Birders' Inn, Bharatpur, Rajistan

The day before yesterday was the ride from Delhi to the Taj Mahal. Our driver, Pawan, speaks enough English, that at first meeting, and compared to Sanjay, who works for Nishant, he sounded pretty good. But soon it became clear he is restricted mainly to nouns and adjectives, and not too many of those.

Last night the cell phone somehow didn’t charge right and we weren’t sure what the arrangements were. We were scheduled to stay in Bharaptur where there is a National Park and bird sanctuary. We weren’t sure if Nishant had booked a place or not. Pawan wanted to know – he had to pay a tax for taxis as we changed from Uttar Pradesh state (where Agra is) to Rajistan state where we are now – so he could tell them how many days tax. Anyway, we pulled out our Lonely Planet India and decided to go for Birder’s Inn which sounded nice (“good bathrooms”) and was near the entrance to the park. We found it, they had a charming room, a large garden, and we’re here. Pawan said I should look next door at the Sunbird which was the same price (1200 Rupies - @ $30). I think maybe he could get a commission there or the drivers rooms were better, but the room for us was definitely nicer here. [Later I asked the hotel people and they confirmed they don't pay commissions to drivers, but they do provide a bed and meals.] And I can use their computer. So I’ve downloaded the pictures to my flash drive and I’m waiting for the internet to work again. This afternoon at 3 we have a guide to take us thru part of the park. The park used to be known for Siberian storks, but since the fall of the Soviet Union, hunting bans have not been enforced, and the cranes have stopped arriving. They did say there were some last year again, but not this year. So, Dianne, you’ll have to see them for us when you’re in China in December.