My Europe trip - The northern port city of Hamburg. (Day 1)

       We landed in Hamburg to a light drizzle. The city was almost asleep or at least the part of town on our way to the hotel was and it wasn't even 9pm! The day's wandering had sapped me of energy. I simply wanted to get lost in the softness of the bed that was awaiting me in the hotel. The city reminded me of the tony neighbourhoods we are used to seeing in English movies, replete with well-kept lawns, red brick houses and roads lined with trees on both sides. Such a delight from the mismanaged urbanisation back home.

Swans at the Hamburg Zoo

       We decided to check the restaurant just around the corner from our hotel. To our surprise it was an Asian restaurant in this northern port city and it was pretty full with patrons. There was some Bundesliga match playing in the background. We ordered some food and got down to discuss our plans for the next day. Maybe we were just famished or the food was amazing, but it tasted just so good. Who would have imagined such great Asian food so much up north?

       My friend had office work to attend the next two days while we were to be in Hamburg so the days were left to me to explore the city on my own. The next morning was misty and it caught me praying for the rains to take a break. I had decided to visit the Hamburg Zoo, for want of a better option and for experiencing western zoos for the first time. Again, the day passes came to the rescue. The Hamburg card makes such travel pretty cheap. Our hotel was next to the university so the area was pretty young. I grabbed what turned out to be a yummy sandwich at the station shop before taking a Metro to the Hagenbeck Zoo.

Cherry blossoms.

       The thing about European cities, especially the western ones, is that nothing's really far from a Metro station. You really don't need your personal vehicle to commute. And everything is so punctual! The Zoo was right across the station and I was one of the few visitors dropping in so early. It was a great sight to see not only parents with kids but also old couples visiting the Zoo for an outing. The Zoo was like no other I had ever seen in India, though this statement is just me stating the obvious. The superlative variety of animals from EVERY continent on Earth just leaves you stunned. There were so many new species of which I had only read or seen on NatGeo. The best part was most enclosures were open and modelled to resemble the natural habitat of the species concerned.

       There were miniature mountains for the Ibex and logs and ponds for the bears. Jackrabbits and deer were let free to wander about the Zoo. The Arctic section was the piece de resistance. An entire section of the zoo was constructed to mimic the polar regions. There were ice cold pools for the walruses, penguins, seals and ice structures for the polar bears and emperor penguins. That was surreal! I doubt I would ever get to see all these animals in their original habitats though this was consolation enough.

Walrus at the Arctic centre

       All the roaming around obviously made me hungry and I relished a serving of crepes with caramel and Irish liqueur. Since I had covered the entire globe by afternoon and it still wasn't evening when my friend was to get free, I decided to visit the coastal part of the city. I had read about it online during my research. I decided to take a bus only because I wanted to try every mode of public transport the cities had to offer. The ride was more than comfortable save the occasional cry of a baby on board. 

BlankenSee

       Treppenviertel or this part of town called BlankenSee is a completely different setting from your port-sy Hamburg city. It's located on the coast and looks down on a cliff. That's the USP of the place. The hill side right on the coast. There are tony little houses along the hill side, with winding staircases. The scene is right out of a fairytale. I grabbed a pizza and some local apple pie before heading down the hill. The houses are really pretty. On my way back, I went shopping in one of the supermarkets. That I realised was one of the best decisions I made. You get all stuff really cheap. You should really reload your supplies of yoghurt, juices, chocolates. And you are ready to go wandering again. Always remember to buy from supermarkets wherever you are in Europe. 

       It was already evening by the time I was done with BlankenSee. I decided to spend some time at the Mönckebergstraße at the lake. That's the main shopping district. The place is full of people, eating, shopping, sitting in the steady and strong breeze blowing. That's one place you should wander about. The architecture is really stunning. There's also an obelisk commemorating those dead during the world war.

Hamburg city coastline

       My friend was already back at the office so I had to make a quick dash too. We decided to go the the Landungsbrücken to take a ferry ride across the Elbe. I had read a lot about Hamburg port area at dawn and the multitude of colours the sky is seeped in. The ferry number 62 to Finkenwerder was what was the most recommended. That gives you a superb view of the entire city coastline. The sun wasn't setting for the longest time. I was really keen to see the city at night. On the return journey from Finkenwerder, it was dark, lights had come up and the air was cold. The strong breeze was ice-cold. Literally cutting across my face like a knife made of ice. Thankfully my friend had carried an overcoat which I donned and stood atop the deck alone to click the city. 

