"There's nothing in new Nagzira." "Why don't you go to Koka?" "It's about 35 km from here." "Anyway, Nagzira is closed on Thursdays." "You could go to Koka on Thursday." "Maybe you'll see a sloth bear." "Or bison."We didn't agree that there was nothing in new Nagzira. There were fewer animals; we did not deny that. Yet, New Nagzira is the most beautiful forest I have seen. A green forest, with sunlight filtering in through the leaves. Birds everywhere, weaving their way around all kinds of trees. That does not count as 'nothing' in my book.We went to Koka anyway. Koka, an extension of the Nagzira forest, was a jungle that did not send ripples of delight through me. Forest, then main road. Forest, then village. Forest, then farmland. That does not fill my heart with gladness, the way dense, green, endless forests do.We were out of Koka by 5:20, even though the safari officially ends … [Read more...]