Back from India

[black]

Well I'm back from Southern India, more or less in one piece but minus a lot of blood. During the first week the rains were horrendous so the rainforest in Periyar NP and Topslip in Indira Gandhi NP were awash with leeches Thankfully the second week in Nagarhole NP was sunny so I could recover from my then corpse white appearance.
Naturally I took loads of photos, there were some amazing insects - grasshoppers, mantids, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, bugs, spiders, millipedes, scorpions etc. Also a few lizards, geckos and giant worms! Mammals included Asian Elephants, Bonnet Macaques, Wild Boar, Gaur and Chital.

I'll upload some stuff next week

[goosey]

Hello! It's good to have you back . I can't wait to see your pictures, it'll take ages sorting them all out - so I will have to be patient.
Your leech experience must have been draining - absolutely horrid I hope they, and the rain didn't ruin it for you. I look for to reading your full report (you will be graded on it - so beware ).

[Pudding4brains]

Hi White^H^H^H^H^HBlack (seeing that you recovered )

Good to have you back Certainly hope the leeches didn't transfer any nasty things into your blood

Really enjoyed your other images here (Madagascar etc.) so I'm anticipating loads of good stuff to come

Take your time though, we'll be here ...
Cheers!
Arp

[goosey]

Hi black, in some of the info on your gallery images you talk about the guides and the rangers on your trip to India. Do these stay with you all the time? Are they organised trips and you have to keep to a schedule, or can you tell them what you would like to see and they do their best to take you to where you are most likely to see them? Their local knowledge must mean you see things you wouldn't if you just went off on your own.

[paul m]

Originally Posted by black

......... Naturally I took loads of photos, there were some amazing insects - grasshoppers, mantids, dragonflies, butterflies, moths, beetles, bugs, spiders, millipedes, scorpions etc. Also a few lizards, geckos and giant worms! Mammals included Asian Elephants, Bonnet Macaques, Wild Boar, Gaur and Chital.

I'll upload some stuff next week

Is that all? Looking forward to them - especially the leeches!

[Guy F]

Welcome back, it sounds like and amazing trip! I've just had a quick look through your photos, they look great! I'll have a closer look tomorrow morning, it's late now
Guy

[black]

Hi Goosey,
we had an Indian guide and driver that stayed with us during the whole of the two weeks and we also had 'local guides' and rangers that you needed to have in specific reserves - park rules and all that.
To be perfectly honest I was very disappointed with the standard of guiding in the reserves which is not my previous experience in northern India or anywhere in Africa. The local rainforest guides in particular spoke very little English and seemed intent on taking us on a set route but marching off at top speed machete in hand. Simple guiding especially in dense forest like that - you have one guide in front one at the back to prevent people becoming lost. On a couple of occasions I had to gesture for the guide to wait for other members of the group whilst he headed 'off-track' .
The weather on the first week didn't help with the mammal or bird viewing but there was loads of insects and bugs, the guides could have pointed out these! It was pretty much up to me to go spotlighting on evenings where I wasn't dissapointed but would have liked some feedback - any feedback on what the species were. I've identified the Butterflies and Dragonflies I saw using Web sources not the guides knowledge.
On the whole great things to see but the guides need some serious training.

[mtngoat]

lol, if it was in India, then it's the guiding's kinda understandable... my country isn't so much into stuff like that!
But it sounds like you had a good time identifying! I'm going to your gallery now...