Des mera rang rez yeh babu

Into the wild: Tadoba - Andhari Tiger Reserve Maharashtra & Pench National Park Madhya Pradesh (Dec 2010)

It was a last minute decision to take year end leave & we remembered one of our friend telling us about 2 years back that Tadoba is a good place to sight Tigers, which we both had never seen. We had also never been there earlier and the place had been in news as a number of tiger cubs had been born there in the past 12 months. Since we had around 10 days of leave we decided instead of just visiting Tadoba, we can also combine Pench which is 90 kms from Nagpur. It was year end rush every where so we could not find accommodation in both the place. With the help of some of our friends we got 3 days accommodation in MTDC Moharli - Tadoba , but had to manage on our own for 1 night i.e. christmas night on 25Dec. We also managed to get 2 nights accommodation at Baghira Retreat at Pench MP. We quickly booked our train ticket to Chandrapur which is 45 kms from Moharli Gate - Tadoba. We decided to do 5 safaris in Tadoba, which has to be booked 1 week in advance & 2 safaris in Pench MP.

All set, we boarded the train from Thane station in the afternoon and next day by around 10AM we reached Chandrapur, a small station and we had asked Shalik Jogwe, who had arranged everything for us, to send a pick up vehicle at Chandrapur. Praveen, a safari driver picked us up. A pleasant 45 mins open air jeep ride & we reached the small village of Moharli. Just before the Gate to the Tiger reserve we had to take right turn and a small road led us to MTDC Moharli which is one of the best place to stay here as most of the rooms have balcony facing the lake where one can watch lot of bird life. Tadoba - Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is Maharashtra's oldest National Park located in the Chandrapur district, about 155 KM from the Nagpur International Airport. TATR is home to about 43 Royal Bengal Tigers. A Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, it is largely a flatland with 40 per cent of its area covered with bamboo trees, which gives it a unique appearance. Compared to other popular tiger reserves in India, TATR is relatively under-explored and under-photographed. The place has only of late been attracting tourists and is slowly coming up on the Indian wildlife circuit. At the moment, however, people from the Nagpur - Chandrapur belt comprise bulk of the tourists.

Day 1: We reached MTDC at around 12noon & they follow strict check in - check out schedules. Check in time is 1.30PM so we put our backpack in the dinning area and ordered for our lunch as you need to give an hours notice for food.We had to take our 1st safari at 2PM. We checked in at around 1.00 PM, freshened up and had lunch and were ready to kick start our Safari. At Tadoba all private vehicles are allowed with an Entrance Fee of around 150/-, Guide fee of 100/- and camera cost of 5/-. We had opted for the open gypsy safari. We could not find anyone to share the safari with us, so it was just 2 of us in an open air gypsy. We loved the exclusivity. Shravan was to be our guide for all our safaris here. At Tadoba the rules change at a drop of a hat. Just the day we arrived they had allowed vehicles to move from one zone to another. Earlier they used to allow vehicles from one Gate to be in the same zone. So it was good for us as we would have better sightings. Today we just roamed almost entire forest. Saw the usual Sambhar deer, spotted deer and some birds. At the end of our trip when we were returning from Tadoba Gate, Just near the Gate, a Tiger came out of the woods and was about to cross the main road. He stopped and looked at us ferociously. By then we had stopped to give him the right of way. This tiger is known to attack Safari Vehicles and hence he is known as Yeda Anna. Since we had kept our distance he crossed the road and went into the woods. He had a beautiful coat like burning fire. We were so excited seeing our 1st Tiger that we were unable to capture a good picture( camera shake-excitement!) as it all happened so fast. Our guide told us he will come out of the wood and cross the other small road behind so our driver zoomed off & waited at a place we thought he would come out. By then other 2 vehicles came to know we sighted Tiger and so they tagged along. On the other side we saw villagers walking on the road and they seem to be least afraid of the Tigers. Villagers were chattering and so the Tiger did not come out; As soon as they passed he emerged out of the wood and again crossed the road and just melted into the woods. Since it was late evening we had to head back to Gate. Yes we did it! on our very 1st safari we saw a huge male tiger we were thrilled and had to tell some one, so back in the hotel we called few of our relatives/friends and shared our joy.



Day 2: Early morning at 6.45AM Park Gates are open & we are allowed to be inside the forest till 11AM. We had asked for a packed breakfast which was kept ready. Weather was very chill and drive into the wild on an open gypsy was a torture till about 9.00 AM when the sun started warming up. Telia Dam looked mystic and beautiful. Nothing much happened today in both the safari that's worth a mention.




