I went with three friends at work to a jungle lodge this weekend.
It was a good break from the routine and I find now, after returning, that this was something necessary. A routine is good, but it is only when one breaks from it that one realises how stifling it can become. I understand the meaning of "comfort zone" in this sense now !
We left on Saturday morning. The local FM station played good hits to put us in a peppy mood for the trip. The road was good and we had brought cassettes of music that all of us liked. So, there was the well-engineered car, there were four men eagerly looking forward for an adventurous weekend and there was the road. It didn't get better than this !
The journey was fun. We were amazed at how helpful people are when we asked for directions. In fact, at one mofussil town, the traffic policeman walked across the road and told us the route.
It was past lunchtime when we reached the jungle lodge. The people at the reception said that lunch was available, but we wanted to check in and freshen up first. Our accommodation were cabins of palm tree logs and of wood, built on a wooden platform 7 feet high, above the ground. We could not believe that we would be staying in such an exotic accommodation !
We had a good lunch and then talked for a while. Some distance ago, there were nets put up above the ground. One of my friends suggested that we climb into it and spend some time there. Initially, I thought he had gone nuts ! We are professionals and gentlemen and this was an antic of a monkey that he proposed ! Still, my other two friends gamely took the suggestion and it was they who climbed the ladder and fell into the net first.
Stuck on the ground, looking at the three of them, I felt like an odd man out and initially decided that even though it looked like fun, I wouldn't be doing this "monkey antic" ! After some time, the feeling of being the odd one out was too much to bear ! I decided to give this "net thing" a try and rather gingerly stepped over the ropes holding the net ! Once I was over, I slid down into the net and IT WAS FUN ! I lay on the net, relaxing and stretching. The feeling was good !
Grapes are sour but if you do get to eat them, they are pretty sweet actually :-)
Soon, it was time to go for the safari. We went in a jeep with four wheel drive with two couples. The roads were actually mud tracks for a lot of the time, uneven tar roads for some time and a combination of the two, usually ! The driver and the accompanying guide encouraged us to stand in the open air jeep. It didn't require a second invitation to stand in the moving jeep and experience the sounds, scents and sights of the jungle ! There were trees of all kinds of around us and squirrels and fresh looking yellow flowers on the trees. There was also healthy, fresh green leaves on the trees. Our guide informed us that it has been raining in the evenings regularly. The rains had been the life provider to the trees, I felt.
The driver came to a gradual halt and pointed to the right : there were spotted deer. We would see hordes of spotted deer during the safari. One of my friends took photos in his digital camera for us to see and admire in "real time" ! There were also sambar deer, barking deer and bisons. The bisons were a sight to behold, inspiring awe at their sizes. One in particular, looked large and well fed. In the jeep, we discussed the implications of it charging us. The consensus was that the sturdy jeep would be no match for the bison ! The only animal missing was the wild elephant. In fact, this was the sole disappointment of the trip : in spite of going on two safaris, we did not see a wild elephant.
We reached a watering hole, but unfortunately, there were no animals close by. It was also getting dark. Our driver turned back. On the way back, we saw a lovely kingfisher and a couple of other rather striking looking birds.
We four friends had dinner and then a long conversation. We talked about work and a lot on other things. Among "other things", we discussed other holidays and breaks that we had taken and we also exchanged stories. After that, it was time to sleep the sleep of the just.
Personally, I didn't sleep too well, but it still required the wake up call of a hot cup of coffee for me to open my eyes in the morning. Obviously, I must have slept at some time in the night ! In the morning, we repeated the safari ride with lesser luck. We also did a 1.5 km walk up to the top of a hill. In the middle of the ascent, I took a breather, which was a mistake ! Every few steps upwards, I felt the need for resting ! Still, I reached the top and got my breath back and then went up the watch tower.
The view up there was worth the breath I lost ! I looked around and saw hills surrounding me everywhere. The hilltops were covered with large patches of brown as the barren trees wilted in the heat of our summer here. Among the patches of brown were small patches of green. Satisfied that the morning safari wasn't a total failure, we trooped back, down to the waiting jeep.
By noon, we left the resort. Now, I find myself wishing that I had done this earlier !
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NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
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===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
It was a good break from the routine and I find now, after returning, that this was something necessary. A routine is good, but it is only when one breaks from it that one realises how stifling it can become. I understand the meaning of "comfort zone" in this sense now !
We left on Saturday morning. The local FM station played good hits to put us in a peppy mood for the trip. The road was good and we had brought cassettes of music that all of us liked. So, there was the well-engineered car, there were four men eagerly looking forward for an adventurous weekend and there was the road. It didn't get better than this !
