December 3rd and 4th From Mysore we travelled to Kabini where the Orange County have a luxury Resort on the banks of the Kabini River which is swollen to the proportions of a lake after a dam was built in 1971. 
Sunset view at Orange County, Kabini The roadside views included lots of rice and coconut plantations 
We all needed a little space after a busy schedule. But no sooner had we sunk into the gentle luxuries of the beautiful place than we were warned of a 5 am alarm call for the morning safari to view wild life in the reserve across the water. However, appetites for animal spotting were whetted by a late afternoon boat ride up the river and we spotted cormorants, storks, wild boar and eventually a family of elephants turning up the turf with their feet. They need a mere 250Kg of food daily and life for them is a constant search for fresh pasture. 
A family of wild boar at the water’s edge
Cormorants nesting on the branches of a tree all but submerged by the damming of the river.
We dressed for dinner in our newly acquired Mysore silks and settled soundly to sleep in preparation for the pre-dawn alarm call. Our sober gathering for coffee at 0530 was soon quickened by the lightening horizon and the sense of excitement as we set off. 
Typical view of the road through the wild life park There are three main predators in this reserve; tigers, leopards and wild dogs. Five minutes inside the boundary fence we came across three wild dogs clearly visible on our left. In the past they have been regarded as rogue outsiders but now it is accepted that the animal world can self regulate as long as humans do not interfere and wild dogs play a role in the eco balance along with the other predators. They prey mostly on the spotted deer that roam in huge numbers here and we were apparently observing a trio sussing out whether there was an easy kill in the vicinity. 
Sightings of large eagles followed 
and note the early signs of the reddish neck patch on the samba which emits an ‘attractive’ aroma in the mating season. 
A lone male elephant was grazing close to the road
and this view of the water and forest shows the typical clumps of bamboo which have a life of 30-40 years and then die. Unless the weather allows regeneration an important food source is lost and that seems to be happening here.
There are challenges to hotel living. Many of us have found the light switches impossible to master and I have settled under the sheets without discovering how to extinguish the final bulb. There is a different sense of logic – perhaps connected with that on the Indian on-line visa form. Ever so obvious once you had done it but the discovery process a chapter or two of baffling episodes. Food continues to be diverse and delicious. Our chef came to the table today at lunch time with this freshly cooked plate of spicy prawns. Three good meals a day like this make it difficult to think about returning home… 
Sharing my world 