Day 3: Our 4th Safari as soon as we entered the Park early in the morning we saw 2 wild dogs hopping and jumping towards us. They were quite bold and walked past our jeep. Later saw Brown Fish owl and a Crested Serpent Eagle. Then saw a Crocodile basking in the sun at Telia Dam. On our way back saw Indian Cobra on the main road. It lifted its hood to make itself look big and soon after that it vanished into the woods, missed getting a click! Our 5th and last Safari at Tadoba for the year. Our guide Shravan and Driver Santosh had weighed the possibility of sighting a Tiger near Telia Dam; so we decided to wait near the Dam, which we did and far away we saw jeeps zooming with lot of dust which only means one thing. So Santosh zoomed in and we reached the spot where already 5 jeeps had arrived. They said a Tigress was basking in the shallow water which we could not see as rocks and tall grass covered her. We waited patiently for her to emerge, and emerge she did, we were all awestruck by its beauty. She decided to sit and again we lost her in the tall grass. After about 10-15 mins she seemed disturbed by flies and walked into the bush. We were exhilarated and excited to see this magnificent creature on our last safari at Tadoba.

Day 4: We had no reservation at the hotel or safari booked for this day. Shalik Jogwe offered us to stay at his place in Moharli Village, which was just walking distance from Moharli Gate. Post lunch we shifted to his "Camp House" and since shalik had to meet his friends in Nagpur, he pushed off with his family. Shalik Jogwe is a wildlife photographer & conservationist from Chandrapur. We got an opportunity to see village life. Moharli is a typical Indian village with around 10-15 houses. Kids were happy and playing with there domesticated goats, hens & cows. In the evening we could see so many stars that we never get to see in Cities. We had told the tea shop fellow to arrange dinner for us. By around 8PM we got hot yummy home made food at his shop. We relished it as from past 3 days we were sick of eating MTDC food which was no good. Tomorrow we were to leave for Pench MP. We had found out Khawasa is the nearest village and from there we had arranged a pick up. But to reach there we had done no arrangement. We thought we will hop buses as we had no safari arranged for next day and we just had to reach the hotel before dark.



Day 5: We had to take the first morning bus from Moharli village to Chandrapur at around 7 AM. Got up early and waited at the bus stop and the bus came at around 7.30AM and since it was Sunday it was full of villagers who had come to set up shop at Moharli Sunday Market. Anyway some how we managed to get in and got a seat. Reached Chandrapur by around 8.30AM. Outside the bus stop we saw a Poha stall & we gorged ourselves on it. We then hopped into a bus at 9AM to Nagpur(155kms). This driver was very slow and regulars in the bus had started complaining. On our way we saw the real travelers; the Indian lambadis with there camels , carts and colorful dress. When we travel with the general public we get to see so many colors of our great country that we never see if we go in our private vehicle. We got down before Nagpur Bus Stop as we had to take next bus from MP Tourism Bus Stop which is near Nagpur Railway Station. It was Lunch time and we inquired at the Bus Stop and found one bus which was ready to leave, so we quickly bought some vada pav and hopped into a bus to Khawasa(90Kms). For 1 hour we were roaming in Nagpur so it was a nice Nagpur Darshan for me as I had never seen this place. After that we entered forest area. We reached around 4PM at Khawasa, a small little village on the Nagpur Jabalpur National Highway 7 and here we had got a contact by name Jaiswal who had done all our arrangements. He sent us a pick up vehicle and about 12kms from Khawasa is Pench. We checked into Baghira Retreat, Since this is a Private Resort we got good service and food. We enjoyed bonfire in the night. At Pench, we had booked just 2 safaris on 27th Dec Afternoon & 28th Dec Morning.

Day 6: First half we relaxed in the hotel campus where they had badminton court we played for a while; then relaxed under a tree enjoyed birds chirping as the hotel was empty. Its a new property so not many know about this resort. Kitchen in-charge showed us 2 tortoises that he had kept as pet. After a sumptuous lunch, we left for the afternoon safari in an open Gypsy. We were ready and waiting at the Turia Gate of Pench National Park. Here it is much more organized as its a popular tourist destination for people in Nagpur and also famous as a documentary was shot here about Tigers called "Spy in the Jungle". They check each and every person in the jeep with their ID cards .At Tadoba only 20-30 vehicle are allowed at Moharli Gate and around 7 from Tadoba Gate. Here since the forest is vast they allow 50 vehicles and before entering the gate we have to tell them which route we will be taking and we cannot change our route. It is good in a way. Retired army officers are kept to Guard the forest and manage the tourist .I guess that's why safari rates are so high here. We entered the forest along with a forest guide Vinod. Pench is a beautiful forest. According to our guide this park has around 33 tigers, 30 leopards, 20,000 deers, 100+ species of birds among other animals. We observed Sambhar and other deer looked much more bigger and well built than what we saw in Tadoba and hence the Tigers are also much bigger here. Just as we were speaking to our Guide we felt some jeeps were huddled together and so we rushed there to see a Tiger walking inside the woods, but we could not get the full profile view; People ahead saw that Tiger crossing the road so we missed it by few mins. I know why people are obsessed to see Tigers, its just majestic to watch it walk. Now that I have seen a Tiger at Tadoba, I still want to see more, I am addicted to it, but I also just enjoy being in the forest. Its been almost 15 years now that I have been reading, watching and talking about Tigers and how important it is to save it for our own good. Its not only a top predator of our forest, it safeguards our forest with its trees the rivers and looks beautiful too so there is no reason why we should not protect this animal. From my childhood I have been visiting forests around my home town Bangalore, had seen the usual, Sambar Deer, Spotted deer, Barking Deer, porcupines, my favorite Elephants and many more birds and animals but never had gone in search of Tiger. Now that I have seen it in this trip I am happy to have seen them in the wild.

