Welcome 2009

I wish a very happy and prosperous new year to all who have stumbled upon my site today.

The year promise to begin on a happy note for me. The first thing I will get to do tomorrow is to take over charge of the promoted post. So no holiday tommorw, but no complaint. I hope that the year brings further good news.

But more importatntly, I hope that in the coming year, we all will be able to get out of our homes on weekends, and during festivals, without any fear. I was out on the street today. The fear after the Mumbai attack is still palpable. May be the world become a safe and better place to live.

Delhi to Bharatpur : a road guide

I was travelling from Delhi to Dibrugarh when an article caught my attention. The article informed that migratory birds have returned to Bharatpur this year. Thanks to a real good monsoon, the canals in Bharatpur had received good amount of water this year. That was a fantastic piece of news. When I visited the park last year, it was all dry. Park authorities tried to keep the park alive by pumping up water using two bore wells. That was really pathetic. We saw a few birds in that small marshland kept alive by pumping water. The birds we saw could be counted on finger tips. We saw more sambhar deers and nilgais than birds. But a walk through the park could make anyone feel how wonderful this place could have been with water and birds.

I feel lucky that my wish had been fulfilled so fast. So on my return to Delhi, we headed for Bharatpur on the next available weekend for a second trip. Being just 180 km from Delhi, it can be easily covered in a weekend trip. We decided to drive down rather than taking the train (2060 Kota Janashatabdi) as this would involve reaching station by hiring a cab, then wait there and get transported to hotel at Bharatpur. The only enticing part by train is that at 80 rupees tickets are really cheap. However this will be the best option for a couple or small family. On reaching the hotel we were informed that there is enough water in the park this time that even the boat ride is also operational. That was real good news. The park had benefited not only from the huge rainfall this year, but the extra water from the dams nearby was also released to the park.

We headed for the park soon after lunch. As I am familiar with the park, we preferred the cycle as mode of conveyance. We were really delighted to find lot of birds from close range. Hordes of Painted Stork and Black Ibis had nested very close to the road. There were various varieties of heron and ducks. We were lucky to see a pair of famed saras crane in the morning trip next day. We got to see one pair last time as well in an evening trip. But that time the birds were at some distance. This time the pair was close enough to be within the range of my 300mm lens. This was the icing on the cake.

Other than those mentioned above, this is what we saw: a rabbit, couple of jackals bold enough to roam in broad daylight, three different species of owls, cormorants, snake bird, grey heron, purple heron, mud turtles, two different species of kingfisher, moorhen, sambhar deer, spotted deer and nilgais. I left out few common birds which we often see in our backyards like robbin, bulbul, Indian mayna and babler.

We had two trips this time. One on the afternoon of the day of arrival and another early next morning. Both the trips were on cycle. Approx cost incurred was rupees 3000. Summing up the trip: it was really worth the time and money spent.

Driving directions from Delhi to Bharatpur:
I downloaded a driving direction from indiacar.com. It was useful. But need some modification as follows:
1) No comments on the distances till Vrindavan or rather the point at which you need to turn left for Vrindavan. This is because the distances between Delhi-Vrindavan will vary a few kilometers depending on where in Delhi you start. In any case you need to reach Badarpur border, whether you make it by the Mathura road via Ashram / New Friends Colony or by the Mehrauli-Badarpur road.
2) We stopped at Sagar Ratna resort after crossing Hodal for breakfast. This is the costliest place for food on the entire route. Breakfast for 4 people cost nearly 500 rupees. It can be avoided. But it also probably provides the cleanest toilets en-route.
3) Keep moving straight till you reach the overhead sign on the NH-2, indicating left turn for Vrindavan.
4) Vrindavan to Mathura road junction is 8 km. You will get many turns between these two. But the one mentioned in the detail is the one with a right turn for Govardhan.
5) Keep moving straight. The flyover on which the cut for Bharatpur exists is almost 5 KM from this junction. The distance mentioned in the indiacar.com road guide is about 4 km which is a little less. En-route you will cross the Jai Gurudev temple, a big white structure, on right hand side of the road.
6) Cross the flyover. Halfway through you will see the road sign for Bharatpur on the right hand side of the flyover. The U-turn is not far from the end of the flyover. Take U-turn here.
7) Bharatpur is 34 km from here. The outskirt of the park is another 2 km. This is a single way state highway. 50% of the road is in pretty good condition. But other 50% is bumpy and bad. Always drive with reasonable speed as real bad sections crops up suddenly. These are bad enough to break your axle. You need to avoid situations when there is a speeding vehicle from opposite on the good section of the road and you have no option but to land your vehicle at the bad spot.
8) I used the Wikimapia map to have an idea of directions within Bharatpur. Once you have reached the railway overbridge at Bharatpur station, keep moving straight.
9) Use this link to get the map I had created for driving direction from the station to the Park.
10) Most hotels are on the road to the park which is the Agra-Jaipur highway. Few around Saras chowk. I stayed at the Hotel Pratap Palace which is good place to stay. I stayed at this hotel in my last visit and the experience was good. I paid 650 this time for double deluxe room. But food here is costly. However we have decided to explore other accommodation around. The Sunbird Inn turns out to be the costliest in that area. They offered room @900. Few other accommodations we checked were cheap but you will not like spend the night there. There are two more costly options – the ITDC run Hotel Bharatpur Ashok, which is located right inside the park and the RTDC run Hotel Saras.

( Read about my first trip to Bharatpur on this link)

Free movement of Taxis and auto-ricksaws across Delhi and NCR areas

The days are not far when you will be able to hire a taxi or auto to Noida or Ghaziabad or Gurgaon from Delhi. The much awaited Reciprocal Common Transport Agreement among Governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for unrestricted movement of taxis and autos in the National capital Region (NCR) has finally been signed and published as gazette notification on 11th December, 2008. It was published in national dailies like the TOI on 13th Dec, 2008. For your reference the gazzette notification no. is PCO(STA)/DTC Cell/06/07/pt.II/482It took almost a year since the news about such an agreement was first published. But anyway, it is better be late than never.

What does it mean?
Take for example I live in Kaushambi, which falls in Ghaziabad district of UP. One side of the road around the Anand Vihar ISBT falls in Delhi and the other in UP. Kaushambi falls on the UP side of the road. Thus taxis and autos available from Delhi airport or railway station will not ply to my residence across the road in UP. I had to hire a taxi or auto to Anand Vihar and then get into a cycle ricksaw to reach my home. While making the trip to airport or railway station, I either have to reach Anand Vihar or hire a taxi from a local operator in this area which charges a hefty premium. Further they use private cars for this business, which is not only illegal but also unsafe.

Of late Easy Cab had started operating to NCR areas. But hey charges about Rs15/- per KM. This is OK for summer as taxis are AC, but much higher than the pre-paid taxis operated by Delhi Traffic Police. In the police operated pre-paid taxi counters at Delhi airport, you might observe a notice saying taxi to Noida not available from here. Fortunately you have Easy Cab now. Earlier you had to use the similar tactics used by me. I am lucky that my house is less than a kilometer from the border. But for places like Noida or Indirapuram, it certainly is tough.

The catch:
The details published in news papers on 13th December, 2008 had few catches as under:
1) It is not free for all situation for autos, i.e., not all autos will ply across border. Only the ones holding special permit for this will ply. However all taxis can ply across border in NCR areas. I had assumed this as there is no mention on no. of taxis being allowed.
2) All such vehicles have to be registered in NCR areas. The definition of NCR encompasses a large area, e.g. it includes even Meerut.
3) No. of autos for this mutual agreement is fixed, e.g., registered in Delhi but allowed to ply to UP NCR areas (like Vaishali, Kaushambi, Indirapuram and Ghaziabad) is 4000. Another 4000 from UP can ply to Delhi. I think 8000 autos altogether is a good number. Same is the no. agreed between Delhi and Haryana.
4) The autos and taxis registered in NCR and plying across border will be given a colour code and logo for easy recognition. There no mention what these indicators it will be. So one need to look out for this.

Anyway, almost a week has passed since gazetisation of this agreement. But no taxis or autos have started to ply yet. It may take few more days, may be months for this to materialize into practical reality.

Bharatpur : good weekend break from Delhi

First of all apologise for all those who sought advise on travel, specially to Lakshadweep, in the last few months. I have been very busy and could not find time even to moderate the comments.

As a break from the hectic life, I went to Bharatpur (Keoladeo Ghana National Park) last Saturday (06.12.2008). While flying to Dibrugarh some 15 days back, I read a small article mentioning that most water bodies in Bharatpur has been replenished by the good moonsoon this year. This has made many migratory birds to return. When I visited the park last Christmas, it was in real bad shape. Almost no water and very few birds. But being there I could easily imagine had there been water, this would have been a bird lovers paradise. Thus when I got to know that Bharatpur has received water, I was itching to go there a second time.