       Before retiring back to the hotel, we gave a quick visit to St. Pauli. That's the red light district of Hamburg. More than anything else, I absolutely loved the slice of chicken salami pizza I had at a Pizza Hut outlet there. That was the best pizza I had had till date. Or probably I was simply extremely hungry. There was also the Hamburger Dom, which is a tri-annual fair but there was too big a queue to venture in. 

       I skipped dinner elsewhere because I wanted to try Sushi at the Asian restaurant near our hotel. This was the first time I was having Sushi and it was gross! Notwithstanding, the day was over. Tired I entered bed, planning my next day. 

My Europe trip - The 13-hour layover in Munich.

       When we were booking the tickets, we had an option to either take a stopover in the Gulf city of Doha or Munich. The former was a short stopover of a few hours but I would not have been able to get out of the airport. I chose Munich. What with my Schengen visa, I could easily roam the streets of Munich the whole day. Me being me, I got down to immaculately planning every hour of the 13-hour layover. I knew I could not leave decisions to my brief stay there and had to know everything about the city - right from the roads, metro routes, places of interest, restaurants, what to eat, shopping and my way back - in advance. Munich airport even had a 25 or so page Pdf guide for people with long layovers! At one point in time, I had a schedule for the entire day ready, with what to eat where at what time included. That I didn't end up following it, is another story.

       The flight duration was around 8 hours though the best part was I was reaching in 4.5 hours. How? That's what happens when you fly west. You gain time! I have flown internally in India but never over a vast expanse of water. In the middle of my sleep in the flight, I woke up to see literally thousands of stars, sparkling brightly alongside me, from up close. Never before had I seen these celestial bodies from so close and so many. The moonless night and the pitch dark sky, aided by the dark expanse of the Indian Ocean, left only those twinkling little beauties to shine.

       The flight landed at 5.45am at Munich airport. As I stepped out on foreign soil (the airport building to be precise), the cold air hit me in the face. I hurried to wear my overcoat. It was around 1 degree Celcius! The sun was yet to rise as I completed my immigration formalities and bought the day-card of the Munich public transport system. 

       My first stop was Starnberg See, a quite, serene lake to the south west of the city, with the majestic Alps as a picturesque backdrop. Since it was only 6.30am, I knew the city would be asleep and there was no point in heading to the city centre. so I chose Starnberg See. The feeling of riding in a metro in Germany was great. These are things you have learnt about while growing up, but to experience them first hand is an experience. The metro even had facilities for cyclists to ride them. People would wait for you to alight and only then step in. the platforms would be clean and the air fresh. The lake had some early morning visitors. I ambled down the road along the lake's periphery. The place was heavenly!

Starnberg See. The Alps in the background.

Trees at Starnberg See.

Starnberg See.

       By the time I had deeply captured the See in my heart and camera my tummy had begun to growl in hunger so I decided to head back to the city centre. Marienplatz is where most of the tourist attractions are. The famous Frauenkirche, the Glockenspiel, the Petrikirche, etc. The Petrikirche is a nice place to get a bird's eye view of the city. The only drawback is the huge climb. the stairs are old-world, steep and numerous! My knees began to ache and I wasn't even there yet. Students get a discount so carry your student ID cards. It's a cramped, square-ish viewing gallery with breathtaking views. Apparently when it's not foggy, one can get to see the distant Alps. Sadly, it was foggy. On my way down the never-ending stairs, in my front was a tour guide. It really made me wonder how she climbed the stairs every single day. The thought made my knees tremble. 

Munich from Pertikirche.

       There are a few famous streets. Maximilianstraße is where you find all the high end fashion boutiques. Kaufingerstraße was the shopping street. I ended up checking a few stores. The whole street was busy with people shopping and eating. I was one of them. In all this I realised I had to pee. I found a public toilet, but walked out when  realised I had to pay 2 euros just to pee! My Indian mind couldn't digest paying Rs.170 for something I can do for free back home. Thankfully there was a mall where I found a washroom. I was again up fora  surprise when I saw an old man collecting tips for cleaning the toilet. Such is the height of taking citizens for granted, that the authorities know people would pay and urinate but not pee in the open. In India, it's the other way round.

