Travel Story Book

This was a trip which was planned for well in advance, something which is very rare for my travels. There were two reasons for doing so: (1) I always love to have some like minded company with me during my travels, but last minute planning makes it very difficult to get one (2) My luck with the Himalayas has been bad in general. So this trip was planned in December when the probability of having clear blue skies is the maximum. So a friend and me, along with our families, boarded the Rajdhani Express from Kolkata to Delhi on Christmas eve and set off for our trip to Garhwal Himalayas. A silent prayer on our lips – Oh God, please, please, please, give us a clear blue sky when we reach there.

Heading for Haridwar

The train was an hour delayed in reaching New Delhi, leaving us sufficient time to check into a nearby hotel and freshen up before boarding the next train for Haridwar. Unfortunately that train arrived two hours late at Haridwar, when half the city was closed and the remaining half was in the process of closing. Luckily my friend Utpal has a friend in Haridwar who suggested a hotel where we moved in immediately. It was cold, too cold.
We ventured out in the streets for dinner and only ‘Dada-Boudi’s Hotel’ was open at that time. It is a favorite haunt for all Bengali tourists to Haridwar where hot meal thalis are served – steaming rice with a spoonful of ghee, fries, dal and vegetables. It was great and was welcome after the train food. Steaming hot rice and ghee, with a dash of chilly and brinjal fry….sinfully delicious. But did I start putting on weight from then?

On the way to Khirsu

The next morning a SUV was arranged for – and it will be with us throughout the trip until we return back to Haridwar. Our driver Mahgal Singh seemed to be calm and confident – has been driving in the area for more than 10 years. Without wasting much time, we started our journey towards Khirsu. But not before we had our breakfast of hot kachoris and a glass of steaming milk tea. It was cold, but fortunately nobody complained and got used to it after some time (and hopefully enjoyed it). Our first destination was Khirsu, a small village 20Km from Pauri, the headquarters of Tehri. Very soon we had crossed Rishikesh and were traveling through the mountains, roughly following the course of the river Ganga. The Ganga looked beautiful from the top – sea green water, sandy white banks and meandering through dense forests. There were a number of rafting camps that could be seen on the banks and they looked so tempting. Brightly colored tents set up on the white banks. Mangal Singh informed that these rafting camps provide various packages where one stays overnight in the huts or camps, camp fires and barbecue dinner at night and then raft to Rishikesh in the morning. It was mentally noted instantly – something I should try sometime later.

Devprayag

Our first halt on the road was at Devprayag – the holy confluence of the rivers Alakananda and Bhagirathi. From Devprayag, the river Ganges is born. The confluence of the two rivers is distinct, the turbulent gray water of Bhagirathi and the calm green water of the Alakananda. We went down to the banks of the river, spent some time and then resumed our journey to Khirsu. The weather was pleasant and it was a welcome break from the heat and pollution of the cities. The air felt lighter and the sky was blue, dark blue – a rarity in Kolkata at present where everything is shrouded in a blanket of smog all throughout the year.

Reached Khirsu

We reached Khirsu around 3:00PM. The view was wonderful from GMVN, where we were staying. The snow capped peaks of Chaukhamba, Kedarnath stood out proudly against the clear blue sky. There was a big garden in front and people were assembThe rooms at GMVN were nothing great, but fine enough for a night’s stay. Lunch time was over and the kitchen was closed, so we ventured out in search of something to eat. There were a couple of shops outside and one of them cooked up some mouth-watering noodles. Actually it may not have been that good, but hot food and hungry stomachs always make a delicious combination. Groups of tourists were scattered on the lawn and enjoying the ambiance and the scenery. We also joined them and spent the entire evening outside until the cold was biting through our clothing.

The next morning I woke up early to catch the sunrise. It was not very dramatic, but every sunrise in the mountains touches the heart somewhere and this was no exception. A few snaps at various angles tried to capture the morning, but its very difficult to portray the mood in our snaps. The remaining members of my team had decided to skip the sunset and woke up to a bright sunny morning. Aheli had ventured out briefly to get a glimpse of the sunrise, but had again taken shelter under the thick blankets and fallen asleep once again. We met quite a few people at Khirsu, some had come from Bandel while some were from Delhi. But majority of them were Bengalis. Later when we were having breakfast at one of the shops in the small market, the shopkeeper told us that mostly Bengali tourists come to Khirsu. The next batch of tourists will start appearing when it starts snowing in end January and April. We were surprised to see frozen frost on the ground and the rooftops. This gave us hope that may be we will be able to find snow at Auli. Fingers were crossed….

Chandipur is around 250Km from Kolkata and 16Km from Balasore, the nearest town. One of the many beaches that dot the coast of Bay of Bengal in Orissa, Chandipur is now a popular tourist destination. It also shot into limelight with the Indian Missile Testing center being set up at Chandipur.

