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Eye on the tigers in India
Wildlife experts have opened a new eco-lodge in India that offers comfort and calm, as well as a chance to spot big cats
The early morning sun is bright on the long grass, the shadows are shortening and my wife Anne-Sophie, and our 10-month-old son Victor are sitting beside me on a small sandy spur above the placid river Ken. We are at a new eco-lodge, the Sarai at Toria, 400 miles east of Delhi, near the Panna national park and the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The journey overnight on the train from the capital to the town of Khajuraho (famous for its 11th century temple complex) and the taxi trip through 15 miles of deep rural India, were smooth. We are relieved to be away from the traffic-choked, polluted, often angry city where we live. Breakfast is being served, there are birds in the trees and buffalo in the river. In the background I can hear that classic sound of rural India: the soft repetitive hoot of an irrigation pump in the fields behind us.
The lodge opened last year and is the creation of wildlife photographer Joanna Van Gruisen, originally from Northumberland, and Raghudandan Singh Chundawat, one of India's best-known wildlife biologists.
"We chose the place because of our 10-year association with the area," says Joanna. "It had immediate potential as a lodge site because it is in an under-recognised but tourist-destination-rich beautiful part of the country; besides this there is plenty of potential for research – on wildlife and on climate change – and great need for development and economic stimulation." Profits from the venture are being channelled into local projects.
Six spacious cottages with thatched roofs and open verandas have been built just behind the small spur. Trees, a few paths, a small creek and enthusiastic and conscientious local staff make the nine-acre plot seem larger than it is and homely.
Many of the "eco-lodges" springing up around India are nothing of the sort. In cut-throat competition for foreign tourists, hoteliers soon worked out that a bit of green marketing works wonders. So dozens of establishments claim that, because they are in rural settings, have a lot of local textiles draped over the beds and offer trekking, they are "ecologically responsible".
Joanna and Raghu, however, are very serious about conservation and the environment. Both have devoted much of their lives to the study and preservation of India's wildlife, and they are not the sort to slap a green label on anything that does not deserve it, however much it might help with marketing.
Solar panels are planned for next season, water comes from a well, heating is designed to minimise consumption, biogas is used for cooking and the thick mud walls of the cottages mean there is no need for air-con. The Sarai shuts for the hottest part of the year – April to early autumn, when temperatures climb well above 40C – and reopens on 1 October, two weeks before the Panna Tiger Reserve.
Joanna has sourced the soap from a women's cooperative in neighbouring Bihar state. Only local ingredients are used for the excellent food, mainly variations of the classic north Indian dishes of spiced, boiled vegetables but using, for example, a wild herb that grows only in these parts.
Almost every evening we take a short walk, baby strapped to my chest, through villages near the lodge. This is a dirt-poor part of India, with worse poverty than in much of sub-saharan Africa, but the men and women squatting to cut the chickpea plants offer them to us with a smile. Victor, as ever in India, is quickly surrounded by curious crowds.
If you want to understand what is happening on the ground, nothing beats walking in rural India. We pass a ruined fort, a more prosperous village, with houses of brick, the all-important "tank" or reservoir, then the settlement where the lowest castes live, away from the others, in homes of mud.
On the other side of the river from the lodge is the national park, a long forested ridge that rises in stepped plateaux. Indian national parks are not very visitor-friendly: there are few of the activities you find in their European or US equivalents. The infrastructure just isn't there – and anyway, much of the Panna national park is unreachable or off limits to tourists, to allow the wildlife space to roam without disturbance. Visitors can take jeep or elephant rides into the north-east of the park, starting from the villages of Madla or Hinouta.
Raghu is the author of one of the most detailed investigations of tigers recently published in India and knows the story of the park's big cats better than anyone. His opinion of the local forestry department officials is largely unprintable. Only seven years ago, there were around 40 tigers living in the park, fewer than in the past but a sustainable population. Since then they have all died, many poached, in one of the worst local examples of the continuing failure of India's tiger preservation policies. More recently, a pair of tigers have been reintroduced, one of which we miss by minutes on our first morning in the park.