On arrival at the park this year, it was a different scene altogether. All the water bodies has been replenished naturally. And so there were scores of stroks, ducks, herons and many other birds. One can see the birds nesting from a very close range. The made the trip a worthy one. If are around Delhi, you can give it a try. Bharatpur is some 180 KM by road from Delhi. The Kota Janashatabdi will take you there in 3 hours for just 80 rupees. I will upload some photos later.

Hampi : I finally made it

(Writing from Bangalore)

This is my 3rd visit to Bangalore and this time I had made it to Hampi. Standing by the famed stone chariot at the Vittala temple complex, I said to me ‘this is why come all the way’. Among all the ruins in Hampi scattered over 25 sq km, what I really wanted to see were the Hampi Chariot. If you have read Indian history (I believe most of us did at least in school), then you probably had seen a photo of the Hampi chariot. There also is an old 5 paise postage stamp issued on this. This is a piece of history. My wish of being able to see it had fulfilled.

It was a real hectic trip. I started at 9 pm on Saturday from Bangalore and reached Hampi at 8 am next day. Hiring an auto, I could complete the sight seeing by 1 pm. I had seen almost all important monuments during this time frame. I also enjoyed a brief coracle boat ride on the Tungavadra. With the sightseeing trip ending well before I had expected, I boarded a bus back to Bangalore by 3 pm of Sunday and was back at Bangalore by 12 midnight. Thus in about 27 hours, I had traveled nearly 800 km by road. Yet the satisfaction of being able to see Hampi took away major part of the tiredness of such an arduous trip.

I will be putting up the details once I am back in Delhi.

The 1 rupee Volvo joyride in Bangalore

Back in Bangalore for a second time this year.

One of the front page news on Thursday’s TOI newspaper (Bangalore edition) was that take a ride in BMTC’s premium Volvo city bus service for just Rs.1. I was also a bit surprised at this news. The fare I had paid for my Volvo trips the earlier day was Rs.25/- for Domlur – Marathali Bridge section and Rs.15/- for Marathali Bridge – Sarjapur Jn. Section.

When I ride one Thursday morning at Marathali Bridge, I had kept a 1 rupee coin ready. The lady conductor was asking everyone to give one rupee change. Though hard to digest, the 1 rupee fare is a reality. Some of the Volvo regulars, who did not have time to read morning newspaper, was taken by surprise at this huge discount. As the bus progressed, more and more people had started getting into the bus. Soon the bus was full and it started to feel a bit suffocating. This is not what the premium service is meant for. I saw even a guy, who appears to be regular Volvo user, getting off after traveling hardly two stoppages, apparently to travel by other means.

The transport minister had reasoned that this is done to entice the bikers to use this bus service. Such a stupid idea. It is another example of the mental bankruptcy of our administrators. A biker will never trade his bike ride for a bus ride because a bike provides a cheap point to point ride -- right from his doorstep to gate of his office. Thus instead of bikers, it were the people who normally uses other type of cheaper city buses had crowded the buses.

Next morning the same newspaper (TOI) carried an article with photos telling that the 1 rupee fare scheme is a huge success. It also cited a different reason this time for the scheme. Such a crape! The reason for success is that the largesse had made the air-conditioned Volvo city buses the cheapest mode of transport for the day. Therefore only the fools and stupidest would have traveled by normal buses. This is just throwing a free ride for those people who would never ever travel by these once original fare is restored in 4 days. The fare of Volvo buses is too high for them to afford.

With a running cost of Rs.52/- per kilometer, the Volvo service is positioned as a premium service targeted for a certain set of users who are willing to pay the price for a comfortable travel. This stupid scheme of the government had put the regular users into lot of trouble. Instead of providing a feel of comfortable journey, it had made one to get out and travel by a regular bus. Unfortunately they will have to face this music till Sunday, the 14th Sept.

Update on train cancellations to Delhi

Railways has made available the list of affected trains online. You can access these details at the following links :

1) IRCTC news flash
2) Northern railway news flash

Cancellations / Diversions of trains to New Delhi wef 06.09.2008

Train services to Delhi, specially to New Delhi station is going to be severely affected between Sept 5 and 15. As I have read in the newspapers, 62 trains will be cancelled, 50 diverted and 126 will be terminated short. Some of these train will be terminated short as far as Kanpur which is another 5 hours journey to Delhi by train. If you are traveling during these dates, then you are in for a shock. What is more troublesome is that information on trains getting affected is not available on any of railway official sites. All one can gather is piecemeal information from various websites. I managed to find the press release on the Northern railway site which is reproduced below :

Quote:
+++++++++
Press Release REMODELING OF NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION 19/08/2008
In order to enhance train operational facilities at New Delhi railway station, Northern Railway will be carrying re-modeling work involving installation of the New Route Relay Interlocking with 1278 routes . For this purpose, New Delhi Railway Station will remain Non-interlocked from 06.09.2008 to 14.09.2008. The complete remodeling of New Delhi Railway station would involve installation of New Route Relay Interlocking (1278 routes) largest on Indian Railways. This Relay Room will be in place of existing British System (RRI) Route Relay Interlocking (690 routes). There would be additions and alternations of 125 routes in existing Delhi Jn. SIEMENS PANEL and Relay Room. Yard remodeling of triangle area of Delhi yard on New Delhi end, dismantling of 34 turn outs, 2.6 Tkm track 53 masts/posts, and foundation, leading out releases, making & formation earthwork, ballsting, casting of 16 foundations, erection of masts/posts, linking & insertion of 21 turn outs, 1.85 Tkm track and signals telecommunication and OHE works would be done in the remodeling work. There would be 33% increase in platform handling work at New Delhi Railway Station after the remodeling work. The bottleneck in Sadar area would be removed and there will be 6 lines in place of existing 3 at Sadar Bazar end of New Delhi Station making independent corridor for reception and dispatch of trains to and from Delhi Jn./Delhi Kishanganj, Subzi Mandi and Delhi Sarai Rohilla stations. Two additional lines on Tilak Bridge end will be connected with New Delhi Yard. Thus there will be 6 lines between New Delhi & Tilak Bridge in place of 4. There will be 2 Island platforms at New Delhi Railway Station, thus making a total 16 in place of existing 12 Platforms. In view to carry on the remodeling work at New Delhi Railway Station 62 trains will remain cancelled, 126 trains will be terminated short of destination which will originate from there and 50 trains will be diverted to run on alternative route for the period from 5 th Sep. to 15 th Sep. 2008.
+++++++++++++++

Unquote:
What is still bad is that there is no list available on the trains getting affected. You will have to keep a watch on the Northern railway site for further announcement, if any. These are :

NR Home Page and

NR New Press Releases

Apparently all these upgradation is being done keeping in sight the Commonwealth Games in 2010. I had also come across a ministry press release informing that platforms of New Delhi Railway Stations are being made compatible to 24 coaches. Platforms No. 10, 11 and 12 at New Delhi Railway Station are already compatible for 24 coaches trains. Works on seven platforms i.e. platforms No. 3 to 9 have been planned to accommodate 24 coach trains. Twenty four pairs of trains are presently running with 24 coaches.

Searching for this piece of information on train rescheduling, I came across two useful sites, supposedly put up fans of Indian Railway.
1) Indian Railways News
2) Indian Railways Fan Club

The Indian Railway News site had caught my attention. It is a very informative site with links to many railway related sites. Hats of to the person who has took all the pains to put up the site and maintain it.

Costlier air travel : UDF at HIAL and BIAL airports

More bad news for domestic air travelers. Not only taxes have gone past 3000, you will also have to pay an additional amount as UDF (User Development Fee) on flying out of Hyderabad, and soon from Bangalore as well. The Civil Aviation ministry has given approval for collecting a UDF of Rs.375/- per person for domestic passengers traveling out of the new GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL). However exact date of collecting UDF from domestic passengers have not been announced, but likely by August end. International passengers have already been paying Rs.1000/-(or USD25) as UDF since 11-June-2008.

Mounting taxes has already made air travel less lucrative then what it was a year ago. In fact airline passenger has registered a negative growth in last one year. Because of this, some airlines have refused to collect UDF as part of ticket cost. This may result in passengers queuing up at GHIAL to pay UDF. Something similar is being planned for BIAL at Bangalore. I had traveled to the BIAL recently. Traveling to the airport 50 km away from city itself is a headache. After traveling for at least an hour and half, one will have to queue twice -- first check in and then may be a second time to pay UDF.

