A date with Ganga

Since my posting in Delhi, a visit to Haridwar and Rishikesh have always been on the anvil. We have often toyed with the idea of going on a bike trip up there. However, it never materialized. In short, Rishikesh and Haridwar have always ranked high on my places to visit.

Everything finally came in place 2weeks back on the last weekend of November -10. But this trip was quite different from my other trips. For one, I was going with an entirely new group, my roomie being the linking factor between me and them. The entire planning was done by them, and unlike our usual pack and leave kind of trip,they were planning it for nearly a month.

Accordingly, a tour package was booked withan agent at Rishikesh costing about 1.5k per head. It consisted of camp, barbecue and white river rafting in the ganga. The main confusion was on the mode of transport. The initial plan was to book a cab without a driver and do some self drive. But soon this idea was dropped and we decided to go with a professional driver. The next dilemma was on the vehicle to hire. One group wanted Ford Endeavor, the other an Innova. I belonged in the Ford Camp. But finally the unavailability of Endeavor and the high cost of the ones that were available made us go for Innova.

With a couple of guys dropping out, the group finally consisted of 6 members. It was planned to set out at 6 in the morning as the route, though very short, is notorious for its traffic. We were ready by 5:30 all eager to set out, only to learn that the driver hasn’t showed up at the taxi centre. The departure thus got delayed till 7. 5 of us joined from Delhi and we picked the sixth on the way, from Noida. The surprises were still not over though.

The CD player in the cab seemed to have a mind of its own as it kept rejecting perfectly working CDs for no obvious reason. Only two were working- Sai Bhajans and a collection of AR Rahman hits. We went for the second. But many of the Oscar winning musicians songs were too slow for the driver who kept changing them and then with an occasional taunt asked us whether we have only such “rona-dhona gaanas”. The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful except for a major buffalo market on way near Muzzafarnagar, which attracted huge crowds with rented lorries to carry off their purchases.

We reached Rishikesh around 2 and after reporting at the tourist agent’s, went straight to camp. We were allotted our tents followed by a simple yet delicious lunch. The camp is located on the sand banks of the river and after a bit of rest we started playing some beach volley ball. This was followed by football, till one guy got knocked out with a strike on his head, and then cricket.

By 6 the sun started setting and we started gathering for the camp fire. It wasn’t really a camp fire but did enough to keep us engaged as we kept taunting the camp organizers for making it strong. We had an amazing sunset, followed by a nice dinner. One of the best time of my life.

Next day we were supposed to set out at 10 for rafting, but everyone woke up only around 9. After freshening up and a heavy breakfast, we were finally ready to get physical with ganga. The guide gave us instructions and safety tips to follow while on the raft and going head on against the rapids. Thus we set off, 6 of us with two guides, myself and my roomie manning the bow of the raft, the guides forming the rare.

Highly unsynchronized in our efforts, the guide roared himself soar scolding us. With very low spirits we prepared ourselves to meet the first rapid. Boy, words cannot explain the sensation of having freezing cold water hitting against your face and the relief you feel once you have made it out in one piece. The first two rapids were supposedly the most dangerous and we made through the first. But the second one held more surprises.

While I was rowing full strength in the second rapid, I felt some serious commotions just behind me and saw one row blade flowing past our raft. The guy sitting immediately behind me had fallen into the water and the guides put in a valiant effort to pull him back aboard. This was followed by another roaring session of the guide. But I guess the mishap followed by the guide’s humiliation fired all of us up. We found harmony in our movements and after the next couple of rapids, the guide started praising us.

Soon we hit flat waters and were allowed to take the holy dip. Thanks to the life jacket, I was able to float around in the 60 foot deep, freezing cold water. Soon, one of the members started shivering, what the guides called being possessed by GOD, and we all climbed back. We took the raft aground and had some tea and hot maggi from the only vendor along the way. This was followed by cliff jumping.

After everyone had their share of fun, we continued our journey downward. Finally, after nearly 4 hrs of rafting we covered the 17kms journey from Shivpuri to Rishikesh covering 5 rapids. Everyone was excited, no one have had such an experience before and immediately started planning for the next trip.

