India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (292 page)

Bargaining Is Part of the Deal

If you’d like to take home a couple of pairs of inexpensive leather sandals or sequined slippers, head for the string of shops beneath the Hawa Mahal on Tripolia Bazaar; you’ll find mountains of shoes, as well as the opportunity to try your hand at bargaining. The trick is to go at it with gusto, enthusiasm, and, most important, good humor and a smile. To the shopkeeper, there is almost nothing worse than failing to make a sale. He expects you to challenge his offer (usually about five times any acceptable amount), so sets off by suggesting an outrageous amount (based on what you look like you can afford) at which you must shake your head despondently. Then (and you may well remember the famous bazaar bargaining scene from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian) make an equally impossible counter-offer and you’ll find yourself locked in a battle of psychological warfare that’s more exciting than chess. After all, even when you’ve shaved several hundred rupees off the price, you’ll have no idea what your prize is really worth. But you’ll have something to wear to remind you of your very Indian interaction.

3 The National Parks

The two most famous parks in Rajasthan, both within easy striking distance of Jaipur, are
Bharatpur-Keoladeo Ghana National Park,
a 2,600-hectare (6,400-acre) tract of land that attracts the largest concentration and variety of birdlife in Asia; and
Ranthambhore National Park,
which enjoys an enviable reputation as the one area where you are virtually guaranteed to see a tiger. Also relatively close to Jaipur (110km/68 miles; 2 hr.) is
Sariska National Park
(see “Wanted: Tigers,” below). The Sariska Palace Hotel, an aspiring luxury hotel built by the Machiavellian Maharaja Jay Singh of Alwar (see “Once Were Warriors: The History of the Rajput,” earlier in this chapter), is a rather lovely French-Indo concoction (if you like your buildings to resemble over-the-top confections) furnished with many original pieces (rotting trophies included). Reports of service have been less than satisfactory, and it’s really only worthwhile to pop in for tea if you’re in the area. By contrast, Ranthambhore is far more beautiful and has at least three excellent accommodations as well as a fascinating conservation history.

BHARATPUR & THE KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK

Referred to as the Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan, Bharatpur lies almost exactly halfway between Delhi (152km/94 miles) and Jaipur (176km/109 miles), and is a mere 55km (34 miles) from the Taj Mahal. The town itself holds no fascination, but a few kilometers south on National Highway 11 is Keoladeo “Ghana” National Park. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the park is definitely worth visiting if you’re a keen birder, but it’s not a must-see for people who don’t know the difference between a lark and a peacock.

A natural depression of land that was initially flooded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1726, the park abounds in large tracts of wetlands (covering more than a third of the terrain) as well as wood, scrub, and grasslands, a combination that attracts a large number of migratory birds that fly thousands of miles to find sanctuary here. It was not always so—for centuries, the area was the Maharaja of Bharatpur’s private hunting reserve, and in 1902 it was inaugurated by Lord Curzon as an official duck-shoot reserve (some 20 species of duck are found here). In the most shameful incident in the park’s history, Lord Linlithgow, then Viceroy of India, shot 4,273 birds in 1 day—the inscription of his record can still be read on a pillar near Keoladeo Temple. Thankfully, the park became a sanctuary in 1956 and was ultimately upgraded to national park status in 1982.

Today the park supports more than 375 bird species, including a large variety of herons, kingfishers, pelicans, storks, and ducks. It is the only known wintering region of the rare and endangered Siberian crane, which flies 8,050km (5,000 miles) to get here. The numbers are indeed staggering, and birds will fill your vision throughout your visit—particularly during the winter months (Oct–Feb), when the resident bird population swells to over half a million.

Wanted: Tigers

Project Tiger was a conservation initiative launched by Indira Gandhi, the late Indian prime minister, in 1973. Sadly it’s central mission—to not only halt but boost the fast declining number of Bengal tigers in India—has been a failure, as the program has failed to prevent India’s tiger population from plummeting to 1,411 (census data from Feb 2008): down from 3,642 in 2002, and an estimated 40,000 a century ago. The decline is largely as a result of poaching, but sadly mismanagement has also played a role, as evidenced recently when the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) airlifted three Bengal tigers (two females and a male) by helicopter from Ranthambore reserve to nearby Sariska, which has been tigerless for the past 4 years. A method developed in South Africa by pioneer conservationist Ian Player, this is the first relocation of its kind in India, and part of the WII £93 million emergency plan to revive the flagging population. However, recent DNA samples taken from the three tigers (to see whether they needed to bring in tigers from other parts of the country) have indicated that all three tigers are likely siblings, thereby drastically reducing their chances of becoming successful long-term breeding partners.