The journey was fun. We were amazed at how helpful people are when we asked for directions. In fact, at one mofussil town, the traffic policeman walked across the road and told us the route.
It was past lunchtime when we reached the jungle lodge. The people at the reception said that lunch was available, but we wanted to check in and freshen up first. Our accommodation were cabins of palm tree logs and of wood, built on a wooden platform 7 feet high, above the ground. We could not believe that we would be staying in such an exotic accommodation !
We had a good lunch and then talked for a while. Some distance ago, there were nets put up above the ground. One of my friends suggested that we climb into it and spend some time there. Initially, I thought he had gone nuts ! We are professionals and gentlemen and this was an antic of a monkey that he proposed ! Still, my other two friends gamely took the suggestion and it was they who climbed the ladder and fell into the net first.
Stuck on the ground, looking at the three of them, I felt like an odd man out and initially decided that even though it looked like fun, I wouldn't be doing this "monkey antic" ! After some time, the feeling of being the odd one out was too much to bear ! I decided to give this "net thing" a try and rather gingerly stepped over the ropes holding the net ! Once I was over, I slid down into the net and IT WAS FUN ! I lay on the net, relaxing and stretching. The feeling was good !
Grapes are sour but if you do get to eat them, they are pretty sweet actually :-)
Soon, it was time to go for the safari. We went in a jeep with four wheel drive with two couples. The roads were actually mud tracks for a lot of the time, uneven tar roads for some time and a combination of the two, usually ! The driver and the accompanying guide encouraged us to stand in the open air jeep. It didn't require a second invitation to stand in the moving jeep and experience the sounds, scents and sights of the jungle ! There were trees of all kinds of around us and squirrels and fresh looking yellow flowers on the trees. There was also healthy, fresh green leaves on the trees. Our guide informed us that it has been raining in the evenings regularly. The rains had been the life provider to the trees, I felt.
The driver came to a gradual halt and pointed to the right : there were spotted deer. We would see hordes of spotted deer during the safari. One of my friends took photos in his digital camera for us to see and admire in "real time" ! There were also sambar deer, barking deer and bisons. The bisons were a sight to behold, inspiring awe at their sizes. One in particular, looked large and well fed. In the jeep, we discussed the implications of it charging us. The consensus was that the sturdy jeep would be no match for the bison ! The only animal missing was the wild elephant. In fact, this was the sole disappointment of the trip : in spite of going on two safaris, we did not see a wild elephant.
We reached a watering hole, but unfortunately, there were no animals close by. It was also getting dark. Our driver turned back. On the way back, we saw a lovely kingfisher and a couple of other rather striking looking birds.
We four friends had dinner and then a long conversation. We talked about work and a lot on other things. Among "other things", we discussed other holidays and breaks that we had taken and we also exchanged stories. After that, it was time to sleep the sleep of the just.
Personally, I didn't sleep too well, but it still required the wake up call of a hot cup of coffee for me to open my eyes in the morning. Obviously, I must have slept at some time in the night ! In the morning, we repeated the safari ride with lesser luck. We also did a 1.5 km walk up to the top of a hill. In the middle of the ascent, I took a breather, which was a mistake ! Every few steps upwards, I felt the need for resting ! Still, I reached the top and got my breath back and then went up the watch tower.
The view up there was worth the breath I lost ! I looked around and saw hills surrounding me everywhere. The hilltops were covered with large patches of brown as the barren trees wilted in the heat of our summer here. Among the patches of brown were small patches of green. Satisfied that the morning safari wasn't a total failure, we trooped back, down to the waiting jeep.
By noon, we left the resort. Now, I find myself wishing that I had done this earlier !
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
NOTE:
I had originally written this blog in another site. Since that site is no longer accessible, I am uploading it in this blog at http://fewidlethoughts.blogspot.in/ using the same date as the original blog dates.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
===== COMMON TEXT FOR ALL BLOGS =====
++++++ BEGINS ++++++
When I created my first blog, I thought I was
being clever by being "anonymous" and let my
opinions speak for themselves (see the archive !)
Imagine my embarrassment when I saw my name
displayed ! So now, while I still retain the blog
name as "Anonymous Expressions", I will only
request you to ignore my name and concentrate on
my opinions instead !
All copyrights and trademarks are acknowledged as
the properties of their owners.
The opinions expressed in the Weblogs are my
personal opinions. Please tell me if you spot any
factual mistakes or don't like the way I have
expressed a view. If I can see your point, I will
correct the mistake. You can email me at
kiran.suma@gmail.com.
++++++ ENDS ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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