After a quick lunch, we continued our onward journey towards Haridwar. We reached just in time to watch the evening Arathi. Finally, we came to the end of an amazing weekend. Now looking back its impossible to imagine how much fun was packed into those two short days. Eagerly waiting for the next trip to meet the dear lady Ganga.

Ranthambore-On the Tiger Trail

Summer was fast approaching. Every week new records were being set for the highest temperature. We started planning for what could possibly be the last bike trip of the season during the second weekend of April. After pondering over the numerous hill stations around Delhi we finally zeroed in on the small but little exploited Landsdowne. Preparations were in full swing but then life is so full of ironies. This nature trip of mine came in conflict with the nature saving initiative of my company- the introduction of Euro IV fuel grades in India. We were loaded with so much work that I had to bail out of the trip in the last moment. My friends had a wonderful time and got some nice pictures, much to my envy. I was at an all time low having missed out on the season’s last journey.
But as my friend says “The biggest problem of getting bitten by the travel bug is that constant itching to travel further”. One month hadn’t passed after Landsdowne and we started to consider the next possibility. With temperatures soaring ever so higher our initial dilemma was between Nainital, Dehradun and Kasauli. Each were ruled out for their distinctive disadvantages. My disappointment of having not seen a tiger in Sariska made me suggest a trip to some tiger reserve. Sunil, my friend, having visited all tiger reserves except Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh and the North Eastern ones suggested Ranthambore. This was the ideal time for sighting them there. But 400kms by road oneway, in this climate and with just two days made a road trip almost impossible, and we decided to go by rail.
We started scouting for tickets. Unfortunately, all trains to Sawai Madhopur district where Ranthambore is located were full. We finally booked a sleeper in the Mewar express. Our return tickets were in RAC. Got a room booked at Hammir Resort in Ranthambore. Also booked a morning trip to the forest on 1st May. On 30th April we caught the train at 7:30 PM. Reached there at 1 AM.
In Ranthambore we can go in either in a gypsy, 6passengers, or in a canter, which is like a truck with 14 passengers. Gypsy costs Rs 600 per head and canter Rs 400 per head. We wanted to get a gypsy for just the two of us. Unfortunately, none was available. This was a little disappointing as Sunil being an avid bird watcher wanted to have the freedom of stopping the vehicle whenever he saw even the smallest of birds which wouldn’t be possible in a canter. Further, you are put up with 12other people which is not always good when you gor for a wild life trip.
Our morning trip was at 6 AM. So after a 3hour sleep we got ready to leave. Our worst nightmares came true when we saw the people in the canter. They were making so much noise that we lost hope of seeing any interesting wildlife let alone a tiger. They had no interest in anything except seeing the tiger and some even thought there were lions in the reserve. They got on the nerves of our driver and guide and even got “Gallis” from other vehicles for the noise they were making.

But I guess luck favors the stupid. After about 30minutes into our journey we had the first sighting. There was a group of 3vehicles, two infront of us, and walking towards us was the female tiger T-19. Since we were last in line we couldn’t get a good shot of the animal. But it passed by the side of the first few vehicles and then went into the jungle crossing right in front of our canter. It was so close, like the strays that cross our vehicles on city roads. What a magnificent animal it was. And it was very huge. I imagined wild tigers to be sleeker than those in zoos as they are not spoon fed. But she was huge. This sighting changed our moods for the better. We waited for some time hoping it will come out ant then moved on. There were quite a lot of other animals as well- spotted deers, sambhars, neel ghais, hanuman langurs etc and a lot of bird life as well. But the tiger was missing. We were nearing the end of the 3 hour trip and the driver started taking us back. But just about 15 meters from the boundary gate was parked a canter and gypsy and its occupants were buzzing. And there it was basking in the morning sun, right in the middle of the road, another huge beautiful female T-17, the sister of the one we saw earlier. It was less than 8ft away from our vehicle, unperturbed by the trespassers into her territory. We got about 15min with her until the calm was disturbed by a vehicle full of school kids, who on seeing the animal couldn’t control their enthusiasm. But after this everyone was really happy and excited, satisfied with the journey. On returning to the resort I handed over 1000Rs to the guide for the seats in the canter as is the case in Sariska. He was very happy and asked whether we will be going in the evening. We said we haven’t decided. But after returning to the reception, we learned that the money for the seats were to be given here and not to the guide. The guide thought we had given him a handsome tip, which explained his eagerness in getting us to go with him in the evening. But the excitement of seeing the tiger helped us overcome the huge dent this blunder made to our pockets.