Fountain at Maximilianstrasse.

       Before hitting the streets I had to get a local number so I could co-ordinate with my friend who was in London and was to fly in later that day. The Hauptbahnhof or the main station was a bustling junction of people. And there were so many food stalls. I was lost in amidst all the tasty looking food. I finally settled on a Rotwurst and Brot (Sausage and beard) for breakfast. The most amazing situation of at the station was the phone shop. It was run by a man who looked South-Asian. Till a lady came and spoke to him in Hindi, he didn't show any sign of his roots or that he knew Hindi, all this while he knew I was from India. On enquiry, he said he was from Delhi. that explained a lot! I was shocked to see him sell an 8Gb memory card for 16 euros when I had bought the very same one in India 3 days back for 3.5 euros! But then as he said this is Germany. 

       The fascinating part about Germany was the discipline. Even the pedestrians waited till their signal turned green. The cars stopped to let you pass if you were at a zebra crossing. Cyclists followed traffic rules and had separate tracks and signals for them. I was told that this is the case across Europe. If it really is, that's simply outstanding. I was in awe of the city. Especially the trams. And the S-bahn. And the U-bahn. Actually, everything!

       I didn't have lunch where I had planned to neither did I have breakfast where I was to. But the food that I had was fun. And the shopkeepers always seemed to have change, even if you paid with a 50 euro note for a 1.5 euro bill. Having gorged down my lunch from a streetside cafe, I decided to relax my aching feet in the Englisch Garten (English gardens). This expanse of green is the city's main park. You can ind people idling around, sunbathing, flying kites, playing frisbee with their dogs or just having a gala time. The park is huge and has a river running right through it! 

The river through Englisch Gartens.

       On my way out I stumbled upon the place where experienced surfers surf on the river. yes you heard it right. Surf on the river. There are some rocks and man-made structures which obstruct the flow of the river to enable a nice surf. That was something! In the meanwhile, my friend had landed in Munich and was waiting at the airport. As I headed back I took a tram to Marienplatz for an onward metro ride to the Airport which was around 40 minutes away. As I alighted at my destination I realised there was something wrong. After walking around in circles for over half and hour I realised I was at Marien'en'platz. I hadn't noticed the extra 'en'. Lost, I fervently asked for directions in my broken German. I had a 7pm flight and it was already 5.15pm. 

Surfing in the Englisch Gartens.

       After a while I got really tensed. Nowhere could I see the Frauenkirche which are tall enough landmarks for Marienplatz. I kept walking in the direction of my destination. My legs were hurting badly. And I was worried. But getting lost had its advantages. I passed by the Rathaus or the assembly, the beautiful Isar river, Maximilain statue and the Maximilianstraße . These were places I had ended up giving a miss - well almost. And finally I spotted the church towers. I rushed towards the metro station and caught the next available metro. I reached by 6.20pm, heaving sighs of relief and boarded the connecting flight to Hamburg in time but not without a few tense moments of being lost in a foreign city!

Munich.

       

My Europe trip - Prologue.

       So the time finally arrived when I would be fulfilling my almost 6 year old dream of going Euro tripping. I had decided that when I set foot beyond the Indian frontiers, it would first be in Europe. Ever since my mother gave me in principle approval with a condition that I take someone along, I had tirelessly tried convincing friends and foes alike to embark with me on a Europe trip. Needless to say, the efforts were in absolute vain. Either my convincing skills were far from satisfactory or I had a bunch of hopeless people whom I called friends. The end result was that I pined for Europe for 6 years, ever so occasionally planning, 're-'planning and 'de-'planning my trips. Three years ago, I was almost ready with the itinerary and had even found couch-surfers to host me in Paris and Berlin. But God had other ideas for me in store. I got a job and was on probation which meant no holidays for a few months. I had literally tried convincing almost all the groups of friends I knew - school, college, office, society, etc. But to no avail.