Day 7: We got our packed breakfast for our early morning Safari. Enjoyed our last Safari for the year. Came back to room had our lunch and had to check out and catch 8PM train to Mumbai. This time we hired a car & reached Nagpur at around 4PM. Took Duronto non-stop express back to Mumbai.

I just love the colors or verity that we have in our great county, where else will you find so many languages, food, Culture, Religion & Races. This is the county where two top predators of the forest call home, The Lions & Tigers. We have deserts, beaches, mountains and verity of forests. What more can I ask for.

I would like to thank Adwait Keole who told us about Tadoba when we met him at ARRS. Kaustub Upadhye of Jungle lore (www.junglelore.net) who helped us get crucial contacts at both Tadoba and Pench. Shalik Jogwe was very helpful at Tadoba, he even offered us to stay at his place when we had no accommodation. You can check out Shalik's blog at http://tadoba-tiger.blogspot.com/. We loved Shravan & Santosh, our Guide and Driver at Tadoba. Naresh Jaswal helped us get accommodation & arranged our safari at Pench.

Loved Tadoba for its rustic beauty will definitely visit again.

I'm free, I'm free fallin - Malshej Ghat Rappelling 1200ft - 2009

Before booking for this camp I was not sure if I will be able to do it. Almost every day was asking our friend & relatives who had participated in the same camp whether this is doable. they kept saying its very easy and that I can do it with out much trouble. Just got to over come fear of heights.

27th Nov : The day. We were to be picked up at Teen Haath Naka at around 11PM. We got into the bus which was already full and hence had to occupy last seats which are on top of wheels. It was a small bus and our back pack was bulky. We quickly closed our eyes and tried to sleep.

28th Nov : By around 3AM we reached Khubi village. It was cold outside so they gave us option to either sleep in the bus or get out and sleep outside village school. I and Mahesh decided to spread our legs and sleep in the corridor of the village school. At 5AM we got up to answer our nature call out in the open before sunrise. Volunteers of Camp Fire India handed us Rappelling Gears that consisted of 4 Gloves, a helmet, a harness with descender. We were told we need to trek to the Rappelling point which could take an hour, but its a easy 20mnt walk on the way we met Guru of Rappelling and owner of Camp Fire India Mr Arun Sawant, he was picking up twigs and asked us to do the same for a cup of tea at the rappelling point. We were around 5-8 of us walking behind Mr Sawant the leader. Rest around 35 of them were not to be seen behind us. We soon reached Malshej Water fall start point. We put twigs and bags down and waited for that hot tea and some breakfast. After breakfast they gave us some instructions and how to tie harness. They said keep you legs as wide as possible and watch your step and keep your hands away from descender as during free fall it gets hot and may burn skin. They set up the 1st Patch. Day one we will be Rappelling 2 Patch 1st one 350ft and second around 300ft. On day two we will be doing 3 patches. Myself and Mahesh were ready and we were one of the 1st to rappel and 1st few steps was very scary after around 10-15ft rest was just free fall. They had told us how to feed rope and how to stop the speed of our descent. My stomach was in my mouth! every now and then I used to break my speed scared of falling down, the fact is that we are controlled by a guy who is down. But still could not trust the guy below. We were rappelling beside the water fall so while free falling tried to enjoy the view. 1st Patch had 4 ropes beside each other so that more people can rappel. While free falling we are not in control and so we start rotating out of control. But soon I found my grip and within minutes I was down and since the rock was wet and slippery and I was just come out of my 1st rappelling I could not stand for a while, I tried standing and down I fall. Carefully came and sat beside Mahesh who was sitting and enjoying me free falling.

After around 20 people had descended they started 2nd patch again we were the 1st few who started. This one had 3 ropes together. But the rappelling point was in such a place where one the way there were lose rocks and if we miss our step we will just fall 300ft down. I carefully reached the point and they one was 20ft of rappelling and rest free fall. This one I enjoyed, I had courage to see down from top and enjoy just free falling. Mahesh was already down taking a bath in the water fall. I was hungry so i started eating my Lunch which they had asked us to pack from home it was 1PM. This huge patch of bolder will be our home for the night. We soon found a flat enough place where we could spread our legs and sleep for the night. Volunteers arranged for change room for girls with huge plastic cover. By around 4PM all of us were down and were waiting for a cup of tea which came in. We socialized and soon it was dark and they started Camp Fire and we sang songs and clicked some snaps. Had simple yet Delicious dinner made fresh on location open air. The day ended with star gazing and snoring.

