March 15, 16, 2015, Sunday, Monday, Somnath temple and Sasan Gir Lion Preserve

Happy Days!  Our 3 hour drive south from Rajkot brought us to Samnoth, where the famous temple to Shiva is on the Arabian Sea.  We took three cars, carrying many of the Rajkot part of Ramesh's family.  To make it fun, Punja and Snehil's two children are with us.  The boy Shlok has his birthday today.  I wish I could remember everyone's names.  Snehil's wife, Punja, said remembering names is really hard, like a new bride trying to learn the names of all her new husband's family.

We parked and walked through the bazaar area to the temple gates.  We went through security and checked our shoes as well as anything leather.  Our cameras and phones were also not allowed.  We followed the crowd down a railed walkway into the next area and entrance.  We filed into the gold leafed temple to the center where the black rock which is the symbol of the soul of Shiva, is placed.  this temple is famous because this is the first black rock.  An attendant is sitting by the dome shaped rock.  You individually come in front of it to a railing, women in one line, men in another.  A woman kept moving you along so I had hardly a moment to pay my respects.  Then we exited by a charcoal fire where you can put ashes on your forhead, and out the door to the courtyard facing the sea.  A large video screen displayed the black rock and the priest in present time.  There are benches where you can sit for a moment and relax by the sea.  We were glad to see the ocean again after 2 1/2 months.  Then we walked through a diorama area with each window depicting the area where each of the 12 black rocks are located in India.  There was one in Varanasi but I don't think we saw it.

This temple was very moving for me.  It is very grand.  The gold leaf, the large pillars, the beautiful carvings, the vast spaces and the crowds of people were part of this experience.  David and I were the only foreigners we saw.

We collected our shoes, found a restroom, and took photos before driving to Sasan Gir.  We ate lunch at a resort there, but then we went to our hotel, Vanvase.  We each have a separate cottage with a large bathroom and sitting area.  The resort has a large lawn area and swimming pool.  Everyone is enjoying the resort.

After settling in, we drove to the park and got into our jeep safari vehicle.  It holds 6 people with a guide and driver.  The park I think is 14,000 sq km.  There are over 300 lions here, as well as leopards, spotted deer, cheetah and jackel.  We are on Track 2.  

The area is very dry this time of year.  After the monsoons from June to October, all the trees will have leaves.  Now it is dusty and the leaves are mostly on the ground.  One tree is flowering beautiful orange flowers.  Our Aruvedic doctor says this flower is used for skin rashes and the color is in orange Holi water.  

We saw plenty of spotted deer.

We stopped for the driver to pick up two pieces of trash along the road. Unusual because there is trash everywhere in India.

We came across two men sitting next to a motorcycle.  They were trackers.  

Our guide asked them something and then came back and told us that two male lions would be coming by soon.  We waited awhile and sure enough, they came close to the track and settled down under a tree.  

They were young males, probably brothers he said.  We watched them for awhile and then moved on.  We were promised a good photo of a gum tree, or ghost tree.  

The trunk is white so at night it looks like a ghost.  Soon we saw another group of men with guns sitting beside the road.  Sure enough, we even heard some roaring, even over everyone's chatter.  But I did not see the lion who was roaring.  There was a female lying across the other side of the road, however. 

 It was now close to sunset and we made our way back to the hotel, dinner and a party for the 4 year old boy, Shlok.  Shlok means a mantra.

The cake was white with red frosting.  We had the birthday celebration first.  Then we ate local Gujarat food.  We had kidgeree, dal and rice together, and a curry white sauce that was somewhat sweet to put on top.  I sat before dinner with the women this time.  They laughed about how I have trouble with my scarf.  All the women wear matching scarfs with the ends in the back, draped in the front just so.  I can't even get the scarf to stay on my shoulders at all.  I have been wearing my cheap Indian tops and skinny pants to match and gave up wearing the scarf.  Darshan finally told me I didn't have to wear it.

Ramesh is definitely head of the family.  He sits at the head of the table and everyone makes sure he has what food he wants.  His older sister is present but is not treated with such deference.  Ramesh always goes first through a door, an elevator and is served first at a meal.  He told us that when David met him, he lived in Padra village with his 6 brothers and sisters and parents in two rooms.  His two brothers died and he has responsibility for the widows and their children, because he is now the oldest male.  He is also a leader.  His siblings and their families have all become educated and have married educated people and their children are very successful.  No one lives in just two rooms.  He takes this responsibility seriously and is respected by all.  He is sometimes called Mama.  I think we have only met is sibling's and families, but I remember we also met Varsha's family and also Darshan's,  I can't wait to show Viral and Darshan the photos of her parents and of the lions.

Our resort at Sasan Gir 

Monday, March 16, after some free time at the hotel where I played carom-game with the kids.  We drove back to Padra via Rajkot, having lunch and a rest there before the long drive back to Padra.

Rest stop on way back from Sasan Gir

Tonight we stayed at a hotel in Vadodara called Sidhartha Palace Hotel.  We had to have our photo taken by the front desk.  There were no mosquitos here.  We stayed here for two nights.  The last night we stayed at Niral's house in Padra.