Riding into the Sariska Tiger Reserve, we were greeted by hordes of monkeys. Lounging along the side of the road, mother's with babies clinging to their chests, male monkeys watching the passing cars with a bored look, and juveniles tumbling about in mock battles. When a passing car tosses out a clump of bananas, there is a flurry of simian grabbing, leaping, scampering and banana stuffing in the mouth before another monkey steals it.

Riding into the outskirts of the park we made an assumption. There would be no tiger sightings here. We thought there would be something like a fence to keep the animals in the reserve. Later, local villagers told us, "No fence." Tigers have been seen where you were riding. We asked if in the last ten years there had been any tiger attacks on humans. The response was puzzling. They assured us, "No tiger attacks." Having learned that it is a good idea to ask a question several times in a variety of ways to get at the answer, I was also told, "But there have been tiger accidents." In one case the tiger was confused and killed a man. In another case, the tiger killed a girl who was defending her goat herd. It seems that the intent of the tiger was taken into account. The tiger was not out hunting humans. It simply got caught up in a series of unfortunate incidents for the human.

The Sariska Tiger Reserve is part of Project Tiger, an effort to save the dwindling tiger population. At the beginning of the 1900's the tiger population was around 40,000. By 1972 the figure had dropped to 1,800. Here's an example of how difficult statistics can be. When I asked our guide what the tiger population was in Sariska Park ten years ago, he said the census showed over 30 tigers. The present count is 27. So I asked, why the drop. He explained. The way to count tigers ten years ago was based on sightings. The problem with a sighting is whether you are looking at the same tiger. The new method combines sightings with taking plaster casts of the tracks. A cat track is something like a human finger print and can identify the big cats. So the Sariska reserve has people go out when ever there is a sighting to make a cast to identify the tiger. While there seem to be a drop in numbers, this could be due to a more accurate counting technique and there may have been fewer tigers earlier. I managed to get one of the casts from a stack containing thousands made over the last ten years. We received special permission to camp next to the park with our camels. As the moon rose, we heard high pitched barks followed by the silhouettes of jackals running past our tents.

Not only did I get sick at this point on the trip, but two of our camels had problems with their noses where the pegs are located. A vet suggested they have seven days to recuperate. We found a local to watch over our camels. He would take them to the jungle each day to feed. While two of the camels started to heal, Grey Beard injured her nose, and has created a major problem. We are now told that she needs to recuperated before recommencing the trip. We are having to rethink the trip due to these events.

While the camels have been healing we have been making side trips. We've made good friends with a number of guides who are taking us into the park in search of a tiger. Finding a tiger is not easy. Especially after the rainstorms we've had lately. Rainstorms mean that the animals don't have to go to the major water holes and can get water all over the park. To locate a tiger, the guides use three techniques. First, they listen for the distress or warning call of other animals such as sambar deer, monkeys, or birds. Secondly, they look for vultures. Circling vultures may indicate a recent kill with a nearby tiger. Third, they are on the look out for tracks. We've followed a number of fresh tracks in hopes of finding a tiger. So far, no luck. Some of the animals we have seen include sambar and spotted deer, one of only two crocodiles in the park, a fluorescent turquoise kingfisher, several mongoose, and Nilgai (a huge antelope like animal). I mentioned that Dan had a close call that almost ended the trip. It has also made us very cautious in the park. While going down a flight of steps in the dark, he stepped on something soft. Looking down with his torch, he saw the head of a viper sticking out from under his sandal. Dan sprang back out of striking range. Fortunately, he had stepped on this poisonous snake just behind the head so that it wasn't able to bite him. If he had stepped on the tail it would have been able to sink it's fangs into his unprotected foot. Remember, I said he was wearing sandals. That would have ended the trip.

Laura Skibbie from New Zealand asked, "What are you going to do if you are not able to go through Nepal." If you have followed the trip this far, you know we are way off schedule. All kinds of challenges have slowed down the trip. We are now looking at reaching Agra, site of the Taj Mahal, as within our time frame, but still a major challenge. This will require many modifications to our plan. Next we tell you about an amazing coincidence that leads to the accomplishment of a major goal of our trip.