The WPL is like the circus coming to town, a match on every night and for us a chance to take in the best of the best with the colour, action, noise and atmosphere that is so unique to India.
However when the circus moves on, we had a chance to really get out and about.
We hit the links at the private Bangalore Golf Club (right opposite out hotel), which was kind enough to let us play in the afternoon. Each player gets a caddy who helps with reading the greens and choosing clubs, and their expertise really improved our game. I highly recommend squeezing in a round of golf on any future trips. The course felt familiar, though the bunkers were tricky, and the greens were beautifully maintained, with water sourced from a massive dam.
Through Dream Set Go, we arranged for a car and driver to take us on a scenic drive about 22 kilometres outside the city to Bannerghatta National Park which is spread out across 104 square Km’s.
This eco-friendly spot features filtered freshwater stations, solar panels on the fencing, and is completely free of plastic waste. They even collect rainwater and have built dams in the valleys. Spanning about 104 square miles, it’s well-designed and maintained. We snagged a great COMBO ticket for just ₹640 (around AUD $11.81), which included zoo entry, access to the Butterfly Hut, and an hour-long ride through the park in a comfy air-conditioned bus.
The bus drove around allowing us to see the tigers (including a white one), lions, elephants, deer, black Indian bears, buffalo etc. in the wild. The bus driver drove flat out between area’s he knew there wouldn’t be animals but did pull up for photos when there were.
The White Tiger, Bengal Tiger the Lion & Lionesses & in their inclosure 9 cubs. were resting in amongst the bamboo & trees as it was their natural rest time. An Indian Black bear had made itself comfortable up in a tree & didn’t look like he was going to move anytime soon. The Elephants unfortunately were chained which I didn’t like but as the bus toured around I could see evidence of their dung pats & tracks through the bush so I am hoping they are only chained so the tourists can see them & once the park is closed they are unchained & free to roam about. There was a a tusked Bull & the bus driver/guide said he was about 45 years old. There was also a mother & her 6 month old baby which was sleeping. Some leopards wandered out onto the road & laid down right next to the bus which was a bit special.
We’ve picked up a lot about India and are excited to share our experiences with friends back home. We’ve tried to embrace adventure, even if it meant stumbling into some tricky situations, which taught us valuable lessons about what can go wrong and how to keep things enjoyable.
If you can overlook the dust and ongoing construction, you’ll find a rich culture and incredibly warm, generous people who are always ready to help. I’m really looking forward to exploring more of India in the future, especially around the women’s cricket tournament schedule.
Next stop Sydney town!
Stumble and Bumble (you decide which is which Rina and Russian)
