I really love your tiger feet

We’re on the last part of our trip and it’s an early start for a 3 hour drive from Kolkata to Gadkhali where we catch the ferry to Tiger Camp.

We leave Kolkata clogged with traffic and in the midst of a massive building programme with hi-tec buildings, the new metro, the space age Bangla Gate and blocks of flats going up all around New Town and over the course of 100km we could be travelling back in time as we drive through narrow lanes and crowded towns to mud built buildings, paddy fields and water pumps.  The difference is stark.

Sun set in the Sundaban

The Sundarban forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the confluence of some of India’s greatest rivers including the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.  At Gadkhali we’re met by Topas our local guide who shows us to the MB Baba Krishna which will be our transport for the next three days as we search for the elusive tiger.

The memsahib and her trusty guide

The Indian part of Sundarbans covers about 4,100 square kilometres, of which about 1,700 square kilometres comprises rivers, canals and creeks that vary in width from a few metres to several kilometres. The network of tidal waterways makes almost every corner of the forest accessible by boat and this is the best way to spot the various fauna that lives on the mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests.

Drying off in the sun

Come on Tigger - show yourself

The area is known for the Royal Bengal Tiger, as well as many species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles, wild boar, lizards and snakes.

Collared Kingfisher

Red Faced Langur combing the sand for food

I spot a spotted deer

Brown winged Kingfisher

Crested Serpent Eagle

A wild boar roots around

It’s a two hour journey to Tiger Camp which will be our land base.  The accommodation is good and the grounds are teeming with birds.  During a short walk we see a couple of spotted owls perched in a tree just outside our room.

These guys are a hoot

So is this guy - a Spotted Owl

We don't get thrushes like this

Nor Starlings like this

Don't you just love them

The days are spent meandering around the waterways with occasional stops to visit viewing towers that look out over the vast forest.  The towers offer good views but often we share the vantage point with parties of excitable Indians who shout and chatter as they rush around in an effort to see ‘tiger’.  Not surprisingly, the shy and cautious Bengal Tigers are not attracted by the racket and so they go unseen.

The closest we got. Tiger Feet - Mud

It’s not much better on the water.  We glide slowly past the mangroves watching the Red Faced Langurs beach-combing for tree roots and Topas has a keen eye when it comes to spotting birds and other forest dwellers.  The Indian ‘naval’ parties are equally raucous and their often over-laden boats zoom past leaving bow waves and a riot of noise and colour.

All aboard the Rentamob Special

The Tiger Camp hosts local tribal dancing and the six guests are treated to 30 minutes of colourful entertainment.  At the end of the programme the seven performers stand in a row facing us and despite a rousing round of applause, refuse to leave until we have all made some financial recognition of their efforts.

The Dancers in their colourful dresses

The Mexican Stand-off - who blinks first?

On the second day there’s excitement as two of the guests are lucky enough to see a tiger swimming in one of the narrow channels – it gets so close to the boat that there was a fear the tiger was about to come aboard.  Their photos are fantastic and leave us green with envy.  The guests tell us that the biggest problem was stopping their crew from shouting and hopping around yelling ‘Tiger, Tiger’

Our boat crew are much more attentive and the skipper, a man of few words, expertly handles the boat.  Topas tells us that he turned to boating after his father, a honey-picker was killed by a tiger in the course of his job.  Many of the villagers face similar risks as they fish, hunt crabs or collect honey and there are up to 100 deaths each year.

Honeycomb - In two weeks a honey picker can collect up to 400kg

As we leave the jetty one morning we have to push through a queue of patients waiting for the arrival of the doctor who visits here twice a month.  When we return 10 hours later, the queue is if anything longer.

Don't talk to me about 4 hour A&E waits

Red Fiddler Crab

Can you guess? Correct, a Yellow Fidler Crab

Colourful Jungle Fowl

Night Heron

Each day we sail more in hope than expectation and despite seeing a range of interesting wildlife our main objective remains elusive to the end and we leave without a sighting.  However, chatting to another guest we now think there are better chances elsewhere and are already planning our next trip.

