India is one of the most wonderful countries in the world. It is a feast for the eye and the mind for anyone interested in nature or culture. On a birding/tiger trip in 2001, my wife Birgit and I saw 15 tigers in four different national parks. The most spectacular piece of luck was to find a mother tiger and two large cubs resting near the wall of an ancient fort. That was in Rathambore Park, a vast wild area which has been visited by tourists since the days of the British Raj. Therefore the animals paid us no heed. When we returned to the spot a few hours later after doing some birding, one of the cubs had climbed to the top of the wall and was sound asleep. - RB