Trip to Sanjif Ghandi National Park - Part 2

I think we left off on the bus to the caves....We bumped and bounced the 7 ks up to the Buddhist caves, high above the National park. We stopped din a little car park and waited whilst the driver searched the ground for a suitably sized stone, to use as chocks for the wheels, well - this is India. I climbed (well jumped off it was a high bus) and made my way up a steep flight of steps, past the ladies selling star fruit and cucumbers (with chilli of course) to the entrance gate. Here I parted with 100/- (tourist rates, locals are 20/-) and up another little flight of steps. There another chap was waiting to take my ticket stub (why? he was so close he saw me buy it...) and a small stand selling fizzy pop, in proper glass bottles. I headed up the carved stone steps to check out the cave. The first two or three were pretty amazing, carved deep in the rock and containing many inner caves and shrines. There was a lady and a small boy lighting incense and for authenticity (but probably not there for the tourists) a couple of Buddhist monks. I carried on up the winding steps and from there on the caves got a bit, well, rubbish. They weren't ornate or carved, I mean to be fair it was probably quite hard work, but hmmmm, perhaps I am being over critical. I continued climbing up to the top of the hill and was rewarded with a fantastic view down over the National Park to Mumbai in the distance. You could see the whole city, surrounded in a whirl of smog. I sat there a while, baking in the hot sun (no water or hat, idiot) and then headed back to the bus and a bottle of fizzy orange. Nirvana.

Swift bus trip back down to the main park where I picked up the lion and tiger safari. For 30/- its was fine but a Safari it wasn't. The poor tigers were caged up and pacing up and down and the two lions were asleep in the shade.I guess when you have been to Kenya it spoils things a bit. I walked back to the main gate and passed two little boys playing in the remains of a Mumbai taxi - now we know they at least retire them at some point. I thought they were just reincarnated again and again.

The train trip home was as much fun as the way up. I got the slow train but to be fair it only took 15 mins longer. I found out afterwards that I had been in the Ladies Second class and had diddles myself cos I paid for 1st class. And 1st is 11 times more expensive than 2nd! Good grief I could have paid 20p return instead of two pounds - that would have paid for my fizzy orange...about 12 times over....