29th Nov : Got up before sunrise, Know why? Well got ready had breakfast and around 9AM we started Rappelling 3rd Patch which was more of rappelling and no free falling so it was hard for the hands and we had to feed rope through the 8 shape descender. So was 4th patch which was very close to water fall and could not enjoy the water splash as was already tired of waiting for my turn to rappel as there were just 2 ropes and this time I was not the 1st to start. I barely managed to avoid falling into the water fall pool. Then by the time I was at 5th patch, Mahesh was down and was screaming to take off my rain jacket and shoes as 5th patch no matter how much we try to avoid the water pool, volunteers who control our rope will make sure we get a dip. I took off my rain jacket and shoes and started rappelling with just socks and few steps down I started slipping so I came back up allowed the person behind me to rappel and I decided to ware shoes and rappel even if it gets wet. It was short rappel but since I was tired as it was mid afternoon was slow and soon was down and they took off my back pack and dipped me into the water and they had a good laugh and I had a cold dip and was refreshing. changed dress and around 5-8 of us started walking to Thidabi village to Mr Sable Mama's house for lunch. This was long walk of around an hour. We followed water path and then we saw arrow marks leading to the village. They collected the gear that they had given us. By around 3PM all of them had come to the Village and we had lunch and started back to Mumbai by around 5PM. On the way they stopped for Tea break where we exchanged our email Ids with new found friends. At 9PM We were safe HOME!

African Safari - Dream Trip to Kenya

Jambo!

Day 1 (8th Aug 2009): After months of planning and negotiating, we were finally on our way to Nairobi, which is the gateway to one of the top 3 wildlife safaris in the world..the legendary Masai Mara. We had planned the trip to coincide with the dramatic wildebeest migration that happens annually.

As we got off the Plane at 6:30 am, we were so excited and nervous at the same time to finally be in the country we were waiting to get to. The on-arrival visa process was smooth. The Kenyan visa officer even spoke some Hindi words, thanks to all the Indians migrating to Kenya. As we got outside the airport we met our Travel agent, Meshak, who guided us to our Van. As we looked outside the sky was grey and it was drizzling, the traffic was hectic just like in any Indian city! They first took us to our Travel Agent Manager’s house for a quick Breakfast, which we thought was a warm and welcoming gesture. We were introduced to a Chinese couple who would be joining us in the Van (they had just returned from Tanzania after trekking Kilamanjaro which is the highest peak in Africa). Then we went to the city-mall to change our money into the national currency which is Kenyan shillings (1 USD = 75 SHILLINGS). Then we headed off to Masai Mara, which was a 7 hour drive. On the way we stopped to click pictures of The Great Rift Valley, which is said to be the longest Valley in the world. The sight was beautiful. We finally reached Masai Mara at around 4.00 PM. We quickly checked into our campsite venue, Big Time Camp which is right outside Oloolaimutia Gate (eastern most border of Masai Mara). Masai Mara is the northern part of the Serengeti eco-system and has an amazing concentration of wildlife spread across 1600 square kilometers of Savannah Grasslands. Considered the best of Kenya's parks, it is on the pathway of the yearly wildebeest migration, which comes north from Tanzania about the end of July-Aug and returns to Tanzania around the end of Nov-Dec. The Mara sustains all of the Big Five i.e. Lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros and buffalo-and many other animals as well. After a quick tea, we embarked on our very first game drive at around 5 PM. We saw Thomson's Gazelle, Impala, Masai Giraffes (with a star like pattern), Buffalo, Zebra, Wildebeest, a hungry lioness feasting on a Masai Cow. All this on our very first game drive. The abundance of wildlife was just mind boggling and was a refreshing change from some of our previous safaris in India, where sighting a single deer after a whole day's safari was considered an achievement. We returned to our campsite by 6.30 PM. After a whole day of driving, we were tired. Our tent had an attached bathroom with hot shower, so we took a much needed shower & proceeded for a nice dinner where we were introduced to our driver guide, James Bond (yes Bond as in 007) who was going to be with us for the entire trip. Bond told us that we will have a full day safari the next day with a picnic lunch right in the middle of the Mara. We retired to bed early with great anticipation for things to come.



Day 2 (9th Aug 2009) Saw another Lion pride with many cubs. They were dragging a wildebeest kill and were very playful as their tummies were full. This was one of the highlights of the trip as we saw a lot of lionesses and cubs at very close quarter. Clicked a lot of pics and shot some video too. We then went to the Kenya - Tanzania boarder along which flows the Mara River. It was unusually dry this year due to drought and we saw same Zebras and Wildebeest at the edge of the river waiting to cross, which they never did while we were around. We were told that the animals from Tanzania were able to cross the river easily this year as they just had to walk across the sand with out the usual crocs waiting to gulp them down. James found a nice place for the Picnic lunch under an acacia tree, where baboons had just finished their lunch of sausage fruit. After lunch, we went walking with a ranger to see hippos and crocodiles lazing near the river bank (there was a small section of the river that actually had some water). On our way back, we saw a family of Elephants, who were sleeping under the shade of an acacia tree, while they were standing. We were exhausted by the time we came to our campsite. We relaxed for some time and it was time for dinner (which is always beef). We sat around a camp fire and spoke to fellow travelers from across the world. Bond had arranged for an early morning Game Drive at 6.30 AM the next day.




