BANDIPUR WEEKEND TRIP
I am seeing photos of a trip to Bandipur last week, on a photo CD. Bandipur is a forest sanctuary around 180 km from home. Our family went there last week. As I see photos of a gorge that we saw, its beauty takes my breath away. After the rains, there was a lot of greenery on the road to Bandipur.
We enjoyed the drive and the scenery. In fact, on our way back from Bandipur, we stopped to take photos amidst the paddy and wheat crops and also in a spectacular, yellow marigold field. I feel that Wordsworth must have seen a sight something like this when he composed "Daffodils" :-) If you wonder what I am talking about, see http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/63.html for details.
Seeing the photos now, I recall our experience during the weekend.
The first sensation that comes to mind is the freshness of the wind in the jungle ! The feeling of the wind on my face, arms and legs is a refreshing thought that perks me up even as I recall its memory ! When were reached Bandipur, we found that our lodge was luxuriously comfortable. See http://www.junglelodges.com for more information. Since we arrived during lunch time, we freshened up and went to a central round hall (can that be called a "gazebo" ?) where snacks and lunch are served.
Even as I entered the hall, I knew that the breeze was going to be something to remember - and within minutes I had proof ! I served myself a light, round, fried papad. By the time I went to the table, the wind had caught it, lifted it out of the plate and smashed it to bits and pieces on the floor ! When I went back to get another one, I had learnt my lesson. I returned, munching it noisily ensuring that the wind had no chance of messing with my papad !
After lunch, I lazed on a hammock talking with our family, savouring the light swinging sensation in it, even as drops of a light drizzle fell. Soon, it was time for the jeep safari.
Our guide was a naturalist who knew his job. He could observe birds and animals that I struggled to locate even after he pointed it out to us ! The safari was in an open jeep. Initially, we all sat down like the civilised city people that we are. Once we hit the jungle, though, very few of us spent the rest of the time sitting !
I followed the example of our observant guide, watching and listening with intent. In the moving jeep, keeping my balance and then also keeping my eyes open for any movement amidst the trees and my ears open for a sound other than the noise of the jeep's engine was quite a job ! Yet, it was good fun. Even as I strived to locate a denizen of the jungle, the fresh air did its bit in rejuvenating me.
Where my eyes were used to reading headlights and movements of other vehicles in the concrete jungle, here I was using them to just see four legged creatures, (feathered !) birds - and two legged simians ! We learnt that a bus had seen a tiger. Our excitement increased over the prospect of seeing a tiger in the wild. Sadly, it wasn't to be. In spite of our guide doing his best, the tiger was elusive.
It doesn't really matter, in my opinion. Just the feel of the wind on my face as I stood in the jeep was worth the price of the safari ! We also had a few memorable "sightings" as the guide put it. On one occasion, a young male elephant saw us and decided that he didn't like the idea of people in a jeep marvelling over his tusks ! He mock charged us - as we learnt later from our guide. Our guide informed us that elephants frequently mock charge against possible threats, in an attempt at bravado. Our guide told us not to panic, but that was easier said than done .... particularly when a young tusker charges at us and displays an agility that belies his size ! There was another "encounter" with an elephant. This time, it was for real. We went along one of the roads and exactly in front of us was a full grown tusked elephant ! Clearly, he thought he had the right of way and charged ! Our driver swerved right and the danger passed.
We saw other animals : spotted deer, peacocks, one of them flying from branch to branch, sambar deer, quails, larks, jungle fowl and a gaur that made me understand why a bull is associated with raw strength ! The trees of the jungle were all green, but the rain also meant that the parthenium weed also grew in profusion. The guide conceded that the swathes of low green parthenium shrubs posed a danger to the flora in the forest.
In the night, we met a couple of other guests at the campfire. One family stays a couple of blocks away from home ! In the jungle, the cold wind continued to blow and the campfire's warmth was simply not enough for me ! I hadn't brought any jackets and unknown to others in the night, my teeth chattered every time a gust of cold wind blew ! When I went in to sleep after a fitful dinner, I relished the warmth of the rugs on the soft bed.
The next morning, we went in a jeep to see a gorge. As I said, the view is amazing : the greenery along the sides of the gorge is unbelievable. Though we were slightly above sea level, the place felt like we were in a hill station ! One other time I experienced such a sensation of peace and calm was when we visited Munnar, a hill station in southern India. The sight of verdant greenery is something that refreshes my eyes and mind like nothing else does.
We saw wild dogs, a barking deer and a spectacular kingfisher that morning.
All of us returned, refreshed and ready to take on whatever the new week had to offer !