If only! We hope for better luck next time

You can stand under my umbrella

After a boozy night in Kolkata we're off to the Andaman Nicabar Islands.  After a few delays we arrive in Port Blair at our accommodation for the next 4 days.  We're staying at a 4 star B@B with only 3 rooms and we are looked after by Simhadre, a delightful chap who cooks great curries and provides hot tea on demand.

Simhadre - man of many culinary talents 

We start off on our first day with a walk around Port Blair.  The temperature is in the 30’s and it doesn’t take long before we are dripping.  Our first stop is at a Maritime museum where lots of Indian tourists are zooming around afraid that the exhibits are likely to be removed at any time. We stroll around enjoying the air conditioned displays just as the heavens open with a storm of biblical proportions bouncing water into the air. So we stay in the shelter of the museum until it passes.

Dodging the showers

Unusually, the Indians aren't taking selfies here

Heading out all life is on the street - cows wonder aimlessly amid the dodging traffic, goats lounge around and chickens peck at the roadside. 

Goa Bar - I thought you said Goat Baa

We lose our bearings a little so stop to cool off at a coffee shop but just get sat down under a fan the power goes off and within minutes the heat is back.  Fearful of more rain, I stop to buy an umbrella - just in case.  Clearly, this is a magic umbrella as we never get caught by the rain again on the holiday

Offerings for the temple

Another quiet day in Aberdeen Bazaar

We eventually make our way to Aberdeen Bazaar the place is heaving with shoppers a street sellers all trying to get the best deals on veggies for their tea.

 

In the market

By the time we hit the port we are boiling hot and shattered so we call an auto-rickshaw to take us to a hotel where we can have lunch and a cool beer.  Alcohol is hard to come by on the island so this is an oasis and we sup ice cold beer as the rain comes again. 

Red-whiskered Bulbuls

On the way home in a rickshaw we stop at the wine shop for supplies. We arrive at 2.55 to find the shop locked and the street deserted - by 3 o clock when the wine shop opens there is a throng of bar flies with John in the middle - it's the usual scrum and John manages to grab a few bottles before the fridge is emptied!

We have arranged a driver today to take us around the sites of Port Blair  starting with the Chatham Sawmill.  Established by the British the sawmill was at one time the largest in Asia.  When the Japanese occupied the Andamans in 1942 they built bunkers, some of which are  still intact.

For your information

The most impressive of the tourist attractions is the Circular Jail built by the British to hold Indian political prisoners. The treatment of the inmates was harrowingly violent and you can almost feel the fear as you walk around. At one end is the gallows with 3 nooses set up.  I would imagine the prisoners sentenced to death would see this as a relief from the torture and torment of the jail.

Many prisoners died after a 3 month hunger strike but interestingly it was the force feeding that killed them not the starvation.

Circular Jail - Now a National Monument to Indian Freedom Fighters

Flogging stand

Indians visit the Jail

After a super lunch we headed to Corbyn Cove where the locals are having a ball going out on the jet skis or hiring a seat on a speed boat.  Randomly, we come across Indian women soldiers playing the bagpipes. Rephrase that, trying to play bagpipes. I think that more practice is required.

The skirl of the pipes

My magic umbrella keeps the rain at bay

After a lovely day we sleep well whilst the heavens open and the rain over-night never stops.  Umbrella to the rescue and we awake to sunshine as we make our way to the ferry that takes us to Havelock island

Dockside - Port Blair

 Rad Hanagar beach is rated number 3 in the world and its easy to see why

Paradise

The Indian tourists really enjoy the beach and stopping only to take off their sandals, the women dive fully clothed into the warm, clear waters

Keep your cardigan on - it might get chilly in the sea

You don't want to be around when this guy dive-bombs

 We meet a couple of guys who are extremely well travelled and we swap stories of our travels.  Dean and Simon were great company.  They also ran up some monster bar bills!

Hull's finest

Amazingly, my umbrella works here too.  Before we arrived the weather had been mixed but we enjoy six days of sun and as we leave the clouds return.

Our last night

Kevin Keegan queues for the ferry

Our ferry awaits

We've got one more call before we fly home, at Sunderbans and our last chance to see a tiger.  Catch you soon.