The trip to Chandipur was an impromptu trip – we just decided to go there all of a sudden. Actually after the trek to Gomukh & Tapovan was canceled and then the trip to Rishi valley had to be adjourned because of the severe cyclone Aila hitting West Bengal, I was just yearning to take a break – anywhere. As I had not been to Chandipur before, I decided to explore the beach of Chandipur for a few days and take a welcome break from work. Being just 3-4 hours from Kolkata, not much pre-planning was required. Purchased the train tickets (did not feel like driving), booked the OTDC hotels and we were ready to go.

Oh, the sea is not dry!!

Well, don’t be surprised by the above statement!! Many had discouraged me from going to Chandipur, as for most of the day, its a beach without any water. So, imagine our surprise when at first sight we found that there was water till the shoreline. We reached OTDC Panthaniwas, our hotel for the next 2 days, after a 30 minute auto-rickshaw ride from Balasore station. After check-in, no time was wasted and within a few minutes hit the sea. Surprisingly, the sea was very shallow. Even at full tide, the water was only upto my waist. And we could walk far, far away into the sea at waist deep water. You can walk on and on, till you feel fatigued, but the water will hardly rise above your waist. Really unique!!

Crabs & Prawns

After a 2 hour swim, I had to drag my daughter out of the water as my stomach was rumbling with hunger.

And why not? One of the main attractions of any sea side trip for me is the sea food – giant crabs and prawns. One of my favorite destinations for sea food is Sankarpur, and I was eager to try them out at Chandipur. Unfortunately, they were good, but a little below expectation. The prawns were not as big as they were expected to be! The same could be said for the crabs and the curry for both of them were so similar, it was not much fun.

The water has disappeared!!

The evening stroll on the sea beach had a surprise in store – the water had disappeared!! The sea bed was dry and people were walking all over it. This was an unique experience. Aheli, my daughter and myself started walking towards the distant water – and it turned out to be an endless walk. After walking for about a kilometer and a half, we gave up. No matter how much we walked, the water seemed to recede further and further away.

After that, the rest of the evening was spent in strolling on the beach, have dab(green coconut) and jhalmuri and tea.

Morning Walk

A journey to a place does not have a sense of completion unless I walk around the area. So at six in the morning, I was on the beach again, but this time to walk along the beach. To make life uncomfortable, the sun was up and it was getting hotter, the sea was dry and it was humid. Luckily one could walk along the beach for quite a distance. It was too early for the tourists to get up from bed and the beach was desolate except for a few workers who were working on an adjacent construction. I love walking, specially in desolate areas.

Red Spots on the Sea

After walking for some time, I noticed red spots on the sea bed. After observing carefully, similar red spots could be noticed on the beach also. What are these? Well, they were colonies of red crabs. Chandipur is the home of horse-shoe crabs (a sign board says so). Thousands and thousands of crabs were on the sea bed and the beach. What a sight!!

Violet shells

For the first time I also saw violet colored shells – quite unique. My daughter went on collecting them until her hand and my pockets were full. Its a ritual when we go the sea – collect shells, clean them up, bring them home carefully so that they do not break and then forget about them!!

Trip to Budhabalanga

Budhabalanga is the confluence of the Budhabalanga river and the Bay of Bengal and 5Km from Chandipur. It was one trip that I wanted to do, but could not. An auto-rickshaw had been booked, but it did not turn up. And when it did, it refused to go as it had another passenger for a longer trip (and more money). This was the last day at Chandipur and after a morning swim we would be headed for Panchalingeswar. The planned morning swim turned out to be an afternoon dip in hot water as the tide timing was 12:30 PM. We walked nearly a Km to dip in the hot water and then return back to our hotel for another delicious ‘chingrir malai curry’. Any Japanese would have said ‘Oishi’!!

Bhedaghat is just 33 Km from Jabalpur and is ideal for a day trip from the city. We reached Bhedaghat continuing on our trip from Kanha & Bhandhavgarh. It was the final destination of our trip before we board the train for Howrah from Jabalpur.
As we reached Bhedaghat in the evening, there was not much scope of going anywhere. The Marble Rocks are just adjacent to the MPT hotel where we were staying. Night boating on the Narmada can be done only on full moon night and four days before and after it. As full moon was not nearby, the whole area would soon be plunged in darkness immediately after sunset. We took an auto to Dhuadhar Falls. But after reaching there, my daughter started complaining of stomach pain and we had to come back after a glimpse of the falls from a distance.