Out of Rs 225 collected currently as passenger service fee (PSF), the airport operator receives Rs 80 for maintaining public amenities at the airport. The UDF is meant to enable the company to bridge the gap between the admissible expenditure and admissible revenue as estimated. This is to be reviewed every two year.

Read more on this at Economic Times.

When ATM did not dispense

Sometimes back State bank of India (SBI) use to run a television commercial which boast of SBI having the largest network of ATMs in India. The corollary to this is that SBI also has the largest number of non-working ATMs in India. My experience says that whenever you are in desperate need of cash, you will find the nearest SBI ATM out of order. This happens at least 7 out of 10 times. We can propose an addition to the Murphy’s law on this.

It was the first week of May when I was frantically trying to withdraw money from my various bank accounts to make advance payment for the flat I was purchasing. One evening I went to the SBI ATM, very close to my office to withdraw money. As few more people were waiting, I decided to withdraw 20K in one go. The machine made few clicks and ticks after I made necessary entries. The sound of counting followed. Then it tried to dispense. To my horror the notes got stuck in the outlet for dispensing money. The guys who were waiting behind me also saw it. In desperation, I tried to pull out whatever amount I can. I had 30 sec to do so before the machine takes it back. The notes I could pull out counted only 8500. The rest of the notes were actually inside the machine and could not be pulled out. 30 sec was over by then and the machine took it back. I could here the sound of counting again when the money was taken back. My first impression was that the notes were old / used notes and therefore got stuck while dispensing.

I was in shock for a moment. I had probably lost 11500. Checking around the cubicle, I found two phone nos. which is to be contacted in case of any problem. After trying a few times, one of the phones answered. I explained him the incident. He told me that SBI ATM machines are not capable of dispensing 20000 at one go. They have put up signs or instructions about this in some ATMs. The same could not be done at all ATMs, one of which is the one I had used. He advised to check whether the money has been debited from my bank account. I had checked and found that 20K has been debited. He then told me to contact the CAC Branch with transaction slips of the ATM.

I went to the CAC Branch located at ITO the next day. CAC stands for Cash Administration Cell. It was a small office with only one person available when I visited. He accepted my application and informed me that the concerned person has gone on outdoor inspection duty. Money will be refunded after reconciliation. He also gave me the branch phone nos. and told me that it may take upto 10 / 15 days for reconciliation.

What followed was a long wait. Several phone calls made to the CAC Branch had the answer that reconciliation could not be done because the concerned is still busy. One day a new fellow picked up the phone and told me that he is not aware of my application. This probably was the guy I was looking for. Then I realized that I should have sent the application by post or courier to produce a proof of submission instead of handing over in person. My impression was that my application which I personally handed over got misplaced (or may be thrown into dust bin, whatever may be). I wrote a reminder seeking an early redrerssal failing which I proposed to approach banking ombudsman. I know about banking ombudsman, but do not know how to approach that authority. I found out only after threatening to take action. Anyway, 5 days after that letter, I had received a phone call which made few enquiries. The gentleman told me that money would be credited back to my account by next day.

The money indeed arrived next day. It took more than two months. But I got back my 11500.

There are few lessons to be learnt from this incident:

1) Never try to withdraw more than 10000 at one go from any ATM.

2) Avoid transaction if the ATM is unable to issue transaction slip. You do not know when you may need the transaction slip.

3) Even if you submit a copy of application / incident reporting by hand or in person, always
send a copy by post / courier so that you can produce a proof of submission.

You can find more information on Banking Ombudsman in India from the RBI site.

My brush with a group of eunuchs

Have you dealt with a group of eunuchs hell bent on extorting money from you? I had to deal with a group of them few days back. I am narrating my experiences.

Hijda, as they are commonly called in Hindi, move around in groups, looking for victims which they can extort on the pretext of some auspicious occasion, like birth of a child or buying a house. This is very common in North India. I had seen that in Dehradun, but not in Delhi. As soon I had move to my newly acquired flat at Kaushambi, which is just across the Delhi border, I had realized that they have free reign in UP as well.

The group had come in search of me thrice. When they finally met me last Sunday, I first tried to dissuade them. There were three of them, accompanied by two fellows with dholak or drum. Two were quite aged and were well behaved. There was a young one who was threatening to take off cloths every now and then. This frightened my wife and little daughter. I told them to get inside the inner room and not to come out. It becomes clear that they will not go away or creating a ruckus. Thus I had to pay. I sat on the floor, face to face with one of the aged Hijda. They started their bargaining from 11000. I was told that people in the society had cough upto 5001. They think big. I started with 100. The bargaining went on for at least an hour. Many a times I lost temper, specially at the antics of the young Hijda who were threatening to take off cloths. I just stopped sort of saying him to dance naked if he/she wants. Despite that I kept my cool. The demand had come down to 3001 by then. It has almost been an hour. Finally I felt that it had gone too long and got rid of them by paying 2001. One of the aged Hijda told me before leaving that ‘tune mujhse bahut bulwaiya’ (You made me speak for a long time).

Most people pay fearing the curse of Hijdas. I do not believe in the curse. Other pays to avoid the ruckus they create. I paid thinking about safety of my family as I would not be there all the time to defend them. It is a new place and my wife will have to pick the kid when the school bus drops. Thus I become a helpless victim of Hijda extortion.

When confronted later, the guards say they are helpless as the Hijdas would not heed to their words. But what surprises me is that how they can pinpoint the exact flat where a new tenant has come. The most likely informer has to be the guard/s. I will have to take it up when the Residents Welfare Society meets next time. But we had fully understood our entry into a lawless place, though barely 1 KM from Delhi. Living here will be certainly a different experience then in Patparganj.

Wonder La experience : Bangalore weekend outings

During my stay at Bangalore from 8th to 22nd June, 2008, I had 3 weekend holidays to spare. As I had already done some local sightseeing, e.g., a visit to the famous Lal Baug and had also undertaken a trip to Mysore during my last visit, I could leave out these most common options. I had wanted to see Hampi. But that is too far from Bangalore and also requires time and so discarded. Some of my colleagues went to Mysore & Ooty and another group to Coorg. But both these involved hectic traveling over 48 hours. I was not willing to travel like that., at least not my concept enjoying a trip.

After a bit of Googling, I wanted to go to the Hogennekal falls. Then my old friend, Mr. Murli, whom I had met during the trip to Lakshadweep, suggested me that I should think of going to Sivansamudram falls rather than the Hogennekal falls. He told me that Hogennekal is facing water shortage and is worth visiting only if it raining which means more water is released into it. It is about 170-180 km from Bangalore. I had checked with the KSTDC site and found that they have a bus tour to Sivanasamudram which can be taken on weekend.

Somehow even this trip did not materialise. Therefore my brother decided to take us to one of the happening place near Bangalore -- the Wonder La amusement park.

Wonder La experience:
The park is advertised as the largest amusement park in India. It is also said to have the highest number of imported rides. Located some 28 km on the Bangalore -Mysore highway and then 2km off it. I thought that one needs a vehicle to visit the park. But I found there that one can take the BMTC city bus no. 226 from the Majestic (or the Kempe Gowda Bus Terminal) bus stand near City Railway Station. This bus ply between the majestic and the Wonder La. The park also runs a shuttle service from the highway to the park.

The 600 bucks entry fee (with taxes) for adults and 450 for child (above 90cm) on weekends is certainly not cheap by any means. But there was a good crowd which indicates that the park is a happening place and is doing good business. For your information, they accept cards at the ticket counters.

On entering the park, I found that it is well maintained. Signboard and displays were good and were put up in a thoughtful manner. Take the example of the Cloak room facility. It offers boxes in two size - small for 20 and big for 30 bucks. To help one understand the size of the boxes they have displayed samples at the counter. May be a very small thing, but thoughtful and very useful.

We started as per the map handed out at the entrance. The rides are categorized as normal, moderate or high thrill rides. We had enjoyed almost all the normal rides. After trying few moderate thrill ride, we decided to ride the high thrill ride called Drop Zone. Few seconds into the ride, I thought what bug had bitten me to do this. Thankful that the torture lasted barely 1 min. Drop zone is probably the least torturous of the high thrill rides. We wondered as to how people get into some of the high thrill rides like Twisters, Mixers, Hurricanes, etc. One will get dizzy by just looking at them. Just imagine getting twisted, turned up and down like being in a mixer! Other rides about which I still remember are the Dungeon of Horror- a visit to ghost castle, and Cine Magic - a virtual roller coaster train ride into a mine. There also was a laser cum musical fountain show. We enjoyed the dry rides till lunch so that we do not have to change cloths. Wet cloths are not allowed in some of the rides. Food is very reasonably priced. After the lunch, we changed clothes and headed for the wet rides. My little daughter really enjoyed being in the pool. We had finished the wet rides with the penultimate wave dance of the day. Changing into dry attire, we headed for the Skywheel, a giant rotating wheel stationed atop a 13 storied tower. It was dark by then. Summing it up, we had thoroughly enjoyed a full day.