       I remember, during my last week at the job, my colleague's tarot reading capabilities were discovered. This was almost 2 years back. We insisted on her doing Tarot readings for us, before she went on her pregnancy leave. So on her last day at work, we all gathered around her while she laid out the cards. I don't have much faith in these stunts and hence asked her a question which didn't have much bearing on my life - 'Would I be able to visit Europe before I turned 25?' She looked at the card I had drawn and positively answered, 'Yes and a friend will help you'. That elated me momentarily and I forgot about it soon thereafter. 

       In February, this year, a friend of mine asked me join him for a trip to Europe. I took a month before I said yes, my colleague's prediction constantly at the back of my mind. It was as she had said. I was 24, well below the 25 age mark I had set myself and here was a friend offering to help me with the execution of the trip. It took me some time to decide. I decided to go on the trip pretty late. I was waiting for my results and since I hadn't qualified for the interview, I was now free to go.

       I was to fly out on the 31st of March. And it was already the 18th. I had to apply for a visa! We made a rough itinerary and applied to the German Consulate in Mumbai through VFS. They took 2 days to process it. At the end of the 3rd day, the verdict was - Visa rejected! Apparently they found my documents unreliable and they couldn't ascertain my intention to return back home. What irked me was they not having called me even for an interview. Here I was, a simple lad, who was really enthusiastic to visit Europe and they with a swipe of their pen, crushed my dreams. It was 24th already. We decided to change the itinerary, make proper bookings, give detailed information and reapply the next day, which was a Tuesday. My flight was on Sunday night.
       I applied again on Tuesday. Now all I could do was wait. I had put all my other preparations on hold. Packing my bag wasn't even on my mind. To some extent, the first rejection had reduced my enthusiasm and interest in the trip. In the meanwhile we tried seeing if we had any contacts at the German consulate. We also considered applying through the Italians as we had some friends there. A friend enquired the next day in the morning, even before I had woken up. The only information that came out of the call was that my application had been processed but the result was still a suspense. I decided to leave for the VFS office even before my status was updated. By the time I reached there, my letter had reached VFS. Everyone there, right from the security guards to the lady who accepted my application, was curious. She actually asked me to open it there itself and let her know the result. I did.
       I was going to Europe! What followed were celebratory calls to everyone. I had to now speed up my preparations. Sunday took its own sweet time to arrive. There I was at the new T2 terminal. Yes, it's beautiful. I ambled around taking in the ambiance. I was ready to fly. I was ready to cross the Indian frontier. I was ready to Europe!

Jaipur - Solo Backpacking Trip. Days 1 & 2.

January is the month of fog. The fog delayed my train by a few hours and I chugged into Jaipur in the afternoon. Half the day was already wasted and I had to salvage the remainder. I wandered off to the Pink city after freshening up and I had absolutely no idea what to do next. On my way I decided to book a 'Jaipur by Night' tour of RTDC. That was to happen at 630. I still had to have lunch. So on I went to the Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds as the foreigner calls it. Was it a cliche to begin my trip with the mandatory clicking from the opposite footpath of the Hawa Mahal? Maybe. Did I have another option? Not really. One thing I realised over my two days in Jaipur (or for that matter the entire Rajasthan, with the benefit of hindsight of course) is that the state is really a desert. When it comes to good food, there is a severe paucity. Finding a decent place to eat was a task. Add to that all the 'pavitra shakahari bhojanalayas (Sacred Veg. Restaurants)' around the city screaming at you how "'a'pavitra" you are!

By the end of the day I had figured out the bus system. As I rushed back to the RTDC tour, I gulped down some hot, steaming Gajar Halwa. I had always wanted to eat this street side, on a cold winter day. Delhi is where I had visualised myself do it, but then destiny had it written for Jaipur.

RTDC was in a mood for cutting costs, of course at our expense. So they decided to squeeze in 9 of us and a driver into a Qualis. After the initial grumbling, we got on talking terms. The driver took us through the well it city and showed us the architectural wonders, explaining as they came. I feel this trip is a must do because seeing the City at night otherwise without your own vehicle is costly, if not impossible. The best part of the trip was Amer. The majestic fort, lit in all its splendour. Sadly, the fort vanished in thin air as we were getting down to click.After 10 minutes of uncertain anxiety, generators were switched on, but the fort was only half lit. The power failure couldn't have been timed better! Our final stop, after a very long time spent at a phony 'government approved' handicraft shop, was the fort of Nahargarh or the Tiger Fort. A couple with us in the car, who was visiting from Nepal ended up buying a 'Ruby' pendant for Rs.8,000. I still doubt its genuineness. Apparently, the fort in its heydays was in the middle of a forest full of tigers. Hope their spirits rest in peace, since most were butchered in paltry hunting games! The fort offered a surreal image of the city, the lights blazing to give an image of a city on fire. RTDC arranges a simple, vegetarian meal at the cafe on the fort which after the really long drive up the fort is a god sent gift.