Marble Rocks

The next morning after a quick breakfast we visited the Marble Rocks. Early morning and tourists were few. Shopkeepers selling decorative items of stones and soft marbles were setting up their shops and getting ready for the day. A boat ride on the waters of the Narmada through the Marble Rocks is a must-do activity at Bhedaghat. As hardly any tourists were there we abandoned the idea of going on a shared boat and instead decided to reserve a boat. The roof cover of the boat was quickly drawn overhead, the red carpets on the floor rolled out and we were ready to board our vessel – a big boat, three persons on a boat that can accommodate at least twenty!! And for three of us, there were two persons rowing, one person controlling the boat sitting at the hull, one guide and another two attendants!!

 

 

Charm of a guided tour

I cannot think of visiting Indian tourist sites without a ‘guide’. Many may wonder why, but to me the guides add a different dimension to the tour. Their narrations of history, which may be mostly incorrect, helps in transforming you to the historical period. Our tour of Marble Rocks was no exception. We came to know of the length, breadth, height, depth and all possible facts about the rocks. He came out with a big list of Indian movies that have been filmed there, occasionally spiced up with dialogues from those films. Enchanting!! The way they can capture the interest of the audience.

Extending the ride

Even before we realized, it was time to go back. But we want a longer boat ride!! Its possible, but at a cost – well exactly double. We decided to carry on – there is no point in not doing the entire length of the ride. It was a good decision – as the rocks along the shore became higher and higher. The stretch looked beautiful – vertical white marble cliffs along both the shores of the Narmada. By this time I was seated at the front of the boat, with my legs dangling out over the waters. We went as far as we could – till mini Dhuadhar falls. The mini Dhuadhar falls is a local name given to a small waterfall, that is created from the main Dhuadhar falls. 45 minutes over, it was time to return back to the jetty.

Strange means to earn money

While returning to the jetty, we noticed some local boys jumping(diving) in the waters from the top of the vertical cliffs whose height would be around 50 ft. They were shouting something which we could not understand and were jumping in the water. The guide informed that they do this feat on request from the visitors in the boats for Rs. 20. Surely a strange way to earn money.

Back at the jetty, we had a final glance at Marble Rocks and proceeded towards Dhuadhar Falls – about 1 Km away and 5 minute journey by auto.

Kanha

A grand welcome

‘I have seen five deers’ – My daughter triumphantly announced as soon as I came out of the reception of Baghira Log Huts at Kisli after completion of checking-in formalities. ‘Deer? From the hotel? You must be joking’. She surely was joking!! As soon as we moved in our room, we saw not five but maybe fifteen of them outside our room. Have you seen a beauty pageant of deers? That is what gradually unfolded in front – pristine beauties strutted from one side to the other in front of us. A few peacocks joined them occasionally. What a place to stay!! And what a welcome!!!
After a long journey to Kisli, Kanha we were late for the evening safari. If only the train was not late by an hour! A quick stroll around the hotel ensured that even it had something even for those who did not want to go for safaris. A decent amount of wildlife viewing could be done sitting here. Deers, monkeys and peacocks roam inside the hotel premises or around the virtual periphery of the hotel all the time. A small watering hole within attracts a lot of animals – recently a group of bisons have been visiting it in the evenings almost regularly. In the early hours of the night the deep roar of an animal was heard for around 5 mins. Is it the tiger? Need to confirm it the next morning…

The Jungle Safari

In the meantime, while enjoying the surroundings, arrangements were done for the safari the next morning. The jeep will come at 5:45 AM and we would be sharing it another group staying in the same hotel. The morning was exceptionally cold and left us shivering and wearing not only one but a couple of shirts. I had no idea that it would be this cold and we were caught unawares without any warm clothing. Within a few minutes of entering the Kisli gate, we were on one of the dirt tracks. Our guide said that there were fresh bear foot marks on the ground – most probably a bear was nearby. For us, there could not have been a better start. We were tense and silent and within a minute a big sloth bear was viewed – some distance away under a mahua tree, busy relishing the fruits of the mahua tree. Barely had we seen enough of the bear, the guide signaled us to move on. He could hear the alarm calls of deer, indicating that a tiger could be in the vicinity. Our jeep moved on and about 50m ahead, we were stopped by the vehicle in front of us. A leopard had run beside their car, crossed the road and raced into the forest!!! Wow, that’s luck!!
We had a very rich experience for the remaining part of the safari. We saw herds of bison (gaur), barasingha deer, sambar deer and of course spotted deer. Its the default at Kanha – with around 21,000 of them. A tiger was spotted just around 30m off the road. It was resting in the shade beside a small pool of water. We waited for about an hour for it to make any movement, but it just lazily remained there, enjoying the water and the shade. The evening safari was equally enjoyable, although the duration was less.