It was almost 7 when we had started for home. Traveling via the NICE road, we had good measure of what Govt apathy towards development can mean. I was told that the NICE road, a proposed toll road, could not be made operational even after many years because of the might of Devegowda clan who had ruled Karnataka for last five years, apparently for they have not got their share of bribe. The road is complete except for that kilometer or so stretch near Bannerghatta road for which land has not been made available. Maneuvering the one kilometer non existent road in the darkness was a nightmare. Despite our care, we could not avoid hitting a protruded boulder. Fortunately no damage was done to the bottom of the vehicle and we reach home safely on time for dinner.

Bangalore

The only place one feel comfortable in Delhi is right under the fan. Temperature is just 30 degrees. But humidity is 80%. There was hardly any summer this year by Delhi standard. In fact Delhi had only a few, may be a max of 5 really scorching days this summer. Yet the weather is not pleasant by any means.

I was spared of this torture for last 15 days. These 15 days were spent in the fantastic weather of Bangalore. All my colleagues from Delhi could not stop appreciating the beautiful weather at Bangalore. Even in the peak of summer, one can sleep without fan; forget about ACs. It was cloudy, but rains were sporadic. But the best aspect was that there was no humidity.

This was my second visit to the Silicon Valley of India. The first was in 2004. This time I landed 50 km off the city at the new BIAL airport. It probably is more near to Kollar than Bangalore. The trip back to the city by the AC Volvo Bus service of BMTC, called the Vayu Vajra, was pleasant. One can take this buses to the nearest convenient point. It is comfortable and economical. It cost me only 150 rupees to Sarjapur Junction on the Outer Ring Road. The cabs charge @Rs.15/- per km. A cab ride to the city will cost you at least 700 rupees.

The urbanization in Bangalore has been very rapid. Take for example the areas on the outer ring road. When we visited Bangalore in 2004, the outer ring road was a deserted place. In these 4 years many housing and SEZ projects have come up in that area. This has changed the landscape of the area drastically. This rapid urbanization has also brought massive traffic congestion, even at the reasonably wide enough outer ring road. Same was the condition at the inner ring road and the Bannerghatta road. Bangalore needs flyovers. It fact it needs many of them. Unless something is done on this, it would almost be impossible to drive. There seems to be no traffic planning in Bangalore.

To compound to the woes of traffic, Bangalore do not have a good public transport system. I was fleeced by the autowallah on day 1. The ones standing on the auto stands would straightway ask for 1.5 times of the metered fare. The ones you catch on the running will not charge that much and often go by the meter, rounded upwards to next multiple of 5. It cost me nearly 300 rupees on my to and fro trip between Sun City at Sarjapur junction and Domlur on day 1. But then I became wise and decided to give the BMTC buses a try. In the next 9 days that I had traveled between Suncity and Domlur, the lowest I had spent was 23 rupees. In fact, I found that the BMTC bus service is not as bad as it appears. The bus transport system is complemented by the staff vehicles of IT companies. I had liberally used the staff buses doubling up as city buses on its return journeys. The drivers of these vehicles make quite a lot of money this way. I am told that many companies prohibit this practice as they pose serious security threat to the employees and also the organization.

Anyway, like all good things the pleasant stay at Bangalore has also come to an end. Back in Delhi, it is terribly humid. Even at 30 degrees we had to keep the AC on overnight to cut out the humidity.

Chardham Yatra : useful helpline numbers

Feeling good to be back in my blog after such a long time. It has been a hectic month. So much was the work pressure that I finally succumbed to a recurrence of spondylosis after a couple of years. I hope that the worst is over.

The month of June always reminds of the first visit to Badrinath. The pilgrimage routes to these shrines was thrown open around mid May. The period till monsoon is the peak season. However, the unprecedented rains this May has certainly hampered the peak yatra season. Travelling in the hills during rains is no fun and is full of potential dangers. One can get stuck anywhere, anytime. Uttaranchal tourism seems to have undertaken few measures to facilitate the yatra season, which is the main source of income to many locals and also to the tourism industry. Here is some of information that may be useful to you :

Emergency medical vans are made available in the entire route. Emergency contact no. is 108.
Disaster management teams in case of mishaps and natural calamities. Emergency contact no. 1070.
In case of any other emergency call the following nos :
Helpline : 0135 – 2722323
Disater management Center : 0135-2710334 / 335
BRO contact nos : Rishikesh – 0135-2430109, Gauchar – 01363-240605,

Pipalkoti – 01372-266518, Joshimath – 01389-222820

Driving holidays

While returning from office, I was wandering about driving abroad. From what we see in movies or TV, it appears to be pleasant experience. The thought of exploring a state on wheel is something unimaginable here. Everybody jostles for space on the clogged highways. You are caught in a virtual race of autos, two wheelers, bullock and horse carts, thelas and ricksaws.

I had explored the scene of driving holidays abroad. Take for the example of France. The suggestion I came across is to avoid large cars as they can be very unwieldy and it often makes sense to just park and then use public transportation. This indicates that the situation though better is not free from all headache. Priorité à droite - the old French system was to give priority to all traffic coming from the right.We also have the same rule writen at all traffic roundabouts. But who cares here! One travelling on the major roads has priority in France. But not here

We had probably borrowed many of the systems. But do not want to follow them.Roads in France are classified into following three types :

1) Autoroute, also called Motorway / Freeway. These are generally toll roads.

2) National road, which probably is similar to our National Highway (NH)

3) Departmental Road

We do have more type of roads, but fewer real good roads. There are no real Motorway or Freeway. But few expressways have been built around Delhi, e.g. the Delhi-Noida Expressway. But lack of traffic sense and reckless drving results in tragedys every now and then on this expressway. Just think of a road where you can drive without worrying about the stray cattle or cyclist. Just think about driving from Paris to Bordeaux to Toulouse to Merseilles choosing to stay in plenty of accomodation options offered on the way. There is no surprise that Paris is the top tourist destination in the world according to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).

Canal Road : Faster access of ITO from East Delhi

While the South Delhi has been strugling with the botched BRT corridor, it was a pleasant experience for me (and many East Delhites) while going to office on Friday. The newly constructed Canal Raod, constructed parallel to the Vikas Marg, has been finally thrown open to public the previous evening (24th April, 2008) by Delhi CM Smt Shiela Dixit. In fact, this is the second official opening of the road. It first thrown open to the public on February 14, 2007 by the then Delhi PWD Minister Sri A.K. Walia.

This 2.9 kilometre long road, connects the Marginal Bund Road (Pushta Road) near Geeta Colony with Karkari Morh. Constructed for Rs 102 crore, it has come up over an old canal, which now serves as a drain and carries sewage and rainwater. This is a brillinat concept of creating a parallel road over an old canal. However you will have to bear the stench of the sewage while waiting at the traffic light at the karkari Morh on return. If you are travelling from Anand Vihar side, then the cut down is available from the middle point on the Karkari Morh flyover. Therefore, instead of taking the Vikas Marg by turning left at the point where the flyover has started, one should continue on the flyover and then turn left. The cut on the flyover is on the Karkari Morh - Jagatpuri side, i.e., on the Preet Vihar side not on the Karkardoma side. Once the the Yamuna Bridge at Geeta Colony is completed, the time of travel between Karkari Morh to Shanti Van will be reduced to just 20 minutes. This is suppose to provide signal free travelling from Karkari Morh to Kashmere gate ISBT. As of now, for going to ITO, one is required to turn left at Geeta Colony and get lost into traffic at the ITO bridge.

This new road has cut short my brief journey to office by at least half a kilometer. More importantly the time required was cut by about 15 minutes. Ever since the work on metro started on the busy Vikas Marg about a year back, one had to avoid the Vikas Marg becuase of the heavy traffic, specially during office hours. But this road has brought cheer to all of us in the office.

Exploiting power of the net for tourism

Many a times I am surprised by the amount of information available online today. Just 5 years back, I had to re-plan a trip because I had failed to find information about the place I wanted to visit. But the scenario has changed drastically in these intervening years. The tourism and travel industry had understood the potential of the unimaginable reach of the internet. No one will deny the value of having a website and tap the potential customers.

