Cooling Off

The heat is becoming unbearable each passing day, and with the summer holidays of the kids already on, I thought we may as well hit the hills..So, we set off for Manali. As we didn’t have much time to plan, all our forest rest houses have been booked by the time I made my enquiries. Even most of the hotels have also been fully booked. After much effort, one of the guys managed to find a cottage and conveyed the news. The last time I visited Manali was some 11 years ago and so I was a little apprehensive as to what the journey would be like, especially the condition of the roads. Fortunately, the roads are very good and in fact repair and expansion was going on in many places. In fact the first part of the journey, right from Kharar to Ghanauli was a tiresome one even though it covered the “plains” area of the journey, because of the many diversions, repairs,dusts,blockades…etc all due to the expansion/widening works going on.Guess it would be a great ride after about a year when the works are completed. Anyway, the rest of the journey was a smooth one, at least as far as the roads are concerned.

But in Sundernagar area…there was a huge traffic jam which lasted for nearly 3 hours..it was frustrating as the road was, very narrow…you can’t turn back nor was there another route…thankfully, the  jam cleared by around 2pm and we rushed ahead..hoping to reach before darkness sets in.  We stopped for a break and grabbed a bite in the outskirts of Mandi, by which time it had started drizzling and strong gusts of wind were blowing…

We drove on without stopping as it was getting late till we reach Manali by about 8.30 pm. Just on the outskirts of Manali on the main highway is a toll barrier, unlike most- a green toll tax. Himachal is one of the most advanced states in India in terms of implementation of Environmental related issues.

We reached our cottage after some effort, and I was wondering what the kids would say..they are used to the comforts of home or our own rest-houses, but this time because of the sudden plan and the heavy tourist season all our rest houses have already been booked..we had to stay at the cottage. When we entered-the kids loved it!! It is just like a mini home, all made of wood…the ground floor having a drawing-dining area and the kitchen while the winding staircase leads to two immaculate bedrooms with ample spaces and independent terraces to boot…the cottage having located just below the hillock of the Hidimba temple, the view was sublime and serene…

Because of the younger kid, we took our domestic help along and so we had a “home-cooked” food before we retire after a long, hard journey.

The next day was a hectic one as

Dhanolti – off the beaten track

 

Its been a long time since we had a break and went out, especially to some wild and isolated place. We had gone to most of the hill stations and the kids could not reconcile to the fact that these days the hill stations are hardly any different from any city or town -  the same traffic jams, the same overcrowded bazaars, the same heat and humidity…During my recent visit to Dehradun to attend  a fortnight get-together of service-mates after a gap of 10 years, I thought I may as well utilize the opportunity and visit the hills again. So I took my family along during the weekend and after reliving great memories from the days we spent here when I was undergoing training at the IGNFA way back in 1997, we thought of moving towards Mussoorie. However, the charm, the anticipation and excitement of going to a hill station was missing probably because we have been to Mussoorie so many times. Then I remembered Dhanolti. Dhanolti was such a beautiful, and enchanting place when I visited it way back in 1998 that the freshness of the place still lingers. It is off the beaten tract and so different from Mussoorie that I decided that this would be the best place to take the kids, this time around.

 

   

 

Dhanolti is a pristine hill top located some 29 kms from Mussoorie. From the Dehradun -  Mussoorie highway, some 21 kms from Dehradun towards Mussoorie, there is a detour, which will lead to Dhanolti. I had rang up the local DFO to reserve the Forest Rest House and since the lodging was taken care of (which in fact is the most important thing while going to a hill station…) and since I had been to the place earlier, I took it lightly and started off in the afternoon from Dehradun, hoping to reach Dhanolti just before sunset. The journey went smoothly right upto the road bifurcation leading to Mussoorie and Dhanolti. However, as we gained height and started driving up the hill slopes it started drizzling. Although the roads are good, there were some patches where the metalled surface had worn off and it became quite slippery and dangerous. Dangerous because, the higher you go up, the narrower the roads become and the more difficult it becomes to negotiate your way around, especially when it its raining. In some areas, there is also the danger of landslides taking place and in fact when we were some 10 kms short of Dhanolti, some local people advised us to go back as there was heavy rainfall overnight and the possiblitiy of a landslide is high. I went against the advise and drove on as our destination was within touching range and at least some Forest guys woud be there to help out if the need arose. We drove on and it was just getting dark when we reached the Forest Rest House. Even though the drizzle continued and it took some time before the chowkidar turned up, the children immediately fell for the charm that the place exudes.

