Khartoum : My first foreign assignment

It was barely dawn when I left home on way to the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The name of the war torn African nation Sudan itself may scares many. But I was excited to be on my first foreign trip. I believe every place has something unique to offer. More so if it is off beat. While we were stamped without any query at immigration, one of my colleagues had to face a few question. Seeing the final destination as Sudan, the immigration officer called his boss who asked him why to Sudan. The moment he said that we are from ONGC and on official visit, he was cleared without any further question.

The Emirates flight to Dubai was late by about half an hour. It left us with very little time at the famed Dubai Inttl Airport. We rushed to catch the connecting flight to Khartoum. It was a six hours flight. The 3 ½ hours time difference meant it was still late afternoon when we had arrived at the Khartoum inttl. airport. The airport with only basic facilities required about 1 hour to clear immigration. There were few foreigners in the flight, mostly Chinese. All foreigners, including us, are part of consortium called GNPOC (Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company), lead by Chinese Petroleum (CNPC) and Petronas of Malyasia. ONGC Videsh is 25% stake holder in the consortium. It is the lure of black hold which has made these nations to risk operating in Sudan after US and its allies exited the country.

Mr. Khalid, our PRO was waiting for us to receive at the airport. We were led outside to the parking area. The taxis operating appeared disorganized. They were clamoring for the customers like our bus and tempos do. Even in such a place majority of the taxis are Toyota Corolla. Even though the currency is not stable and freely tradable, the valuation of Sudanese Pound (now Guild) is about 19 Indian Rupees. It is the power of black gold.

On Sudan:

The ethnic strife in Sudan is between the oil rich but underdeveloped South and developed North. Most of the trouble is in the north which is controlled by warlord. North Sudan, including Khartoum is fairly safe. Khartoum is the seat of power and hence seen occasional attempts by rebels to take over. The locals from north are fairer and generally Muslims while those from South are darker and are Christians. So you can easily understand which part of the world is supporting whom. The country is currently under UN supervised ceasefire. It is going for a referendum on January, 2011 on whether to divide the country into North and South. If I recall correctly the date of reckoning is 8^th January, 2011.

On Khartoum:

The locality we stayed put is fairly up market. Roads are fairly wide and traffic appreciably disciplined. The Indian made Bajaj autos (three wheelers) are found to be a major and popular mode of local transport. Many LML and Hamara Bajaj were also seen on the roads. India is making good business with Sudan. In fact we were told by one of the local that there are historical examples of trade with India were also found.

The stay had been very hectic with mostly stayed put late in office to finish the job for which we were deputed there. Still we found time to explore few things around the city. The Khartoum city is divided into 3 parts – Khartoum South, Khartoum North and Omdurman. We had explored Khartoum south and Omdurman. The city boasts of confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The two Niles meets right in the heart of the city and then flows from this point into Egypt as the great river Nile. One morning we went to see the confluence. The areas around the Niles are having a fair green cover. But the city in general is generally devoid of greenery. The Nile Avenue on the bank of the river houses almost all government buildings including the palace of the King. We went there once more in the evening to see the sunset. Cruises are available on paper. We also saw few boats parked on the river. But could not found from where they can be booked even after taking to the people on the boat. The main problem we had was the fear of taking photographs. We always asked before doing so. It is a country under military rule. If police arrest you even for taking a photo, you are done.

The next visit was to the local market at Omdurman in search of gold. Gold in Khartoum is generally 21Ct. and price was also compatible to India where it is generally 22Ct. Thus we left this for Dubai. We were in the market in the night. I had some kind of fear stalking me as we were clearly the odd man out in the entire market. Nevertheless it was an unforgettable experience.

Another morning we went to the desert beyond Omdurman. On the way we saw the Libiya market. It is said that goods smuggled from Libiya were sold here while Libiya were under sanction. But now a day most of goods sold comes from China. All China maal. Then we had crossed the local animal market. The guest house staff goes to this market to buy goats to ensure that they are getting only mutton. Finally we had reached the desert after travelling for about an hour. Local call it Dar-e-Sallem. Navigating though road less terrain, the driver took us a village named Nifasa. The soil colour was kind orange and red mixture. It was a dreadful landscape. The first that will come to your mind is as to how people can survive here. See the photographs. It in fact was a very large village with sizeable population. We had stopped at an open place which appeared to be a playground. Our Honda CRV was already a cynosure in that landscape. Few locals gathered around us. The driver introduced us as Hindi, which is how they probably refer to as Indians. We had few good moments shaking hands and taking photographs with friendly locals. We even played football with young boys. The suddenly someone appeared in the scene and started raising question about taking photos. Sensing trouble we all got into the car. The driver had some conversation with the self styled leader and then he drove us back.

One evening we landed accidentally at the museum. It happened to be the World Tourism Day. The ministry was organizing some function. It was a nice coincidence. We got to see few performances of local dances and photographed ourselves with them. The museum had few statues brought from the pyramids of Merowe.

Beyond Khartoum:

There are two places which one can visit. The first one is Pyramids of Merowe. These part bordering Egypt has some of the pyramids though inspired by the ones at Egypt, has their own style. Not being a tourist country, these are still fairly untouched. One need permit to visit them. We got the permits, but unfortunately could not visit them because of paucity of time. The place is about 150 km from Khartoum and so would require one full day.

The second one is the Jabel Awliya dam built on the White Nile. We went to the dam located some 80 km from city. The dam holding back the powerful While Nile on one side was worth a site. We spent some time watching local fisherman catching fish on the dam. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed.

The Yellow Fever scare:

We knew that yellow fever vaccination is required for visiting certain African countries including Sudan. But input from colleagues who had visited earlier said it was not mandatory. Further the procedure for getting vaccinated in Delhi is cumbersome. So went there without vaccination. One fine day, we were told that without the vaccination card, we will not be issued boarding card at airport. Shocked. Office arranged vaccination for us. We were taken to the local vaccination center. We waited in queue with local and finally got vaccinated for yellow fever and meningitis. It was one of the unforgettable moments. So be sure to get yourself vaccinated before you leave for Africa. The list includes Egypt as well.