That ended the day's travelling for me. Zostel was like heaven for my tired body. I am itching to sing paeans to Zostel but I'll put that as a footnote at the end of this post.

I decided to check out the old city again. The old city of the Pink city is a walled area, with numerous gates to enter and exit. The main one seems to be the Ajmeri gate. There are numerous markets which sell all that you would want. From footwear, to clothes to ghee to books and to jewellery. It's a treat to just roam around the area. I went to the City palace to see it from within. You can safely not take the camera ticket as more than 75% of the place is out of bound for photography. So it's money down the drain. They have guided tours and neat, numbered tour stops which I found impressive. It's not a huge palace so you could get done quickly. In the vicinity is the Jantar Mantar or the astronomical observatory. I skipped it this time as this was actually my second visit to Jaipur. Finding food was again an issue. I went into this fancy place called Lakshmi Mishtan Bhandar or LMB as its called. They were charging Rs.450 plus taxes for a Thali! I had to do an about turn as my conscience would not allow me to pay for something so overpriced. I get better thalis and cheaper rates in Mumbai!

On my list next was the gigantic fort of Amer. It's around 8-10kms away from the city. There are regular an frequent AC as well as Non-AC buses to take you to and fro in around Rs.10-15 only. So you could reconsider spending on that pricey Rickshaw. The fort is set atop a hill and has a winding cobbled pathway all the way to the top. A long wall runs along the periphery of the hills. The fort seems to have been very well protected. One can simply get lost in the numerous pathways, hidden rooms, narrow staircases which wind their way through the Fort. Seeing the fort against the setting sun is a sight! Have managed to capture a few photos of this silhouette. There are also a few actual 'Government shops' that sell handicrafts. I would strongly recommend that you buy souvenirs here. They are the most reasonably priced. I bought a pair of Blue Pottery Mugs for Rs.270 whereas in the city the same were being quoted from Rs. 650 to Rs. 1100. 

The Jal Mahal or the Water Palace lies on the Amer road and I hopped out of the bus to take a stroll and capture in some gaiety. A quick snack of deep-fried papads was welcome.

Now all that was left on my itinerary was some shopping, window or otherwise. The streets of the old city were bustling with activity. The markets were lit and colours were strewn all over. The winter chill was noticeable. One thing I noticed was the number of shops selling kites for the Hindu festival of Makar Sankrant. I went around looking for a pair of Mojdis (traditional shoes). Finally bought a pair at Rs.250.
All this walking had made me hungry but again since there wasn't a good restaurant in sight I ended up picking up burgers from McDonalds. This was to be, as I later found out, my only non-vegetarian meal on the entire trip. I headed back to the hostel. I had an early morning train to catch to Bharatpur.

Amer at night

One of the many staircases in Amer

Papad near Jal Mahal

Bangles near Jal Mahal

City Palace

One of the many gates of the Pink City

Jaipur as seen from Fort Nahargarh

Amer Fort

Jal Mahal

Albert Museum

Hawa Mahal

Fort Amer - skyline

The wall around Amer - skyline

P.S. I had made bookings at  Zostel , a recently set up backpacker's hostel. Yes it's a bit off the main city area, but it's pretty much well connected by buses/autos. And it's a lovely hostel. Clean and freshly painted with bunkers beds. 24 hours free Wifi and running hot water. Free electricity. They even let you cook your own meals in their kitchen. Run by a group of friends, it's a very chilled out and cosy place. Aniruddh, one of the partners running Zostel, was very kind enough to help me around. Met a few fellow travellers. Shared experiences and tips. Was fun all in all. 

