6:15am start, quick coffee and some toast before we’re scooted to the national park

Rained during the night so wet seats on the safari, open top bus

One hell of a bumpy ride but we make it and clearly not the only ones – at least 12 other big vehicles just as we arrive (let alone those already in or on their way throughout the day)

Go through and we certainly get a “welcome to Jurassic Park” vibe ????

So many monkeys – different to the typical, wild macaques we’ve already been seeing

Bumpy road continues and we get a little explanation about what to expect:

Unfortunately, there are low chances of seeing tigers ☹️

Being the cold and rainier time of year, they’re likely to be hiding up in the hills where water is easy to come by – about 30% chance of sightings now

Nevertheless, we continue on

We venture down one of the 10 driving treks available – only 20% of the park is accessible to humans so that the tigers have the remaining 80% to roam freely, unbothered

Each trek covers about 2% of the park so again limits our chances, but fun to be around wildlife in less smog for sure!

We’re met but a queue of 5 trucks (with about 20 tourists in each) and little jeeps, of private tours, weeving in and out

There’s been a tiger sighting!

Just over an hour later, we get a tiny glimpse – the best it seems as it was enjoying a kill it had made and we got to see it as it finished and turned to walk away ????

The tigers only hunt to eat twice per week so we’ve definitely hit the jackpot!

They also spray to mark their territory once per week which helps the guides as an indicator as to where they’re hanging around

This spray is helpful for the tigers to know genders of the sprayee, what cycle of the mating season it is as well as identifying relations

The essence of ‘survival of the fittest’ comes into play for the importance of the latter as inbreeding lowers their chances of good health and thus survival

We spot loads of these deer (like the one the tiger caught!)

We are taken on a couple more routes before our 3 hours are up and we head back to the hotel

En route back, we’re told that tigers are colourblind so our van is difficult for them to see and that they only eat herbivores so we’re off the menu ????

Dropped at the hotel, we have some breakfast, some needed coffee and a shower before checking out and leaving Ranthambore with our driver

On the road for an hour before we have a break for the driver – take the opportunity for a quick snack and more coffee

Back in the car

And we’re welcomed into Jaipur

Chaotic but less so than Delhi and nice to see a lot of electric rickshaws as well as a strip of greener that follows with us into the centre that locals are using

We spot lots of fancy gates, including Khole ke Hanuman ji Gate

Our driver recommends a place to see how authentic textiles in the area are made – we go to Mughal Carpet Factory

They show us how they block print colourful designs, hand-carved from teak wood, from natural materials onto four differing colour types

They go on to show their carpet speciality of camel hair rugs too

Note: no pictures of the process of creating these things in order to preserve this art where it’s from – an experience to see with your own eyes

We’re both sold on getting some clothing items made so get measured and wait to hear from them the next day with the final product!

Quickly on to our activity next: Indian home cooking class

You dive straight in with learning how to make masala/chai tea from scratch and enjoy a family-made cumin biscuit with it

Then straight into the cooking: both of us working at once – with heavy guidance, mind you: one with a pressure cooker the other with a frying pan with oil and ghee

An hour in, we’ve already resulted with 2 dishes, and most of the way to three – so much food

By two hours, you’re toasting off your chapattis and have 5 dishes on the table!

We dig in and it all tastes amazing – bonus too that the dinner you cook is included and you get to take away some recipes to cook at home ????

Stuffed and almost in food comas, we dash off to reach our hotel and check in: Mahal Khandela

Very beautiful place inside and out – we get straight in for an early night