Anybody seen a tiger around here?

For the past two days, our group was able to relax within the confines of the beautiful Kabini River Lodge. You can check out the website of the lodge at http://www.nivalink.com/kabini/index.html.

To say that our journey there was “smooth” would be a complete and utter lie. The last 30 minutes of our bus ride consisted of barely paved roads, potholes, and the sharing of single dirt lanes with local animals and passerby. About 10 minutes out from our final destination, our driver failed to successfully negotiate one of these potholes resulting in most of us taking flight and hitting our heads on the ceiling of the bus. No joke. The roads here are that bad.

Once we arrived at Kabini, we were greeted by guides there who showed us the layout of the camp and our schedule over the next two days. Then we were on our own…for 4 glorious hours of relaxation in one of the most breathtaking settings imaginable. Some of the group headed off to the spa for a massage and aromatic oil treatment, some went to the bar for a refreshing drink. But most of the group had the same idea I had in mind: hammocks in front of Kabini Lake.

These weren’t your normal everyday hammocks, although they had those too. These hammocks were HUGE, capable of holding up to 25 fully grown adults and supported by 4 or more large trees. About 8 of us lay in one of these huge hammocks and had our Swiss Family Robinson moment, basking in the sun and enjoying a view of India that we had not seen before.

Eventually, each of us decided to venture off and explore the lodge on our own. I decided to do my own exploring in one of the personal hammocks to see what the back of my eyelids had to offer.

About half an hour later (I think), I was awakened by the sound of shuffling in the tree above me. I looked up and saw 2 monkeys scurrying down the tree and heading to the outdoor hand washing station about 15 feet from where I was taking my nap. As I rushed to grab my camera, one of the monkeys turned on the faucet and started drinking out of it. He motioned over to his friend, who joined in taking a cool, refreshing drink out of the sink. After they were both satisfied, they climbed onto the roof where…well, the rest of it gets a little X-rated. And if you’re wondering, yes, I have it all on video. Up until they decided to procreate on the roof of the hand washing station. Good times.

That same afternoon, I went on my first safari, venturing out into the national parks of Karnataka to search for elephants, deer, monkeys, and the elusive tiger. Although none of our groups were able to spot any tigers in the wild, I did see something that would have seemed to be even harder to find in this extremely rural portion of India.

A satellite dish.

And not just any satellite dish, this one was fully equipped to handle the incoming and outbound voice and data services of Airtel, one of the larger cell phone carriers in southern India. Mounted on a small hut that was undoubtedly a fraction of the cost for even the installation of this particular device, modern technology was pointed straight up at the sky and receiving signals from anybody who wished to call this small portion of the world. This satellite dish and other technological “steroids” are yet another example of how our world is getting flatter every day. Not that flatter is necessarily a bad thing for this part of the world. Our driver told us that only 10 years ago, communication was difficult for them whenever they were taking a group out on a safari. Now, with wireless communication, they are easily able to communicate to each other when a rare animal is sighted or if a vehicle breaks down in the field. Still, I can’t help but feel like it takes a certain part of the adventure away from a true safari…

Speaking of staying connected, on our bus ride towards Kabini, Rajiv asked me to give him an update of the NFL playoff games that had just been played Sunday in the United States. Without hesitation or doubt, I whipped out my Blackberry and went to the ESPN website and promptly listed off the weekly scores. Reflecting on that moment, I wonder why I had not noticed my surroundings and wondered if I would be able to receive any service in such a desolate area. Once again, my reliance on technology and the luxuries of the modern world trumped my once keen sense of observation.

For the record, Kabini offered the most beautiful view of the starry night sky that I can remember. With the pace at which technology is growing throughout our society, I wonder how much longer we will be able to escape to locations such as Kabini River Lodge in an attempt to disconnect from the rest of the world.