Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty........... BAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! X-(

Ok, so I would personally prefer dogs to cats, anyday... but that doesn’t mean the exotic big cats should entirely avoid me! In my 2 years at the IITB campus, with its reputation for leopards (or is that panthers?) in the monsoons, I never saw one even when captured. People ran into them on bicycles (Gau n Hemant), people petted the cubs and got themselves clawed by the mother (what was that idiot even thinking!), people saw a dog being hunted down by the panther in the quadrangle of IDC itself. But never me... never even heard a distant roar!

Before that, we had been to the Sunderbans, during our 4th year study tour... Sam claims they saw the tiger from the motor launch. As ever, I din’t !

Even today, I visited the Corbett National Park... woke up early morning for the safari in that bumpy Jeep. But no luck with tigers. I know that, as stalking predators, stealth is their most important characteristic (but humse kya sharmaana man?!). Look at the deer- spotted (Chittal?), Sambar, barking deer; all of them stupid and supremely confident! They stick their heads up when they hear our Jeep, and stare at us in the face... (which is good for camera shots, not to mention, even better for GUN-SHOTS!). Compare that with the tiger... more powerful n yet stealthy... completely camouflaged.

I do seem to have exceptional luck with all kinds of reptiles tho’... at IIT it was 3 kinds of snakes (a ‘dhaaman’- viper, cobra, and some small thin slimey thingy), and a couple of crocs. Also saw a lot o crocs in the Sunderbans. And here in Corbett, saw a couple of 4- feet long monitor lizards, and slimey small one in our room. Besides of course, a whole lot of birds!!!  pheasants, woodpeckers, kingfishers, and a lot of others unfamiliar ones.

The place we’re staying at is Camp Riverwild- nicely designed log-huts on the banks of the Kosi. We took long walks along the pebbled river-bed, yesterday n today. Feels nice... Sam’s good at skimming stones on the river . And ofcourse, getting *COSY* on the rock!!! MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm ;)