No matter. The focus on tigers distracts from everything else there is to see. From my perch atop a jeep, protected by a blanket against the chill of early morning, the forest is spectacular in itself. Then there are the long-tailed langur monkeys, deer, antelopes, mongoose and boars. And the birds: shockingly blue rollers, majestic vultures, peregrine falcons and more – all pointed out with enthusiasm by guides armed with binoculars, books and tea in a Thermos.
But the place where the birds are most impressive is not in the park at all. I've never been much of an ornithologist – too distracted by the easy excitement of bigger game – but here I am converted. When my son is sleeping and the surface of the river at dusk is as smooth as the pebbles by its banks, I am paddled between the rocks and the storks, the herons, the pair of giant owls, the cormorants, the snake-necked darters and the kingfishers in their coats of colours that would put a Punjabi pop star to shame.
It is a moment of tranquillity that is rare in the chaotic country that I cover for the Guardian. Even the horns of the country buses rattling through the villages along the bank of the river seem to have fallen silent.
Jason Burke is the Guardian's south Asia correspondent
IndiaAsiaGreen travelConservationEndangered speciesWildlifeJason Burkeguardian.co.ukIf you’re inspired by the London marathon…
A new holiday for runners in Kenya's Rift Valley offers top-notch facilities and a schedule that will leave you breathless
Iten is an unlikely runners' paradise. High up in Kenya's Rift Valley, it's a small, chaotic town, typical of the region. The mitumba (secondhand clothes market) spills out by the side of the only tarmac road, as matatus (small buses) drive by day and night, beeping and touting for passengers. Donkeys and cyclists struggle by piled high with crates of chickens or sacks of charcoal, and sheep, goats and cows roam freely.
The surrounding countryside is dotted with round mud huts; in hand-ploughed fields, children in torn clothes stand and stare, and dusty roads crisscross the fertile land in every direction. It is along these roads, usually early in the morning, that you will find the runners. One after the other after the other they shoot by, dressed in Lycra, the latest Nike running shoes and Gore-Tex jackets. It's an incongruous sight, but to an athletics fan, it makes perfect sense. Because from this tiny corner of Kenya hail most of the world's greatest distance runners.
Lacing up your trainers and heading out for a run in Iten is a daunting experience. There don't appear to be any joggers. Every single person is fast. Even the other foreign runners who gather here are all international athletes. Luckily, I'm staying in Iten as part of a group – the only one, it seems – of non-elite runners. There are seven of us, ranging from someone hoping to run a half-marathon in two hours, to someone hoping to run a full marathon in precisely two hours, 24 minutes.
We're in Iten as part of the Kenya Experience, a holiday for runners recently set up by English couple Gavin and Lauren Smith. A budding coach, Gavin knows the town and the Kenyan runners well. He regularly points out the various Olympic champions and world record holders we pass as we're running or walking around.
"That's the steeplechase world record holder," says Gavin, as a group of runners, including Saif Saaeed Shaheen, charge past. "The one with the yellow shoes." There goes the women's world half-marathon record holder, Mary Keitany, on the other side of the road.
Gavin gives us all a personal training plan when we arrive and offers to take us out for runs, or – if we're brave enough – to find Kenyan athletes for us to run with. Although I like to think of myself as a fairly decent runner (my half-marathon time is one hour, 26 minutes), heading out with the Kenyans is a hair-raising experience.
With another member of our group (the two-hour, 24-minute marathon hopeful), I join up for a Kenyan fartlek session – which is basically a long run with fast bits and slow bits. From our base at the High Altitude Training Camp (HATC), owned by former world half-marathon record holder Lornah Kiplagat, it's a 20-minute jog just to the starting point. At the bottom of a long hill, by a bridge over a stream, we find a group of about 200 athletes, milling around and stretching. One man stands up on a mound like a preacher and explains what happens in the session. Spotting us in the crowd, he repeats the instructions in English. I give him the thumbs-up, to much mirth and giggling among the other runners.