Meeting Abdul:

Abdul was the tall lanky Sudanese guy in my engineering college hostel at Gujarat. Abdel Rehman El-Rasheid was senior to me by couple of years. Towering around 6 ½ feet, he had to innovate to make himself comfortable in the barely six feet hostel bed. Barely a few days before my departure, I found him on facebook. This was a reunion after 18 years. He works with Sudan Airways. When we finally met each other, we turned nostalgic. We talked about old classmates. The world has really become smaller. We were separated before the mobile and email days. But we were able to find many of them through net. He even came to the airport to see me off. I will always remember this meeting with Abdul.

Sleepless at Dubai:

On return we reached Dubai around mid night. The flight to Delhi was early in the morning. For 3 hours so late in the night we just kept hopping from shop to shop in the Dubai Duty Free. By the time the boarding call came, we were almost exhausted. Boarding flight back home after almost two weeks was as exciting as onward trip. I missed my family as it was long trip after a long time. I knew they would be waiting eagerly for me to arrive.  Soon sleep overpowered me only to be awaken at Delhi.

Photos from Singapore

Singapore_9_42-ulu ulu5
Originally uploaded by Rups33

The Thumbuakar or Ulu Ulu show which is part of Night Safari at Singapore Zoo. See the performers spitting kerosene into the flames.

Photos from Singapore

Owls @ Jurong
Originally uploaded by Rups33

I have uploaded a few photos from the Singapore trip. these are the photos which caught my attention on the first review. More are being uploaded.

Travelling to Singapore

This was supposed to be my first foreign trip. But in between I had a trip to Khartoum and Dubai. But finally the eagerly awaited d day had arrived. It is a family trip. We will be travelling to Singapore via Kualalumpur tomorrow.

4 nights at Singapore will be followed by 2 nights at Langkawi. The trip will end with a couple of nights at KL. All bookings made except the one at Langkawi. I will post here the sites which I had used after my own bit of research to book hotels.

Feel sad that my mother could not make the trip as her passport had not come even after 8 months after applying. The passport office in many states of India has become a den of corruption. She is really disappointed as she could not make the trip.

Writing from Khartoum (Sudan)

Writing from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Not a place one would have chosen for maiden visit abroad, but I got a chance to visit this place on some official work of my employer ONGC (ONGC Videsh). I believe every place has something to offer. We enquired and told about a pyramid site and the confluence of Blue Nile and White Nile. Lets see what I can get for my readers.

Have been so busy with this assignment that I could not write about the exicitement on the build up leading to my first foreign trip. Arrived here this evening after a rigourous 14 hours of travelling from Delhi with change of flight at Dubai. My first impression of Khartoum was that of an ordinary city, but with wide roads. The landscape is barren - desertlike with very few trees around. An old airport with no organised taxi service which is understndable as no  tourist probably comes here. My collegue had to wait at Delhi airport immigration when the immigration officer saw the destination as Khartoum. The officer called his boss who asked my friend where he works. As he received the reply ONGC, he said OK and the passport was stamped.

At the airport, the taxis in the parking area were shouting at the few people who were waiting for their vehicle. Most foreigners had their vehicles pre-arrnaged. We were told by our cab driver that a new and bigger airport is under construction. The current one looks like an ordinary small town airport. The bus that transported us to the terminal from the Emirates flight also did not have AC. The driver also drove fast and applied very sharp brake once, which I had never experiemced in any airport. Anyway, will be staying here for the entire week. Will have a stopover at Dubai for a day on return. Hope to see marvels of Dubai. Will write back in a week's time.

Mangalore, Surathkal and Udipi

Sometimes you travel to places which were never in your radar. One such place for me is Udupi. This small coastal town on the Western Ghats in South Karnataka is known to most of us for the famous Udupi Restaurants and cuisines. Udupi is equally famous in that part of the world for its temples, specially the centuries old Krishna temple, known as the Udupi Sri Krishna Matha. The educational hub of Manipal is also attached to this town.

It was Nov, 2009 when I got a chance to visit the small costal town of Mangalore in Karnataka. I was on an official trip to the Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) which is a subsidiary of my parent company ONGC. Many of you might not know that MRPL was a Birla Group Company which went sick around year 2000. ONGC acquired this sick company and turned it around in few years. This was unprecedented in Indian corporate history – a PSU acquiring a sick private company and turned it around. It is considered as a masterstroke of the then ONGC Chairman, late Subir Raha.

As there was no direct flight from Delhi, we had an overnight stopover at Mumbai. As options were very limited, we took the early morning Jet Konnect flight from Mumbai. There is a small but international airport at Mangalore, called the Bajpe airport. Located on the Western Ghats, the landscape is full of hillocks. The airport is located on one of the hillocks. We crossed several hillocks on our 16 km journey to the MRPL plant, which again is located on another hillock.

Once the official engagements were over, we had decided to explore the areas around. We had a car at our disposal, but very limited time – at best 4 to 5 hours of the evening. Our colleague at MRPL suggested we should make a trip to the famous Krishna temple at Udupi. They spoke highly of the temple and the beliefs the locals have on this deity. We had in mind a visit to a beach and some local market. We were told that quality cashew is available there. Udupi is some 60 km from Mangalore. If we go there that would consume most of our time. Thus we had to prioritize things.

Beach and sunset came first because living in Delhi, we do not often get to see them. So it was Surathkal beach. Then it would be Udupi and if time permits we were to try cashew shopping next morning, may be on our way to airport to catch the 1130 flight back to Mumbai. These were obvious choices as both Surathkal and Udupi falls on the NH17 while the Mangalore city and the market is on the opposite direction.

We headed out of the MRPL complex to the Surathkal beach for enjoying the sunset. Though I am not able to recall the distance, it was within 10 km. It was about half an hour or so to sunset when we had reached. The beach is located very close to the REC Surathkal (now called NIT) campus. It was a small but peaceful beach. Only a handful of people were there enjoying the sea and the sun, half of which were probably REC hostellites. No hawkers or vendors, because it is not a tourist hangout. The boulders strewn around on the sand added to the beauty of the place. A lighthouse provides an ideal backdrop. We spent the entire afternoon there till the sun went down the horizon. I collected a small dead starfish for my kid. She was delighted to see the starfish.

