We rolled up the canvas blinds and stepped inside to find a queen-sized bed and writing desk, with a canvas panel separating a bathroom with spotlessly modern amenities. We were told that hot water was solar powered and would be available only in the morning and the evening. There was even enough room for Adrian to set Hayden up in his travel cot and he seemed to settle in happily to his new surroundings.

We took a stroll around the camp, which includes an open-air dining area, a nature walk, a wellness spa, and a small shop selling hand-made items. In the common room we listened to a presentation by Usha Rathore, the owner of Khem Villas, about the work that Tiger Watch is conducting to reduce poaching by ensuring that the locals can find sustainable living in harmony with the wildlife. For dinner we ate some delicious vegetarian food, sourced from produce that they grow on-site. As the sun set we settled down for an early night so we could wake up at dawn for our first safari.

The air was a little chilly as we set out towards the park, yet it was a magical time of day. As our canter wobbled its way over the bumpy roads, we saw that the inhabitants of the park were already peacefully grazing, and we were surrounded by dozens of spotted deer, Sambar deer, and Indian gazelles, and even a juvenile crocodile enjoying the morning sun. The guides listened for warning calls from the animals to alert them to a presence of a tiger, but all the prey animals seemed very relaxed.

We stopped under a tree while little Green Bee-eaters and Rufous Treepies flitted around us. Our guide told us that the treepies were very friendly. Friendly and indeed a little brash, they swooped down to share the sandwiches that our companions were eating for breakfast.

Hayden seemed very contented as he drank his morning milk while overlooking a deep tranquil waterhole.

As the sun rose in the sky and the temperature began to soar, we were told that the tigers would be retreating into the shade to sleep, and we headed back to the camp for a simple English breakfast of eggs and bread. Some of our breakfast companions shared tiger stories from that morning, and I hoped that we would have more luck in our afternoon safari. I wandered up to the Age Veda Spa for a soothing head and shoulders massage while looking out over the dry wind rippling over the grassy desert plains.

The heat escalated in our tent and the three of us collapsed on the bed together for a sweaty but satisfying nap through the hottest part of the day. Still full from breakfast, we skipped lunch and only awoke for a cold shower before our afternoon safari. We bought a tiger t-shirt and hat for Hayden from the vendors outside the gates, and he quickly returned with a tiger postcard as a gift “for the baby”. This encounter was symbolic of our time here in India, a small gesture filled with kindness and generosity.

Adrian asked the driver to stop so that he could snap a few photos of Grey Langur monkeys and their babies sitting together in the afternoon sun. We were sharing a canter with some locals who mocked us for making such a fuss over such a common animal.

We took another long drive for the park, and the ruminants were now mostly resting in the shade and watching us impassively. As we were nearing the end of our tour, the guide heard a warning call for a tiger, however the other people in the canter told him they had a train to catch, and we had to leave the park without so much of an Indian tiger.

I wish that we could have stayed here for a week. Not only to see a tiger in the wild, but also visit some of the various Tiger Watch initiatives, such as the women’s textiles collective, the school (free for girls from small families), the hospital, and to support camel rides and nature walks run by families of rehabilitated poachers.

At breakfast on our last day, we watched a pigeon industriously trying to set up a nest on top of the roller-blinds that enclose the open-air dining area. It was such a pathetic sight. Firstly, every single one of the dozens of twigs immediately fell off, leaving a pile of twigs on the ground and none up on the ledge. Secondly, the blinds are pulled down every night for dinner, so even a successful nest would not survive until the next morning. I had to eventually ask one of the staff members to come and unfurl the blinds because I couldn’t bear to watch the poor bird wasting so much effort on such a bleak enterprise.

All too soon it was time for us to pack our bags and leave the camp, and it was quite hard to say good-bye to this place. In my opinion, Ranthambhore is up there with the mountains of Georgia, Uluru in Australia, and the wilderness of Iceland as truly sublime locations on this fragile planet. These wild and semi-arid plains touched my heart, and I dearly hope to be able to return here when Hayden is older, and perhaps share with him the magic of discovering a tiger in the wild.