The plan is to run gently for one minute and then hard for two minutes. And then to repeat that pattern 17 times. I don't have a watch, but after a minute of jogging, a swarm of beeping watches tells me it's time to go hard. It's uphill, hot and we're running at 2,400m – those are my excuses anyway, because almost instantly I'm drifting backwards, like something heavy falling through water.
People ping by on both sides until I'm watching the main group disappear into the distance. Fortunately, though, I'm not the only straggler, and I manage to keep pace with the backmarkers until the end. The final stretch takes us up a ridiculous hill that has me almost walking.
Afterwards, the Kenyans are smiling and friendly, telling me I did well. All the runners here are welcoming, with no one apparently concerned that I'm like a tortoise to their hares.
When we're not running, we lounge around the upmarket facilities at the HATC. The place is crawling with international athletes, including six top British middle-distance runners. The camp has a lovely swimming pool, although as it's the rainy season, the air temperature is a little too cool to make the water irresistible.
One day we get to visit a typical Kenyan training camp, which is more than a few notches down on the comfort stakes. Here, the athletes sleep in tiny dormitories, and their food is cooked over a wood fire in a kitchen that's a corrugated iron shack. The camp houses about 10 Kenyan athletes and top British marathon runner Tom Payn. He seems to be enjoying life in the camp, despite the basic conditions, although he does say that the one thing he misses is a sit-down toilet.
Gavin and Lauren have arranged a packed schedule of visits and activities for us, some of which work better than others. We visit Iten's famous St Patrick's High School, which has produced dozens of Olympic and world champions and world record holders. Along one wall in the dining room, where beans are being dished out of huge vats for lunch, is the school's wall of fame. Among the star names are the former world 800m record holder and three times world champion Wilson Kipketer, and the 2010 IAAF world athlete of the year, David Rudisha, who still lives and trains on the school campus. Unfortunately, he's away competing in Australia when we visit.
One famous runner we do meet is former world 10,000m champion Moses Tanui, who comes to give us a talk. He spends most of the time telling us why Kenyan runners are not as good as they should be, as torrents of rain batter the tin roof outside, making it hard to hear his soft spoken voice.
By the end of two weeks, we have had a taste of life in Kenya's cradle of champions. It's a mad, bustling place, full of warm, welcoming smiles. Everyone is sad to leave, but thanks to Gavin's training programme and the high altitude, we're all going home fitter than we arrived.
Read Adharanand Finn's running blog at guardian.co.uk
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Druridge Bay 360-degree panorama
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Artists of Gdansk
Marcel Theroux visits Poland's famous shipyard to find out how the strikes of the 1980s inspired a generation of artists
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Krakow Twitrip – mapped
Here's a map - including pictures, audio and video - of Benji Lanyado's epic Twitter trip around Krakow
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The locals’ guide to Barcelona and Madrid
Bloggers from the Spotted by Locals network share tips on the Spanish capital and its Catalan rival - from one of Ferran Adrià's favourite bodegas to a restaurant dedicated to Javier Bardem
BARCELONA
Jai-CaSpotted by Yolanda Molinero
The crowded tapas bar Jai-Ca offers an authentic Barceloneta experience: tapas, Barça player pictures hanging on the walls, noise and dirt on the floor. But don't let this scare you off, because this is the essence of all the best and more authentic bars. Just have a quick look at the display of tapas: shrimps, navajas, croquetas, calamares, pimientos del padrón… you name it, they have it. My favourite is the tigre - pieces of mussel with sauce fried in the shell with bread crumbs. Just delicious! And the best thing about this place is that you are always pleasantly surprised when they bring you the bill!
