My husband and I went to India a few years ago. One of the highlights was to go to Rathambore National Park and look for tigers. We were close to the end of the trip before we got there but so excited to get into the raised truck and drive into the park hoping to find tigers. Into the park twice a day and nary a tiger to be seen, heard, smelled, or imagined. As we came out of the park after each trip, we were dejected and inconsolate. When we'd pass another truck that had seen a tiger, they were all smug and YEA, WE Saw a Tiger making us feel even worse than ever and feeling very unlucky.
Finally on the last day, with less than 1/2 hour of time alloted to us, a jeep comes tearing through the jungle towards us shouting "Tigers at Something Waterhold". Our driver floored it and we are careening through the jungle, wind in our hair, bugs in our teeth and branches in our faces but uplifted and excited again. Sure enough, we got to the waterhole, circled around some other trucks and breathlessly watched 2 tigers, a mother and almost grown son, come out of the weeds. Her other son came out and stood on a rise of dirt and called to them. The deer around the waterhold had already abandoned the area with alarm cries. OH, we were so happy that we saw three (3, count 3) tigers.
Going back to the park entrance to leave, we are all pumped and jazzed and happy AND throwing fists into the air and shouting THREE to anyone who went by and we are doing it quite smugly, very smugly, incredibly smugly. some trucks saw one and we would shout them down - THREE. Did I mention we were excited and smug.
So karma comes around and we should not have been so smug about it. Last year I tried to go out of Glouchester, Cape Ann, MA on whale watching. My daughter and I got up quite early to get to the boat only to be told once there that it was cancelled due to weather. hmmm. This year I got up early with my husband to go whale watching out of Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA but at least we called first. Cancelled due to weather. two hmmmm.
Today in Reykjavik, Iceland, I get on the boat and get into the ocean for whale watching and no whales. three hmmmms. One for each tiger I guess.
Technically, I think we did see whales as we saw some toothed white beaked dolphins but that's not really a whale to me. I was hoping for Minkes or Humpbacks. So I'm three for three tries. Skunked three times in trying to see a whale. I won't be so smug again when I find something incredible and get to see it in the wild.
But here's a nice photo of the Iceland coast for you.
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