Update added 5/28/2023: Three Years After a Fateful Day in Central Park, Birding Continues to Change My Life. Excellent NYT op-ed essay on "this whole birding thing" from a completely different perspective, but very informative.
I have a friend who travels to other countries for yoga retreats. My sister travels with others for quilting seminars. Another friend loves big water fishing. He often becomes seasick. This doesn't stop him from going on charters to fish. Another friend is an excellent bridge player and travels for the pleasure of playing bridge at his skill level. When I returned from India I asked my friend who loves fishing if he had ever been on a trip where someone said 'I really don't get this whole fishing thing.' "Why would someone who doesn't like fishing go on a fishing trip?" my fishing friend replied rhetorically.
We were at the Hornbill Camp. During one of our meals a trip participant announced, out of the blue, "I really don't get this whole birding thing." If you are on a birding trip, or on any hobby or sport focused trip, beware if someone makes such an announcement.
We spent two nights at Hornbill Camp, the last stop on the main part of our trip. Overall, the birding was good. On the first afternoon four of us went to a birding hide and got many good photos, including of the Indian Pitta. On the first evening we celebrated an anniversary and a birthday with a poster, balloons, cakes and special dress. The Hornbill Camp staff helped with the setup and celebrated with us. The following morning we saw the Sri Lanka frogmouths, the Malabar trogons and the Sri Lanka Bay owl.
Our final morning at Hornbill Camp was the end of the main trip. Two couples and the other single woman were leaving. The remaining five of us; that is, me, the ATO and his wife and another heretofore little mentioned married couple; henceforth, to be identified with the acronym EMC (for entitled married couple), were continuing on for the Andaman Islands extension. The ATO and his wife were personal friends with the EMC. When the wife of the EMC team had announced, "I really don't get this whole birding thing," I didn't realize how prescient her statement would be.
A new glitch had presented itself and what follows is a tangled mess. I need to go back in time.
About a month prior to the trip departure, I texted the ATO to ask if all of the hotels were the same as those included on the trip itinerary. A year had passed since we received the final itinerary. Changes were possible, even likely. I was preparing a hotel list for my family that included the names, dates and telephone numbers where we would be staying. I never received a reply from the ATO. This had never been my experience with him. I chalked it up to being busy. This was also when California was experiencing its most severe winter weather in a century. Perhaps he was having issues with the terrible weather. I let it go and prepared the hotel list from the year old itinerary. My mistake. Three or four of the hotels had changed. I also learned that the ATO had not been impacted by the bad weather.
The wife of the EMC had noted the hotel changes and had inquired to learn that the hotel in Port Blair had also been changed to "the airport hotel" with a 3.7 star rating. She, apparently, began making this inquiry four days earlier. The hotel listed on the itinerary was a waterfront hotel that was in the city of Port Blair. "I'm not staying at an airport hotel." She demanded that it be changed back to the Fortune Resort Bay Island or Welcomhotel (as it is now called) on the waterfront. At this early stage of discovery, she seemed to have a reasonable complaint. I thanked her for her robust advocacy. However, as the demands and arguments ensued, the facts came out.
Months prior to the trip departure, the IFG had sent an updated hotel list to the ATO. However, the ATO either forgot, or didn't think it was important and neglected to send the updated list to the rest of the group. The hotel changes had been noted by everyone and, presumably, because they were all nice hotels, no one took issue with the changes. But now we were going to the Andaman Islands and this was the part of the trip that the EMC seemed most interested in - beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, etc. What does any of this have to do with birding? Nothing, but it was mentioned in the itinerary and the wife of the EMC researched and learned that South Andaman has the "seventh most beautiful beach in the world." She made another announcement. "My husband has not been thrilled with this trip so far and we are not staying at an "airport" hotel."
The IFG approached the situation calmly and tried to explain. The reason for the change was because the "airport" hotel provided easier access to the best birding sites and avoided driving through the city. It was the hotel used by other birding groups (VENT, Rockjumper, etc.) This reasonable explanation fell on deaf ears. The wife of the EMC was unyielding. "I don't care where VENT stays. We are not staying there." Initially, the ATO tried to intervene in favor of the "airport" hotel, but he was ineffective. Ultimately he did not even accept responsibility for neglecting to send out the revised hotel list. The ATOs wife sided with the EMC. Friendship overruled. From my point of view, the ATO allowed the EMC to take over. For the EMC this was no longer a birding trip. It was going to be their trip regardless of who was impacted.
South Andaman is not a large island and, as it turned out, the hotel being refused was not an airport hotel as we think of "airport hotels," only that in the reviews there were comments that it was convenient to the airport.
The IFG, now not quite so calm, got on his phone to call his office to see if a change could be made. All of the hotels had been paid for in advance and change represented a loss of revenue for his small company. The fact that we were on a birding trip and he was a birding field guide was of no concern to the EMC and the ATO's wife.
The coup d'etat was successful and the rest fait accompli.
We stayed at the "airport" hotel the first night. The next day we took a ferry to the previously unplanned Havelock Island (now Swaraj Dweep) for two nights. This was followed by a ferry to, also unplanned, Neil Island (now Shaheed Dweep) for two nights. Havelock and Neil islands are much smaller islands and accommodations had to be cobbled together. When we arrived at the Neil Island resort the EMC refused to hand over their passports for the reservation and demanded to see their room. You know where this is going. The room was unacceptable and they demanded to go to another hotel. The ATO and is wife dawdled along behind them. I stayed at the resort with the IFG and the local guide. The hotel staff treated us like royalty and the food was excellent. The IFG explained that they don't often have western guests so our visit was a big deal for them.
