see 26. This was not a hardship as 26 was an immense Hindu temple with stunning views, gorgeous carvings, and a massive footprint. This temple was also blessed by squeaking bats in dark corners, adding to the mysticism of the place.One edge of the temple sat on the edge of a cliff featuring a balcony "window" where you could sit letting your legs dangle precariously over the edge while you took in the forbidden temples complete with the recent landslide alongside the barren Indian countryside. As we sat enjoying the view we watched a skin and bones water buffalo appear in the distance and walk ever so slowly through the lifeless desert to a stagnant pool of water just below us, where it waded in to the deepest point attempting to escape from the brutal heat of the day.  It looks as though this pool is usually the beginning of a stream that flows through what one can only imagine as lush tropical fields, but still a few months from monsoon season, the landscape is struggling along with the wildlife that depend on it.

Water Buffalo in the last pool of water

Having successfully enjoyed as many of the caves as reasonably practical we headed back to Aurangabad  to shower and freshen up for the sleeper bus back to Mumbai, where I would soon thereafter be catching a flight home. The little I was fortunate enough to see of this Southern part of India was absolutely brilliant and has definitely made me thirsty for more adventures in India!

Inner sanctum of a Jain temple

View from upper level in Jain Temple

Inner sanctum of a Jain temple

Cave 10 from upper balcony

Lower Level at Cave 16

Elephants at base of central temple in Cave 16

looking down from the uppermost level of cave 16

A Jaw Dropper? ... The Ajanta Caves

(Apologies for the long awaited post on Aurangabad! I am excited to share it with you now and hope that you enjoy it!) (Thanks for stopping by!!!)

On the Sleeper Bus

Aurangabad Adventures

Sleeper Bus from Mumbai to Aurangabad

Inside the Sleeper Bus

The best way to get to Aurangabad from Mumbai is on the sleeper bus. The bus picks you up at an average bus stop off a busy road in the center of Mumbai. When booking your tickets for the bus, it requires you to select your bunk. One side of the bus has singles and the other side has doubles so if you are travelling on your own and get a double it is highly likely that you will end up sleeping next to a stranger. There were three of us travelling so I shared a double with my bestie and our other friend managed to get a single near us. The bunk we had chosen was a top bunk, so we hopped up in our bunk, logged on to the free wifi and laid down to enjoy the ride. It is very strange lying down on a bus, when you add this to the fact that most of the roads the bus was taking were incredibly bumpy it made for an interesting night. Each and every bump would jolt you out of your sleep as your body flopped up and down like a dead fish. Another challenge is that you have to get off at the right stop. Now this might sound ridiculous, but you are getting restless sleep when you feel the bus stop and you have about 45 seconds to realize it is your stop, gather your things and depart the bus before it continues on its route. When the bus arrived at our stop I was putting on my shoes as I threw my backpack over my shoulders while hobbling off the bus and trying to put my hair back up. Don't even think about getting back on if you forget something because as soon as you are off the bus the doors shut and it is gone in a cloud of dust.

We found ourselves in a dusty town, trying to wake up and orient ourselves. Cars were flying by and once we had our wits about us we hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel. (The taxi driver was a lifesaver and ended up taking care of us for the entire trip, giving us fantastic rates for the two days we would be there which were less than half what the hotel could offer.)

The Ajanta caves are about two and a half hours from Aurangabad so we hired a driver for the day to take us there, wait for us, and then bring us back. Our driver did not waste any time getting us there and driving as though we were being chased by a gang with machine guns we flew down the dusty roads. There were definite moments I thought I would die in a head on collision or fly off the side of a sheer cliff face but thankfully we survived. (The driver broke up the journey with two stops, the first was a fantastic local place for breakfast and the second was a lonely shack in the middle of nowhere for drinks.)

Taxi Taking a Break

Once having finally arrived in the parking lot for the caves it was time to journey through a shopping market which was filled with overly aggressive salesmen one of which (Erik from store 73) gave me a crystal as a "gift" after I had refused it several times by placing it on my camera bag and walking away. Every shop keeper had a store number which they would repeat to you incessantly along with their name in the hope that you would remember them and stop in their shop on your way out. The idea of course is one of reciprocity, many people feel that they must go back to the shop because you were given a gift so it is the least you can do. Feeling like celebrities being swarmed by paparazzi we made it through. Surviving the markets, we found ourselves at a bus stop with at least 30 locals and waited to board the bus for the 15 minute journey to the caves.

Paying at the welcome desk, we ventured in towards a grassy field disguised as a tourist trap where we quickly bought more water and made our way towards the daunting steps. There were loads of men at the bottom trying to make money by carrying people up on sedan chairs, but we rushed past them and finally began the 2 mile trek. It was yet another scalding day and each step was matched by a bead of sweat on your forehead. We had made it through a full liter of water each by the top but the hike felt shorter than anticipated allowing us to find ourselves before we knew it, just above the caves, gawking at a panoramic view of 26 magnificent caves carved into the cliff face before us.

Looking down on the Ajanta Caves

Entrance to Cave #1

Upon approaching the caves there is little doubt as to whether or not you have to remove your trainers because of the scattered shoes around the entrance. Once you have navigated the various forms of footwear you enter the refreshingly cool cave. You walk into the first cave and as you begin to catch your breathe and take pleasure in the break from the heat your eyes slowly begin to adjust to the change in light and the breathe you had just regained is stolen by the exquisite site before you. There are 26 caves and each one has its own unique charm, and as you walk in and out of each one your breathe is stolen over and over again. The caves are tucked away into a sheer cliff face, looking like a stone cavity from afar but up close you are exposed to the most stunning elaborately carved Buddhist temple. The caves, most of which boast an intricately carved massive Buddha as the focal point, are embellished with fabulous carvings and paintings on the walls. The Buddha in each cave holds its own individual significance and displays the symbol specific to that place of worship. As the caves are too beautiful and intricate to sufficiently put into words, I felt it best to show you a few of my favorites for you to enjoy on your own. (See below)

It took us about 3 hours to get from the first cave to the 26th and with the heat beating down on us the horrendous sense of dehydration was beginning to settle in. The last place to buy clean water is at the tourist shop at the bottom of the hike, and choosing between carrying masses of water or making our water last, we had made the wrong decision. Having enjoyed each of Ajanta's hidden gems it was time to make our way back to re-hydrate and begin our journey back to Aurangabad.

After the bus journey from the cave site to the shops we followed some tourists around the back of the shopping market to a hole in the fence which opened into the parking lot where we met our driver. Having dodged the market shops, we were feeling rather accomplished and found our driver quickly. Two shop keepers spotted us on our escape and were notably outraged at our successful evasion. Luckily for us they were quickly distracted approaching tourists posing as the night's meal. On the drive back I wrapped my head with my dupatta and shut my eyes, only opening them upon our arrival at our drink stop for lunch and a liter of water each and a small can of coca cola.  We finished our dinner and exhaustion took me out again until we had arrived back at our hotel. It was now very late and time for showers and bed to get ready for Ellora.