Take for example of a place named Corfu. I can bet that many of us have not even heard of the place. It is an island in Greece and a popular tourist destination. The 1981 James Bond movie ‘For Your Eyes Only’ was filmed in this Greek island on the Ionian Sea. But I was surprised to find the no. of sites catering exclusively to Corfu, hitherto unknown to many, including me. I picked one of the sites Fantastic Greece and found that Corfu is a popular place with many attractions. Useful information is presented on the page in a simple, clean and uncluttered way. I like such uncluttered WebPages devoid of animations and distractions.

Anyway, this was just to be bemused at the power of the net. Such information helps one choose peaceful destinations that is not on the radar of general tourist. This is one of the reasons why the internet continues to fascinate me.

Jim Corbett : From a hunter to a legend

Ramnagar, a small town in Uttaranchal, is infatuated with the words Jim and Corbett. Everything from dhaba, to tailor shop, to saloons to costly resorts has to have one of these two words in their name. The town has probably nothing to do with Lord Ram, but with Jim Corbett. It owes its fame to the Corbett National Park which provide livelihood for a sizeable population of the area. Such is the importance of these names that the town should have been named Jimnagar, Jimpur or Corbett nagar.

Anyway, my renewed interest in Jim Corbett after my recent visit to the first national park of India, now named after the famous British hunter turned conservationist, had made me acquire a compilation of his famous books. His hunting stories have been translated into almost all languages in India. I had read few of his stories translated into Assamese as part of our curriculum, probably in class VI or VII, i.e. some 25 years back. Such powerful and engrossing were the stories in that book called Araonyar Moh (Lure of the Jungle) that they are still vivid in my mind, specially the one about the Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, the Man Eater of Mohan and the Prince of Powalgarh. Corbett’s translated stories had left indelible mark in our young minds. 25 years hence, I saw the original books written by the man Corbett himself in the souvenir shops around the park. These books are published by Oxford University Press, India. I wanted to get the one named ‘The Jim Corbett Omnibus Vol-I’ which is a compilation of his 3 famous books viz. Man eaters of Kumaon, Temple Tiger and More Man Eaters of Kumaon, and the Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. However none of the shop were willing to give any discount on the MRP of 555.

On my return to Delhi, I had procured the book through the newly launched site A1Books India. I got the book for Rs.475 (against MRP of 555) with free delivery and delivered in 2 days of placing the order. It was quick service, may be because the vendor was from Darya Ganj, some 10 km from my address. But I was happy with the service. The reading started the night of the books’s arrival.

I was a voracious reader many years back. I was one of those kind who would finish a novel in one go. But that habit had died over the years. More so after getting married and having a kid. Every time I tried to pick up a book, the intervention in the form of my dear wife or kid would nip it in the bud. I had been trying to read Khuswant Singh's Delhi for more than a month without any success. This time I specially told them not to disturb me. My kid was happy to listen the hunting stories at bed time. Despite the occasional protest from my wife, I had finished the book containing 600 pages in about a month’s time. That is a big achievement.

After reading the book few things had dawned on me. The translated version was much easier to comprehend, specially the portions where Corbett tried to give vivid description of a location. It is difficult to conjure an image of the location from the descriptions. I had tried making a sketch on paper on few occasions to have a better understanding. The translator had probably left out those portions for better understanding of the readers.

The second thing that had dawned on me is that despite becoming a conservationist in his later life and calling the tiger a ‘Big Hearted Gentleman’, Corbett had killed many leopards and also the occasional tiger for hunting pleasure. He killed the tiger referred to as the Prince of Powalgarh apparently for no reason. It was not man eater. He had referred to hunting as sports and fellow hunters as sportsman. The skins are called as trophies. It appeared that that the tendency to kill a tiger or snake on sight is inborn in human. This human tendency has led these majestic animals to near extinction. Corbett was also no exception. However, he realised his mistakes and traded the gun for a camera. This change in Corbett was responsible for the efforts towards tiger conservation in India.

The third realisation was that Corbett was an exceptionally brave man. In simple words he was different from others. Man eater hunting on foot was thought to be suicidal. He would go into the jungle in search of a man eater and would come out after a couple of days. When night falls, he would climb a tree and sleep. He often stayed alone at deserted dak bungalows in remote hilly areas and go in search of a man eater alone. But even a brave man like Corbett, who had spent night after night in tree tops in jungle infested all kind of wild animals or sitting in dark with a partly eaten human body, had mentioned about few incidences which to him was not natural. He told that he had no explanations for these supernatural occurrences. Reporting of these incidences was from a man as courageous as Corbett makes one really ponder about supernatural occurrences.

Finally, I was almost in tears reading the story of a young Garhwali soldier who lost his legs in the World War-II in the last chapter of Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag. The young man, who could not see the Saheb that killed the infamous leopard because his father could not carry him the long distance from his village to Rudraprayag, was so happy that he could see and speak to that saheb after 18 years. He was happy because he can go back to his village and can tell his father and folks proudly that he had met and speak to that Saheb. Just meeting Corbett had made him forget his misery of losing his legs at war at such a young age. This respect from Indians, specially from the peoples of Kumaon and Garhwal to whom he was a saviour and who believed that he was bestowed with some supernatural power that had enabled him to kill so many notorious man eaters, had made Corbett love this country. This respect had also made him a legend for the people of the hills.

Vanishing open spaces : Tale of a park

Open space have become a scarcity, even in Delhi. Given my location in Delhi in East across the Yamuna, there is only one such place – a park one can visit for a family leisure break and inhale some fresh air. This palce closer to where I live, is the Millennium Park or the Indraprastha Park or the Nizamuddin Park as we refer to it. I am leaving out the Lutyen’s Delhi area as only place open for public are the India Gate lawns, which remains crowded on weekends.

The Millenium Park or the Indraprastha Park :
My first visit to this park was on a Sunday soon after had I started my second innings in Delhi two year s back. What was pleasing was the vast open space, lush green lawns and very little crowd. More importantly there were very few, so called lovebirds who do not differentiate between love and lust. This was an ideal place for kids. The play area for kids double their joy. But that was two years back. I had visited the park a few times during the last two years.
Last Sunday, I had paid my most recent visit. I got my first shock when parking was full. Inside the park, it resembled a mela. Even though there were vacant spaces for one to sit in the lawn, it was crowded. I had avoided growing to India Gate only to avoid the crowd. But the same crowd had followed me to this place which used to be a happy place with very little crowd. A new structure by the name World Peace Stupa has come up on one side of the park. But the peaceful ambience one used to enjoy here was gone. The so called Lovebirds were seen in all look and corners of the park, many of whom turned a blind eye to the crowd while displaying their lust thereby making it embarrassing for family crowd. 95% of the equipment in children play area had been damaged making it unsafe for use. When it started to become dusk, caretakers of the park were seen blowing whistles and herding the lovebirds out of their cocoons. What surprised most is their announcement that the park is also getting close by 8 pm. Anyway, disappointed at losing a place to visit for some open air, we had already made our way back when some people were seen arguing as to why the park is getting closed so early.

Choosing freedom to travel

The thought of acquiring a house in Delhi cropped up several times in my mind in last two years. This was looked upon more as an investment rather than acquisition of a house for life. Given the current prices, this is a big financial decision as I have to pool up all my resources. Real estate prices have gone through roof. But this might have stabilized and may not escalate at the same rate as it had done in 2004-06 period. Therefore this may not be a great investment option with a horizon of 3 years. With a small investible amount and without putting any stress on my lifestyle, I had made my money to grow sizeably in the share market in last one year. If you know how to invest, the direction of the market is irrelevant. I made one lakh while the market was going up and had made another lakh while it is going down. Every time the thought of buying a flat in Delhi crops up, my BP (and also my wife’s) gets pumped up and probably takes few moments of our life. But after the latest surge few days back, we have collectively decided to put that plan to rest for ever and enjoy life.

Actually we do not need another property. I had acquired a flat at Guwahati 2 years back. We always have a paternal house to live in a growing city like Guwahati. This paternal house has enough scope of adding two more floors. My only brother is settled in Bangalore. Both of us have one kid each. As such we really do not need another property or should not get our self bogged down under a huge loan and live a life which we do not want to live. It is better to enjoy life.

A huge bank loan would change the way I live. Specially, the amount of travel I undertake – a luxury we can afford every now and then. This situation is avoidable. In fact we might not be traveling at all if we take that plunge, because I will have little money left after paying a hefty emi. I will feel like a caged animal if I have to live at the same without traveling. I have taken three holidays in last six months. Yet keep feeling like planning another one in next few months. This is freedom. We will keep this freedom to ourselves for the time being and will not ever though of acquiring a house at Delhi again. To add to our delight, the LTC policy of my company had been revised to include a foreign trip every four year. The earlier policy allowed us to travel to anywhere within India, including Andamans or Lakshadwwep. The catch was that it has to be within India. Now that rider is removed, one can easily travel to Middle East destinations like Dubai or Abu Dhabi or to South East Asian hotspots like Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur. A better planning may take one even further. So let’s enjoy life.

