How city slickers survive the jungle

I’m writing this in the middle of a jungle. Well, in a guest house with all the creature comforts one could need, actually. But the jungle is all around me. I can smell wild tulsi, see the stars and am dodging spider webs while taking careful steps between ancient trees. A few hundred metres around me prowls Chhoti Tara, the resident tigress. Then there is the tiger, the mythical sounding Matkasur. But until the ecstatic moment of that first sighting, there are other encounters, other delights. Never an outdoors person, it is only in recent years that I’ve developed a keen interest in nature. From chappals and bright jacket to chocolate bars and hand sanitiser, my city stripes are visible to all. Yet I’m trying hard to slip into nature mode.