India Day Eight: A Morning Walk In Jaipur, A Long Bus Ride And And Afternoo Walk at The Tigress Resort Near Ranthambore National Park 

I was up early again at the Holiday Inn in central Jaipur, in northwestern India. . We weren’t leaving for our  4 hour drive to Ranthambore National Park until 10 AM. So I have time to explore the neighborhood around our hotel.

I’ve left my hotel before the sunrise. There was  little pedestrian or motor vehicle traffic on the highways around my hotel. There were a few folks on bicycles and a few tuk tuks parked along the highway.

I walked on the Bais Godam Flyover bridge as the sun rose in the east, and the city began to wake up. Women and children dressed in colorful outfits walked  over the bridge on   their way to work, school or the market. 

Below the bridge there was a carnival ground and a ferris wheel that looked abandoned.

Crude  huts were built on the carnival grounds, and the smell of cooking fires filled the air. There were a  lot of people living there. Sadly, there is still a lot of poverty in India.

I turned around and walked past the hotel in the opposite  direction. Here, a tuk tuk driver, stopped  me and asked  if I needed a ride. I told him no, and we talked. He was very friendly and offered to drive me for free.

Of course, I declined and continued my walk past many small shacks inhabited by people cooking breakfast. I heard the voices of children laughing and crying  as I passed.

The contrast with the small huts  and the large hotels was glaring.

I was in the middle of the city, but I still saw some wildlife, including, this common crow,

an African green bee eater,

many common myna birds,

a plum headed parrot,

and a laughing dove.

I walk in the other direction , again, walking past many small huts along the road.

 I didn’t want to venture too far from the hotel so I retrace my steps and cross the bridge by the carnival where a metro station was under the bridge and I watched a few passing trains.

I had walked about 2 miles and returned to the hotel to enjoy another breakfast buffet.I packed and soon boarded our bus for a 4 1/2 drive to the Ranthambore National Park known for it’s large tiger population. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from my morning walk . India Day Eight: morning walk October 17 2025.

We left busy Jaipur  and it’s modern buildings

and encountered the usual Indian traffic. The motorcycles and tuk tuks  dart in and out of the automobiles, buses and large trucks, and pedestrians and cows.

The beeping of horns is loud and endless.  It is amazing we didn’t see one single accident.  

We saw some temples,

and colorful statues as we left the busy city.

We also  saw this colorful elephant walking along the road. You never know what to expect on a drive  on a road in India. I was taking in, and enjoying, all of it. 

We left downtown Jaipur and  came to the small markets we saw throughout our travels on the outskirts of the city.

We  crossed the Dravyavati River,

and entered a modern toll road, very similar to our interstate highways at home

We continued our journey through the Indian countryside. I took a few photos, while  listening to Aparna tell us more about many aspects of Indian culture and life.

We passed many small towns and villages along the way. 

 About half way we stopped at the Tiger Treat,

a small restaurant and souvenir shop,

where I had shared a cheese sandwich and Indian corn soup for lunch .

 We drove through a few small towns all lined with small stands and crowded streets with cows and traffic.    As we neared our hotel late in the afternoon we stopped for some quick necessities, alcohol and medications and  finished our long bus, but pleasant bus ride. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog page with more photos from our bus ride. India Day Eight. Jaipur to Ranthamhore  ride October 17 2025.

We arrived at the beautiful  Tigress resort  not far from Ranthambore National Park mid afternoon. I didn’t wait long after getting my plush   room.

I immediately left the room and explored the gardens  of the resort.

They were flowers blooming throughout the resort, including golden trumpet ,

and Chinese hibiscus flowers.

I also saw some birds in the resort, including a black drogo,

another  beautiful white throaed  kingfisher,

perched in a tree top.

I also saw a Brahminy starling,

a common babbler,

and a red-vented bulbul. I had already seen all of these birds while in India.

I left the resort and walked down the rutted dirt and dusty access road.

Here I saw the real India.

I encountered a lot of friendly local folks leaving the resort, where I’m guessing they worked, all surprised to see me, waving to me and,

many asking to have their photos taken.

I also ran into this decorated camel . The owner was not as receptive to having a photo taken of his camel. It cost me 100 rupees , about $1 U.S.

 I also saw a lot of cows along the dirt road.

The sun was low in the western sky as I continued on my hike.It was a peaceful hike, and I really got to see India as the local folks see it.

I did see a few birds along my walk, including a flock of beautiful plum, headed parrots,

and a red waddled lapwing. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog webpage with some more photos of the birds I saw on  my afternoon hike. India Day Eight:  Tigress Resort Ranthambore  walk  birds   October 17 2025.

I walked back to the resort and explored the beautiful swimming pool,

and gardens before ending my hike to get ready for dinner. ere is a link to a gallery on my blog web page with some more photos from my afternoon hike. India Day Eight:  Tigress Resort Ranthambore  walk   October 17 2025.

It was almost dark when I  returned to my room I  unpacked my luggage, showered, and was off to have another delicious meal with our group I  again tried all of the spicy Indian food.

I watched a little bit of the entertainment, provided by the resort, but was tired and soon retired to my room to edit photographs and work on my blog. It was another  interesting  day in India on the on this  Royal Q travels tour. I was hoping  I would see a tiger  in   the morning!.

“I noted that people are happy here in India. When I went back home, people had everything in the materialistic sense and were surrounded with abundance, but they were not happy.” Goldie Hawn