Amritsar - Wahe Guru da khalsa, wahe Guru di fateh!!!

ik onkaar sat naam kartaa purakh nirbh-a-o 
nirvair akaal moorat ajoonee saibhn gur parsaad jap.

aad sach jugaad sach.

hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach.

sochai soch naa hov-a-ee jay sochee lakh vaar.

chupai chup naa hov-a-ee jay laa-i rahaa liv taar.

bhukhi-aa bhukh naa utree jay bannaa puree-aa bhaar.

sehas si-aanpaa lakh hoh taa ik naa chalai naal.

kiv sachi-aaraa ho-ee-ai kiv koorhai tutai paal.

hukam rajaa-ee chalnaa naanak likhi-aa naal.

The Golden Temple in broad daylight

Inscriptions on the temple

Fish in the holy waters

Amritsar or the place with the heavenly nectar, is a town located near the Western border of India, much north than any of us can imagine. It is a town deeply in love with its traditions and spirituality! I had but one day at this holy place and I sure couldn't get enough of it. The aura that this place exudes is mesmerising, heavenly and enchanting; all at the same time. Although the weather was unfavourable - it was a little hot (Ok very hot) when we visited it in July - so much so that we couldn't dare to step out of our houses during the day and even the night was really warm, I instantly fell in love with this old city. The city is built around the golden temple. It has the rustic charm of dusty streets, fresh air and not very tall dwelling structures some of which made of wood. 

The crowd at the Wagah-Attari border

       If you look at it as a tourist attraction then you may want to visit the Jallianwala Bagh where the infamous massacre of innocent Indians had happened at the hands of the British. Another interesting feature that this city offers is the Wagah Border. A few kilometres away from the city, the Wagah-Attari border becomes a beehive of spectators in the evening to catch a glimpse of the beating retreat ceremony. The ceremony which takes place at sunset when the flags of both India and Pakistan are lowered by their respective border security forces is a must watch. Soldiers in their impeccable dresses and to-the-T detailed movements act like they are shouting at each other across the border, but then that is the custom. The occasion also entails songs and dance with the security personnel allowing the visitors to carry the Indian flag and join them in some dance steps. Crowds on either side are made to shout Jai Hind and the corresponding salutation by the Pakistanis in a competitive fervour to see who is the loudest and the crowds don't let the army down.

Devotees thronging the temple at night

The Golden Temple as reflected in the holy waters

  

The Golden temple lit at night

       Away from all this noise and frolic, deep within the heart of the city, you come back at night to Him. The Golden Temple at night with all its scintillating lighting and the devotion filled air is a surreal experience. You just go and submit yourself to Him. Simply go and sit by the holy lake engulfed by eternal darkness, the only source of light emanating from the Golden Temple. It is these moments that make life worth living. The peace, the tranquility, the quietness are esoteric. The wavy water reflects the lights radiating from the temple to generate an aura which binds you in its spell. It makes you want more. It makes you want to sit there unto eternity. You are there but not there. It's just your physical presence but you are travelling across space aided by the guiding light. such is the effect of the Golden Temple. Wahe Guru da khalsa, wahe Guru di Fateh is all that matters. 

Mowgli Land a la Pench National Park

After weeks of patience and an altogether new venue from that initially planned, we arrived at Nagpur station in the wee hours of the third day of December, to what was certainly a warmer climate than the freezing temperatures of the night journey! But it was by no means warm in the true sense of the word and the cold created an all the more difficult-to-control excitement! Nagpur is quite a quaint station, at least in the early morning hours, as compared to its metropolitan counterparts. I happened to meet an old acquaintance at the station quite co-incidentally and was to be informed later that we had both travelled in the same train. Having decided to skip morning coffee so as to have it together with the rest of the clan, Amey, Rujuta and I set off therefrom in search of some random colony, where Prahlad and Anuprita’s bus was to drop them. Modern day navigational tools proved to be instantaneously handy what with none of us having an iota of knowledge about the possible location of the said ‘colony’. So with Google maps guiding us efficiently, it was all but a piece of cake.
So now the vehicle was fuller with its 5 occupants and their respective luggage. But the tech guy was yet to arrive so we had to then idle our time at the airport. Bird sightings had already begun and if Amey may help my memory, we had already spotted some variant of some species of some bird. To hazard a guess, it was the parakeet and the dove that would have been the likeliest appearances. But that is not a thing I would wager my money on. In a short while, when neither of us had sighted any ‘plane’ landing, Akshay had already arrived and waiting for us at the exit and in not less than half an hour we were on our way, to the then most awaited place – the Restaurant!
We had checked with this particular restaurant twice since morning and we were turned away as it still would have taken another 15 minutes to open every time we asked. So this was in reality our third visit to the restaurant. Although we placed orders quite quickly, it nevertheless still took him 15 minutes to get the food. But we were hungry and we cared! Yes the dosa as I remember was horribly salty and had to be returned but supposedly the vada was better. Tummies filled, we set out finally for our destination – Pench National Park!

