Thursday, March 10
Mysore to Masinigudi – 104 K
Bandipur National Park and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
This morning’s ride was smooth and relatively flat – something to be thankful for. The morning became even BETTER when we came upon a coffee shop just before entering one of the little towns about 10 K before the lunch stop. This is the FIRST time we’ve seen a coffee shop along the way - most of the time we are lucky if the major towns HAVE espresso at all (or know what it is). J It looked like we all had the same idea and converged on the place according to our pace. I had a mocha frappe – then another before leaving J! Here’s the group at the coffee shop:
This morning we were joined by Allen who has been riding thru India for several weeks. He is heading the same direction as we are so he will be riding with us for a few days. Allen is from Ireland and a welcome addition to our gang! Here’s Allen at lunch next to Maureen – she helps with lunch every day we ride and is one of the nicest ladies to chat with… I love her British accent!
We had fun with the animals at lunch! The cows were very docile and I found one that loved to have a gentle scratching behind her ears… J Here’s Maureen’s husband, Victor with one of the cows begging for a snack:
This mama dog stretched out in the shade behind my stool has her baby look-alike standing nearby. I fed her some cheese but she was timid and definitely not used to positive human contact.
Two pigmy goats meandered through and I spent a moment cuddling up to the baby. Her mother wasn’t the least bit concerned and the baby snuggled its nose right into my neck… after a wet “kiss” on my cheek! J
After lunch we (the late arrivals) caravanned on our bikes through two of the nature reserves. It was important to stay together riding just behind our vehicle because of the possible elephant crossings along the way. We did come upon some elephants feeding alongside the road and we were instructed NOT to stop so I pulled out my little camera from my front bag and did a “point and shoot” as I passed. The elephants were standing and eating…. there was even a baby in the mix.
As I was nearing the hotel, I came upon the prettiest garden and front yard I’ve seen here in India (plus a cow was munching on the flowers). J The colors were stunning and the flower garden was HUGE with a country cottage nestled back behind the lovely array of bushes, trees and flowers! Here’s the first of several pictures I took – with the cow of course. J
After laundry and before dinner I sat on a swinging chair outside our room to write and relax. While sitting there I had a few visitors who were interested in the clothes drying on the racks… the little monkeys stopped by to say hello (and look for anything of interest they could snatch and run with). I quickly tucked my things in my bag and watched them all around me… even directly above me in the branches of the tree. A mother and her baby stopped on the step… here’s their picture:
Tomorrow is a BIG climb over the mountains looming just west of us – the Nilgiri Hills.