Udupi Sri Krishna Matha

As evening was falling we set out for Udupi. A major part of the highway was in real bad shape. The craters were so large that cars can not avoid getting scratched on its belly. The effort of the driver was to minimize the damages to the bottom of the car. It was dark when we finally reached Udupi after about 1 ½ hours of drive. There was not much rush in the temple. From our general experiences of a temple visit, we started looking for shops for offering / prasad, but there was none. Language is the biggest barrier in finding things in southern part of India. Later we found that the system of such offerings does not exist there. When we were looking for entrance, the fellows manning the main gate, asked us to hurry as aarti was about to start and gates were being closed. It was such a coincidence that we had reached the temple just in time for the aarti.

We joined the small and manageable crowd inside waiting for the aarti. The process started with subordinate priests initiating the process. Then the head priest entered the scene and formally started the aarti. The complex became abuzz with chants and Karnatic music. Many people wishes to be there to attend the aarti, but that wish remains unfulfilled. And here, me, not vey devout, yet the lord had chosen me to be here to witness the aarti. This overwhelmed me. This made my evening. I will never forget this occasion.

The aarti went on for about half an hour. The darshan of the deity is to be done through a small window called the navagraha kiTiki, the window of nine planets, while doing parikrama of the Sanctum Santorum. This window which is covered with artistically carved silver plates. You will find many materials on it in the net. There are two unique facts about the temple: 1) the deity is not facing the main entrance. In fact it is facing backwards and has to be seen through the 'Kanakana Kindi' or the small window at the back of the temple. And 2) Lord Krishna is worshipped here in his form as a child or small boy. As a child can easily get gratified, the lord here can also be easily gratified. He fulfils wishes very easily. This belief brings large no. of devotees to this temple. The attire of the deity is changed on a daily basis. So every time you get to see him in a new avtar.

We spent some more time in exploring the temple complex. The main building is a wooden structure, well ornate in south Indian style. Statues of various deities / gods adorn the building. Prasad can be bought from a counter, once you complete the parikrama. The temple is managed by a group of eight temples collectively known as Astha Matha. Each of the Ashta Mathas performs temple management activities for two years in a cyclical order. There are few other smaller temples in the complex. There are souvenir shops in the complex from where we bought photo of the lord. While entering the temple we had to leave the footwear outside, just by a wall, unattended. There was no system to deposit shoes. Surprisingly the shoes were there when we returned. It seems lord by his influence had kept bad elements away from his complex.

On our way back, we had stopped at a roadside hotel for tea. We were easily identified as outsiders. Not much tourist type of people comes to that village tea stall. Some of the locals started to get into conversation with us. When they learned that we are from Delhi, one of the boys proudly announced that he had been to Delhi once. He spoke of the wide roads, big cars he had seen and admired in Delhi. Well, most things always look good from distance. We had enjoyed everything we had seen that evening, and that boy enjoyed what he had seen in a concrete jungle.

Next morning, we were informed of an informal breakfast meeting. This left us no time for visiting the local market. While leaving, we were given mementos as parting gift. When we opened the gifts, it had two packets of cashew! This is what we wanted to buy, but could not find time because we had chosen to go to Udupi. Did we gratify the Lord Krishna by preferring to pay a visit to him rather than going shopping? May be. Certain things do not have logical answers.

Got a new car

Last one month has been busy in deciding my new car. Buying a car ( auto usate milano )is a hard decision. As I had now bought my new car, an Indica Vista Aura ABS QJ, I would like to share of experiences of trying out 3 cars before deciding to buy this car.

I was looking for a hatchback big enough car where 3 people can sit comfortably in the rear seat. Sedans are ruled out for the parking problems in my apartment. In the Maruti Wagon R that I own for last 7 years, it is always a struggle to fit 3 people in the rear seat. Apart from that, the Wagon R has been a fantastic car because of the upright sitting position of the driver and I had enjoyed every bit of driving whenever I took it to the highways. But the new Wagon R looks terrible. Maruti have killed it. Neither had I liked the look of Ritz. Swift’s look is 6 years old. Therefore after owning 2 Maruti cars, I wanted try something else.  Further I wanted to try a diesel this time as my petrol bill has gone up considerably in last few months because of the spiraling oil prices. You can’t get out in Delhi’s 40+ heats without the AC on. When I bought the wagon R, petrol was selling for 33 a liter or so. Now it is 50+.

As usual the search started with searches on the net on various websites and forums. Car buy / sell sites have flourished in last few years. It is big market and a source of information. Many a times these forums will make you go made. Honestly most people in the forum are making comments on cars which they had hardly driven. Driving a car for a couple of KM does not make an expert on that car. So most of these so called auto experts writes in the forums borrowing knowledge from auto magazines.

My choices were zeroed in to three new cars in the market. Punto, Fabia or VW Zeta could not be considered because of my transferable job, I need service backup. Thus my choices were the Hyundai i20, Ford Figo and Indica Vista QJ. The first one I tried was the Hyundai i20. I targeted the new Sportz version. The car has killer looks and anyone will fall for it. Driving was also pleasurable with many inbuilt features. The on-road price for me would have been 5.95 lakh. But even at this price for a petrol car which does not have a very good mileage, I was not getting ABS. Only the Asta version of i20 has ABS and it would have cost me 6.3 lakh. The diesel version is beyond reach.

The next vehicle I tried was the Ford Figo. Actually Figo is a small car pitted against cars like Wagon R, 10, etc. I tried the Titanium diesel version. Driving was good as is most new cars. The on road price in Delhi was 5.82. This had a Bluetooth enabled 2 DIN music system. But surprisingly did not have tilt steering. The features were very little as compared to other new cars. The plastic of bumper felt so soft. Cost cutting was apparent.  The look is good. But the costs of ownership of Ford cars are high. There was nothing so appealing for me to go for this car.