When we returned to Port Blair we stayed at the Welcomhotel for the final two nights. Our rooms did not face the waterfront. The EMC requested waterfront rooms and were told none were available. They were unhappy. The IFG and our excellent local guide did their best to focus on birding for me and the ATO. We did see important owls on Havelock and Neil islands and I saw some fun things when walking along the beach. Every time I looked at the IFG he was red-faced and speaking on his phone. He and the local guide were also doing their best to make the trip one that the EMC and the ATO's wife would enjoy. Outwardly, he appeared cheerful, but every time he and I were together, his frustration and dismay were obvious. I know that lost revenue was part of it, but not all of it. This was also an affront to his excellence as a tour operator and field guide. The EMC's complaining did not stop with all of the changes and accommodations made specifically for them.
It had started on the main portion of the trip, when the husband of the EMC began to complain (always with a sarcastic tone) about time and all of the time changes. "Oh, are we really meeting at 9:00 am or will it be changed to 10:00? Or 8:00?" Or whatever. This became a daily rant and continued on the Andaman Islands. I didn't notice anything like this. The idea that a meeting time, departure time or whatever time might change was not unreasonable on such a complex trip. I listened to the IFGs instructions and was never confused about what time something would start or depart. It was obvious that the EMC were not paying attention. (Something similar also occurred with a different couple on the 2020 trip). On the Andaman extension, the EMC did not have the self-awareness to see that they were creating the confusion with all the changes they demanded.
I forget which particular arrangement the IFG made for the EMC that resulted in more complaining. The IFG was surprised by their new complaint. True enough, he was not accustomed to this kind of client, or even to this kind of American. He repeated to me several times, "In my 22 years of tour operating I have never had clients like this." When he expressed surprise at their newest complaint, I lost my patience with him. Stating his name, I said, "Stop! By now you should know that they are never going to be happy. They are not happy people. They complain. They are the same with their colleagues, their neighbors and probably even with their own family. They are not going to change." I repeated this once or twice more and I think he got it.
I was in tagalong mode and made the adjustments I needed to make. I continued to have a good trip and I appreciated the local guide's and the IFG's efforts probably more than I ever have on the many other trips I have taken.
As with my COVID-19 experience so much cannot be included. This is already too much. But one more element is needed. On the morning of our departure from Port Blair, the local guide, the IFG and I snuck out early for our final time of birding together. It was on this outing that I saw the Andaman treepie. My photos are not good but I will always remember that bird. When we returned to the hotel around 9:00 am, I snuck back to my room to drop off my binoculars and camera and to shower. I went to the hotel's beautiful, outdoor dining room overlooking the water for the buffet breakfast. The ATO and his wife and the EMC were sitting at separate tables across the dining room from each other. The dining room was crowded, but this seating arrangement was not normal for them and neither couple appeared happy. Perhaps the ATO had found his spine. I knew he had apologized to the IFG the prior night. I also knew that the IFG and the EMC were meeting after breakfast to discuss the disputed charges of their scuba diving experience (it wasn't what they expected and were refusing to pay).
It was time to go to the airport. Waiting for the arrival of our local guide to drive us, I was watching the IFGs camera bag while he did something else. The wife of the EMC hustled over, asked if it was the IFGs bag, and then unzipped a pocket and slipped a bill into it. I forgot about this until we were at the airport waiting for our flight to Bangelore. I told him about the bill. He reached in and pulled it out of his bag. With a look of disbelief, he said, "Ten dollars. What am I supposed to do with this?" and stuffed it back into his bag. He didn't unfold the bill, so there is a chance it was a $100 bill. The last I knew the EMC had stiffed him for their scuba diving costs.
We arrived at our departure hotel, the lovely Taj Bangalore, directly across from and within walking distance to the Kempegowda International Airport - ironically, a true airport hotel, albeit brand new and beautiful. We went our separate ways. The IFG caught a flight to his home for just two days with his family. He and his wife have an eleven year old son and eight month old twins. As his days with us ticked by he could hardly contain his eagerness. After his much too short family visit, he had to leave them to lead a solo American woman, who he knew well, for a trip to Nepal. Such is the life of a birding and wildlife field guide. I hope the trip that followed ours helped to restore him. A week or so later he sent me photos of a Red Panda. I'm certain he sent the photos to everyone. He's that kind of guy.
Our trip had come to its agonizing end. The ATO, his wife and the EMC had dinner together in one of the hotel restaurants. I went to the same restaurant, but when I saw them sitting at a table near the door, (I don't know if they saw me), I hurried back to the front desk. "Is there another restaurant in the hotel besides the one over there?" There was and this is where I enjoyed a lovely, peaceful, complaint and gossip-free dinner. The others had flights very early in the morning so I didn't need to worry about bumping into them again. I stayed an extra night and the next afternoon my friend came to visit me bringing along her eleven year old daughter. Deepa had been very supportive during my COVID ordeal and throughout the trip. I was happy to see them. We walked across to the airport for lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants and then, much too soon for me, they caught the bus for their ride home. I waved as their bus passed me and realized that I could easily stay longer. I could hire Shaji and we could all travel together to Hampi. But this is never the way it goes; my friend had work to do, the kids had their exams and I had a flight to catch.
A nap and a couple of hot showers later, the toxicity began to wear off and finally washed away entirely.
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