Day 3 (10th Aug 2009): Early Morning Game Drive. It was cold with a chill breeze. This time of the year is winter in Africa and considered the best time to visit. We saw the African Sunrise, a huge orange ball of fire. We saw two orphan Lion cubs whose mother had died recently. We knew that these cubs will inevitably die too. They looked so vulnerable that we realized that it’s not always the Lions that have it their way. We saw a Jackal’s den with its cute cub. We came back to the campsite around 9.30 AM and had our breakfast (we gorged on some yummy omlette). The evening game drive was planned at around 4.00 PM; so we had some time to kill. We decided to visit an authentic Masai village which was close to the camp. The village had around 10-15 huts and primarily consisted of one huge family of around 300 plus masai. The men and women performed a welcome dance and showed us around inside their huts. The best take away from the village was the local souvenir market where bargaining is the order of the day. Sumit and Sonali enjoyed the bargaining there and we bought some Masai Masks. On the evening Game Drive we saw a family of Elephants, Antilopes, & buffalos close up. We were disappointed at not seeing anything exciting on our last game drive at Masai Mara. Just then, the wireless radio crackled with excitement. We all knew some major sighting was being reported but we could not follow the Swahili. James whirled the Van into top gear overtaking a bunch of vans like a hollywood car chase. Then we saw from a distance, with James still speeding to reach the best vantage spot, The elusive Leopard!!! out in the open with its smart & healthy yellow coat. We were the second Van to get there, so got a good sight. It was amazing. This was our last game drive in Masai Mara and we had already seen four of the Big Five. This was easily the moment of the trip so far.



Day 4 (11th Aug 2009): Bid farewell to Masai Mara and left for Nakuru at 6.30 AM in the morning. Arrived at Nakuru for Lunch. We were put up at Hotel Genevieve which is out side Lake Nakuru National Park. After 3 days of relaxing tent stay out in the Jungle, we felt claustrophobic inside the four walled room. We entered Lake Nakuru National Park which is managed by a Private Group unlike Masai Mara. Lake Nakuru is known for flamingos; both lesser i.e. pink and greater i.e. white flamingos, Sacred Abbes, Pelicans, Marabou Stork, African Spoonbills, Egyptian Geese and a whole variety of big birds. We walked very close to flamingos. They were just too many of them and they made the lake look pink. At Baboon Cliff view point, we could see Lake Nakuru far and wide and we clicked some pictures there. On our way back to the Hotel we finally saw a few White Rhinos which completed our BIG FIVE hunt. Incidentally, White Rhinos are not native to Kenya. They are imported from South Africa. We also saw a Lion relaxing, perched on a tree; which was a rare and picturesque sight (pic of the trip).



Day 5 (12th Aug 2009): We were supposed to visit Amboseli National Park for the next 2 days. Our driver James suggested we visit Samburu National Park instead, which is North of Nairobi as we may see more animals than Amboseli; where the only highlight was elephants and the sight of Kilamanjaro peak. On the way to Samburu we saw Thomsons water fall, Mt. Kenya, passed the Equator & had our Lunch at Nanyuki town. Arrived at Samburu National Park at 4 PM & proceeded straight on our Game Drive since the public campsite here was inside the forest with very basic pitch in tents for 2. On our way we saw Gravy Zebras (thinner stripes), Reticulated Giraffes (the usual ones we all know. The giraffes at Masai are unique in their design pattern). We saw a Lion pride feasting on a kill; two young lions indulged in a tug of war over a big piece of the kill untill the meat broke into two pieces. We also saw one of the bigger antelope called Oryx and a strange species of deer called gerenuk, which in african means giraffe like neck. Gerenuk actually look like bonsai giraffes and stand upright on their hind legs to eat leaves from tall bushes. We finally reached our campsite, which was setup on a river bank with few pitch in tents. We immediately fell in love with the place. This was the kind of camping we always wanted to do. No electricity, No attached bath rooms, no distractions. Just us and stars in the night & the occasional animal calls. Samburu unlike Masai Mara was hot; but the nights were pleasant.




Day 6 (13th Aug 2009): Morning Game drive was early as it gets hot here soon. We saw a family of Leopards on a hill. It’s hard to spot them as these animals just blend into the surroundings. Once a while we could see 2 Leopard cubs playing and we could spot the Mother Leopard slowly coming down the hill towards us. But she was hesitating to approach with so many vans around. James suggested we will go around the park and come back to see if she comes out in the open later. We proceeded to see some elephants, a crocodile and a pride of lions feasting on gravy zebra. We came back to the same spot and saw the leopard down hill behind a bush. Suddenly she was out in the open and again as soon as more vans joined us she went back inside another bush. Then again she came out and out of nowhere she started dragging an impala carcass that we had not noticed. All this while she was trying to carry her kill to the cubs on the hill and we were all blocking her way. This was one of the prices the animals have to pay with all the tourists breathing down their neck; but again the whole ecosystem is surviving because of the tourism. We could see her climbing uphill with her heavy kill. It was an amazing and rare sight as we got to see her at a distance of just 10-15 feet. Just like in Masai Mara, a Leopard appeared before us on our Last Day and we were left amazed. Afternoon was hot and we could not sleep inside the tents so all guests(not many) sat outside under the shade and just relaxed while chatting. This is how a holiday should be. Felt extremely relaxed and refreshed. On the evening game drive, we did not see much. Maybe we had seen it all and were not excited enough this time.




