Friday, 7 November 2014 AM, Phalodi
Pati and BeeBee are so looking forward to being out of Phalodi in general and out of Lal Niwas in particular. Yesterday they realized that there was no drinking water in their room, even though the directory of services specified that there would be. They asked twice for water, finally being told it would be delivered to their room. When they returned to their room, there was no drinking water, but they decided they had brought enough of their own for teeth brushing. They went to bed early, without dinner, because they had an early 7 am start on Friday.
Sleep was difficult, because the fan made whump-whump noises all night, yet there were also small swishing noises that made BeeBee think about rats ... At 5:15 am, BeeBee got up to take a shower. (The driver had suggested several times that they would first go to see the birds, then return to the hotel for a shower and food, but BeeBee saw no reason to prolong their stay.) BeeBee went into the bathroom, checking that the hot water heater was turned on. It was. She brushed her teeth with bottled water, then checked the shower taps before turning on the shower head. No water. She checked the sink taps. No water. She woke up Pati. He checked all the taps. No water. They knew a call to the front desk would be pointless, because, even if someone would answer the phone at that hour, they do not understand English. Pati and BeeBee went back to bed. The Jains began to sing and chant outside every 15 minutes. (The town has a large population of Jains.) Today is the day that Jain priests begin their 8 months of travel; perhaps it was some kind of sendoff. Finally, at 6:30, they got up again, brushed their teeth with bottled water, dressed, and, feeling especially grubby, met their driver to drive to see the birds.
The town that Pati and BeeBee visited yesterday, in preparation for bird watching today, is Khichan. This small town is a resting place for Mademoiselle cranes as they migrate. They land at several lakes for water, and feed all over the area. There is one special feeding area, a rectangular fenced-in area next door to a man who has championed these birds for years. He feeds them in that lot, and allows anyone to view them from the flat rooftop of his house.
The driver headed to the same lake that they visited yesterday, arriving a few minutes after 7 am. No birds. The driver went off to chat with the locals about where the birds might be. They told him about the special feeding area, and so Pati and BeeBee got back in the car and they headed for that area. No birds. They climbed to the roof of the house to wait with some other bird watchers sporting cameras with huge lenses. The "bird man" served masala chai and showed everyone the clippings about his work and the awards he has won. The only birds arriving were pigeons, who feasted on the cranes' food. Suddenly, formations of cranes began to fly overhead. Other formations could also be seen in the distance, flying in from other areas. Apparently, they first go to the lakes, then come to this special area to feed. But no cranes were landing at this spot. Since they had a schedule to keep, Pati and BeeBee waited until 8:10, then decided to go back to the lake and check again. No birds.
They went back to the hotel, where the driver informed the management in Rajasthani that (a) there was no running water in the room and (b) there had been a dead rat in the dining area yesterday. Pati and BeeBee climbed to their room, and, miraculously, there was running water. A young man arrived almost immediately, went into the bathroom, and showed Pati how he had just been turning the taps incorrectly! (Unfortunately for him, he stood under the shower when he demonstrated how Pati should have done it.) Pati and BeeBee showered and went to the restaurant, where they picked a table far from the erstwhile rat and ordered the safest food on the menu. While they ate, a manager came into the area haranguing the cleaning fellow from yesterday.
Pati and BeeBee went back to their room, brushed their teeth with their own bottled water, grabbed their luggage, and started to the elevator with it. The elevator came almost immediately; it was full of luggage and one hotel staff, who got off the elevator and left, with the elevator unusable full. They found their way down two dark flights of stairs, paid their small remaining bill, and escaped.
Pati and BeeBee are so looking forward to being out of Phalodi in general and out of Lal Niwas in particular. Yesterday they realized that there was no drinking water in their room, even though the directory of services specified that there would be. They asked twice for water, finally being told it would be delivered to their room. When they returned to their room, there was no drinking water, but they decided they had brought enough of their own for teeth brushing. They went to bed early, without dinner, because they had an early 7 am start on Friday.
Sleep was difficult, because the fan made whump-whump noises all night, yet there were also small swishing noises that made BeeBee think about rats ... At 5:15 am, BeeBee got up to take a shower. (The driver had suggested several times that they would first go to see the birds, then return to the hotel for a shower and food, but BeeBee saw no reason to prolong their stay.) BeeBee went into the bathroom, checking that the hot water heater was turned on. It was. She brushed her teeth with bottled water, then checked the shower taps before turning on the shower head. No water. She checked the sink taps. No water. She woke up Pati. He checked all the taps. No water. They knew a call to the front desk would be pointless, because, even if someone would answer the phone at that hour, they do not understand English. Pati and BeeBee went back to bed. The Jains began to sing and chant outside every 15 minutes. (The town has a large population of Jains.) Today is the day that Jain priests begin their 8 months of travel; perhaps it was some kind of sendoff. Finally, at 6:30, they got up again, brushed their teeth with bottled water, dressed, and, feeling especially grubby, met their driver to drive to see the birds.
The town that Pati and BeeBee visited yesterday, in preparation for bird watching today, is Khichan. This small town is a resting place for Mademoiselle cranes as they migrate. They land at several lakes for water, and feed all over the area. There is one special feeding area, a rectangular fenced-in area next door to a man who has championed these birds for years. He feeds them in that lot, and allows anyone to view them from the flat rooftop of his house.
The driver headed to the same lake that they visited yesterday, arriving a few minutes after 7 am. No birds. The driver went off to chat with the locals about where the birds might be. They told him about the special feeding area, and so Pati and BeeBee got back in the car and they headed for that area. No birds. They climbed to the roof of the house to wait with some other bird watchers sporting cameras with huge lenses. The "bird man" served masala chai and showed everyone the clippings about his work and the awards he has won. The only birds arriving were pigeons, who feasted on the cranes' food. Suddenly, formations of cranes began to fly overhead. Other formations could also be seen in the distance, flying in from other areas. Apparently, they first go to the lakes, then come to this special area to feed. But no cranes were landing at this spot. Since they had a schedule to keep, Pati and BeeBee waited until 8:10, then decided to go back to the lake and check again. No birds.
They went back to the hotel, where the driver informed the management in Rajasthani that (a) there was no running water in the room and (b) there had been a dead rat in the dining area yesterday. Pati and BeeBee climbed to their room, and, miraculously, there was running water. A young man arrived almost immediately, went into the bathroom, and showed Pati how he had just been turning the taps incorrectly! (Unfortunately for him, he stood under the shower when he demonstrated how Pati should have done it.) Pati and BeeBee showered and went to the restaurant, where they picked a table far from the erstwhile rat and ordered the safest food on the menu. While they ate, a manager came into the area haranguing the cleaning fellow from yesterday.
Pati and BeeBee went back to their room, brushed their teeth with their own bottled water, grabbed their luggage, and started to the elevator with it. The elevator came almost immediately; it was full of luggage and one hotel staff, who got off the elevator and left, with the elevator unusable full. They found their way down two dark flights of stairs, paid their small remaining bill, and escaped.
Hoping their luck had changed, they headed back to Khichan for a last attempt to see cranes close up. They checked the feeding area. Success! A small group of cranes that flew away immediately. They checked the lake. No birds. Taking pity on them, the driver drove around randomly looking for cranes, finally spotting 5 of them in a field. Going off-road, he got Pati and BeeBee close enough that they could walk slowly closer and get some good pictures. They decided that was enough birding and headed off down the road to Jaiselmer and new adventures.
