It was only about 20km away so I set off about 9am. It still took me a good hour to get there thanks to motorcyclists trying to have conversations with me whilst I was riding and cows getting in the way.
Sadly cows don't get hit by vehicles much thanks to their 'holy status'. I don't fully understand this concept. Why would you let something 'holy' wander around in the middle of a dangerous road and eat trash? They still look pretty tasty.
There were also several, very flat, furry brown splats with long furry tails sticking out of them in the middle of the road. Nearby, other monkeys played chicken with the traffic to go and have a nibble. Life appears to be tough for wildlife around here.
I managed to find the 'entrance to the park' as advertised in the Lonely Planet. It was a big iron gate that was locked. Nearby some official looking people sat attentively in the shade. I decided to seek their advice.
I wandered over after dismounting as elegantly as a person with small fat hairy legs can from a rather tall bike. Rather than bother with niceties, such as 'hello', 'how are you' etc. I got straight to the point, since whenever an Indian person speaks to me, they also neglect this timewasting tradition.
'Is the park open?' I asked..... Nothing
'Where is the entrance?' I tried..... Fingers were pointed to the big gate...
'Can you open it?' .... 'No' their leader replied. He muttered something about 14th November and pointed at a sign.
The sign indicated that the park was closed until the 14th November. The animals must be on holiday or something. Who could blame them?
I clambered back on the bike after snapping a picture of a map of the park, which conveniently showed the location of the 'jungle roads' together with the apparent location of several other 'entrances'.
An idea was forming in my head....
How could a park, which was several hundred square kilometres in size, only have a couple of 'entrances'? Surely there must be other ways in?
I zipped down the road and after a couple of minutes spotted a dirt track going off to my left. The track was blockaded by a small log, laid strategically across. I went around it and bounced off into the jungle before anyone saw.
Were they being elusive? Or were they stalking me? Preparing for an ambush? Elephants are quite big I recalled from seeing them at Knowsley Safari Park in the UK. I also recalled not seeing any motorbikes at said park. How would an elephant react to a big noisy orange KTM creeping through the jungle? Had Arai conducted any testing on their helmets to guarantee them against elephant (or tiger) attack? How do you survive an elephant attack? Do you play dead or climb a tree?
Was this really such a good idea?
Suddenly... something appeared on the track ahead. I skidded to a halt, my heart in my mouth..... It was a (very) big pile of poo. I considered sticking my finger in it to see how warm it was, that's what a proffessional would do isn't it? They would also be able to see what they had for breakfast. I decided against this idea on the grounds that it might be a trap and proceeded cautiously onwards.
A few hundred metres up the road I spotted something else. This was much bigger than a big pile of poo. And it was moving towards me. It was a herd of cows. I pulled over to let them past and then wondered whether they might decided to stampede. Thankfully, they buggered off into the bushes
.
The track was pretty fun. No other vehicles. Lots of dried up rivers to cross. Every now and again I stopped and turned the engine off to be greeted with silence. Eventually various unseen creatures took the hint and started making generic jungle noises again until I decided to start my engine and head off. I could also see various animal tracks in the sand. I had no idea what they were.
It was now getting close to midday so I decided to head towards the river where the wildlife might be getting a refreshing drink. A track headed along side a small stream which eventually reached a big pile of boulders leading up next to a small man made water course. I walked up and came to the conclusion that I could ride up it easily.
30 minutes later and I had managed to get halfway up, drop the bike, struggle to turn it round and head back the way I came. The bike was more than capable. Sadly the riders short legs weren't.
There were no animals near the river either, so dejected, I decided to set off back to the hotel.
Whilst riding down a small tarmaced road I saw something up ahead. It wasn't poo, or a cow, this was bigger. It was so big it was causing the foliage at the side of the road to move. I slowed and cautiously approached. It was an old lady carrying a pile of branches twice as large as herself on her head.
I couldn't see her face as I rode past, but I was convinced she was laughing at me.
Note to Lonely Planet editors - After thorough investigation, the park has 'poo, cows and old ladies' but is still a charming little place.
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