Day 7 (14th Aug 2009): We drove back to Nairobi to catch our 5.45 PM flight to Mumbai. On our way posted a picture post card to Basanthi in the US; hope it reaches her. Our flight was delayed by 7hrs as the employees had chosen to go on strike on the same day. We finally took off at 3.00 AM on 15th Aug 2009 and landed at Mumbai at around 10.00 AM, thus ending one of our most memorable trips.

Kenya is a beautiful country with warm and welcoming people. Africa was our dream destination and we are happy to have stepped on this amazing continent.

Click URL to see some of the unforgettable moments we photographed during the trip.

Asante Kenya!

Travel Tips:
1)Masai Mara has many gates to enter the National Park.
2)If possible book for accommodation inside park well in advance during peak season. Say 4-5months in advance.
3)It is very dry and dusty during August, so carry some moisturizing cream.
4)Carry Mosquito repellent cream(Odomos worked for us)along with regular dose of prescribed Doxycycline tab for malaria prevention.
6)Drinking water is very expensive in Kenya and more so near tourist location like safari Parks.
7)yellow Fever Vaccination is done at Mumbai International Airport, below the flyover. Weekend and Monday its hard to get appointment as lot of outstation people book in advance. So try on weekdays like Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Early morning go and write your name in the sheet that is hanging on the door and come back at around 2PM for the vaccination. They take around 40-50 people a day. One vial is used for 10 people so if you happen to be 32nd in the list and that particular day no other person comes after you, you have to come back next day.
8)In Kenya they don't accept USD Currency printed before a particular year. (find out)
9)Review - Big Time Camp - budget,self contained tents(attached bathroom),very well maintained surroundings,mostly non-veg food. www.bigtimeholidays.com
10)Visit Masai tribes as it help in sustainable tourism. Most impotently the souvenirs they sell are not factory made and are less expensive. Bargaining is a must and it is appreciated.

Trip to Hampi with friends Deepa and Shivakami - 25th May to 31st May 2000

This was our first trip together with out our family or any organization's assistance (No guardians). So it was a great trip towards independence and to learn about our past.

We were put up at Hospet which is the nearest railway station and place to stay when any one visits Hampi as Hampi is just 12kms from Hospet. This was a trip with my friends Deepa and Shivakami.

We used to take daily morning bus to Kamalapura which is a half an hour drive from Hospet. Kamalapura has the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) office. On our first day which was a Friday, entrance to all the temples was free. So we went by ourselves without much guidance and we walked and walked seeing only major temples, but best are those which most tourist don't even see as these temples have been destroyed during the great war (Battle of Talikota - 1565) and so they are not worshiped any more, but they tell us a great story just by looking at them. So our first day at hampi was the worst day, as we did not see what we came here to see. Well we were tired and felt wasted. We did not plan well. and Hampi is vast and dry place.

So the next day we walked from Kamalapura which has few other must visit monuments like Queens bath Lotus mahal and Mahanavami Dibba, well in Mahanavami Dibba we were tired and we were resting and Deepa found a Gardner working far away, he was the Only other human other than us there, she went behind him and found out that he is a ASI employee and had accompanied archeologist during some of the excavations here. He showed interest to show us his work place THE GRAND VIJAYANAGAR EMPIRE, which would take minimum of 2 months to study. but we had just 3 days. So he agreed to show us some "not so visited" places in Hampi. We started visiting unique and beautiful monuments and we got special permission for the next 3 days from the chief archeologist. So special permission to see recent excavations. it was wonderful experience, the guide with us explained us so well it was as if we were living it. He told us a story about Tanaliramakrishna and his King Krishnadavaraya who ruled this place. He said this story when we were at Mahanavami Dibba.

Mahanavami Dibba which is said to be Krishnadavaraya's Palace, the building is not there now because it was believed and analyzed that the palace was built using wood and during Talikota war with the Muslim invaders, that they might have burnt the place down. The story goes this way. Once King Krishnadavaraya asked all his ministers in the office, if any one can build a taller building than the King's Palace in one day. Tanali Rama Krishna went on top of a mountain which is opposite to the King's Palace and placed few piller's and a slabs on top of it. When the King got up early in the morning he saw a shelter on top of the mountain so he call's his help to know about the structure that had come over night. His help had no clue. When he meets his office to find out if any one were successful in building a taller building than his palace. Tanali stands up asks him how the King missed the sight of the tallest building when he got up early morning. So smart was Tanali, even till date Tanali's shelter which is called as Tanali Rock can be seen from anywhere in Hampi.

The best time visit Hampi is just before Monsoon as it windy and not so Hot. During sun set the big big boulders give Hampi its beauty. During Sunset we were at Mathanga Parvata well Mathanga is a Sage and Parvata meaning Mountain. Sage Mathanga's daughter's name is Pampa hence Hampi. At sunset we could witness the Golden days of Hampi, the huge boulders were shining like Gold with the sun's rays falling on them. During those days Hampi was in its best time, they were selling gold like vegetables are sold today.