From the reception we came to know about a guy called Sunny Patil. He is an ex navy guy, who quit that job and now worked as guide at the Oberoi. He also takes people on private guided tours to the Chambal ravines around the sanctuary. Though his charge of 4000Rs was very high, we decided to go ahead with it as the ravines are famous for mammals like jackals, fox, Indian wolf, caracal, sloth bear; reptiles like the crait, cobra etc. Also, his tour included a trip to a lake as well with ample bird life. We set out at 5 from the resort and on way got sighting of a Jackal family. Unfortunately, when we reached the lake, the staff of one of the hotels was having a picnic there. They were making such noise that any chance of seeing wildlife disappeared. However the place was serene and beautiful. Would have been excellently peacefully had it not been for the people gathered there that day. After the sun went down we started our return journey, ideal for spotting mammals. But misfortune continued as it started drizzling slightly. The climate became so pleasant that our hopes were crushed. We saw camel spider, a whole lot of jackals, a couple of rufous tailed hares. But nothing in the scale of what we had expected. We returned disappointed. But our guide was very impressed with our knowledge on wildlife which was not the case with most of the other tourists that he takes out. He was esp impressed with Sunils knowledge on birds. So next day we planned to meet again, this time free of cost.
After dinner, we set out on a night stroll hoping may be a leopard will jump in front. But after walking a few hundred kilometers away from the resort, the place becomes so dark and spooky that the flashlight you used rarely when you set out comes into use for every rustle of the leaf you hear.
Next day morning again we came to know that we got a canter only. Our spirits went down slightly. But the group this time was very interesting. They were wildlife enthusiasts, not just tourists who came to see the tiger. They enjoyed other animals as well, even the smallest of birds like us. So it was an interesting trip. We were in Zone 1 this day. It’s a very small area surrounding the very famous Rajgadh water hole of Ranthambore. But there was no tiger any where. At the centre of the lake is a fort. News had come that the tiger is inside the fort with a kill. We kept circling the water hole but as I said earlier, it seems tiger comes out only for stupids. We saw lots of other animals and birds but just not tiger. Finally we gave up and settled below a tree hoping the tiger would come out of the fort. After about half an hour of patient waiting one guy with a bino spotted the animal. It set the entire canter abuzz. We managed to get a long shot of the animal. It was the same T-17 we saw earlier, but the pictures we got was more natural than the previous day’s. The spirits shot up and everyone left the park happy.
That day after lunch, we took a gypsy for 2000 and went to a nearby place called Kundla. Roamed about for a couple of hours. Got pug marks of tiger and sloth bear but dint sight any big mammals except the jackal. But we were lucky to see the juvenile of a flame backed king fisher being attacked by three rufous backed treepies.

After this we met up with Sunny Patil. He took us to a place were leopard sighting is common. But it started drizzling again. Though we dint see the leopard, we got pictures of a chinkara juvenile, sand grouse etc.

Finally our trip was coming to an end. I dint feel like coming back from there. The place is so cut out from the rest of the world. There you see how people respect the wild life. Our return trip was by the 1 o’clock Mewar express. We were packed up and ready to leave by 11. Our tickets which were RAC also got confirmed. So after two days of excitement and very little sleep we were ready for a peaceful and comfortable trip back. But our adventure was just not getting over yet.