• Ginebra, 13, Barceloneta, +34 (0)933 195002. Open daily 12pm-3am
GelonchSpotted by Bill Sinclair
This is something special - somewhere to visit maybe three or four times a year. Exquisite food prepared by Robert Gelonch, one of the most inventive chefs currently trading in the city, coupled with a strong wine list. Though the entrance colours and typography suggest a kind of 1970s retro vibe (and hints of Clockwork Orange), the very contemporary tastes you'll encounter when dining here will disabuse you of the notion that Gelonch is some kind of throwback. You have a choice – a lunchtime menú del día for just €19, or an evening special nine-course tasting menú for €52.50. You will not be disappointed. How could you be with such dishes as frozen apple coconut foam, iced mint, lemon confit, caramelised cream and black olives? Yep, that's right – black olives in a dessert. There are so many intriguing combinations in each dish – artichoke stuffed with mushrooms, pig's trotters with prawns – cookie-sized pizzas – that every bite is a pleasant surprise. Some claim the food here is the culinary equivalent of a pointillist painting. It's a good analogy. Each component has individual flavour – but it's the inventive combinations that delight the palate. It may seem expensive but, honestly, when compared with other establishments in the city, (where often the food is mediocre), it's surprisingly good value for a memorable experience. Gelonch will soon, I'm convinced, have an international reputation, so get here ahead of the herd.
• Carrer Bailén, 56, Eixample, +34 (0)932 658298, gelonch.es. Open Tue-Sat 1.30pm-3.30pm & 9pm- 11:30pm
Quimet i QuimetSpotted by Bill Sinclair
Situated on a street between the lively heart of Poble Sec and the busy, wide avenue of Parallel, this small bodega serves exquisitely prepared plates of tapas. It's a busy, bustling little place, with no seats and only two tables – it's shoulder to shoulder standing-room only, and there's often a small crowd on the street outside. The bodega serves its own label Belgian bottled beers and its own-label cava. The walls are lined from ceiling to floor with bottles of beers, wines and spirits from around the world. But it's the food that makes this bodega very special – simple but delicious cheeses, cold meats, canned seafood, caviar and vegetable patés served on bread or with bread sticks and transparent fruit-flavoured jelly conserves, all lovingly arranged on the plate like an artwork. It is one of Ferran Adrià's favoured spots for tapas in Barcelona. It's just a few doors up the street from the Rouge lounge bar, so you could make an evening of it: drop by at Quimet i Quimet for a bite then call into Rouge for drinks, music and atmosphere. Be aware that Quimet i Quimet is only open until 4pm on Saturday, and does not open on Sunday.
• C/Poeta Cabanyes 25, Poble Sec, +34 (0)934 423142. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-4pm & 7pm-10.30pm, Sat 12pm-4pm. Closed August
Ras Bookshop and GallerySpotted by: Sonja Pöhlmann
Ras is probably one of the most interesting bookshops in town and is owned by the Barcelona-based Actar editorial. Specialising in architecture, design and art, it offers a variety of books and magazines from international publications. Besides being a book store, Ras is also an exclusive gallery exhibiting contemporary art and design, and is one of the gathering points for Barcelona's urban scene, as it offers many books on street art.
• Calle Doctor Dou 10, El Raval, +34 (0)934 127199, rasbcn.com. Open Tue-Sat 12pm-8pm
La Pedrera BarcelonaSpotted by Bill Sinclair
An exhibition space I visit regularly – sometimes revisiting the same exhibition three or four times – is situated in La Pedrera – the famous apartment building designed by Antoni Gaudí. They have an excellent exhibition programme with talks, debates and activities. Right now, until 26 June, there's an absolutely brilliant exhibition called Eating Art – From the Still Life to Ferran Adrià, featuring works by Picasso, Dalí, Joseph Beuys, Piero Manzoni, Juan Gris, Sarah Lucas, Richard Hamilton, Ben Nicholson, Zurburán, Daniel Spoerri, Dieter Roth and more. Well worth a few visits. Though a tour of the building, and spectacular rooftop, will cost you €11, entrance to the exhibition space is free. The exhibition programme promotes a good balance of solo retrospectives and shows about movements or moments in art history. The shows, always accompanied with well-written notes, help you reappraise or recontextualise work by artists often overlooked because they didn't quite fit with the prevailing mood or movement of the time. If you can understand Spanish, it's worth doing one of the free guided tours of the current exhibition on Fridays at 6pm.