 

   

 

The location of the rest house throws up a spectacular view of the surrounding. And even though the kids would love to watch the sunset over the meandering hills and the deodar trees, the slight drizzle made us all troop inside the cosy rooms of the resthouse. The resthouse is built on the old englsih bungalow style and has good facilities. However, it seems it has not been maintained for some time and the carpeted floors were smelling a bit because of the humid conditions of the hills. I thought of calling it a day and was about to snuggle up under the blankets when the light went off. The chowkidar tried his best but could not get the lights on even after trying for some 45 mins. My wife then suggested that we better move to the adjoining resort maintained by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Mandal (GMVN in short), because it would be difficult with the limited facilities especially when there is a small kid around. So we shifted to the resort which had excellent facilities. The management was more than happy to find the best suites for us when I explained who we were and the problem we were facing at the late hours.  After a good heavy dinner, the kids watch some movies on the laptop before snoring away blissfully.

 

   

Next morning we woke up to a pristine morning. The kids  had a nice time playing in the meadows filled with deodar and green grasses. After having breakfast and trekking for some more time around the hills, we started for our jouney back to Dehradun, this time via Rishikesh. ANd even though we all had visited Rishikesh on earlier occasions also, it was a welcome break to stop over for a while at the holy place before finally raching Dehradun by evening.

The Taj

Its been a long time since we had gone out for a holiday. This weekend presented a golden opportunity as Friday was declared a holiday on account of Shivratri. So I took half day leave from office on thursday, pack my bags and set off with the kids on my car. As for the destination, with the romance of Valentine’s day still lingering on, what better place than the epitome of love – the Taj Mahal…

As it was almost 4 pm by the time we left Chandigarh, we stopped over the night at Delhi. The ride was quite ok, except for the 40 odd kms from chandigarh to Ambala which earlier was a one lane road but is under process of conversion into a 4 lane drive. Another bottleneck is at Panipat, which is some 100kms from Chandigarh where there is perpetual traffic jams. The government has already initiated construction of an overbridge, however work is going on at a snail’s pace…

Anyway, we started for Agra at around 10:45 am from Delhi. My friend Sanjio, who was earlier posted in Agra had earlier phoned to confirm that my accomodation has been arranged at the UP Tourist Bungalow, some 4-5 kms from the Taj. I had expressed my desire to stay at the forest rest house situated just adjacent to the Taj and where I had the pleasure of staying on earlier occassions. However, the resthouse have been booked for another party that day.

As we crossed the delhi border towards Badarpur I was hoping that the traffic would mellow down a bit,, but it was not to be. Almost for the entire length upto Faridabad which is some 40 kms from Delhi, the traffic is just the same unmoving, unrelenting juggernaut. However, I heave a sigh of releif once we touch the outskirts and drove into the countryside, with wide open fields and clean vibrant air.

The road on this section is also quite good. It is part of the Grand Trunk Road by Sher Shah Suri some 500 years ago and one can still see some of the commemorative minarets built by him along the road. I had seen these in the sections of the GT Road falling in Punjab and Haryana, now I’m seeing them in the UP section and one is right in the heart of Agra city! Well we reached the Soorsarovar Wild Life Sanctuary, which is situated just 16 kms from Agra city, at around 2:00 pm. Here we were greeted by the Range Officer in charge, who was kind enough to arrange tea for us. After a refreshing cup of tea to break the long drive, we drove down to the Tourist Bungalow at Agra, have some rest and then at around 4pm, we set off to view the Taj.

Because of the damage caused by pollution, the immediate vicinity of the Taj is not approachable by normal vehicle. You have to park your car some 1.5km from the main gate, and then take various options like simply walk, take a cycle rickshaw, ride on a tonga or take a battery operated vehicle (like the ones on the golf courses) to reach the main gate. Well, I wanted my kids to enjoy a tonga ride so we sat on one and proceeded towards the taj. As it was a friday, the Taj itself is closed to visitors, so we went behind the Taj, towards the Yamuna river to take a boat ride and enjoy a different perspective. From whichever angle you see, the Taj is still spectacular and to view the Taj from the Yamuna river, with the scintillating reflection dancing in the waves was simply amazing. However, the sad part is the dirt scattered around. Hardly 10m from the foundation is fenced, protected and has a well manicured lawn, however, the rest of the area is littered with all kids of dirt – excreta of human, animals, bones, plastic, plastic and plastic everywhere. The Yamuna river has all but dried up and you can’t help but wonder, how we are going to preserve this wonderful monument of love after it has survive for more than 300 years now…

Ukhrul da eigi

Ukhrul is one of the most beautiful places in Manipur. Home to the proud Tangkhuls and abode of the unique Siroy lily and immortalised by many songs notably by Naba Volcano – Ukhrul da eigi thawai leihoure, Chingi eechal ...Ukhrul has been beckoning since childhood. However I have not been able to visit this wonderful place until recently.