Accommodation in Europe

The travel supplement of leading national dailies is something I follow keenly. It is full of packages and deals for outbound tourists, especially to the European countries and hot spots like Mauritius and South East Asian nations. With plethora of options for cheap air ticket, the biggest apprehension is Accommodation. The evolvement of travel sites is a big relief and has helped people in a big way in making travel decisions, tickets and hotel bookings etc. Many of us are not really aware of such Travel sites for traveling abroad. These sites also provide general tourist guidelines as well which is often very helpful.

I had come across one such site for tourists bound for UK and some other European nations. A site named ‘Easy to Book’ offers you the choice of several types of accommodation. In fact the site offers accommodation for a few other places, like Barcelona, London and Rome. Though they offer accommodation in some other cities, may be through some other link partners, they seem to provide value by giving other required information a traveler may want to know for the place. Like this page on EasyToBook provides a detailed info on tourist attractions in New York.

Corbett National Park

Back from Corbett. It was a wonderful weekend break. Driving inside forests and vast grasslands inhaling the freshness of nature, an adventurous elephant ride through dense sal forest, saw fishing eagle hunting, a crocodile rushing to the safety of water on spotting us --- these sums up the trip. We saw many things, but the king -- the tiger i nthe wild. Yet we were happy.

We had started from Delhi at around 6:30 am. The 240 odd km journey by NH24 to Ramnagar via Moradabad – Kashipur took about 6 hours with one break at Gajraula for breakfast. Lunch was offered at the KMVN’s Tourist Reception Centre at Ramnagar. While we were having lunch, KMVN staff had arranged for our entry permit etc. One has to leave his contact no. while obtaining permit for emergency purpose as you will be cut off from the rest of the world for two days. Permits are issued for a max of 3 days., i.e., you will have to come out of the park by afternoon of day 3. Thus if you travel by train from Delhi, you get a full extra day at your disposal.

Our journey into Corbett continued post lunch. The NH121 to Ranikhet takes you out of the Ramnagar town. You will get the feel of the jungle barely 2 km out of the Ramnagar town. The park is located on one side of the NH121, while the other side is human habitat. This habitation area between the NH121 and the river Ramganaga house almost all the Private Resorts. There are n numbers of them and none of them are cheap. But to me it makes very little sense to stay in those costly resorts. If you are planning a visit, then plan well and try for some FRH accommodation. All last moment travelers lands up in these resorts. About 5 km from the town, we saw the gate for Birjani range. This is a day game view range open to all tourists. If you stay in the private resorts, then you will have to satisfy yourself with a visit to this range. Because of the large no. of tourist that arrive Corbett, this place is pretty crowded. Crowd is what one needs to avoid. Else the animals will give you a miss.

The Dhanagiri gate, which is the entry point for Dhikala and many other FRH like Gairal, Sultan, Sarapdaulli, Khinnauli, etc. is 18 km from Ramnagar town. Entry through this gate is allowed only if you have confirmed accommodation inside. Therefore most visitors to Corbett do not get an opportunity to visit this range. If you are staying at a private resort, then the only possibility of getting into the Dhikala range is to take the day long ride in open mini bus offered by the Forest Deptt. Two buses go there everyday and so seats are limited. I have heard that, it is more like old time ticketing in cinema halls. If you reach the counter early enough, then you might get a seat. The other catch is that they are costly. Most animals will run away at the sound of such a big vehicle. All you will get is a feel of the jungle. Then you see the Dhikala FRH and will feel more disappointed for staying outside.

While making entries at the register at the gate, the ranger apprised us of the rules to be followed inside. We had to buy a jute bag and bring back all plastic waste in it. Making you pay for the bag is an effort in creating awareness on conservation. The driver was well versed with the rules of driving in the park. He drove within the permissible limit inside the park. Blowing of horns is not allowed. No one was observing, but yet he followed that rule. We had stopped at many places to enjoy the wild life roaming close to the main road. Then we had a fairly long unwanted halt. A safari gypsy carrying some youths had its axle broken on a narrow stretch and was waiting right in the middle of the road. It had blocked almost the entire road. Suggestions like to lift it up tone side cropped up. Finally, everyone had to clear stones on one side of the road so that vehicles can cross. By 3:30 pm we had arrived at the Dhikala FRH.

Located in the midst of a vast grass land, the campus overlooks the reservoir of the Ramganga river. There are 31 rooms in all at the campus plus a 20 seat dormitory for students. Bookings for these accommodation, except for 7 rooms which is done by KMVN from Delhi, is done by the Corebett Tiger Reserve office at Ramnagar. The demand is huge and so one has to book well in advance. The campus has solar powered fencing around it. The fencing was erected some 3 years back after an incident of tiger attacking some staffer in the campus. The electrified gates are closed at 6pm. Movement in the jungle after 6pm is not allowed. In fact, no one is allowed outside the campus gate without a guide. Even with the electrified fence, it was scary at night. You are 31 kms inside a jungle with sizeable population of tigers. Even though there was no power cut during our stay of about 40 hours, the campus is not that well illuminated. I just wondered as to how one could dare to stay there before the electrified fencing was erected! The campus also houses some staff quarters for forest staff.

The safaris for the afternoon had departed before we had reach. Thus we had nothing to do but to explore the campus and fix up our safaris. The KMVN package includes a jeep safari and elephant safari. The demand for elephant safari is high as there are only 5 elephants, i.e., about 20 seats per trip as against the full occupancy of about 70 persons in the campus. Thus the first thing one should do on arrival is to book your elephant safari. We managed seats for the afternoon trip of day 2.

There is very little to do after sunset. Wild life documentary film is shown in the campus every evening. We watch a film on day 1. The restaurant at the campus serves buffet meals for fixed price. BF @ 100/-, Lunch @ 150/- and Dinner @150/-. The KMVN package has all meals included. The food was good. We had early dinner and retired into our rooms. For your information : there also is a canteen cum grocery shop in the campus which sells essential items, mainly to cater to the need of the drivers and residing forest staffs. But you get cigarettes, toffees, biscuits and chips there. Smoking and alcohol is not permitted outside your room. No one was seen enforcing the smoking ban and as such you will see smokers in the campus.

Day 2 : We set out on the jeep safari at the crack of the dawn. The charges for a jeep safari is Rs.1000/- ( 800 for the jeep and 200 for the guide). The jeeps dashes off for points where tigers could be spotted while crossing the road. There they will wait for alarm calls. Here you can see a tiger only if it chooses to cross the road. So be practical and do not expect to see tiger this way. I doubt at this attempt at tiger spotting. It appeared more to be a time killing technique. After an hour or so of futile waiting, we were taken inside the dense forest through one of the link road. The roads are well laid out and are easily drivable, at least for a Maruti Gypsy. Driving through the dense sal forest where we spotted all 4 varieties of deer found in the park. Finally we reached a vast grass land. These are hunting grounds for tigers. There we saw a large flock of spotted deer. I had never seen such a big flock of deer. These deer are somewhat used to the safari jeeps. They try to run only if you stop. Else they will ignore your presence. By 8:30 am we were back at the resort.

We had decided to take another safari after breakfast. Otherwise we have nothing to do till afternoon. As we were two families, the cost of the trip was shared. This trip took us to the other flank of the main road. We had seen one side of the forest in the morning trip. So we had asked the guide to show the other half. This time there was no hurry. Neither there was any futile waiting for the tiger. The trip took us to another vast grassland on the other side of the Ramganga river. We could see the FRH from the other side of the reservoir. On the way we spotted a large fishing owl, and then saw a fishing eagle hunting live in front of us. We were waiting on a makeshift bridge watching the mahseer fishes feeding in the clear water of the stream. Then the hunting eagle appeared in the scene and swoop down to pick a large fish in a flash. We were taken to a spot where we saw a large crocodile lazing out in the sun. The crocodile was quick to spot us when we got off the jeep to have a better look. It hurried onto the safety of water. Roaming in the wilderness savoring the moments was the best part of the trip. This is why we have come this far. We had every bit of our time’s and money’s worth. By noon, we were back at the resort.