Then I tried the new Indica Vista. Despite all the negativities about a Tata car, when I sat on the steering wheel for the test drive, it felt a little overwhelmed. I never thought that such a big diesel car would move around so easily. The power steering, though not as smooth as my Wagon R, was smooth. It had a host of features, mostly borrowed from the Fiat Punto. Tata’s has a JV with Fiat and thus has fitted this car with almost every feature of Punto. The engine used for Vista QJ is same as that used in Punto or Swift. Vista had host of features like lumber support for both front seats, Bluetooth enabled 2 DIN music system, driver seat height adjustment, tilt steering, rear wiper and demister, both front and rear fog lamps. I found that at 5.5 on road price Vista is offering what others are offering at around 7 lakh. The car was being offered with 3 years free maintenance package and an assured buyback at 60% price after 3 years.  That is 2+2 years warranty with 3 years free maintenance which literally means no cost for maintenance. This was too much for me to drop the idea of i20. The i20 Sportz was costing me 5.95 lakh, that is 45K more, that too without ABS. Vista was diesel whereas i20 was petrol. i20 Diesel at almost 8 lakh was beyond reach. If I discount the cost of alloy wheels, the i20 is still costlier by 25K, which would be enough to buy diesel for 3 years. The mileage of Vista is around 20-21 on highway as against 15-16 of i20.

The Vista has 3 engine variants. The Safire is 1172cc petrol and is an underpowered car at 65PS. The TDI version uses Tata’s indigenous 1405cc 71 PS diesel engine which is the familiar noisy Indica engine. The drivetech version with Fiat’s 1248cc 75PS diesel engine and gearbox had just been launched. There are 5 variants with different features in each engine type. That is lot of variants, typical of Tata cars. It starts with Terra (earth), then Aqua (water) and Aura (air). The top end Aura had 3 variants – Aura, Aura ABS and Aura ABS +Airbag. The engine used for Vista QJ is same as that used in Punto or Swift. The new ad looked impressive (follow the youtube link in my earlier post).

Like most of us I also did not have a very positive view of Tata cars for personal use. This despite my working as a trainee engineer at Tata Motors a decade back at their Pune plant. Tata have been known for generations for making vehicles for commercial use. Almost all commercial vehicles launched by Tata’s has been a success, be it the 407, 207, or the  609. But personal cars was a different story. The Indica has been on the road for now almost 10 years with n number of versions. Tata had even launched a limited edition Vista to mark the 10^th year of Indica launch. Indica has always been perceived as a taxi car. Thus when they launched a car with all new look and features, even size, they named it Indica Vista. This is done while retaining the old Indica the price of which is much lower to kept it attractive for cab / taxi use. But what baffled most is why they retained the word Indica for the Vista. The only similarity may be the back of the car. Even that is different from the old Indica, though not very distinctively different.  They why named it as Indica. As most people would write on the net, an Indica is an Indica. They should have removed the name Indica from Vista to make it more appealing.

Thus I made a practical decision. I finalized on model AURA ABS QJ. I had consulted a neighbor who owns a Vista for almost a year. His feedback was positive.  By that time one more Vista had arrived in the society. But I had to convince my wife on the Vista who could not forget the look of i20. Once the car was decided, it was about deciding where to buy new car ( vendita auto usate ). The bargaining started with two nearby dealers. I received the car after 20 days of placing the order, despite having no official waiting time. We had our first long drive yesterday around Delhi. The car rode majestically, taking care of potholes very easily. The wagon R being a couple of hundred kg lighter felt flying through air 100+ rather being on the road. Being heavier and with wider tyres, this one felt always remained on the road. My wife is now convinced we made a good choice. When I bought the Wagon R that was the only Wagon R in the colony. Here I have company. While out on the road, I get to see many Vista indicating the increasing acceptability of the car.


Here is some more info in case you want to research about cars : compro auto usate

New Indica Vista Drivetech4 ad

Vaishno Devi Yatra : जय माता दी

Staying at Delhi, I have seen the importance of the to Mata Vaishno Devi (lovingly called as Mata Rani) shrine located near Katra in Jammu. Popularized by late Gulashan Kumar of T-Series fame, the chants of जय माता दी (Jai Mata Di - which also is part of T-Series logo) is as popular in Delhi as the Ganpati Bapa Moriya in Mumbai. The Vaishno Devi Yatra is probably the most popular Hindu pilgrimage circuit from Delhi. Everyone living in and around Delhi aspire to visit the shrine. The popular saying goes that one gets a chance to visit only when Mata Rani wishes. Though not superstitious or very religious, I have seen people planning the trip, but had to be cancelled for one or other reason. May be the saying is true. We received our call or माता का बुलावा in Oct 2009.

Travelling from Delhi to Jammu by the Rajdhani was a familiar experience. Barely six months back had we taken this route for our Kashmir trip. The train arrives around 5 in the morning. The yatra starts from Katra, some 40 km from Jammu. We hired a taxi from the stand just outside the Jammu railway station. The taxi service is highly unionized. The rates are fairly high for a 40 km route, but no bargaining. One can hire a taxi only from the stand at the publicized rate of the taxi union. All types of cars are available from hire. We hired an ambassador for 750 rupees that accommodated two families comfortably.

There is no dearth of hotels in Katra. We took help of Kishor, our dependable driver from the Kashmir trip to find a decent accommodation at reasonable rate. We landed at hotel Indraprastha for 500 rupees per room. In Katra you require a hotel only for freshening up and then for a late night sleep when you will be returning dead tired. Thus taking a luxurious hotel makes very little sense unless you have loads of money to spare.

It was almost 10 am when we got ready for the यात्रा. Most hotels provide free dropping / pickup to the यात्रा start point. Being a lean period, the counter where यात्रा पर्ची or token / pass are issued was near empty. We had chosen a good time to be there. During peak seasons, like नवरात्री, there used to be huge lines in the पर्ची counters and it may take hours to get a पर्ची. The hotel car dropped us at the यात्रा start point which is another half km or so from the पर्ची counter.

यात्रा options from Katra:

One has the following options – 1) On foot which 2) Hire Ponies, 3) Hire पिठू (for small kids) and पालकी (for old people) 4) Use the battery operated car which is available between 6 and 12 km part of the track via Bhawan, and finally the easiest one, 5) Use the helicopter service.

90% of people do यात्रा cheerfully on foot. Hiring Ponies needs hard bargaining skill. Being un-regualted and so well organized to form cartails, the rates varies depending on your bargaining skill. If I compare this to my other यात्रा till date to the Hemkund Sahib in Uttaranchal, the pony service was organized and regulated. The rates were fixed and reasonable. The track there also was of 14 km, but not paved as this one and hence climbing was very tiring. The rates quoted by pony owner at Katra will make you shriek. Anyway, most healthy people will like to do the यात्रा on foot. It gives the real feel of a pilgrimage.