• Passeig de Gràcia 92, Eixample, +34 (0)902 400973, lapedreraeducacio.org/eng/index.htm. Open daily10am-8pm
Tram-TramSpotted by: Bill Sinclair
You'll find TRAM-TRAM in Sarría, an interesting, well-heeled barrio above Diagonal. This family-owned, family-run restaurant is a good spot for small get-togethers or a romantic rendezvous, and a good introduction to contemporary Catalan cuisine. Unlike at many restaurants in the city centre, you will not have to raise your voice - you can actually hear yourself, and your companions, speak while you eat. Isidre Soler, the chef, (who spent time training with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli) takes evident painstaking pride in the preparation and presentation of his exquisite dishes. The food – original variations on classic dishes such as seafood paella and cochinillo (suckling pig) – is flavoursome without being rich, and is very, very good. The €38 fixed price evening menu offers a starter, a first course, a second course, served with bread, and a dessert or cheese plate. Wine is extra. The menú del día is just €29, or you could try the executive menú at only €19. The wine list offers a selection of 150 excellent unpretentious wines, and €16 will buy you a very tasty bottle. Service is very good, if a bit formal. Having said that the very knowledgeable maitre'd will help you navigate the menu, and off-menu specials. (An English version of the menu is available.) All in all, excellent value and highly recommended. Why TRAM-TRAM? Well, the Number 12 tram used to stop outside.
• Major de Sarriá, 121, above Diagonal, +34 (0)204 8518, tram-tram.com. Open Tue-Sat 1.30pm-3.30pm & 9pm-11.30pm
MADRID
Tapas y FotosSpotted by Aneta Quraishy
This is a great bar in the heart of Lavapiés, really close to the popular Calle Argumosa. The owner is an ardent photographer and you'll find some great photos displayed on the walls lining the bar. Apparently, when he bought the bar the wallpaper was so distasteful he just had to do something about it. Luckily he stumbled over some old photos he'd taken and decided to make a more interesting wallpaper creation. Most are in black and white and well worth having a closer look at. The drinks are cheap and although the tapas on offer are few, they are good and home-made. I recommend the chicken (pollo hortelano) and the potatoes (papas arrugas) with the sauces (mojo and mojo picante). Every first Thursday of the month sees the bar hosting poetry readings; every second Thursday short story readings. Both start around 9.30pm but check at the bar as everything is subject to change. Oh and don't worry if you find the place empty – it fills up quick and there's charm in just chatting to the staff.
• Calle Doctor Piga, 7, Lavapiés & Latina. Open Mon-Fri 7pm-2am, Sat-Sun 1pm-2am
Bardemcilla – Eating with Javier BardemSpotted by Nikko Hinderstein
My favourite Javier Bardem role is from the 1982 film Jamón Jamón, where he plays a garlic-breathed beefcake. If you like garlic, you'll love this restaurant run by his family which pays tribute to Bardem's screen successes by naming the dishes after his various films or roles. You feel like you're in the Bardem living room because the place is decorated with family heirlooms and photos of young Javier. If you forget to make a reservation, you can hang out at the bar, but don't miss out on the food (note, lunch isn't served until 1.30pm and dinner service starts around 9pm). The menu selection covers the whole gamut of Spanish cooking, with lots of fried foods and ham and a few salads. The portions are big, so the dishes are perfect for sharing – the croquetas "Jamón Jamón" are great, as is the morcilla "Mas fea del mundo" (the ugliest blood sausage in the world) and the tortilla "Mar Adentro" ("The Sea Inside" Spanish omelette).