The next 2 days with our guide Basheer we walked in the morning and evening we hired 2 bicycle me in one as I had to double one and Deepa and Shivakami peddled by turn. We cycled on rocks (rock biking). I was having time of my life. We could cover more excavated places and saw much more. We saw lot of foreign tourist in these "not so visited" places. They had come to Hampi just like us to learn the great culture sadly they were all foreigners. I have observed something in this trip we Indians never give any importance to the great things that we have but those foreigners who have come from far away land stand in front of one monument for hours together with a book in their hand and appreciate each and every inch of the sculptures our forefathers have created. When we do that study we will understand that we were no less than the great empires or civilization of the world.

There is an ASI museum in Kamalapura. I advice all to go to this place first and see miniature model of the entire Hampi that have been excavated, which will give a better knowledge of the place.

Well we saw about 58 monuments in 5 days and still we have managed to see just 20% of the Ruined city. I give all the credit to the ASI as its only because of them that we can see our history in front of us as in monuments and stories sculpted on its boulders. Before ASI started excavating 99% of what we see today was under sand and mud and only one Virupaksha Temple was intact, which is worshiped even today.

Do visit Hampi it's yours and mine.

Picture Source : www.hampi.in

Trip to Himachal - June 2008

Mahesh wanted to take time off from his work for a week or so. We were thinking which place to visit in the month of June (beginning of Monsoon). We like ‘soft’ adventure activities so we searched on the internet and found Paragliding and Rafting in Manali and best time to visit for such activities was between May – June. So we started planning our vacation at Himachal Pradesh. We found Chandigarh to be the nearest connecting city to Manali. Since Shimla is a crowded city we decided to visit Kasauli instead which is 65kms from Chandigarh. It took 3hrs from Chandigarh to Kasauli by road. Kasauli is a quite hill town, with not much tourist and tourist spots. There is this “Manki Point” (that’s how locals call it) which is in a Air force Base,( High security, no cameras or Bags allowed) There is this Hanuman Temple on top. From the Air force Gate to the temple should be 1km walk …last 500mts there is a steep climb to the top, with the mist and the sounds of temple bells on the way were a motivating factor to reach on top. Legend has it Lord Hanuman’s feet brushed on this hill on his way to get Sanjeevani Herb for Lord Laxman. Apart from this there is nothing much to see… we went exploring this town by foot … It was getting foggy and sunny every 2mins so it was fun walking, gazing at some of the colonial houses. We stayed here for 2 days. 3rd day we had a long 7hrs journey by road to Manali. We took a less used route till Gagash, (not a short cut) to reach Manali.
We took SH9 instead of NH21 from Dharampur > Kunihal > Arki > Bilaspur (before entering the town take right) > Gagash on NH88 > Mandi Dist on NH 21 (we had our lunch at Hotel Raja) > Sundarnagar (bypass) > Pandho Dam > 3kms tunnel > Autt > Kullu > Manali. We reached Manali in the evening and we were tired after a long journey.
Day 1 We started early for sightseeing tour of Manali at around 8.30am which is early in this part of the world, which gave us a good head start or else it gets crowded by around 10AM on words. We 1st went to Hidimba Temple. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest. Temple has intricately carved wooden doors. It has three square roofs covered with timber tiles and a fourth brass cone-shaped roof at the top. In the same premise there is Ghatothkach Temple. Ghatothkach is the son of Hidimba and Bhima (one of the Pandavas). Then we went to Vashist Kund, which has Hot springs just 10 steps from the Temple. Then we went to Tibetan Gompa and Van Vihar, which is a mini forest of deodar trees, River Beas flows through it. River Beas flows through the center of Manali – Kullu. It starts from Rohtang Pass. Since it was lunch hour Van Vihar was not that crowded. We had our lunch at Original Sher-e-punjab dhaba on Mall road, which was recommended by someone else in the World Wide Web. It was good recommendation we enjoyed our lunch. There are 2-3 Sher-e-punjab dhaba’s on mall road, we did not try the rest. After lunch we proceeded to Manu Rishi Temple. This is 3kms from Manali. This temple is dedicated to Rishi Manu from whom human race is said to have started. This land was known as 'Land of Manu' and was later renamed Manali after him. Legend has it that when Manu Rishi came to this village he requested for a glass of milk, the lady of the house could not provide him milk as her cow had gone out to graze. Therefore Manu Rishi told her to milk the calf. To her surprise the calf was able to provide milk then he told the villagers to dig the cow shed and to their surprise they found idols of God… these idols are kept in Manu Rishi Temple to this day. There is a co-operative house where they sell shawls beside Manu Rishi Temple where we got a shawl for factory price.
Day 2 we had kept for Rohtang Pass which is 51kms from Manali. Our driver had advised us to start as early as 4am as roads leading to Rohtang pass is narrow and most of the time there are trucks stuck. As per his advice we left at 4.30am our hotel had given us packed breakfast. We were asked to hire jump suite as it will be very cold on top. It took us 4hrs to reach Rohtang pass as the road was blocked for some time coz of trucks. On our way we could see snow capped Himalaya. It is majestic. 'Rohtang' in Tibetan language means a house of corpses. Perhaps this name has been given to the pass due to the chain of accidental deaths that occurred here from time to time. The weather is unpredictable and fast wind blows in the afternoon. The pass remains open from June – December. This time Boarder Road Organization had cleared the road in the month of April itself. Even in the month of June there were portion of mountains covered in snow. We enjoyed sliding and falling on snow as it was our first time seeing snow. We were at Zero Point at altitude of 13050 feet above sea level. The same road leads to Leh which is in Ladhak, which has the highest motor-able road in the world. On our way back we saw Rahala Falls and we did para-gliding at Rohtang… They charge much more than Salong valley but scenery is beautiful at Rohtang than at Salong valley. They charge around 600/- but can reduce if bargained harder. Rohtang Pass takes almost entire day and it’s a hectic journey to the top and return.
Day 3 We wanted to do white water rafting today as weather was not permissible we decided to visit Naggar Castle and Art Gallery. The house and art work of Nicholas Roerish is in a pictures location, we enjoyed this trip. Castle too is beautifully carved in wood in typical Himachal architecture. Castle is now restored and converted into Hotel and Restaurant by Himachal Tourism Department. We had our lunch in the same castle which has amazing view of the hills.
Day 4 We left Manali and returned to Chandigarh (9hrs by road). Back to Mumbai.