The shrine board offers services of battery operated autos between the 6 and 12 km part of the track. On their upward trip, the autos carry old people or ladies with babies. But on their downward trip they probably carry almost everyone. However, this service is available only upto 6pm in the evening. The charges are about 100 rupees per person.

The helicopter services are offered by two operators. The one way cost per person on the day of my visit (Oct 2009) was 1500 rupees. But going there by helicopter you will not be doing a yatra. A यात्रा on foot with friends has a different charm.

Our यात्रा:

Our यात्रा started around 10:30 am. The weather was pleasant. It was a bit hot for climbing up the hill, but was bearable. Even though we had two kids, one 7 1/2 and other 6, we started on foot.

After the first 6 km, there are two routes -- one is 6 km (via Bhawan) and the other 8 km (via Ardhkuwanri). You have to take a call which way you want to proceed. The day we went, the route via Ardhkuwanri was closed for some maintenance. So we had only one option – the shorter one.

The entire track is tiled or paved and the incline is gentle. Therefore the climb is not very tough. Shortcuts with stairs are available at many places which we avoided as additional strength required in climbing stairs will drain you up fast. Almost the entire route upto the halfway diversion point is dotted by shops and eateries. These shops are allowed with hefty annual fees which run into lakhs and are a big source of income for the shrine board. There are a couple of eateries run by the shrine which offers lunch / meal at reasonable rates.

We had walked at leisurely pace. No one was in hurry. Every co-traveler appeared to be in peace occasionally chanting जय माता दी . There were several security posts where you will be frisked. This level of high security is because of the importance of place as a Hindu pilgrimage site and the location being part of the troubled state of JnK. Your bags etc are also scanned in X-ray machines at least twice.

After a long 7 hours of walking with numerous breaks, we had reached the shrine at 5:30 pm. The kids were so happy when they actually made the 12 km climb on foot. People say children have blessing of माता रानी which helps them to make the climb. Once you report at the yatra counter at the shrine, you are assigned a group no for darshan. This is basically done to divide visitors into batches. Even if you miss your batch, you can get in. प्रसाद has to be purchased from the shrine board counter located few meters ahead of the last security scan post.

By the time we got freshen up; the shrine was closed for the evening आरती. The आरती time was from 6pm to 7:45 pm. The two hour break had built up a sizeable queue. While waiting in queue, we had started to feel the bitter cold. Because of the height, the place becomes cold very fast after sunset. The bag where we had kept our warm cloths had been deposited in the locker rooms. The shrine board offers free of cost locker room service with safe boxes to keep your belongings. Nothing is allowed inside the shrine except you as person. One has to be careful to carry light warm cloths even in summer.

Our turn for दर्शन came at around 8:30. Moving in with the crowd and joining the chorus of जय माता दी, we reached the sanctum sanctorum. It was a memorable experience. We had heard so much of it and now we are standing in front of the deities. The दर्शन got over in about 15 minutes. The shrine remains open for दर्शन for almost 24 hours. Piligrims going there in summer often travels at night so that दर्शन can be done early in the morning.

Many people go to the Bhairon Temple located some further 2 km up the hill. Bhairon was a tantric who tormented the devi. He was killed by the devi, but then apparently given him a boon that the darshan of माता रानी would be considered incomplete if a visit to the Bhairon shrine is not done. Our legs were too tired to try that. May be we were not that religious. May be this appeared to be a cooked up story. We went there to pay obeisance to mata rani. Thus our यात्रा has finished. (There is a Bhairon temple in Delhi as well. I have a diferent story to tell about it.)

People were seen getting ready to sleep on whatever covered space available in the complex. Blankets can be hired there. But the idea of sleeping in open in that cold sent down shivers my spine. Other worry was the cleanliness of the blankets as they were both used as mattress as well as to cover up. Thus we had decided to return to Katra. We had our dinner there. Several eateries are available. This time we had skipped the shrine board run one at it was way too crowded. We tried hiring ponies for the kids. But the rates quoted were more than what they asked for coming up. That was ridiculous. They were so shrewd that they try to take advantage of your situation. Thus we decided to continue on foot.

The return trip took about 4 hours. My little girl indeed proved to be brave, in fact very brave. Aged just 7 ½ she completed the entire यात्रा on foot, i.e., a daunting 24 km in 15 hours. She needed some prodding and encouragement for the last 2-3 km. But she made it. I wrote a note to her class teacher about this feat who announced this to her class. When everyone clapped, she felt very proud of her feat.

We were back in Katra by 1:30 or so in the night. We hired an auto to reach hotel and lied dead asleep for the rest of the night.

The Sordid Story of Corbett Resorts

We had stayed at a small resort at Dhikuli near Ramnagar. A recent article in the TOI had highlighted the sordid state of luxurious private resorts causing irreparable damage to the Corbett National Park. In the night we got a taste of what the article was telling us. The Corbett Inn one of the luxury reports, was located next to pur resort. It was having guests of some TVS group company and was hosting a party. The loud music with booz is not what people should expect in a nture resort. But the residents of the hotel differ with this opinion and so got indulged in a booz party rather than enjoying the tranquilness of the jungle. One of the guys who were drunk got hold of the loudspeaker and was creating a scene which we could hear from our resort. Night is the time for 4 legged animals, not for drunken 2 legged ones making his voice heard over the loudspeakers. If the tiger roars, the jungles shake. But when a man roars with a mike in hand, the jungle shed tears. Hosting parties with loud music at night is a regular feature of these so called nature resorts. These unscrupulous hoteliers are doing irreparable damage to the flora and fauna of the area. 77 private resorts have come up in the area close to the park and it is a booming business.

In the park, we had befriended a forest ranger. He told us another sad story. Some of these resorts are resorting to dirty tactics like throwing meats around edges of the park to draw out carnivores so that their guests can be offered chance to see them without entering the park. Easy food makes these carnivores change their natural instinct of hunting for food. If they change their habit, they will look for easy prey like cattle of the villagers living around the park. Villagers are retaliating by poisoning the animals. This is a serious cocktail cooking right under the nose of the administration. Do you believe that administration is not aware of these? The booming resort business has given a fillip to corruption as well.