We reached station way before time but were surprised to check the reservation list. Neither of our names were there on the list. Our confusions increased and we were incensed by the inefficiency of the railways who after sending us a confirmation sms has failed to put the names on the list. But we were in for shock when we analyzed the ticket. Our ticket was for 1:00 AM on 2/05/2010 which meant the train left early morning Sunday. We got mixed up with the AM-PM confusion and booked the wrong train. Finally we had to book a general class ticket and come in a train all packed with humanity. Thus came to an eventful end a very eventful trip.

A trip on HOLI

Holi, a scary proposition for me from college. As it was approaching I was on the look out for ways to escape Delhi. As it fell on a Monday I had at hand a 3 day weekend. My friend and I started contemplating a bike trip for the week end. The climate was ideal for the same, neither hot not cold. The possible destinations ranged from the deserts of Rajasthan to the hill stations of Nainital. Finally we decided to visit the Sariska Tiger reserve considering the huge campaign tats been started for protecting our national animal.The plan was to reach Alwar district where sariska is situated. Get an accommodation there and then visit places of interest around. If time permits we also decided to drop by Jaipur on the return journey. We set out early on Saturday morning around 6:00 AM. Me on my Thunderbird, my friend Sunil on his Std 350. We drove continuously taking breaks only for tea and then for pictures at interesting locations in between.

Reached Alwar before noon. Our first destination in Alwar was Silisereh lake.

A former hunting lodge for the royalty, the lake is located in a very scenic location surrounded by hillocks. The hunting lodge is now an RTDC resort. But it has just 12 rooms so don’t dream of getting one without months of advance booking. After spending some time at this scenic location we climbed down hill. At the base was another RTDC resort. We booked a cottage for a paltry amount of 1200Rs. After resting our aching bodies for a couple of hours we set out to explore Bala Quila in the city.

The Quila has a Balaji temple, Balaji refers to Hanuman not Tirupathi Balaji, at the top. The ascent was superb with a good population of wild life along the way. We dint visit the temple but spent sunset atop the hill. After dark we returned to base and after food and watching India loose to SA hit bed.
Early next morning we set out for Sariska which is about 30Kms from our hotel.

Booked a jeep at the reserve for 1000 Rs and spend 3 hours inside. The reserve was frankly a let down. Inspite of the fact that the resort has only 3 tigers, deep down we were hoping we would get a sighting. We didn’t. The other wildlife was also ordinary and common, except for the migratory Bar Headed Geese, the highest flying birds in the world.

After lunch we set out for Jaipur. Though this journey was at the height of noon, still it was a pleasant drive. We reached Jaipur around 2 in the after noon. After freshening up we were joined by two of Sunils friends working in Jaipur. We decided to visit Jalmahal and the Nahargarh fort, of Rang De Basanti fame. After getting separated and lost for some time in the busy and confusing lanes of Jaipur we finally regrouped and reached Jalmahal to witness a beautiful sunset and moon-rise.

Then we went up Nahargarh. The way is full of hairpin curves and is completely dark. One wrong move and you will be plunging down. To add to the woes, half the climb is fully pot holed road. After some tricky driving all four of us reached the top in one piece. But the view and atmosphere up there is worth while. The entire jaipur city all lighted up looks extremely beautiful. We dint feel like coming down from there.

After the fort we decided to get a taste of some authentic Rajasthani food. We fixed up on some restaurant suggested by our guides. But when we reached the base of nahargarh tragedy struck. Sunils front tyre got punctured. Must have happened on one of the many pot holes en route. Fortunately it happened right in front of Jalmahal. So leaving Sunil and the girls behind I went in search of the mechanic. After loads off begging and promise of a good reward, one agreed to come. As the time was getting late the girls were packed off in an auto. Our plans for authentic rajasthani food was dropped and we decided to eat something after reaching our hotel. But this puncture was the crowning point of the entire journey. No bike journey is complete without some thing like this, esp when you are going in Royal Enfield. We got the thing rectified and reached our hotel just before midnight. In place of authentic Rajasthani we had just bread omlette.

After two days of early rising and continous driving we decided to wake up very late on the Holi day. We set out after a heavy brunch on our way back to Delhi. Reached back at around 5 PM covering 783 Kms in 2.5 days. One day later sitting in office typing this, I am already feeling nostalgic.