When we first arrived at the hotel, we noticed that they had several peacocks and peahens. At first we did not take much notice, as we had assumed that the owners had imported them and clipped their wings, as is common in Australia. It was only when we saw one of the peahens take flight that we recalled that the birds are native to this area and we had just seen our first wild peafowls.

The next morning we gathered at sunrise to take an early cycle rickshaw through the world heritage listed Keoladeo National Park, which contains artificial marshes first installed in 1763 by the Maharajas to improve their duck-hunting experiences. Since 1982 it has been a haven to 364 species of birds, and is an important breeding site for herons, storks and cormorants. We saw dozens of bird species during our hours in the park, along with some ruminants and a pair of Indian grey mongooses (but sadly no fishing cats).

Our naturalist pointed out a male jaçana bird following its baby. He told us that the bronze-winged jaçana birds are a species of waders, and it is the males who take responsibility for the care of the young, even carrying their offspring between their wings and body. He smiled and said to Adrian “just like you”.

We learned about the Intermediate Egret, identifiable by its yellow bill and black legs. I felt a bit sorry for the birds with such a demeaning name, and I thought that they were probably a bit jealous of the cute Little Egret and the impressive Great Egret.

With this adventure under our belt before breakfast, we returned to the hotel feeling quite accomplished. We said farewell to Kim who was flying back to Belgium, and prepared for a long dusty drive to Ranthambore National Park.

The tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun (one of the many places in India termed the “Baby Taj”) is surrounded by a symmetrical and tranquil Charbagh (quadrilateral) garden, the first of its kind in India. We were lucky enough to be able to stroll past the fountains bubbling away in the reflective ponds, which were restored only 9 years ago after over 300 years of neglect. Instead of a mosque, the only other structure inside the complex is the tomb of the Emperor’s favourite barber.

The next day we drove to Agra and toured the Agra fort, then to the Mehtab Bagh (Moonlight Garden) to see a mausoleum built by Humayun’s great-grandson – the Taj Mahal. I had a little bit of a melt-down as I climbed out of the car while unsuccessfully attempting to juggle all my belongings. I was exhausted after a long hot and dusty day, I had been wearing the same clothes for three days, and I felt hemmed in by the various street vendors who had gathered around the entrance. It was rare in India for me to feel invisible or anonymous, and every time I struggled with something I felt like the whole neighbourhood was silently, curiously, and intensely watching me fail.

We paid the entrance fee and I was slowly able to relax as we ambled past the rows of trees and towards the same Yamuna River that flows past Humayun’s tomb. This garden forms part of the Charbagh gardens that surround the Taj Mahal, and provides a spectacular and calm place to view the structure, especially at sunset. The decline in the water level of the river was immediately evident, and I later learned that it is decreasing at a rate of 1.5 meters per year, potentially destabilising the foundations of the mausoleum. We sat together on the ruins of a brick wall and watched the white marble reflect the soft orange glow of the sunset. It was so peaceful and serene, I felt so lucky to be able to sit and quietly absorb the beauty and majesty of the Taj Mahal in the cool crisp air of the evening.

The next day we arrived at the Taj Mahal before breakfast. There were relatively very few people around, and we were able to pass straight through security and into the first courtyard. The dome really did look perfectly framed as we made our way through the main gate and into the paradise gardens. Passages from the Qur’an surrounded the gates, with an inscription at the base of the interior dome reading “Written by the insignificant being, Amanat Khan Shirazi”. I lined up with the rest of the tourists to sit with Hayden on the same marble seat on which that Princess Diana had posed when she visited in 1992.