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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 ++++++
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I am seeing photos of a trip to Bandipur last week, on a photo CD. Bandipur is a forest sanctuary around 180 km from home. Our family went there last week. As I see photos of a gorge that we saw, its beauty takes my breath away. After the rains, there was a lot of greenery on the road to Bandipur.
We enjoyed the drive and the scenery. In fact, on our way back from Bandipur, we stopped to take photos amidst the paddy and wheat crops and also in a spectacular, yellow marigold field. I feel that Wordsworth must have seen a sight something like this when he composed "Daffodils" :-) If you wonder what I am talking about, see http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/63.html for details.
Seeing the photos now, I recall our experience during the weekend.
The first sensation that comes to mind is the freshness of the wind in the jungle ! The feeling of the wind on my face, arms and legs is a refreshing thought that perks me up even as I recall its memory ! When were reached Bandipur, we found that our lodge was luxuriously comfortable. See http://www.junglelodges.com for more information. Since we arrived during lunch time, we freshened up and went to a central round hall (can that be called a "gazebo" ?) where snacks and lunch are served.
Even as I entered the hall, I knew that the breeze was going to be something to remember - and within minutes I had proof ! I served myself a light, round, fried papad. By the time I went to the table, the wind had caught it, lifted it out of the plate and smashed it to bits and pieces on the floor ! When I went back to get another one, I had learnt my lesson. I returned, munching it noisily ensuring that the wind had no chance of messing with my papad !
After lunch, I lazed on a hammock talking with our family, savouring the light swinging sensation in it, even as drops of a light drizzle fell. Soon, it was time for the jeep safari.
Our guide was a naturalist who knew his job. He could observe birds and animals that I struggled to locate even after he pointed it out to us ! The safari was in an open jeep. Initially, we all sat down like the civilised city people that we are. Once we hit the jungle, though, very few of us spent the rest of the time sitting !
I followed the example of our observant guide, watching and listening with intent. In the moving jeep, keeping my balance and then also keeping my eyes open for any movement amidst the trees and my ears open for a sound other than the noise of the jeep's engine was quite a job ! Yet, it was good fun. Even as I strived to locate a denizen of the jungle, the fresh air did its bit in rejuvenating me.
Where my eyes were used to reading headlights and movements of other vehicles in the concrete jungle, here I was using them to just see four legged creatures, (feathered !) birds - and two legged simians ! We learnt that a bus had seen a tiger. Our excitement increased over the prospect of seeing a tiger in the wild. Sadly, it wasn't to be. In spite of our guide doing his best, the tiger was elusive.
It doesn't really matter, in my opinion. Just the feel of the wind on my face as I stood in the jeep was worth the price of the safari ! We also had a few memorable "sightings" as the guide put it. On one occasion, a young male elephant saw us and decided that he didn't like the idea of people in a jeep marvelling over his tusks ! He mock charged us - as we learnt later from our guide. Our guide informed us that elephants frequently mock charge against possible threats, in an attempt at bravado. Our guide told us not to panic, but that was easier said than done .... particularly when a young tusker charges at us and displays an agility that belies his size ! There was another "encounter" with an elephant. This time, it was for real. We went along one of the roads and exactly in front of us was a full grown tusked elephant ! Clearly, he thought he had the right of way and charged ! Our driver swerved right and the danger passed.
We saw other animals : spotted deer, peacocks, one of them flying from branch to branch, sambar deer, quails, larks, jungle fowl and a gaur that made me understand why a bull is associated with raw strength ! The trees of the jungle were all green, but the rain also meant that the parthenium weed also grew in profusion. The guide conceded that the swathes of low green parthenium shrubs posed a danger to the flora in the forest.
In the night, we met a couple of other guests at the campfire. One family stays a couple of blocks away from home ! In the jungle, the cold wind continued to blow and the campfire's warmth was simply not enough for me ! I hadn't brought any jackets and unknown to others in the night, my teeth chattered every time a gust of cold wind blew ! When I went in to sleep after a fitful dinner, I relished the warmth of the rugs on the soft bed.
The next morning, we went in a jeep to see a gorge. As I said, the view is amazing : the greenery along the sides of the gorge is unbelievable. Though we were slightly above sea level, the place felt like we were in a hill station ! One other time I experienced such a sensation of peace and calm was when we visited Munnar, a hill station in southern India. The sight of verdant greenery is something that refreshes my eyes and mind like nothing else does.
We saw wild dogs, a barking deer and a spectacular kingfisher that morning.
All of us returned, refreshed and ready to take on whatever the new week had to offer !
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
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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