Monday 10th February 2020 - Mount Abu
- gwilson7656
- Feb 8, 2021
- 4 min read
Today we are off walking again and really looking forward to being out in the countryside. We are walking in the Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary, an area of over 300square kms. It is a less easy walk than yesterday with some steep sections, both up and down. However we are in spectacular countryside! Charlie again imparts his knowledge of the local flora and fauna and we see the problems caused by the English introducing what would have probably been a garden plant, lantana. This is overtaking the native species and is causing a real problem but is difficult to get rid of. Another introduced species, the silver oak. It was particularly useful in tea growing areas where it held moisture and helped to provide the ideal tea growing conditions. Local species included the velvet bean and Indian barbery, both having medicinal uses.

The scenery as we walked along was lovely. Sometimes views into the distance, sometimes just the path ahead through rocks or maybe a clearing. There was evidence of leopards in the scat that was spotted, and also the sloth bear in the holes that had been dug to get at termites. But all we saw today was birds!

We stopped for a break and were treated to chocolate again. Cadbury’s fruit and nut today.

On we went, heading for our lunch stop at a reservoir, built between 1937- 1942. It was a steep and slippery short descent and then we had to cross the dam. Only about 50yards but no barrier on either side and about 4 feet width. Not my favourite way of crossing things. Having crossed we then sat and watched as some local people walked across carrying large bundles of firewood on their heads. They made it all look so easy!

A picnic lunch of sandwiches, hard boiled eggs and fruit was provided, and hot drinks too when Jonnet and Charlie got a small fire going. Sitting on the rocks looking at the reservoir in the peace and quiet was a real pleasure.


Despite its looks, this is an arid part of India, where rainfall is crucial. We have seen how people have to walk to get water. We have heard about lack of rain, falling water table levels and poor administration that allows a dam to continually leak water. In this case, fortunately, it is water that is captured further down its course and not lost. This community here may change dramatically in the future if rainfall amounts drop. Think of that when you turn on your taps, and be grateful that you aren’t reliant on a well, borehole or a water tanker delivering water that you then have to collect.
All too soon we are on the move again to where we were meeting the minibus. From here it was a short ride to the Jain temple. In fact there were 5 on the site and I have to confess to knowing nothing of this religion. I need to check it out on Google! No photos were allowed at all and we had to remove our boots, leave cameras and phones behind and remove anything that was leather.
Back to our hotel and the treat of a couple of hours to do whatever we wanted. We made a cup of tea and sat on the roof terrace in the sunshine. How nice is that!
Our final activity in Mount Abu was to be driven down to the town for a walk around the lake and also some of the town. This is the first time we had walked around anything other than a tourist site or in the countryside. At one point we were stopped by a group of mainly Indian women and girls wanting to have their photos taken with us. White people don’t appear to be that common, and it was the white women that they were most interested in.

We walked on past shops selling brilliantly coloured clothes, shoes, ice creams and also tourist items. We are not far from the Indian state of Gujarat, the birth place of Mahatma Ghandi. It’s a dry state so lots of people come from there for weekends and enjoy what is forbidden at home! There are boats on the lake and other amusements, giving it the feel of a holiday resort.
We walked uphill to another hotel giving us views over the lake as the light faded, sitting on the terrace drinking tea.

One of the reasons I love to travel is to learn about how other people live, what are our similarities and what are our differences. Travel should broaden our minds and make us think, maybe even challenging the way we live. Sometimes you meet people who have an impact on you in a way that makes you realise what a privilege it is to be able to make these journeys, because you can afford to do so and also because our British passport is accepted so easily by many countries around the world. Other people are not so fortunate and it is only by the luck of where you are born and the opportunities given to us that we find ourselves in a position to do the things we do.
So our final dinner in Mount Abu, delicious again!, and tomorrow it’s onto Udaipur.
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