• Calle Augusto Figueroa 47, Chueca & Malasaña, +34 (0)915 214256, labardemcilla.com. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-5pm & 8pm-2am, Sat 8pm-2am
La TabacaleraSpotted by Aneta Quraishy
The Tabacalera is a new space in Madrid. In the eclectic barrio of Lavapiés, you can visit a huge, self-managed, thriving arts centre. Housed in an old tobacco factory, it is a space reminiscent of old factories in Berlin. There are daily film screenings, exhibitions, courses and performances and all are organised in a quite ad-hoc manner. Swing dance and salsa nights are organised on every second Thursday and newly scheduled swing vermú (vermouth) on occasional Sunday afternoons (starting at noon). Beer costs only €1 and the place is full of Madrileños. Initially this place was meant to only be open until March 2011 but has remained thanks to popular demand.
• Calle Embajadores, 53, Lavapies & Latina, latabacalera.net
Fundación Caja Madrid MadridImage by Nikko Hinderstein
The Fundación Caja Madrid is a great art space often overlooked in the centre of town. It shows parts of the visiting exhibits from the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum (across from the Prado), but you don't have to pay an entry fee here. I absolutely recommend paying to see the Thyssen collection and their shows (and I love the cafe), but should you find yourself near Sol or the Royal Palace in need of some (more) culture, this is the place. The building itself is beautiful inside and out, and shows usually change every two or three months. If you need to revive yourself after your art break, the Valor Chocolate shop is around the corner and the San Ginés chocolate shop is not far away, either.
• Plaza de San Martín 1, Sol, +34 (0)913 792349, fundacioncajamadrid.es. Open Tue-Sun 10am-8pm.
Ermita de San AntonioSpotted by Nikko Hinderstein
In comparison with Goya's bizarre dark paintings and prints, the restored luminous fresco ceilings at the Ermita de San Antonio - his final resting place - seem bright and cheerful. But sneaky Goya added a bit of street life – grungy stone workers, prostitutes, dogs and kids playing to add a little intrigue. Luckily, King Carlos IV approved it when it was completed in 1798, and the chapel has since become known as Goya's masterpiece. His tomb is marked by a marble slab at the altar, while most of your attention is directed upwards to the ceiling via mirrors so you don't hurt your neck. Saint Anthony is considered the go-to saint for marriage set-ups, so on his feast day, June 13, single ladies flock to the Ermita. Next door is a replica of the chapel: it is still used for religious services. If you're hungry, go next door to Casa Mingo.
• Paseo de La Florida 2, Moncloa & Arguelles, +34 (0)915 420722. Open Tue-Fri 9.30am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-2pm, free admission
Sorolla MuseumSpotted by Nikko Hinderstein
You may not know the artist Joaquín Sorolla, but you've probably seen his paintings in a museum or two. He did his thing back in the late 1800s and developed a gentle realistic touch in his paintings of family and friends. Sorolla is one of the many who has fallen under the beautiful spell of the Alhambra in Granada. While constructing his house (which is now the museum), he put in various reminders of the Alhambra, down to designing the garden with a mini version of one of the main fountains. The house itself is set up to display not only his artwork, but works by his friends, and the decor ,which he either designed or painted. Of note is the dining room, which features painted angelic versions of his wife and children floating on clouds. His studio is the central focus of the house, with a high ceiling and light from almost all sides. The museum is a little off the beaten track of Madrid's museums, but it's walking distance from the Fundación Lázaro Galdiano.
• General Martinez Campos 37, Castellana, +34 (0)913 101584, museosorolla.mcu.es. Tue-Sat 9.30am-8pm, Sun 10am-3pm. Entry €3
• These are edited extracts from the Spotted by locals blog
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