The expansive gardens provided us with another venue to sit back and admire the architecture. Unlike most monuments in Europe that are hemmed in by other buildings, these capacious grounds meant that all visitors were able to find their own little bit of secluded space. We laughed as we watched a few locals drinking some Chai tea from a zip-lock bag that they had smuggled through security, and they smiled and offered us a glass. Busy little Indian squirrels darted about, and an amazingly turquoise kingfisher perched above one of the rectangular ponds. As the fiery sun rose higher in the sky, we bid farewell to Agra as we left the cities behind us and began our trek out to the wildlife parks of Bharatpur and Ranthambhore.

Normally I like to travel light and fit everything into a backpack. However, this would not be possible. I bought an embarrassingly large American-style suitcase, and this is what I packed for Hayden:

Checked luggage:

• Electric steam steriliser (with power adaptor)
• Electric kettle (with power adaptor)
• Ibuprofen
• Oral rehydration powder
• Enterol probiotic sachets
• Antibiotic eye drops
• Saline solution
• Light coloured onsies (long-sleeved with enclosed feet to protect from mosquitoes and sunburn)
• Sunscreen
• Aloe vera cream
• Fungicide
• Betadine
• Band-aids
• Burp cloths
• Nappies
• Powdered formula in aliquots suitable for 240mL water
• Ready-to-drink formula
• Breast pump
• Medela quick clean wipes

Checked at the gate:

• Bugaboo Bee Stroller
• Maxi-Cosi Car Seat with adaptor clips for stroller

Cabin baggage:

• paracetamol
• Baby bjorn carrier
• Passport
• Residence card
• 6 Avent baby bottles filled with 240mL sterile water (yes, security is OK with this)
• 4 days’ worth of formula aliquots
• anti-malarials
• anti-biotics
• 1 spare onesie
• Cold-water sterilising kit
• Ethanol hand sanitiser
• Anti-microbial wipes
• 7 nappies
• (I foolishly forgot a pen)

Adrian was already in India, so I made the 8 hour flight solo. It was actually fine – I caught a taxi to the airport and gave myself an extra hour to get through security (water bottles out of bag and onto tray, bag onto tray, baby out of car seat and into baby bjorn, car seat separated from stroller and onto tray, stroller collapsed and onto tray, walk through metal detector, stroller unfolded, car seat snapped back onto stroller, water bottles back into bag, baby back in car seat, baby bjorn packed into bag). Once on the plane, we had the whole four-seat bulkhead row to ourselves, and Hayden was happy to lay in his bassinette while I had my meals. We also met some lovely people across the aisle who wanted to play with him, which gave me another break.

Once we landed at 10:30pm, my headaches began. I waited 15 minutes for the car seat and stroller to be delivered to the gate. Then 20 minutes to get through immigration. Then 30 minutes for my luggage, only to be told that, as is tradition, it had been “delayed”. Somehow, Adrian’s luggage had travelled from Belgium to Portugal to Switzerland to Qatar to India without problem, but my one direct flight had been too much for the airline to handle. It took another hour for a representative to get my details and tell me that it would be at least another two days until I was reunited with my bag. I was somewhat relieved that the car seat had arrived, and my carry-on bag contained all the essentials we needed to keep Hayden fed safely for the next couple of days.

Poor Adrian had been waiting at the airport to meet us, and by the time we all got back to the hotel it was close to 2 AM. Hayden barely slept in his travel cot, and we all started the next day in low spirits. At breakfast I did not greet Kim, our travel companion, with much enthusiasm.

I already felt overwhelmed by India and I had yet to step out of my air-conditioned hotel.

We met our guide in the morning, and the first thing that he suggested was a bicycle rickshaw through the Chandni Chowk markets of Old Delhi.

This was one of the most noisy and chaotic experiences of the whole trip. We started out on the road, and I was suddenly surrounded by a cacophony of auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, cows, trucks, and cars.

The long rows of market stalls smelled of spices and street food, and the windows were filled with everything from marigold garlands to sparkling red wedding saris.

The crowded and narrow alleys of the markets bustled with pedestrians giving us curious looks, as well as monkeys sitting on the tangled cords that made up the electrical system.