Pench National Park, located on the southern border of the centrally located state of Madhya Pradesh, which till some time ago, had boasted the highest numbers of tigers in the wild, is easily accessible from Nagpur, which is obvious from the fact that we chose the same route to approach it. But what is important is that it is a comfortable ride of around 2.5 hours and the roads are decent enough to not evoke a sense of criticism. The name Pench seems to have been clearly derived from the Pench River which flows through the Park. The Park has 2/3 of its area marked as a buffer zone while the rest remains notified as the core area.
The best time to visit any national park in India can be considered from two angles – comfort and sightings! Whereas the probability of sightings, of course of the most regal of animals – the Tiger – is high in the hot and dry months of summer, the winter provides the much needed respite from the heat and sun! The call is basically ours, though personally I have always travelled during winters only. In the summer months, one just needs to lodge oneself at some watering hole and wait for the tigers to come for a drink or a bath in the scorching heat. In winter, life is not so easy on the spotting front but the thrill of the chase is exhilarating.

Our stay was organised at a hotel which was only a few hundred metres away from the park boundary. During the course of the time till the first safari (it was to be during the afternoon slot), we were told that a tigress was spotted a few days back in the neighbouring Taj property during her nocturnal walks. This was very interesting and raised our excitement levels even further. The first safari was dry but we did manage to spot three jackals.

One of them actually was vomiting its ‘lunch’. We also spotted collar copse owls, nested in the hollow of a tree and a superbly camouflaged savanna nightjar. The evening grew colder as the safari ended. We returned to the hotel and were joined by Anand and his family who were arriving late.
The second safari proved to be a watershed. It was chilly so we had taken blankets for our comfort. Split into two groups, we had two jeeps for the remainder of our stay. Spotting a mongoose is supposed to be lucky and we did spot one, scurrying across to hide behind the rocks. After a few more turns and bends, we heard calls. The deer (cheetal) and the monkeys (langur) make peculiar cries when they spot or smell a predator moving. The langurs have a general ‘whooping’ call and a more grunt-filled ‘alert’ call. The latter is what is important. The cheetal and the langur move in pairs, one having a good sense of smell, the other the vantage of height. So here we heard strong calls. At the same instance we met our other jeep. We decided to stay at a small distance and cover both the bends in the road. So we went ahead to cover the uncovered portion of the road, lest the tiger decides to cross from there. As we move ahead we spot her on our left, walking directly towards us, to the lake beyond the road and then the small hillocks. She spotted us too and decided to lie low for a while. It was the ‘collar-wali’ female who was rearing five cubs. She played in the grass and yawned and stretched her legs, all the while tracking our movements. The other jeep came within sighting distance too.

Maybe we undid her patience. She slowly got up on all her fours and began walking across her original path. I was on the back end of the jeep, closest to the gap the tigress would emerge from. She had her eyes on me (or maybe it was the jeep, but I can swear she was looking at me!). She continued walking. Gradually she emerged from the grass and onto the road.

Here was this majestic mother of five, still graceful as a tigress should be, the sheen of her coat glistening. She was within a few feet from me, so close that hardly anyone could capture her on camera. Her fur shone like a blazing sheet of fire when the sun’s rays hit her. I could not but gaze at her mesmerising beauty. But, she was hardly bothered. She continued to cross the road and while we adjusted our cameras to capture her walk, she vanished behind the foliage on the other side of the road.
That was the closest I had ever been to a tiger!
The remaining four safaris were spent spotting the other richness the jungle of Pench had to offer. We spotted a huge herd of Indian gaur and a few more jackals.