Another two safaris the next day – we saw wild boar, barking deer, the barasingha from very near and a variety of birds. With the nearing of the mating season, the guides taught us the difference between the alarm call and mating call of the spotted deer. We were lucky to see two tigers and a leopard on this day. Both the tigers that we were able to view had been tracked by the elephants and a short elephant ride was required to go near the tigers. The first one hid itself among the long and dry grasses, but the second tiger was sitting just a couple of feet away from us. It remained calm and was not at all bothered by the elephants moving in its vicinity. Seeing the tiger from a distance of 2 ft was quite an experience.

A leopard was viewed in the evening – perched on top of a tree trunk. I felt the need of a good zoom lens, something which I did not have. And I felt jealous of the people around me who were carrying lenses like machine guns and capturing the leopard as if sitting 1ft away. Again a patient wait for an hour for it to move was futile – as it decided to maintain status quo, at least till we left. Our wait was not in vain – we were rewarded by a beautiful sunset with the sky flaring up in shades of red. A big herd of bisons had visited the watering hole adjacent to our hotel, but when we returned from the safari, only two of them were still there.
After spending three wonderful nights at Kisli, it was time to move towards Bandhavgarh. There are two Nature Trails from the Khatia gate – one 3 Km and another 8 Km. I had planned to do the 8Km trail on the morning of our departure. Unfortunately the car which was supposed to come in the early hours of the morning arrived late and we could not go to Khatia, which was 3.5 Km from Baghira Log Huts. May be next time….

Delhi has been the ground of historical events since the first century – maybe earlier. Empires have been built and destroyed here. It has been the target of invaders coming from the north-western part of the continent and has borne the burnt of these invaders across the centuries. As a result, Delhi is scattered with historical monuments that speak out the stories of the ancient times.

On the way to Kumayun, we had almost the full day at our disposal before boarding Ranikhet Express for Haldwani. The plan was to visit Red Fort and the Qutb Complex, but due to Daserra celebrations a few days later, Red Fort was closed to public. This is what we were informed by the hotel – but was not exactly sure about the truth of this piece of information. As time was limited, we headed for the Qutub Minar complex by an auto-rickshaw. The driver charged Rs 400 for the round trip – he would cover the Qutub Minar and the Lotus Temple.

There’s more than the Qutb Minar!!

History has always been my weak point. This was proven once more – when I saw that the Qutb Complex had not only the Qutb Minar, but other structures and ruins.
The unfinished Alia Minar, the Alia Darwaza and the ruins of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was fascinating. The Qutb Minar, which itself looks so mundane from far, surprisingly has carvings from the Quaran and other designs on its walls. There is an iron pillar which was erected by King Chandragupta II Vikramaditya. The walls of the Alia Darwaza were occupied by green parrots which flew around the building.

A look at the history of Qutb Minar

The Qutub Complex, is an array of monuments and buildings at Mehrauli in Delhi, India, the most famous of which is the Qutub Minar and is one of the finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. Built in 1193 AD, it had been inspired by the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan. It initially housed a complex of twenty-seven ancient Jain temples which were destroyed & their material used in the construction of the Qutub complex by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty, and his successor Iltutmish and further By Firoz Shah Tughlak on the ruins of Lal Kot and Qila-Rai-Pithora (Prithivraj Chauhan’s city). The complex was added to by many subsequent rulers, including Iltutmish and Ala ud din Khilji as well as the British.

Qutub Minar

The most famous monument situated in the complex is the Qutub Minar; other important constructions in the complex are the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, the Alai Gate, the Alai Minar and the Iron pillar, surrounded by Jain temple ruins.
Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, and an important example of Indo-Islamic Architecture. It is 72.5 metres (239 ft) high. The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres wide while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with surrounding buildings and monuments.

Alia Darwaza

The Alai Darwaza (Alai Gate) is the main gateway in the complex. The gateway was built by the first Khilji sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji. The domed gateway is decorated with red sandstone and inlaid marble decorations, latticed stone screens and showcases the remarkable craftsmanship of the Turkish artisans who worked on it. It was built in 1311 AD.

Alia Minar

Ala-ud-din Khilji started building the Alai Minar, which was conceived to be two times higher than Qutb Minar. The construction was abandoned, however, after the completion of the 24.5 meter high first storey; soon after death of Ala-ud-din. The first story of the Alai Minar still stands today.
It is considered to be one of the most important buildings built in the sultanate period. With its pointed arches, it adds grace to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque to which it served as an entrance.

Iron Pillar

The Iron Pillar is one of the world’s foremost metallurgical curiosities. The pillar is almost seven metres high and weigs more than six tonnes. It was erected by Chandragupta II Vikramaditya (375–414 CE). It is the only piece of the Jain temple remaining, which stood there before being destroyed by Qutb-ud-din Aibak. A fence was erected around the pillar due to the popularity of a tradition that considered it good luck if you could stand with your back to the pillar and make your hands meet behind it.