Almost all these resorts are located in an area called Dhikuli which is strikingly similar to Dhikala located in the core area of the park. Most tourists get duped by the promise of accommodation at Dhikala and end up staying at Dhikuli. So next time you are going there, make sure where you are going. Dhikala accommodations are all Forest Rest Houses. It can be booked only by directly contacting the CTR office. We were told of another sad tale of corruption. Some corrupted CTR officials have been bribed by these resorts to create artificial shortage of FRH accommodation in the park so that people are forced to stay at these resorts. While so much hullabaloo is made about just 1411 tigers left in India, all these dirty things are happening right at the place which is suppose to have the largest number of tigers in India. Disgusting, isn’t it!

This is how we have read, seen and were told by people who really care but have no ways to make their voices heard. Our ranger friend was so proud to tell that they get a hike of Rs.500/- per month in their salary because Corbett has come first in tiger conservation effort and has recorded the highest tiger population in India. The forest is their livelihood and they really want the forest and tiger to live. And we need the tiger to save the forest and save us from ecological disasters like draught and global warming.

Gairal FRH : Should the tourists be charged at par with Dhikala FRH

Gairal FRH

Despite reading some good reviews of Gairal FRH, I have a different point of view to offer to my readers. As someone who had stayed at both Dhikala FRH and Gairal FRH, this review will make you think twice about staying at Gairal.

Location :

We had started for Gairal shortly after sunrise. The 3 km part of the road off the main road through wooded forest was fantastic. Fortunately we did not meet any elephant en-route. The 9:30am arrival at Gairal turns out to be a bit early as the parties staying there were yet to vacate rooms. The normal check out time is 11 am. While waiting for rooms we had our breakfast in the canteen. The campus had hill on one side and river on the other. The location was really beautiful. This probably is the only plus point of Gairal. The large campus had the river flowing by on one side. One can go down to almost bank of the river, but onto the river. The campus is protected by solar powered electric fencing.

Canteen at Gairal:

The canteen is a private run one. We were told that the contract for this canteen was auctioned at Rs.6 lakh a year. The contractor has to recover this cost in 6 / 7 months time. Thus everything was offered at a premium. The rates were in fact same as that of the Govt run restaurant at the Dhikala complex. Lunch and dinner are offered at per person rate of Rs.200/- for adult and Rs.150/- for child. Though rates are same, Dhikala had a proper restaurant with trained staff, but this one is a canteen resembling a roadside hotel.

Rooms at Gairal:

There is an old FRH with two big rooms. The new FRH has four rooms. The rates charged for rooms were at par with Dhikala. But the rooms were much inferior to what is there at Dhikala. Services were also were of lower quality. Anyway, you do not expect classy accomodation in FRH in a jungle. Because I had stayed at Dhikala, I feel a tad disappointed that I had to pay the rates of Dhikala for this kind of room. There also is a 20 bed dormitory and 3 huts. Electricity is available only from 6pm to 9 pm. It is generator only power supply. Dhikala has round the clock power supply. Candles are provided in case you want to stay awake beyond 9pm. But getting out of the room after nine is scary. The solar powered fence is porous. Rooms do not have fans. Even if fans were there, there is no electricity to run them. So think n times before accepting accomodation at Gairal.

Tourist facilities :

Gairal turns out to be full of surprises. Contrary to what is advertised at the official website of Corbett, there are no visitor facilities for elephant rides or jeep safari. This means one will have to go the Dhikala complex to hire a jeep safari, unless you have taken one from outside. Stuck with this situation, we headed for Dhikala. Though we had taken 4 cars inside, we used only 2 vehicles by sharing between families. When we were leaving for Dhikala, guides stationed there approached us. The park has put up a kind of rule that tourist can not go out without a guide. This is apparently in good spirit aimed at mainly novices from losing way in the jungle. The guide charges are only Rs.250/-, but we had no space in our cars. We in any case will be hiring safari jeep and hence guide from Dhikala. Thus we had ignored them. However this proved to be costly for us as the so called nature guides which are supposed to be tourist friendly turned out goons by evening when we had returned. The rule is in Good spirit, but the way it is tried to enforce is wrong. One is allowed to travel without a guide from Dhanagiri to Gairal or Dhikala. How one who has made it to Gairal safely could would lose way while travelling from Gairal to Dhikala. Beyond my comprehension. Everybody takes jeep safaris and hires a guide. Why a guide is being forced into a vehicle not on safari.

Day1 : Gairal – Dhikala - Gairal

Our first stop en-route was the Crocodile point, which is on the Gairal – Dhikala road. There were about 7 crocodiles of different sizes. As we were in no position to take a safari from Dhikala at that hour, we had driven slowly reaching Dhikala for lunch. Being noon time there was not even a deer around. A new rule also has been put up which bares safaris from 12 noon to 2 pm.

When we had approached the office for elephant safari we had another surprise. Initially it was a blatant no as we are staying put at Gairal. The reason cited was that safari of 2 hours duration will start at 3:30 and we will have to leave Dhikala by 5pm to be able to reach Gairal before gates are closed. Imagine the scenario – neither there are any facilities at Gairal, nor can you avail the ones available at Dhikala because you are staying at Gairal. We pursued our case and the official relented to allow one of the groups to have a curtailed safari of 1 ½ hour. So the newbies among us went for elephant safari and oldies like us went for a jeep safari.

The group on elephant got delayed by 10 min and so we headed back for Gairal by 5:20pm. Keeping in mind the speed limit and 6pm closure of gates, we had tried our best to reach Gairal. If you can drive at reasonable speed, the 13 km distance from Dhikala to Gairal will take at least 45 min. The road is not that motorable and you have to keep in mind the animals crossing in those late afternoon hours. Finally we had reached Gairal by 6:10 pm, with enough daylight to spare, but 10 min beyond the schedule closure of gates. This is where trouble had started. The situation was beyond our control. We got delayed by the late arrival of elephant. Then we had followed the guidelines on speed and had arrived with enough daylight. After some arguments and delay, they had opened the gates for us. The ranger though was showing his displeasure, was understanding. But the so called supposed to be tourist friendly nature guides posted there had started to incite the ranger to impose penalty on us. Their grudge was that we did not hire their services and instead hired guides from Dhikala. As I had mentioned earlier, we had no space in our cars to carry the guide as each vehicle had 4 adults and 3 kids. Further we were quite familiar with the routes as we were not first timers. But the heated discussion took an ugly turn because the leader of the guides behaved like a goon. However, a fight was avoided as better sense prevailed with some of the people there. The ranger also fell to their pressure tactics. We had decided to pay a fine of Rs.500/- per vehicle as asked by the ranger. However we had refused to write an apology as worded by those rustic goons. They wanted us to write kind of things like we had knowingly violated rules, had arrived half an hour late. We were clear that we will pay fine if a receipt is issued so that we can take it up with higher authorities if required. But no apology in their terms. They would have easily allowed us in and compensated for this 10 min had we hired a guide from the group. It is a situation which arises solely because we had stayed at that damned place called Gairal. It is not the place if you plan to move around in the park. But if you want a break where you just plan to stay put in a secluded hut, like the ones by wildlife photographers, then Gairal is the ideal place. If you want to stay in Gairal, there are couple of secluded huts where you can relax and wait for animal rather than running after them.