During my recent visit back home in Imphal I made it a point that this time I had to visit Ukhrul come what may. I teamed up with my old school chum, Boy and made elaborate plans. But his busy schedule made the trip seem increasingly difficult to accomplice – till I finally announced to him that I am going anyway, regardless of whether he comes with me or not and that did it, we finally went!! He was a little apprehensive as the area is sensitive due to militancy. We earlier thought of taking along someone from Ukhrul who works with Boy so that we have some sort of a “local” to guide us around town… however, one thing led to another and we end up barely making the trip ourselves.

As luck would have it a “bandh” was announced on the eve of our departure, but I had already made up my mind – I’ll go – come what may. We started off early, with the intention of avoiding the bandh callers and also with the plan of returning the same day if possible. But as we neared Sawombung, we saw tyres being burnt on the streets and we groaned. We went to his brother’s place in Sawombung, scribbled “ON EXAM DUTY” on a white A4 size paper and pasted it on the windshield of our car. In the hurry, we could not find any gum so we used rice paste which more than perfectly did the job. And as there was no petrol pump opening due to the bandh, we had to rely on the typical local “pump” – the paan dukan with a funnel and converted tin containers – for the petrol to take us to Ukhrul. Well, having no reason to doubt the “eeteima” who says her petrol is the purest you’ll ever find in the neighbourhood, and having ensured the security concerns, local style (Exam duty!!), we finally pushed off for Ukhrul. Surprisingly, the road is very good for most parts of the journey except for some potholes here and there.

We thought of going fast so that we reach early but at the same time we also want to take in the breathtaking beauty of the scenery around us which keeps on changing every turn we take in the long winding road. I took many photographs – of the birds that keep darting out from the bushes, the gentle waves of hillocks that seem to merge into one another, the clearing in the middle of the jungle at a distant hill-side, the tell-tale sign of shifting cultivation….

We were stopped by an army checkpost halfway along the journey at a village called Ramva. “Ramva?” I wondered, what kind of a village name is this in the midst of nowehere. The only Ramva I can relate to is the buxom south Indian actress. As Boy went in to show the documents of the vehicle to the checkpost in charge, I thought I may as well explore the sparse market place for a cup of hot tea. As I ordered the tea, Boy also joined in after completing the formalities and we had a nice time enjoying the hot tea and the beautiful surrounding. After finishing the tea, we were all set to leave when a youngish guy came up and again asked for the papers. I asked what papers as we had already shown it to the guys at the checkpost and he mentioned driving licence, I-card. I got irritated a bit and said I would give, but he should also identify who he was as I was not ready to do the honours to any Tom, Dick and Harry. The guy seemed a little taken aback at my audacity to ask such questions, as in most cases, nobody dare ask the security forces anything even if you feel disturbed or harrassed. However, he kept his cool and said that any ID papers would do, so I showed. After finding out that I’m a senior officer in the government he apologised and said I should have mentioned my status first. He then offered tea at his office. As one of the tyres seem to be punctured we gladly accepted his offer of tea as we wait for the mechanic to fix the tyre. He is a Major in the Indian Army, originally from Orissa, and landed up in Manipur only a few days back. After enjoying his hospitality which included the latest hindi songs, which is a rarity in Manipur nowadays as some militant outfit has banned hindi in the state (that I beleive will be another good story..) from his Worldspace Satellite Radio, run from a battery based inverter…we pushed off for the final frontier..