Essentials

VISITOR INFORMATION
The
wildlife office
is located at the main gate on National Highway 11 (
05644/22-2777
). Entry is Rs 200 per person, Rs 200 per video camera. To really get into the excitement of birding, you should borrow a copy of Sálim Ali’s
The Book of Indian Birds
(OUP India), or Rajpul Singh’s
Birds of Bharatpur,
and start ticking off those sightings! If you’re staying at The Bagh (reviewed below), you’ll find an excellent range of guides, including several copies of Krys Kazmierczak’s
A Field Guide to the Birds of India.

GETTING THERE
Bharatpur is a 41⁄2-hour drive from Delhi; it’s 55km (34 miles) west of Agra and 175km (108 miles) east of Jaipur. If you travel by train from Delhi, it will take 21⁄2 hours by the convenient Kota Janshatabdi; it takes a little over 2 hours for this train to link you with Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambhore National Park). From Agra, the Marudhar Express gets you here in just 55 minutes.

GETTING AROUND
Park hours are 6:30am to 5pm in winter, and 6am to 6pm in summer. You can set off
on foot
or rent your own
bicycle
near the entrance to the park (Rs 25 per hour; some rental shops ask that you leave your passport or a deposit of no more than Rs 500), but roads aren’t great and you will often find yourself on foot, actually burdened by the bike, especially if you try to traverse the dirt tracks. You can explore certain areas by
boat
(Rs 100), though if the drought persists, these will continue to be out of operation. The best way to get around the park is with a
cycle-rickshaw
or
horse-drawn tonga
(Rs 100 per hour); many of the rickshaw-
wallas
have spent years trundling visitors around and now have a good knowledge of the birdlife as well as keen eyesight (though a less than satisfactory command of English). If you want them to double as guides, they will expect a tip (Rs 200 is fair, depending on how long you use them). Official guides (Rs 200 per hour) carrying binoculars are also available at the entrance to the park; in a rather unwieldy arrangement, they travel alongside on their bicycles. The park now offers battery-operated
minibus tours
and
electric auto-rickshaw
rides through the park; these are considerably quieter than you might imagine; a 90-minute ride costs Rs 250.

Where to Stay & Dine

The Bagh
The Bagh is a truly classy, good-value oasis, and a perfect base—not only from which to explore the bird sanctuary, but as an alternative to busy, overrun Agra. The resort layout emphasizes space, peace, and privacy, and once you step through the gate, you’ll feel far away from everything. There are three separate residential complexes, each set a considerable distance from the other and each comprising various large suites set along wide verandas with crenellated archways, classic cane armchairs, and the odd fountain or two. Here, the absence of televisions and minibars only adds to the thrill of the setting; when you’re not out spotting birds, entertain yourself by lounging at the pool, getting rubbed down with Ayurvedic oils at the spa, or simply wandering through the property.

Old Agra-Achnera Rd., Pakka Bagh Village, Bharatpur 321 001 (3.5km/2 1⁄4 miles from town; 55km/34 miles from Agra).
05644/22-8333
or -5191. Fax 05644/22-58051.
www.thebagh.com
. [email protected]. 23 units. Rs 7,200 deluxe double; Rs 9,000 junior suite; Rs 13,750; Rs 2,200 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; coffee shop; guided tours and bird sanctuary guides; gym; library; pool; spa with Ayurvedic massage, Jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room; yoga. In room: A/C, fan.

Free Range: The Trade in Tiger Parts

It is a fact that most of the poaching in India is driven by demand from China, the world’s biggest market for tiger body parts, due to the fact that the use of tiger bone is common in prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines. At the time of writing there is a de jure (although not in practice) ban on the internal trade in tiger body parts in China (imposed in 1993), although in 2009 there has been a surge in Indian tiger deaths with at least 68 killings. India has approximately 1,300 wild tigers, while China has only a few. Consequently, and in contradiction to its legislated ban, China sanctions the establishment of controversial tiger farms to harvest and supply the parts. There are around 4,000 tigers in such farms that clearly encourage consumer demand of the parts, which then spills over into the wild tiger sanctuaries. Much of the parts are smuggled through Nepal and Myanmar, but a fair amount also find their way through India. China recently announced there’s a strong possibility they’ll lift the ban and strangely they feel that the farms are not much of a concern for conservation; this thinking could be catastrophic for the tigers. China, as India, is a member of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), which has called for an end to the breeding of tigers for their parts. If such a ban is lifted it may be the beginning of the end of these tigers.