Actually we spotted jackals on almost all safaris, leading us to conclude Pench is more of a ‘Jackal Park’. On our fourth safari, we took a new route, which for most of the duration remained hilly. In this part of the jungle, sighting ANY animal was a rarity. The driver did tell us that there is a male tiger resting in that area, but to no avail. The fifth one saw some action with strong calls coming in at the fag end of the safari. WE didn’t have much time left and had to be out of the jungle in a few minutes. The driver, just to ensure we don’t miss on a sighting, took a chance to check out the calls and then raced us back to the forest gates, just within time. The fact is that the calls were distant and not on our route. At the evening tea, we were informed that a few jeeps were lucky enough to see the ‘collar-wali’ with her retinue of five cubs and a leopard! What luck!
In this entire hullabaloo, there were other events happening outside the forest too. On our second night the same tigress from the ‘Taj episode’ supposedly walked across the road in front of our hotel during the night. We were told about this the next day though and we were quite livid at the hotel staff for not waking us up. They on their part felt that the comfortable sleep of their guests was of far greater importance. It was going to be our last night at the hotel. And we had just finished our sumptuous dinner. And retired to our respective rooms, with a few already hitting bed. Then came the unmistakable sound of a deer call. It was too close and clear to be ignored. Within seconds Amey, Rujuta, Prahlad and Anuprita knocked on my door, most armed with strong flashlights. Their presence was the only confirmation I needed about the existence of the call and I jumped up to join them in this nocturnal quest (a first for me). It was very cold outside and pitch dark! We followed the calls for almost a mile, all along being on high alert. It’s one thing to be all excited when you discuss such things and completely another to be actually groping around in the dark, on the outskirts of a jungle, knowing a tigress is out there too and that we can’t even spot her! Trust me, you would have had your hair stand on their ends! To be fair, I was outright scared and the only solace Amey was to offer was that the tigress ‘was not known to attack humans’! We kept walking till the calls subsided. On our way, we found a small herd of deer, as usual feeding on the roadside grass and a few hare and of course owls! We waited near a small stream, expecting the tigress to come there for water. After a while, we decided to move back into the comfort of our hotel! This experience is still fresh in my mind and the mixed feelings of excitement and fright that I experienced during that crazy walk are nothing less than monumental.

After the daredevilry of the previous night, the final day dawned and it was time for the final safari, but we still had no further luck other than the first sighting. The drive ended with seeing pug marks of a male tiger but not the creator thereof. A few deer calls, purportedly on the sighting of a leopard, but then again, not the reason of the calls. We even waited for a tiger show on an elephant, but still, no more sightings.
I find it amusing that, during the second safari both our jeeps met and at that very instant, we spotted the tiger. Maybe, God didn’t want any of us to feel bad that the other spotted and I didn’t spot! But all in all, Pench was a super experience! It was a new forest for me and I certainly liked it!

Durga Pujo - Maha Saptami !

an awe inspiring, divinely scintillating, and an ever so vibrant celebration marked the occasion of maha saptami. have been witnessing the pujo since two decades, but today was certainly different. for once I stood spellbound by the magnificent display of devotion represented by its most sublime form - the dhunuchi dance ! it is deep devotion and love for the Goddess that is reflected in those many faces that perform the dance. and it does not get you meddled up in the technicalities - it is simple yet sophisticated, and at the same time a test of your balancing abilities. the accompaniment are wine-glass-shaped earth pots with a wide mouth. in it are put burning coir, coal and wood. to make the pot smoke, in goes dhoop at perfectly orchestrated intervals. the

devotees hold these pots in their hands, either one or both and some expert dancers even hold it in

their mouths or on top of their heads! the sight is marvelous.

the dancers dance to drum beats, of drummers who surround them to form a circle. the drums vary in their beats and so also the dancers. the rhythm is catchy and hypnotic. the atmosphere is all charged and divine, with all the smoke from the dhoop.

for the first time i tried my hand at the dhunuki. the organisers were warm enough to invite the onlookers to offer their services to the Goddess ! it was fun to say the least. the vibrancy of the bengali community and their much-spoken about sweetness was indeed very touching... Sure to be a regular visitor here !