INDIA: Snapshots from a Naturalist Journey’s Nature Tour: The Colors of India

Women with School Children at a Nature Reserve, India Photo by Peg Abbott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My small community hosts Forums with invited lectures, and for this I called my talk on India, the Colors of India.  When I reviewed my photos (countless photos!)  from Tiger stripes to market vendors, peacock tails to people that we encountered in cities and rural villages, color was the essential element of all.

India is a paradise for the photographer. People seem fine with the lens facing their way, they go on about their lives with little notice. And their lives are vibrant. Day to day we encountered weddings, women forming fuel from cattle dung, five persons stuffed onto a Susuki, markets filled with fruit.  In nature we found stunning birds with electric hues – some of my favorites being several species of kingfishers.  Even herons and storks don bright feathers in India!  

What I like about our Naturalist  Journey’s tour is the marvelous blend of nature and culture. Every drive between nature reserves and World Heritage Sites provide adventure. Drives pass quickly, as all around life if happening, people coming and go, by every conceivable form or transport imaginable.  In India, it seems like you can feel the color.  In winter, to unwind in their lovely climate, with varied habitats amid all this color feels divine!  And the dark eye of the Tiger, set against its special blend of orange, is rivaled only by the tones of tiles that line the stunning Taj Mahal.  An intricate maze of color that knits this edifice together, and time in the early morning at the Taj to see fine light is essential.  Consider INDIA as a great winter escape this next February 12-23, 2012.

A Typical Market in India photo by Peg Abbott

INDIA: Snapshots from a Naturalist Journey’s Nature Tour: ALTERNATE TRANSPORT

A Young Couple on the Road in India    photo by Peg Abbott

In this time of frugality, when we think we are challenged financially here in the USA, a visit to India is heartwarming, encouraging and promotes one’s sense of humor, along with endurance.

I open my Colors of India show with a long section of images under the theme of transportation.  I say LONG section, because you would marvel at the imagination they have for defining the word “vehicle” and you would marvel at what they can haul on a bicycle!  In India, there is almost no segregation of traffic modes. The only rule I surmised was that large semi-trucks could not pass through large urban areas in daylight hours, so you’d see long lines of colorfully decorated carriers waiting outside the cities. Other than that, the roads mix oxcarts, motorcycles, camels, bicycles, cars, pedestrians and a host of curious vehicles such as bicycles with platforms and extra tires geared for hauling. I have a photo of a man riding a bicycle with a full length ladder balanced, his head somewhere towards the top third. I have a bicycle hauling a couch, and another hauling a stack of olive oil cans that approached the size of a small pyramid. We watched a young couple leave the city just two on a motorcycle, but with their suitcase fastened behind. Most motorcycles, to us the size of dirt bikes, carried at least three or four, and Jean Bassett, with us from Tucson, scored a photo of five! 

 The word Taxi takes on new meaning in India. There are bicycle taxi’s, and small truck taxis, and then large long-haul taxis where people seem to pile in three deep.  When we pass they waive and smile. They are going somewhere, and never alone.  Our Indian guide says when in the US he feels lonely, not enough action or people around. 

I remember returning to the hotel, tired from a full and wonderful day of birding in wetlands where we watched Painted Storks. As we came to a halt, a camel pulling a heavy load came careening around the corner, and ended up with its chin next to my window. Somehow it never missed a stride and kept right on going. In the midst of New Delhi there are corners where horses can rest and feed, sort of a corral amid the chaos. January and February is a time of weddings, so its not unusual to see a horse all decorated with flowers, ready to carry the bride or groom. Everywhere women wear traditional dress, and their lovely shawls and skirts flow – like butterflies. They offer such beauty in between all the hustle and bustle. We could not figure out how they keep so clean!  Every outing is an adventure!  Join us in 2012, February 12-23.

INDIA: Snapshots from a Naturalist Journey’s tour – Dholes, India’s Wild Dogs

Young Dholes Play in India on Safari    photo by Peg Abbott

There are many marvelous mammals to observe on safari in India. One of my finest memories from one of India’s Tiger Reserves, seeing a Sloth Bear, early one morning, lope across an open field, into the woods.  On this trip, Asian deer were new to me, and alarm calls of the Barking Deer stand out as exceptionally memorable – perhaps because they pointed us to Tigers. Seeing Tigers on several days was a thrill, and on our last journey, we found their smaller cousins, Leopards, on four occasions.  But I’m canid fan, so seeing a group of Dholes, (Indian Wild Dogs) was a highlight even beyond the Tigers (which were, totally amazing!). 

I had seen Wild Dogs in Africa and this one is a different species, but their antics were much the same.  Our jeep, with keen-eyed guide Avi Sarkel at the helm, took a quiet road as we all fanned out from that morning’s Tiger spotting. He stopped dead in the track, and not far ahead, were belly-full, satiated Wild Dogs. It was still cool, and the young ones were restless, frisky, wanting some action. The older ones wanted rest and no part of that. Each had unique markings on the face and ears. We had them all to ourselves for about twenty minutes until some other jeeps arrived. The contrast in India of being inside a reserve or park, and outside with either village or urban life, is quite remarkable. That day in the jeep, parked next to these rare mammals, we were in the heart of a wild realm. Wonderful!