Wednesday 13th Jan

Alvin talked in Chinese in his sleep. We got up at 6 to go animal watching. We took a jeep with a guide into the national park for the first few early hours when it was still cool and the light was grey. After a lot of driving around we'd seen an eagle that flew away quickly but nothing else. We got out of the jeep and went on foot some of the way, and followed the noise to a giant squirrel. The guide enthusiastically grabbed my waist with one hand whilst guiding my line of site with the other. I managed to squirm out of his clutch and safely spotted the squirrel by myself from a few steps away. The squirrel didn't do very much, so the guide threw a stone at the tree to get it scampering around. Next, we found a tree full of fly catchers. There were 3 types: one that was yellow, one that was black, and one with a forked tail. Unfortunately I can't remember the names. We also saw a big spider with yellow knees. The guide was very apologetic, as apparently the evening before they'd seen herds of bison and deer, but I didn't mind as I like the little things.

After a massive breakfast we went on our next tour to the Dudsaghar falls - the 2nd largest waterfall in India at 340 m high. We drove out to the nearest village then took a very bumpy jeep ride along a dirt track and through several rivers to get there. At the falls there were hundreds of curious macaques, all crowding round and growling at us. The express line to New Delhi runs right through the middle of the falls. At the base there is a big pool you can swim in, seething with hideous pale squishy Brits and Russians. The swimming was very refreshing.

After the ride back past a spice plantation with elephants, we went for lunch. I got some kind of battered vegetables, one of which turned out to be a rather hot chilli, after I'd taken a huge bite thinking it was a bean. Alvin made the same error. We then siesta-ed the afternoon away on sun loungers by the pool.