Day... ? Pench/Kahna/en route between

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Oct. 9, 2008 (Laura's 40th birthday) -- Presently Kahna Nat'l Park; came today from Indira _____ Pench Nat'l Park

The lodge we are at is fantastic. Very beautiful. I just finished a cooking lesson. The chef showed me sauces for vegetables and bread today. Tomorrow, dessert and meats. They will give me the recipes before I leave.

Yesterday, in Pench, we saw Tiger! She was beautiful, napping under a lantana vine. We took the jeep nearby and then road an elephant into the vine. Tigers can also be sighted by chance on or near the road, but when it is sighted by this method, it is called "Tiger Show." The guide asks, "Do you want to see Tiger Show?" We thought it was some hoaky tourist thing... but we said yes. Glad we did!

This morning, we drove between Pench and Kahna. "Almost die." However, when the seemingly endless lurching and jostling paused, we lept out for a photo op in a fantastic little town. We were immediately surrounded by townspeople, who showed us inside the temple, took photos of us, themselves, us with them, fed us, etc. They were great.

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Photos

Vishnu's temple
The idol inside the temple. Today is the last day of the nine day Duwali festival. Each town celebrates it a little differently. This town celebrates the death aspect of the goddess. The town near Pench celebrates with late night music and chanting until 2:30 a.m. or so. Fascinating.

Deer
This is a species only found here. I will try to remember it's name.