We are staying in Nagarhole National Park part of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve that covers 5000 square miles across the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southwest India. To me it is wonder of human achievement that this park exists in the second most populous country on earth. It is habitat for over 100 different mammals including the majestic Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephant and Leopard. It is late in the afternoon and we’re taking a water safari on Kabini Lake. It is calm, quiet and beautiful; the boatman cuts the motor often to stop and listen to the forest. Our guide, a certified parks naturalist, assures us that the animals go into the forest during the hot daytime hours but now that it’s cooler we have a chance to see some when they it come out to the lake to drink. We see hundreds of gentle, sweet-looking spotted deer, several huge gaur, wild pigs, lots of langurs (a large Old World Monkey with a very long tail) capering in the bamboo, a few elephants and a crocodile basking in the late afternoon sun.
But wait a minute. Do you hear that? That is an alarm call. The monkeys are warning that danger is near. Now the forest is silent. A tiger peeks out of the bamboo, takes a few steps into the river to drink. 
Then her eyes meet ours.
And she slinks back into the forest. It’s thrilling for me to see a tiger in her natural setting but it is even more exciting to know and understand the natural environment she thrives in so that we can work toward preserving her natural space. We return to our lodge full of awe. The sun is setting. 
The barista in the reading room overlooking the lake is very happy that we have been able to see a tiger. He shares his enthusiasm for conservation in Nagarhole National Park and makes us an unforgettable cappuccino to celebrate an unforgettable day.
Travel Musings 
Hi Nancy..great to hear you continue
” the adventure”, I was fortunate to see tigers last year in Tanzania.. How lucky we are! Un abrazo de Mexico(Puerto Escondido)
Helen Gibb Carsley
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Wonderful to hear from you Helen…a kindred spirit.
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Lucky you to see the fabulous tiger, Nancy! And what a cappuccino!! 🙂 I’m in Cley right now. Klausbernd and myself hope everything’s fine with you and Ross, have a great time,
Hanne x
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Thank you Klaus and Hanne. India is an incredible place to visit…we stayed on back roads this year, a lot of driving but worth the pain of getting there. Say hello to Cley for us.
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What a wonderful read , please keep them coming . We in New Zealand until end march . Escaping the English winter . Much fishing and swimming . Cley seems a long time ago .
India is on my bucket list ,
Tony & Sandy
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Dear Tony and Sandy. Thank you. Wonderful to hear from you. I must learn more about New Zealand… the fishing and swimming. What part are you in? I would love to hear more.
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Dear Nancy . Lovely to hear from you as we are a bit in the backwater here in the Waitakere ranges west of Auckland . We have a house on the coast of the Manukau harbour where it’s mainly native bush and quite lovely but very hilly unlike our place in Suffolk . Nz is like UK in the 50 s with not a great deal of history apart from the Maori which constitute about 14 % .
Wonderful beaches and only 4.5 million inhabitants so lots of space and countryside but lacking architectural merit . It is subtropical where we are . Warm and wet with no frost . South Island is much more rugged with good skiing , mountains , a fiords . Every one goes fishing and sailing with lovely off shore islands to visit . Nz is very green in both senses of the word .
Please keep your travelogue going . It was a wonderful read .where are you off to next ?
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Thank you Sandy and Tony for this lovely description of native bush, warm weather, and wonderful beaches in Waitakere. We would love to go to New Zealand some day…maybe we could find a little place near a quiet beach for us in January 2016.
Remember Cley Windmill in Norfolk? That was a perfect type of place, though in January we are looking for warm…so maybe New Zealand would be perfect.
I’ve started a new writing project about my year working a school nursing sister in Kentish Town and Camden Town in the mid sixties. All I have is my brain, no journals, no letters about about work and no photos. Wish me luck. If you have any suggestions for reading material or contact people for my research I’d be grateful to have them. I’m devouring all novels about London in the sixties that I can find to trigger my memory. The novels are few and far between at the moment, but I do love what I’ve been able to find so far.
I will be continuing with Travel Musings and have Ross slated to post a guest blog about a Theyyan Festival we attended one morning a couple of weeks ago in Kerala.
Right now it is very cold and snowing here in Calgary and our plans are to ski in our beautiful Canadian Rockies for the rest of the winter.
Take good care of yourselves.
Nancy ( and Ross)
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This is a wonderful post Nancy. I loved the words , the pictures , and of course the cappuccino finale. You were very lfortunate to see a Tiger in the wild . Enjoy the rest of your time away.
Marilynne
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Good to hear from you Marilynne. Yes I agree we are fortunate to have seen tigers. They are truly awesome. Even more awesome is the fact that at Nagarhole their land is beautifully conserved.
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