The harsh winter sun was directly overhead as we waited for the tiger cubs to show themselves from behind the bund covered by the tall grass. Beads of perspiration rolled down my back, and all I could think of was a satisfying drink of juice from the cooler, followed by the sumptuous lunch packed for our half-day safari in Tadoba.
A lovely family I once met on a safari expedition left a lasting impression on me, not just because of their enthusiasm for the jungles, but also what their young son said to me when I asked him about his favorite thing about a safari.
“I love eating Maggi at center point!” was his response!
That’s when it dawned on me: one of the highlights of a safari in the jungles of North and Central India is their packed breakfast, and sometimes lunch if a full or a half-day safari is on the cards.
The soft paranthas, boiled eggs, chutney, and generously buttered sandwiches, followed by little tetra packs of juice and a steaming cup of tea to wash it all down… somehow, food always tastes better amid nature. All of this, spread on a chequered cloth atop the bonnet of the jeep parked at a designated spot, popularly called “center point,” is a reminder of the simple joys in life. Of course, the company of good friends and the hauntingly beautiful calls of birds turn a delightful meal into a cherished memory!
Some of these center points also have tea sellers who can magically conjure up a hot bowl of Maggi noodles or potato fritters to accompany the sweet and milky beverage.
Speaking of which, I remember a time in Bandhavgarh a couple of years ago. It was early March, and the remnants of a bitter winter had us wrapped in layers of warm clothing, which was essential if you wished not to turn into a popsicle during the morning safari. Craving a cup of hot tea and an accompaniment of a crunchy samosa, we headed to the center point after nearly two hours without so much as spotting a tiger’s tail.
I peeled off my gloves and bit into the crunchy exterior of the samosa, savoring the spiced potato filling. My husband and friends were equally busy glugging chai and polishing off the samosas when a couple of excited tourists drove in to break for tea and snacks. A lady, rubbing her palms to restore circulation, enquired if we’d got some good pictures of the tigress and her three cubs.
“What tigress?” I asked, dusting the crumbs off my jacket.
Her expression was incredulous. She stared at me for a few seconds and screeched, “What are you doing here when there’s a tigress and her sub-adult cubs right by the track?”
That was the only time I abandoned a half-finished cup of chai and yelled to get the attention of the driver, who was engaged in friendly banter with a colleague. We scrambled into the jeep haphazardly, all arms and legs, and well-fed stomachs, as the driver gunned the vehicle.
Luckily, the tiger family sympathized with our need to defrost and stuck around, giving us ample opportunity to photograph and admire them as the gorgeous tigress and her nearly-grown cubs put on a show!
While the concept of partaking in a meal during a safari does not exist in the jungles of Karnataka, it is a well-planned exercise, ceremoniously executed in the Masai Mara, where guests can dig into a bush breakfast of muffins, tea, and other delicacies, or a lunch packed by the kitchen staff of the resort where they are staying.
If breakfast or lunch isn’t enough to satiate you, then a sundowner might just do the trick. A common tradition in most African safaris, a sundowner is when the guests enjoy a drink while watching the sunset before driving out of the park.
The drink I looked forward to on that fateful day was a steaming cup of tea packed in a large flask before we headed for the game drive. Having seen four of the “big five” on this trip, it was our lucky day when we struck the fifth off our list: the elusive and critically endangered black rhino!
Our spirits, lifted by the sight of the pregnant female rhino, sought the perfect end to a perfect day. Nothing could be more perfect than the tea flask so thoughtfully packed for our sundowner experience.
We held out our mugs in anticipation as the driver unscrewed the lid and said, “Ladies first!” chivalrously.
As I waited for the splash of golden-brown liquid into my mug, I would have never expected what happened next. It was a hot liquid, no doubt, but slightly off the mark, missing the tea leaves, milk, and sugar!
I stared at the mug of hot water, and then at the utterly dumbfounded driver.
“They’ve probably packed some tea bags and sugar sachets!” he exclaimed, recovering his composure. We peered into the hamper and were greeted by vast emptiness that stared back at us.
My husband suddenly guffawed, holding his stomach helplessly!
“A sundowner indeed!” he said, as he realized that our flask of tea was accidentally swapped with someone’s flask of hot water.
The driver, thoroughly embarrassed, closed the flask and indicated that perhaps we could still make it to the camp for a real cuppa, with milk, tea leaves, and everything else that makes for good tea!
Our doubts were confirmed by a rather guilty steward who had mistakenly swapped the flasks. It was a pity, though, that the guest at the receiving end of the flask of tea belonged to the unique breed of humans who despised tea!
Although the sundowner was ruined, I did enjoy a wonderful cup of ginger and lemon tea outside the tent, listening to the grunting of the hippos frolicking in the shallow stream, while the stars twinkled in the clear night sky. Oh, what an evening that was!