We reached Ukhrul town at around 1:30 pm parked the car in front of the sports ground, where incidentally a football match was going on, asked the local mechanic to again check the tyres, and headed off towards the main market. Even though the town has grown in terms of size, people, infrastructure and other modern amenities, it still has that rustic charm and an unique beauty which is not easily describable. I tried to soak in the environment, as we walked around, looking at the shops, the goods and the people. In the distance I heard some gunshots which I could easily make out as AK 47 rifle shots, however, as I thought Ukhrul being a disturbed area with so many security forces around, they must be doing some target practice at a nearby firing range. However, after a few more shots, we saw people running, shouting and utter chaos followed, with shops downiong their shutters, and within minutes, the whole area wore a deserted look. We realised that some firing has taken place and immediately rushed into a nearby shop and took shelter. There were some other people and we stayed low for another 5-6 minutess which were interspersed with more sporadic firing with what seem like grenade explosions. When the firing finally subsided, we peeped out of the cracks of the wooden wall of the shop and then manage to venture out when some more shops starting opening their shutters and people again started gathering to discuss what actually happened. It actually transpired that there was a protest near the football ground which we just left and the security forces had to resort to firing in the air and throwing teargas canisters to disperse the agitating mob. Well, what a scare !!

Anyway, we thought we may as well cancel our plans to stay overnight in the town and thought it better to push towards the famed Siroy hills first before doing anything else. As we went towards the hill, I saw some wooden artifacts on one of the side roads and went in to see what all he had. The shop had statues, handicrafts and other items carved out of wood for decorative purposes. It also had some animal trophies, mostly busts of deers and bisons, which are quite common in this part of the world. I was extremely surprised but I was stumped when I saw a fully stuffed leopard in the inner cabin of the shop. I asked the shopkeeper if I can get stuff tigers, he said he can aranged for it proveided I have the money…well well, we kept chasing Veerapan and the likes of Sansarchand and here right there all the endangered animals were on display just like potatoes and vegetables…there was nothing much I could do, but having make a note of it I planned to inform the authorities after reaching Imphal, we pushed off for Siroy and reached the famed hill after travelling some 30 more kms from Ukhrul. At the foothill, there was a physical barrier, obviously for moitoring unauthorised movements, however as we approched what appeared to be the checkpost, there was nobody around. We confirmed from a local tea vendor that there infact was no restrictions as such and we can drive up a part of the way till the rest house. So we drove up some 1 km where we find a table-top kind of flat area which is the base camp before climbing to the peak of Siroy. Presently there is a rest house built by the tourism department, relatvively new, but there is nobody around and all rooms are locked so you can’t use the facility. The view from this point is spectacular and we resolved to come back again, perhaps with family and trek up to the peak during the blooming season of Lilium maclinium, better known as Siroy lily.

Some facts about Siroy are:

• Local called the Shirui Kashong, the peak is at a height of 2763 m above sea level
• It is the only natural habitat of Lilium maclinium in the world and blooms every year in May
• It is the shelter for some rare and endangered species like the hornbill, tragopan, plythe, varieties of orchids etc.
• The peak gets snowfall, locally known as “horam kathak” in the month of January.
• The shirui kashong stream originating from this peak is the only source of water for Ukhrul town.
• Legend has it that every visit to the peak is blessed with a shower of rain. Legend also has it that the legendary lion “Kazingkha” also resides here…

Into the Jungle

I just came back from a funfilled and adventurous outing inside the forests of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the states well endowed with rich natural and wild life resources. In order to tap the eco-tourism potential of the state the Jungle Lodges and Resorts was launched some 25 years ago and today they have a chain of very good resorts right inside deep forests.

The resorts are located in pristine, undisturbed areas inside the forest and the physical assets like buildings etc are constructed in such a way that they blend with the natural surroundings almost perfectly. The setting and look of the buildings, tents, loghuts etc are quite primitive from the outside to give that “Junglee” look, but on the inside, facilities provided is amost 5 star quality. The best part is that most of the resorts are located so deep inside that you do not have mobile signals, nor do they provide TV or other forms of entertainment. So basically you are cut off from the world and you are alone with nature. They also provide excellent nautralist who accompany you in your trips and treks inside the wild forests. In fact the whole package includes safaris, treks, boat rides, bird watching trails etc. All in all it is a very refreshing experience after the hustle and bustle of city life. For the more adventurous ones there is river rafting, paragliding, mountain biking etc, and for the more relaxed ones, you have angling facilities. In fact angling is the main attraction for the foreign tourists who came especially to catch the Mahsheer fish, the largest fresh water fish. Of course, you have to release the fish after taking a snap with it!!

Some of the resorts are Bannerghatta ( hardly 25 km from Bangalore city), Kabini, Bheemeswari, B.R.Hills (erstwhile Veerapan territory) etc.

And did you know – Kabini Resort is one of the top 5 wild life resorts of the World?!!

Link : www.junglelodges.com.