My Recomendation:
Place to stay: Kasauli - Hotel Kasauli Regency, Kasauli Castle, Kasauli Resort.
Manali - Snow Valley Resort.
Place to Eat : Kasauli - Gyani Da Dhaba (Dharampur), Hotel Hemkunt Kasauli
Mandi - Highway Hotel: Hotel Raja.
Manali - Mall road Original Sher-e-punjabi. Snow Valley Resort
Log Hut area.

Anshi Nature Camp - Dec 2007

We came to know about Anshi Camp from a friend of us, who had been there. So we planned our trip from Mumbai to Goa and Holiday in Goa at Majorda Beach for 3 Nights, then we had arranged for a 4 Wheeler from Goa to Anshi (NH17). our driver did not know the route to Anshi, so we did our research on Google and with help of Google earth we found out that before Karwar , we have to take left at Sadashivgad a small village, then on we were waiting for sign post which we never saw , we were looking for Kadra, we were not sure if we were in the right track...road is bad...we found Kadra and saw a signpost which read Kadra dam. That's good now next stop is Anshi town. we saw a shop and stoped to ask him he said this is Anshi with 1 shop, a house, and Forest Range office... Shopkeeper said we need to take next right to reach Anshi Nature Camp. At last we reached. Since we had not got our confirmation letter regarding our reservation, we were asked to go back to Range office and confirm on that, and they said they would keep our lunch ready. Anshi town has one phone (solar phone) so range office confirmed our reservation at Dandeli office and all done and we were hungry and got hot hot lunch, relished it and relaxed on the hammock. and hour latter, care taker cum trekking guide told us he is free to take us for a trek. We went for a 5kms trek and was nice nature walk. Don't expect any local animals to visit you. Anshi is the only forest in India where Black Panthers are found, later came to know there are only 7 in number, so they are no where to be seen... View from the summit was breath taking. We realized there is nothing other than trekking at Anshi, so next day we decided to go to Dandeli, Kulgi Camp (where we had been in 2006) and went for a mid day Kali River rafting for the second time, It was refreshing... since it was our second time on the same controlled rapids we did not have that much thrill as we had when we did for the first time... anyway was a day well spent. then back at Anshi and relishing dinner and next day after breakfast we decided to go to some beach near Karwar. By the time we came near Karwar it was lunch time and decided no point going to beach so late as we may get stuck in traffic in Goa in the evening ( that's what our driver suggested) so we had our lunch Karnataka - Goa border a expected Udupi Hotel. On the way we purchased Goa souvenirs, cashew, Wine and reached Narayan Kaka's house where we staid as our train was booked next day morning.

Drive from Darjeeling to Gangtok. – 28Oct1998

Start of our journey it was as usual hilly drive, but after a while may be at around 4PM we stopped at Teesta River for break, God! What a place. We have to travel more 7hrs, around 47kms to Gangtok. Teesta is 24kms from Darjeeling. In the dark when moon was in its full the River looked beautiful. Teesta is the best river in India for rafting. I saw many rafts but nobody using them.
The ghat section with winding roads and cool breeze hitting on me was something I can never forget. Theesta and the Moon were traveling with us all through our journey they were shining on us. When we were near to Gangtok I found people there relaxed and willing wave back to us as we went though village after village.
In Gangtok we went to many places our car driver was very friendly person he gave us lot of information about his home town(Gangtok) TOK means top of the hill, So Gangtok. Every place in Gangtok is a View point. It’s the place to be. Seeing all these places I don’t know what is so great about Bangalore that I keep bragging about.