By the time the rickshaw ride ended, I was feeling strangly rejuvinated. We had entered the colourful and chaotic world of Old Delhi, and I had actually enjoyed it. Here I was, reunited with Adrian and exploring an exotic and fascinating country with Hayden and Kim. There was plenty to learn here if I was just willing to let it in. I gave a kiss to my two boys, a smile to my other companions, and we all climbed back into the car ready to see more highlights of Delhi.

When it was our time to ride the elephants, Hayden had fallen fast asleep. I think he liked the gentle bumping along the jungle paths while snuggled up against Adrian’s chest. I was told that my elephant was extra tall because his mother was Sumatran while his father was from Thailand. The two elephant handlers were really kind to us, taking a lot of extra time to line up the two animals, and then even hopping off to take some great shots. I was really impressed with their consideration and patience.

We also met a yellow python – Hayden’s second snake experience – though we didn’t let it get too close to him, as those strong muscles aren’t just for show. Hayden also slept through this encounter.

In the afternoon, Milly from the elephant park visited the hotel. I watched her give short rides to all the kids, and took photos for many families as they made a short circuit around the grass. Once the queue had vanished, the handler let me meet Milly and feed her tiny Indonesian bananas. She was very patient, stretching out her mottled pink and grey trunk and waiting for me to place the fruit in her finger-like projection. She never grabbed the banana from my hand, though she did snortle and sniff at me thoroughly after each one to see if any more were waiting for her. After stroking her hairy trunk I said good-bye and thanked her for being such a gentle and delightful creature.

Today we spent the whole day at Club Med Bintan Indonesia. We started the day with a nature walk through the thick jungle that surrounds the resort. We spotted a wild silver-leaf monkey, a centipede, and some carnivorous pitcher plants.

At lunch we let Hayden play with a few more foods. He can now pick them up and wave them around, and sometimes he will almost accidentally shove them into his mouth, but he really doesn’t seem that interested in eating and seems quite happy with his liquid diet.

We have been eating so much fresh fruit here – pineapple, watermelon, dragon fruit, snake skin fruit, guava, coconut – for every meal it’s freshly sliced and waiting for us in abundance. Hayden gummed on some coconut but didn’t seem particularly impressed.

It was a little drizzly, which meant that some activities were cancelled, a great excuse to curl up with Hayden and read our books while sipping on some cocktails. Hayden modelled the seahorse t-shirt that I painted for him the day before. Even though I chose an extra-small shirt, it is too big and he looks a little like an American footballer. Poor little bear is even too small for the Petite Club.

In some ways this place is very baby-friendly. They have plenty of high-chairs and changing stations with Johnson & Johnson products, and the buffet has a whole fridge full of pureed baby foods. We have a baby bath, a bottle warmer and steriliser in our room with more complementary baby skin care products on offer. However at 14 years old the resort is showing its age, as there are stairs everywhere and it is impossible to wheel the pram anywhere without assistance. We saw one little girl in a wheelchair, and she must be having a very difficult time getting around.

Overall we have enjoyed our time here. During monsoon season the beach and the weather are not spectacular, but it is warm and relaxing and a great excuse to spend some quality time together. Tomorrow we catch the ferry back to Singapore and the next day we fly back home.

I also introduced Hayden to Mira the Mexican milk snake.

Singapore zoo has a very successful breeding program, with around 300 births and hatchings of 44 species in the last year, including Hamadryas Baboons, cotton-top tamarins, pygmy hippopotamus, Douc langurs, proboscis monkeys, meerkats, manatees, komodo dragons, spotted mousedeer, oriental small-clawed otters, Chinese stripe-necked turtles and Linne’s two-toed sloths. There were zoo-borns everywhere, it was so delightful to see so many different species flourishing in lush and spacious enclosures.