Such botched was our luck that day that a group of 3 guys from Nasik got to see a tiger on their way back. We had met the group day before and assisted them in getting accommodation inside as they had arrived at Ramnagar without any booking. Believe it or not, none of the guys had a camera. All they had was their mobiles where they captured the tiger sitting majestically just 15/20 feet from their jeep. And imagine dozens of people with high end cameras and professional lenses are moving around in the park without any luck. Getting to see the tiger is pure luck.

Day 2:

By morning temper on both sides had cooled down. We spoke to the ranger and also to the moderate ones in the group of the guides. We had made it clear to them that money is not an issue, but it is the space in the cars for which we can not take them. If they wish they can take 500 rupees from us and spare us the trouble of carrying one of them. Despite the previous evening’s incidence, they had no problem in allowing us to leave without a guide.

Even though we started almost at dawn break, it was obvious that we would not be able to take any of the prime time jeep safaris. So we had to make our trip itself a safari. We had started encountering deer, boras etc. almost on the entire route. The difference in time of our trip was clearly visible. We hardly had seen a deer in yesterday’s trip almost at noon. But there were so many animals around on this early morning trip. This is what I meant by prime time jeep safaris from Dhikala which one can not catch by staying at Gairal.

We decided to scout the Kamarpatta road where the group saw the tiger previous evening. We were quite familiar with Dhikala range and hence had no problem in moving around alone. In fact that day we had scoured the Kamarpatta road 3 times without any luck. We are now so familiar with Kamarpatta road that we can get out of it even at night. We spent the entire morning moving around in our own vehicle doing our own safari. Corbett is not only for tigers. Getting to see a tiger is extreme good luck and encountering an angry pachyderm is extreme bad luck. Leaving aside these two extremes, there is so much of unspoiled nature to explore and enjoy.

But sometimes the quota of bad luck exceeds what you normally expect. While returning to Dhikala for breakfast, one of our vehicles was hit by a safari vehicle. Though we had maintained a safe distance, the driver of the safari jeep ahead of us suddenly stopped. We saw him stopping and so had stopped our vehicle some 10 /15 feet behind him. Then the jeep reversed suddenly in high speed without giving us any reaction time. By the time we shouted the stapney had hit our bonnet. It was his fault and so we could confront him. Had we been at fault he would have made our life miserable. He was insisting that he had no money and will get our vehicle repaired at Ramnagar. We knew that we had to settle is on the spot as outside it will be his den where we will be at disadvantage. We also understood that the guy is only a driver and can not afford to pay actual cost of repair. All we should get from him is the money to file an insurance claim. He was even dithering at it. When we had threatened to lodge a written complaint at Dhikala itself, he budged and paid 500. Misfortune was following us on this trip.

We proceeded on jeep safaris almost immediately after lunch. Every safari makes you see newer areas of the park and revisit the most common areas like the sambher road and the grassland. After moving around the park for some time, we finally came to location, where calls were heard. We also decided to wait. Soon we heard our first call of a sambher deer. The call of the deer becomes frequent. Everyone was certain that the tiger is around and is likely come down to the river. We all now know what a call for tiger is. Clock was ticking and time was running out fast. The guide and driver of our jeep told that if we fail to see the tiger today, we have to blame our stay at Gairal. Had we stayed at Dhikala we could have waited for another hour or so. To our utter disappointment, we had to call of our wait at 4:45pm and proceed for Dhikala. Even while leaving the place we could hear the call of sambher and could see few alert deer around. The tiger was definitely around. It was so close yet so far. All for this damned place called Gairal.

We left Dhikala by 5 pm and had reached Gairal 15 min before time. Probably the guides were unhappy to see us back before time that day. To get over our disappointment we had party that night with the halfties taken from Delhi.

The last day:

The ranger had befriended us by this time. He probably felt bad for the incident where he had to impose a fine on us apparently for no fault of us. He told us stories of his encounters with the Dhola tiger which falls under his jurisdiction. The area for which he has to supervise, there are two tigers and two leopards. He often has to go out on foot and report activities / movements of these animals. As he was concluding his jungle stories and we were about to leave, howling of the tiger was heard from the hill opposite the rest house. The howling started to grow and become frequent. The growling reverberating from hills was majestic. It is different from the ones we hear from caged tigers in zoo. Some tourists, who had just arrived, ran towards the fence on the river hoping to see the tiger. But the ranger told us that tiger will not come to this side of the complex and will follow a route further up the hill. He offered us to take to the watch tower up the hill that may offer us a chance to see the tiger. The ranger sat in my car. Leading the pack of four cars up a stony patch of road, I had wished not to face any wild elephants. There were tell-a-tale signs of wild elephants passing by that area. The ranger told me not to worry and assured me that he can handle wild elephants. Without meeting the misfortune of encountering a herd of pachyderms we had arrived at the watch tower. Though within tourist areas, this watch tower is beyond normal tourist itinerary. Thus we had an excellent view of the river down below and areas around it. By this time the growling of the tiger had also died down. It appeared that the tiger got angry after a failed attempt in hunting. Tired of its effort it probably had laid down somewhere. So we decided to come down. The ranger told that had he been empowered he would have taken us close to the tiger on foot. As that could not happen because neither had he had permission nor we are kith and kin of some forest official to manage one, we thanked him for taking us to the watch tower and got ready for leaving.

