Twenty
Twenty-five closed with a remarkable trip to India attending a lavish wedding
in New Delhi, spanning three celebratory days. We realized early on this trip
would offer a few other important opportunities. Thus, the Maldives were added
to the itinerary. Passing through Europe
on the way home it just made sense to stop in Vienna Austria. One of my
favorite cities.
Arriving in
New Delhi after a long flight from New York, we departed for the Himalayan
foothills and Jim Corbett National Park in the state of Uttarakhand. This is a well-known
location for observing Bengal tigers in the wild, something I had hoped to do
since my earliest days working as a naturalist. I have always loved domestic
cats and felines in general, the notion of seeing this grand animal in habitat
was deeply intriguing.
As is often
the case, Carolyn did some research and we knew exactly where we were going to
stay and what our itinerary would be. Not surprisingly this involved a hair-raising
6 hour drive through urban New Delhi and on into the rural areas north of the
city.
We visited
India in the summer of 1988. That was during a two year trip around the world.
It's fair to say that that journey changed us both forever. It allowed us to
see many places we knew very little about and to appreciate the fact we had
grown up as children of moderate privilege in America. Ultimately this long
journey molded us into the people we are today. This experience revealed so
much of the worlds struggles and yet keeps driving forward endowed by
remarkable culture, languages, cuisine and geography. The sense of discovery on
that trip is rarely equaled.
Staying at
the lovely Paatlidun eco tourist lodge in the park was exciting from the very
beginning. We were lucky having the opportunity to work with one of the senior naturalists
on staff, Imran Khan. He was a retired banker and technology worker who decided
that the call of nature was simply far more important in his life- he pivoted
and became an interpretive naturalist. He recognized that we were people used
to observing the natural world in its infinite diversity. Within a short time, we
saw 20 native birds that we had never seen before. As well as 2 primates. Imran
was clearly focused on making sure we would in fact see a tiger.
The
geomorphic setting of the park is a remarkable illustration of fluvial dynamism
at the base of the Himalaya foothills. Most of our time was spent along the Ramganga
River draining the heavily forested, steep hillsides. Vast gravel and sandbars braided
widely across the river course. This depositional environment could change with
a single robust rainstorm. It seemed the co-alluvial bedload could spread and
deposit in infinite intertwining patterns at will. The finer sand banks cast near-perfect Tiger
tracks.
After an
active day in the field near an unstable gravel bank, sure enough not one but
two tigers appeared, an adult male and female. The male appeared from behind a low,
dense hedge not far from the rivers raging rapids. His large sleek body slipped
out over a loose cobble embankment in a series of careful steps toward an
adjacent stream. He may have been 50 yards away. For a moment we stood in
absolute awe knowing this extraordinary apex predator was wandering around our
observation site. Imran was thrilled, as were we.
Following
the grand three day wedding replete with sumptuous feasts, street dancing, noble
white horses, endless flowers and an extraordinarily beautiful couple we quietly
departed for the Maldives- exhausted.
Flying
through drifting equatorial cloud banks with towering stratocumulus clouds
dotting the horizon we landed in Male'. Making our way to a boat taxi, a
rainstorm of monsoon caliber soaked us completely. It was about 85°. Entirely
soaked, we clambered onto our boat taxi bobbing in the waves and headed south through
the Wadu Channel. Arriving at Maa Fushi, we spent the next several days
exploring the local culture. Walking to our hotel from the dock across the
island, perhaps three or four hundred meters away, we negotiated floodwaters
throughout the streets- often above the knee. To me this was an Anthropocene
moment simply witnessing the potential of sea level rise and surge.
These coral
atolls barely emerging above the deep blue Indian Ocean seemed to go on forever
with hundreds of different islands. We chose to stay at a modest local hotel
hoping to avoid the super-rich resorts that dot the country. It was a good
decision, we were able to mix with the local culture, stroll about the island
and snorkel with some local guides.
The Maldives
claim the mantle of the world’s only entirely Muslim nation. Indeed, all the
women are neatly clad in headscarf’s while the men sport casual T-shirts, feet
bare and toes splayed wide by a lifetime without shoes. Like most humans in the
Indian Subcontinent, Maldivians are Caucasoid people. Yet they are near ebony
in complexion. A more beautiful people I’ve rarely seen. An assortment of fresh
fish was abundant at the local eateries, along with vegetables likely imported
from Sri Lanka. There was absolutely no beer or wine, but ample non-alcoholic
brews that were quite flavorful.
Our stay
included a half-day snorkeling adventure with a boat full of jovial Europeans. We
encountered no other Americans. The local crew were delightful in their
enthusiasm and knowledge of the reef biota. All men who clearly had a deep
connection to shimmering seas and atolls. Numerous colorful reef fish, sea
turtles and dolphins were seen. I found some of the swimming challenging, but Carolyn,
a spirited, powerful swimmer was in the water at every opportunity.
Our final
night was spent back in Male' to afford an easy flight connection the next
morning. The city occupies the entire atoll. Only a few parks and athletic
fields provide open space. It’s a truly unique and crowded environment, often cited
as the world’s densest city. Buildings
are architecturally clever, gleaning as much use out of restricted space as
possible. Our hotel was one such example, every space no matter how small, was
used efficiently. We visited the bustling fish and produce market, each brimming
with remarkable biodiversity and the requisite banter of traders in action.
After our stay we took a long flight transiting Istanbul briefly and flying into Vienna
Austria. We spent time in Istanbul a few years earlier. Just the kind of cultural and geographic
change that we so enjoy. I was intent on staying in a lovely local hotel
visited four years earlier. The next five days were filled with delicious
Austrian food, exquisite pastries, outstanding beer and visiting numerous
museums. The small but fascinating globe museum was perhaps my favorite spot.
Vienna lives up to its reputation as notably civilized, easy to get around and
accommodating. It embodies the very best of a European capital.