The two hour elephant safari started at 4 pm. After crossing the grassland around the resort, we were taken into the thick sal forest. We saw tiger pug marks just few hundred meters from the FRH. The thought of spending a night so close to the tiger excited us. The ride was an amazing experience for us. The jeep safari offers you travel only through well constructed roads and you need wait for the tiger hoping it to cross the road. But the elephant do not travel by road. Rather, it makes its way through the sal forest and bushes. We had hard times keeping the bushes and plants away from us to prevent them from hitting our faces. Both I and my wife, who were seated just behind the mahout, had minor bruises on our limbs. But it was real fun and adventure. We had thoroughly enjoyed it. After scouting the jungle for some time, we had reached a spot which had fresh pugmarks of tiger. It was a nullah with clear sign of the tiger going up on the nullah. We continued upward following the pugmarks. There were fresh tiger droppings and also urine marking, which tigers use to define its territory. Then we had reached the spot which was used by the tiger for resting. It appeared that we had missed the tiger not by much. The jungle was so dense that we wondered as to whether we will be able to get out of it before dark. I asked the mahout as to how he finds directions. He replied ‘the same way you find roads in cities’. It is instinct. May be experience. It was almost dark by the time the 2 hour ride finished.

Anyway, we saw everything except the view of the majestic beast roaming in the wild. Yet we were not unhappy. We had traveled at least 100 kms within the park. It was a fantastic experience and we will certainly come back here. This time it will be in summer when the possibility of tiger sighting is more.

The KMVN Package :
I recommended the KMVN package before leaving for Corbett. Because of my pleasant experience, I now highly recommend the KMVN package. It had everything you want. The package currently priced @Rs.5000/- plus taxes @3.09% per person is much cheaper than any other private package on offer. Further it had no catch. I had to spend only for the breakfast on the onward journey and lunch on the return journey.

The package includes transportation, entry fees for visiting the park, all meals, one jeep safari and one elephant safari. The transportation from Delhi is by Toyota Innova or similar car. This is a six seater vehicle. You may have problem if you have children older than 5 years and you have not paid for them. The limited space in such vehicles means that you can not even carry children on lap. KMVN charges for children above 5 years is not 50% of adult, but almost 90% of adult. That too without accommodation! This is a deterrent and KMVN should have a look at this policy. KMVN is allotted 7 rooms in the Dhikala FRH. This is the only accommodation inside Corbett which can be booked from Delhi. For booking any other FRH accommodation, you need to contact the Corbett Tiger Reserve office at Ramnager over phone, get the possible dates by fax and then send the payment by DD. This will be cheaper than KMVN package. But booking your trip like that may turn out to be a headache. Therefore the KMVN package is the best possible option from Delhi.

(For more photos of Corbett, please visit this link : Rupankar's Corbett Photo)

Going to Corbett National Park

I have booked a trip to the Corbett National Park next weekend. Despite my aversion for package trips, I had opted for a package trip this time. The main reason for taking a package is that the trip ensures confirmed accommodation at the Dhikala Forest Rest House (FRH), which is 35 km inside the park.

The package is offered by KMVN, an agency of Utrranchal Tourism. Being a Govt. agency, they only offer accommodation in the FRHs located deep inside the park. If you have a look at the map of CNP, you will observe that the park is divided into 3 zones : the Core Zone, the Buffer Zone and the Tourist Zone. The packages offered by private operators are for resorts located in the buffer zone, which is actually is on the periphery of the park. Therefore, if you take a private package, you have almost nil chance of getting into Dhikala zone which is part of core zone. All that you will have to satisfy is with trips to smaller ranges in tourist zone like Jhirna and Birjani. But I feel, if you do not get to stay inside the jungle or get a chance to visit the core zone, there is very little adventure.

The 2N/3D package ex-Delhi is all inclusive. The rate is Rs.5000/- plus taxes @3.22% for adult. It includes transportation from Delhi by car / coach, all veg meals, accommodation at Dhikala FRH and safaris. I went to the KMVN Office located at Barakhamba Road, CP, New Delhi, looking to book accommodation only. But when I heard of the details of the package, I had no second thought. The package frees me from many headaches such as booking train tickets, collecting gate passes at Ramnagar and then bargain prices for hiring a jeep for 3 days. One piece of information is that all passes for CNP are issued at the CTR Office located almost opposite the Ramnagar bus stand. The Dhanagiri gate that takes you into the core zone areas is 18 km from the town.

CNP had its own website which was very informative. Unfortunately it had been hacked. However, the KMVN site has some of the information from the old site. You can check out the site. The rates have not been updated. But as of now I highly recommend this package. I will share my experiences on return.

Vacation rental

February provides the best time to travel. The end February is the period that is neither too cold nor too hot. I had a memorable vacation last year in the desert. This year too I will be holidaying in the last week of Feb. But this time it will be in the wild. What I have in mind is one of the popular National Park in India. The trip is being worked on.

This season also offers opportunity to holiday at some good properties at highly discounted rate. Being shoulder season most vacation rental companies offers good discounts. But unfortunately they have limited options. Only plus point I find in a holiday at a property owned by some vacation rental company is that they have good, often star rated facilities. The competition in this segment is increasing with few new players getting into it in India. Earlier we had only two players of which only one had brand recognition. But I still feel that this is still not a popular concept in India. Reason one for this laggerdness is prohibitive pricing by Indian standard and reason two is limited options or choice of locations. Vacation rental is a popular concept aborad. The scenario may change few years down the line.

Adieu Shaun Pollock

Watching Shaun Pollock holding back tears while giving his farewell speech last night after the SA-WI 5th ODI brought tears to my eyes as well. He was a gentleman on the field. A realization had occurred that cricketers of our generation are fast disappearing. Pollock had bowled his last ball last night. Gilchrist have another 15 days before hanging up his gloves.

Warne is gone. So is McGrath, Lara & Inzy – all these great revelers of our time had retired in the last 12 months. Only a handful now remains. But even the likes of Jayasurya, Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly are fast approaching their final days.

We had probably failed to realize that it is not only us who had crossed into the late 30s, but the cricketers as well who has been part of our life for last 15 years. It is a fact that most people in our age group no more watch cricket as ardently as they used to do some 15 years back. That was the time when we would hardly move from the television room until the last ball is bowled. The hourly drinks break provided toilet breaks for us. Now we hardly watch a full day’s cricket. In fact I do not remember when I had watched a full days cricket on TV last time. The golden era of cricket has probably been over.

Even though we are not addicted to cricket anymore, we still follow it. These are the bunch of guys whom we love to hate at times and then admire most of the time. New guys are getting inducted into most of the teams to replace these all time greats. But if you look at most teams, there is little promise. Look at the replacements for Pakistan and India. These new generation players may be talented, but not at par with the ones they are replacing. There will never be another Pollock, Gilchrist, Sachin, Lara, Inzamam, McGrath or Warne. We will certainly miss them.

Goa : My brief trip to Colva beach

19th Jan, 2008. The outside temperature at Delhi airport was 10 degree. The gush of wind at the tarmac made me feel the biting cold. When I boarded the flight at Goa airport that afternoon, the temperature was a warm 31 degrees. I felt good that I could spend 3 pleasant days at Goa, away from the biting cold of Delhi.

Two of my days were spent at Betul in the south playing the role of a faculty. The days were spent delivering training at one of my company’s institute located on the top of a hillock at Betul. Because of the distance from Madgaon, I had opted to stay at the guest located at the Betul campus. This severely limited my evening options. Fortunately, the highlights of the India – Australia test gave me company. The campus provided a beautiful view of the Mobor beach on one side and open sea on another. Though Mobor beach has a resort, there was hardly any crowd. I guessed that it is a good spot if you want to spend a secluded holiday away from the beach crowd. One day I saw a photograph of Baga beach in north in a local daily. The title of the photo was that the beach is so congested that there was hardly any space left for free movement. It resembled a market rather than a beach. I would not like to be at such places to spend few quite moments.

On the final day, I found time to spend a few hours at Colva beach, which is the nearest beach from Madgaon. Even this beach was not crowded. There were enough people, mostly foreign tourist, but nowhere it was crowded. While the foreigners lazed around lying in shacks, Indian tourists were seen trying out water sports. I got a colleague who gave me company. After strolling at the beach for about an hour, we sat at a shack and sipped beer. One of the guy who lured us into a shack told us that they sell beer at 45 rupees a bottle. But when we had finished our bottle, they charged us 55. So confirm the prices at the counter. Do not take the words of the guy standing outside.

The economy runs on tourism. So as a tourist you can afford little mercy from those making a living out of tourism. You should be ready to shell out few bucks. Taxis are prohibitively costly. Though they quote Rs.10/- per kilometer the bargain rate is Rs.8/- per kilometer. But there are many catches, like you will have to pay both way fares and also there are standing charges. Thus you will have to use public transport like bus for moving around in Goa.