I arrived at Ichean (“the winged city – not just an airport”), and very easily figured out that I needed to catch the 602 bus to Anguk station. However, my bus driver did not speak English, and I was afraid he would forget about me, so every couple of stops I would go up to him and ask “Anguk?”, to which he would shake his head, becoming a little more annoyed each time. Finally we reached Anguk station, and with the help of google maps, an address written in Korean, two helpful restaurant owners, and my telephone-number-matching abilities, I was able to find my hotel.

I stayed in the Insadong district in the evening, a delightful area nearby the Josean dynasty palaces and surrounded by tall granite mountains, and due to its steep streets, full of winding narrow alleyways where two houses are never on the same level. There were traditional tea-houses everywhere, and markets on the main street, so the place was filled with laughing and smiling people, buying paper fans, singing karaoke, and clapping enthusiastically to a group of Western buskers playing “When the saints come marching in”. I wandered up and down the road soaking up the atmosphere, and then ate tasty noodles at Shinpo Woorimandoo, again confirming that I don’t like kimchi.

I woke up at 5:30 the next morning, ready to explore the vibrant and clean city. In my rush not to get run over by the crazy traffic, I accidentally stepped on wet concrete, so my footprint is preserved on Yulgokno Street, opposite the Information Booth. I was off to explore the Jongno-gu district between two palaces – a fascinating mix of shops, traditional tiny homes with tiled rooftops, and huge modern houses. I saw the prime minister’s residence with large white gates, many trees, and lots of guards, the Australian ambassador’s house, and got thouroughly lost in the tiny alleyways that weave there way through the neighbourhood. The view from the top of the hill was amazing – the palace buildings, tiled rooftops, skyscrapers and highways all melding together with trees filling all the empty spaces.

Every building seems to have a small piece of beauty by the front door. For tall buildings, a sculpture is required by law, but even the smallest home had some bright flowers growing at the entrance. At first the residents look surprised to see a young Western girl wandering around their neighbourhood in the early hours of the morning, but they all greeting me with a warm smile and nod. Amusingly, Korean houses are numbered in the order that they are built, so its very easy to know which is the oldest house in the street, but finding a particular house is quite a challenge.

Breakfast was warm and fluffy green tea stewed bread, and then I was off to Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness. This was the primary palace during the Joseon dynasty, first built in 1395. Then it was burnt down by Japan, rebuilt in 1868 (and being forced to borrow money from Japan to do so), torn down again by Japan in 1910, and it is still being rebuilt today, some structures being only three years old. The most important building, the ceremonial hall, is exquisitely constructed, with red walls to ward off evil spirits, and green shutters to welcome kindness. The edges of the rooftops lift gently up, and are home to the heads of water dragons to protect from fire. A high status building such as this is also protected by rows of other gaurdian creatures, including Tripitaka, Pigsy, Sandy, and Monkey.

The entrance to the ceremonial hall is lined with endearing granite sculptures of animals representing the many virtues of the king. Korean sculpture is quite amazing, able to bring warmth and life to cold stone, and I couldn’t help but smile back at the small creatures sitting atop the steps.

The huge amounts of granite available from the mountain also inspired their heating system of the ondol. The stone floors are heated by charcoal from below, and the smoke is ducted to chimneys that sit as sculptures in the gardens that surround the buildings, decorated with pictures and symbols for luck and longevity.

Behind the palace rises the stunning vista of Mount Bugaksan, a towering granite mountain covered with lush trees, reaching up into the clouds. I contemplated its beauty by the relaxation pavillion, and then it was time for the next palace.

Changdeokgung, the Palace of Illustrious Virtue. The secondary palace of the king, World Heritage listed and first built in 1412, although also rebuilt several times. Similar in layout to Gyeongbokgung, it also features a magnificent secret garden, cool even in the summer heat, and filled with a library and meditation pavilions. One pavilion resembles a lotus flower, and dips two of its feet into the square pond, which in turn surrounds a small tree-filled circular island. This scene is overlooked by the library, and I rested here for a while, enjoying the cool stone against my skin, and watching the birds hunt for insects in the pond.

My contemplation at an end, it was time for me to catch a bus to the airport, and fly to the United States.