This ended an eventful trip. We were so close to the tiger – not once but twice, but could not see it. Three tiger sighting were reported during our stay. But this time we had a feel of what a call for tiger is and also heard the majestic growl of an angry wild tiger. May be, better luck next time. Despite failing to see the tiger in two attempts, we will certainly come back here. The place has such a charm it will make you come back again and again. But this we will certainly stay only at Dhikala as we had learned the dirty tricks of getting confirmed accommodation at Dhikala. May be one last day for a lazy sit and wait for animal day at Gairal as well, rather than running after them.But for a full trip, I will never stay at Gairal.

Corbett a 2nd time : Part-I

The second visit to Corbett turned out to be as exciting as the first one. We will remember it more for some misadventure than the thrill of being very close to the tiger. Luck was not on our side this time too. Thus our sighting score is 0 out of 2.

This time we had a drive in trip. Last one was a KMVN package with confirmed Dhikala booking. The highway NH24 from Delhi has improved a lot since our last visit, specially the section beyond Gajraula. You can easily drive above 100 in the Gajraula – Moradabad section. Construction activities have shifted to Ghaziabad – Gajraula section. We got stuck in jams at some areas on this section on our return which coincided with the evening rush hour. However on our onward trip there was very little traffic hold up. But I would like to warn you of Simbhaoli and Garhmukteswar. If you can cross these two points without getting stuck you should feel lucky.

We had stopped at Gajraula for breakfast. If one starts early from Delhi, then this is where you have to stop for breakfast. Though there are many eateries located at the point where the flyover starts at Gajraula, most of them are run of the mill. If you looking for decent ones, then you need to cross the flyover. There even is a McDonald at Gajraula on the other side of the flyover, some half km from the end point of the flyover. Around the same location, there is a good restaurant (I forgot the name) which is on the right side of the road if you are travelling from Delhi.

We had arrived at CTR Office in Ramnagar town around noon. Getting the passes took some time as the staff was out for lunch as well. While waiting for our passes, we decided to satiate our lunchtime apetite at the KMVN located next the campus. The KMVN restaurant offers good home like food which is not very spicy or oily. Having the entry permit spared us the trouble of coming back to the town next day and stand in queue for permit. We would save a couple of hours by this. We headed out of the town to look for good accommodation for the night. We had enquired with a couple of resorts at Dhikuli. The ones along the highway are costlier. The bigger the sign board, the more the costlier. The Corbett Inn quoted 5500 per room. These resorts are running on packages booked by various travel agents in big cities like Delhi. The luxury cars in their parking tell the story. Thus they are off the limit of smart traveler.

We spotted a small signboard of a resort named Jungle Paradise, just next to the Corbett Inn. It was pointing to a narrow lane by the wall of its luxurious neighbor. About a 100 meter walk along a paddy field lead us to a scenic campus with natural surroundings. This resort comprised of few cottages nested among a paddy field and forest. The place appeared much better to us than the costlier Corbett Inn which appeared artificially landscaped. We were initially quoted Rs.1200/- per cottage. But then because of our requirement of 4 cottages, we could bargain it down to just 900 rupees. That was a real bargain. All the families liked the place, specially the kids for the lush green lawns. Photos of the resort tell the story. We were offered the services of a local boy who led us to the Koshi river in the evening. It was a small nature walk to refresh us after the days driving. Food served for dinner was decent.

(Contact nos. of Jungle Paradise : 09412035559, 05947-284314, 09927772567)

Hockey World Cup 2010 : India vs Australia

I was there last night. The atmosphere in the Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium hosting the FIH Hockey World Cup was electrifying. The stands were almost full. The sound was deafening. The Astroturf was gleaming in the floodlight. Amidst this the team India lost their way. Once the Aussies were 2-0 up within the first 7 minutes, Indian team was found meandering in the in the middle like a lost lot, desperate to find ways to stop the rampaging Aussies. This desperation helped the Aussies in pumping in 3 more goals, 2 of them were very soft ones. The net result was a 5-2 drubbing received by India.

(Pic1 : the cheering crowd)

(Pic2: India - Australia match in progress)

But the good thing was that India still could score 2 goals and both were field goals. The skill of the Indian players in dribbling was much above the Aussies. But Aussies were more powerful and fast. Indians had no answer to their blitzkrieg. Actually we never had expected Indians to win this match, but did not expect to lose them that badly either.

We also got to see the Pakistan – Spain match and to our delight saw Sohail Abbas taking a penalty corner. The onlt PC Pakistan had managed in the second half and they scored the winning gola of it. Everyone supported Pakistan in that match. The Pakistan team acknowledged this support by doing a lap of honor after the match which they had won 2-1.

(Pic3: Pakistan - Spain match in progress)

(Pic4 : Pakistan team doing a lap of honour for the crowd support)

Overall, it was a wonderful experience being at the stadium supporting our team which will be happy if they can finish 6th in the tournament. But we also get to see some world class hockey. If India can finish around 6th, they will be back in the elite group that gets to play Champions trophy. With a ranking of 12th, India is not getting enough chances to play regularly with top teams.

World Cups do not come to India that often. It is taking place after 28 years. Who knows when it will be next? So we are going back to the stadium next Saturday, this time with families. Lets all be there and egg on our team to finish at least 6th.

Outing with Family ?

Yes, one can go there with families and kids. Toilets in the building are newly laid and are relatively clean. Much better than what you get in cricket stadiums. Several fast food stalls have been put up in the complex. Tickets cost you just 100/- for 3 matches. SRK extracted Rs.140/- for MNIK.

Tickets

For many, it was shocker to find that tickets are sold only at the Ambedkar Stadium which is several kilometers away from the venue. This is ridiculous. So get your tickets beforehand. The best way to get ticket is to buy them online from ticketgenie.in. They have an option in which for 60/- rupees extra, tickets are delivered at your address by Blue Dart courier.

Prohibited Items at the Venue

Delhi police has published a list of items prohibited in the stadium in the TOI dated 28th Feb. Items confiscated are just dumped at the gate. If you are lucky, you may get them back. But to be safe, it is advisable not to carry these items. Some of them are : Bag (may be including large ladies handbags), camera or handycam, pen, flag with poles (however only flags are allowed), coins and eatables from outside including water bottles. Mobile phones and keys are allowed.