I did a search of accommodation around Colva beach. Most hotels are located some 100 – 200 meters from the beach. But few hotels like, Colva Residency, owned by Goa Tourism is located almost on the beach. At least it is beach facing. This is not a bad place to stay. However moving around may be a problem from here. To me there is no point moving around in Goa. The only reason for going to Goa should be to have a holiday by sea. Goa is about beautiful beaches, the clean sea and nice crowd. You will find monuments everywhere, but not such beautiful beaches. Staying close to the sea is important so that you can take a dip whenever you wish. Whether you spend the day at Colva or Palolem or Calangute is almost meaningless. The choice is between a crowded spot and a secluded spot.

Anyway, this was my first visit to Goa. Being a brief one, I have not much to write. I did not carry my SLR, but took only my small P&S. Still I took a couple of good shots. I am planning a holiday with family later this year.

Accomodation in Europe

Evolution of online accommodation booking sites have made travel planning a lot easier. I keep checking such sites for bargains. I had come across one such site for tourists bound for UK and some other European nations. The site named ‘Cheaper than Hotels’ offers you the choice of several types of accommodation. You can find accomodation in UK, France or Germany through this site. In fact the site offers accommodation for a wide range of places, including India. I had tried the site and was surprised to find hotels for Delhi, India as well. I choose the option of 3 star and below. Names of the hotels that pop up for Delhi are not seen even in Indian travel sites. This is because Indian sites offers only big star hotels which are beyond the budget of most people. But ‘Cheaper than Hotels’ search included some 1 star hotels. Only problem I had observed with the site was that the prices are not in INR. But the site is good and worth giving a try.

Seven Wonders of the World

What had happened to the Colossus of Rhodes, listed as one of the original seven wonders ? The massive statue, perhaps about 100 feet tall, which also supposes to be an inspiration for the Statue of Liberty, has been an object of mystery, imagination and debate.

In fact, there are several categories to the Seven Wonders of the World list. The earliest documented is that of historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "Seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The Colossus of Rhodes, find mention in that list as one of the seven wonders. The Taj Mahal features in list of modern Seven Wonders.

The colossus is long gone. But because of its rich history, the Rhodes island has grown to be one of the popular tourist attraction in Greece. Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, situated in eastern Aegean Sea. In fact all the islands in the Dodecanese group of islands have a rich history.

Off to Goa

Heading for Betul, Goa on an official assignment for next 3 days. I understand that there is not much to see at Betul. In fact I am told that the ONGC campus at Betul is the most beautiful place there. But, may be, I get a chance to spare some time for Colva. Anyway, this is my first trip to Goa. So I am looking forward to it. Further, it will also help me planning the family trip I am planning later this year.

Bharatpur : Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Once inside the Keoladeo Ghana National Park for birds at Bharatpur, I had realized how beautiful this place had been 3 / 4 years back. But no more. The place is crying for water. Migratory birds have gone away. They may come again next year because they have been coming here for centuries. If situation do not improves then probably they will never come to this place again.

Bharatpur has been India’s only national park for birds. I remember reading about Bharatpur in my school books. The lake, surrounding wetlands and water bodies have been attracting large number of migratory birds for centuries. A wide enough metallic / black tar carpeted road runs across the park’s length. Several other well constructed peripheral roads lure you to explore other areas of the forest. The main road runs right through the main water body. Thus this probably gave visitors excellent opportunity to watch the birds from very close vicinity. The deserted nests atop the acacia tress are barely few feet away from the road. Further one could even enjoy boat rides through the canals to get still better views. Compare this to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary near Gurgaon, where I went last month. The lake was very far away from the trek. Thus you do not get a chance to see the birds from close. The park authorities at Sultanpur have constructed 2 approach roads to let you get close to the water. But birds decide to stay away from these points. So all that you can see at Sultanpur, is large groups of birds several meters away. You need a good binocular. But it certainly was different at Bharatpur.

Unfortunately, the water in Bharatpur had dried up. Jungles of bushes and thorns have come up in areas which once used to wetlands. The ricksaw puller– cum guide told us that it had rained very little for last two years. But you can understand that it probably had not rained for many years, because the jungles and bushes are well growned. Up somewhere there is a dam which used to feed the lake. But water is not coming from that because of some political issues and agitation. In an effort to provide some succor, the park authorities have set up two deep tube-wells operated by DG sets, which keeps pumping water day and night into the canals. How can you fill a lake with water from tube well. Yet, most of the animals and birds that we got to see in the park, was seen around these two spots where water has sustained the wetlands. We saw several birds, herds of Sambhar deers and Nilgais feeding in water some 30 – 40 feet away. I must admit that this is the best view of Sambar deers I had ever had in wild. They were so relaxed, almost like domesticated. I had few fantastic photos of 3 Sambhars waiting to cross the road.

The ricksaw puller- cum - guide introduced to us many varieties of land birds seen on trees along the road. We have grown up seeing most of these birds in backyards at home (in Assam, not Delhi). Thus they had very little appeal to us. But we had enjoyed the atmosphere and feel of the jungle. It was unique in its own way. Apart from those common birds known to us, this is list of what else we saw : A fair of Saras crane which was really special. A Black Ibis, a pair of Rhodesian ducks, 3 midsize cranes, several Indian Mud Turtle, 2 different species of owls.

How to visit the Park :
You can visit the park either by riding a ricksaw or hire a bi-cycle. If you hire a bi-cycle, then you should also hire a guide. You will not see anything without a guide. The ricksaw pullers are trained as guides. Rickswas are available at the gates of the hotels or also at the gate of the park.

We had hired a ricksaw right from the gate of our hotel. Ricksaws can be hired @Rs.50/- per hour. Be assured that a trip will last about 5 hours. They will take you around 10 -12 km inside the park at a very slow pace. They certainly want to extend it as much as possible. But the slow traveling also helps you in spotting many varieties of land birds. We started the trip at 7:30 am, which was just after sunrise. The entry fee is Rs.25/- per head per trip. Children upto 15 years is free. The best thing is that there is no charge for still camera. For God sake, do not carry handycams.

We came back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, we went to the park again at around 3 pm. This time we had hired bi-cycles which are available at the park gate @Rs.25/- per trip. I rode a bi-cycle after several years. It took few minutes for me to get adjusted to the cycle. I took Swathi with me while Mono rode a lady’s cycle. We knew the jungle well by now. So we rode at our pace and went straight to the spot where there is water. This cycle ride was one of the best parts of the trip. We rode into one of the by-lanes and had met some Nilgais returning home at sunset. I shoot a couple of not-so –spectacular sunsets. By the time we were back at the gate, it was almost dark.

Accommodation at Bharatpur :
There are several hotels located within 200 meters from the gate of the national park. This landmark is called Saras chowk, because of the RTDC hotel by the same name. This point is on the Agra – Jaipur highway and is located some 4 -5 km from the railway station. The railway station and the main town is on the other side of Bharatpur. Do not stay in the main town. You should come to this Saras chowk. To my estimate, there are around 10 hotels here. You can easily find accommodation here and it is not very costly either. We had traveled from Agra by a cab. The driver took us to Hotel Pratap Palace. We got very good room @Rs.500/- nett inclusive of taxes. Such rooms were quoted 1200 & above in Agra. Do not book online as rate quoted on the net are very high and also you lose the option of on the spot selection. The location is away from the town and crowd. We had stayed there for 2 nights.

There also is an Ashoka group hotel, probably by the name Bharatpur Ashok, located inside the park. This is an ITDC Hotel and is costly, in fact very costly.

Bharatpur town :
It had very little worth seeing other than the national park, which also is fast losing its charm. But located just 170 odd km from Delhi, it is a good drive out weekend gateway. There is fort named Lohagarh Fort, which appeared to me very ordinary. We had tour of the town on a ricksaw by paying Rs.50/-. Pritam Singh, the ricksaw puller took us to the market, to the Lohagarh Fort and to the Ganga Temple. The town reminded me the narrow laned market at Paltan bazaar in Dehradun. All the shops are in the market only. There is no shop around the hotel area, not even a pan shop to buy cigarettes.

The most notable thing you will observe in Bharatpur, is that most of the ricksaw pullers are Sradars or Sikhs. The image of a Sikh conjures up in mind the image of big 8 – 10 – 16 wheeler trucks riding majestically on the highways, not ricksaws. But here they are pulling ricksaws for livelihood. I could not stop asking Pritam Singh about it. In his middle age, Pritam Singh told me that his parents have migrated to Bhatartpur during partition. They could afford other livelihood earlier. But now they had no other option. And they are in real danger of losing that too as number of tourists are dwindling every year.

(Read more about Bharatpur on my second trip artcile on this link)