Tiger Too, Disaster

Another attempt at Tiger Hill and this time the weather was fine, in fact I could even see some of the Himalayas poking through the cloud. As with yesterday I started at the top lookout and worked my way downhill (it's always easier birding downhill!), not much better than yesterday birdwise and by the time I had got to the start of the circular trail I had only picked up 2 Blue Whistling Thrushes, 4 Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, a female Rosefinch sp and an Oriental Turtle Dove. At the start of the circular trail a little noisy bastard eventually gave itself up as a Russet Bush Warbler, it was at this point I started to feel definitely ill ! Plodding on with 3 Olive-backed Pipits and 6 Grey-hooded Warblers, by now I felt really ill. So I sat down on a fallen log for a bit of a rest and promptly passed out ! I think I was only out for a few minutes, but now my vision was all blurred, I had a splitting headache and felt sick. My first thought was that I was to become the first person ever to get altitude sickness at 2000 metres, closely followed by – 'crap, I'm 4 miles away from the nearest town'. Eventually I got myself going again and walked the 4 miles back to Ghoom, stopping every 200 yards for a rest (it took me 4 hours!), and then jumped in a share-taxi back to Darjeeling and a Doctor – the diagnosis – acute sinusitis that was causing swelling at the back of my eyes – hence the blurred vision. So strong antibiotics and a couple of days rest and that seems to be sorted out now.

This is how wet it was yesterday!