I Like Big Cats and I Cannot Lie

Tiger says hello!

It’s Google’s fault that we were under clothed. We were expecting a temperature of 30 degrees, not the post-rain crispy chill of the jungle. Waking up at the crack of dawn and hauling ourselves out of bed into not-warm-at-all clothes, we set out for the morning safari in the Magdhi section of Bandhavgarh National Park. Our jeep driver, Mr. Pandey (The Awesome) greeted us with a look which said You-are-late-but-I-make-my-living-off-you-so-I-won’t-say-anything and proceeded to drive at double speed to make up for lost time. Open air jeep, No warm clothes, zipping through the cold morning air as if our life depended on it…swell!

A 10th Century Vishnu statue in Tala

After spending the previous evening at a safari in the Tala section without any cats to show for it, we had only a fool’s hope taking us to this morning safari. That and the fervent claims of guides/guest house staff- “No sir, Magdhi very good for tigers sir”, “No sir, tigers come out in the morning only sir”, “Only yesterday we see five tigers sir!”

So, we were at Magdhi at 6am, driving around slowly, peering into the bushes as if we would spot a tiger any minute now. Oh we saw plenty of wildlife! There were monkeys and macaques, spotted deer and sambar deer, colourful birds of different kinds (such as the green bee-eater, or green pea-eater, or green beater).  There were creepy skeletal trees, aptly named Indian Ghost Tree (or The White Tree of Gondor), there was even an Indian Jungle Cat in the shadows. But zilch on the tiger. 

We saw paw marks alright… fresh paw marks cutting cross the path which created a stir of excitement. We also saw scratch marks on a tree which the tiger had used as a scratching pole. Most exciting yet, was the clear, piercing call that deer make when they sense danger. Surely, the tiger (or tigers) were right there in that clump of trees! So we waited. We waited by the pond (“Maybe the tiger will be thirsty”), we waited by the trees (“This is where the call was heard”), we waited till all of us nodded off of a while.  

Big Cat Scratching Pole

It was 9am now, we were still waiting. We were having a very heated argument about the etymology of the Green pea-eater. I said it had green plumage. My brother insisted that it ate green peas. The only people still on the lookout of the big cat were the guide and the driver.

The gates to the park close at 10:15. All vehicles have to be out by then or be locked in (till there is an inquiry). The punishment is pretty harsh for the guide and the driver who are suspended for 15 days and fined heavily. So, by 9:50am, while we were still waiting, other safari jeeps crossed us one-by-one on their way to the exit, insisting that we give up and make a move too. 

What are you looking at?

At about 9:55am, a patrol officer crossing us said that there was a tiger just next to the path, some distance back.  That was when all hell broke lose! Frantic switching on of the engines, backing up the jeep on the narrow path,  cursing other jeeps on the way,  even hitting a couple of them!  What followed was the impassioned shushes from the drivers and frantic pointing from the guides-

“Shhhhhh! quiet! Look, there it is!”
“Where?? I can’t see it”
“Theeere! in the trees!”
“Still can’t see it!!”
“Turn your head at 32.6 degrees angle and squint your eyes three-quarters. Look where I’m pointing!”

 

Always look both sides before crossing the road

It was almost as if the tiger thought ‘These bunch of losers will never figure this out on their own”. He came out of his hiding place and crossed the path RIGHT in front of our jeep, looked at us, growled a greeting and made his way into the forest.

We were still absorbing the awesomeness of the moment, our luck at having witnessed this majestic feline in it’s domain, when Mr. Pandey revved up the engine and sped towards the exit gate. We made it with a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds to spare, exulting the whole time.

You’ve seen tigers in zoos- Bengal tigers, white tigers the whole lot. But the feeling of pure awe mingled with fearful excitement which a tiger prowling in the wild, with nothing to separate you from it, is exhilarating. 

We went back to the tranquil confines of the forest rest house feeling on top of the world, still basking in the afterglow of the major adrenaline rush, all the while thinking “Mujhe junglee biliyan pasand hai”.

Gangtok and beyond- The rest of the Sikkim Series.

While the heavy rain back home was adding to the traffic woes and triggering a whole bunch of runny noses, I was enjoying the almost perfect mountain weather. The days were sunny and the evenings pleasantly nippy in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The city itself was a pleasant surprise. The houses lining the street were not posh, but were all well maintained, freshly painted, with their balconies lined with flowering plants. The roads were not wide, but there were bounded by a well kept, covered and aesthetically designed side walk for pedestrians. The traffic was extremely streamlined and everyone drove in their own lanes. There were dustbins at reasonable intervals and there was next to no litter on the streets. Was it not for the quintessential 'Mahatma Gandhi Marg', I would have thought I was in another country.

MG Road, Gangtok

The MG Road is the city's epicentre. Its a well maintained, pedestrian-only shopping paradise. The avenue is lined with shops selling merchandise ranging from expensive brands to export surplus, Tibetan antiques to plastic Chinese toys. I have spent my fair share of bunked dissection hours in Janpath/Sarojini Nagar, but never have I street-shopped in a  more delightful place than MG Road. The government has taken special steps to make MG Road a pleasant place so tourists can empty their wallets and make the state richer. The numerous fountains, flower pots and benches all along the street just add to the shopping experience. Not to mention that there are some amazing eateries along the way. I especially loved the Roll House which I frequented for my daily fix of cheese rolls and momos.

Just some monks chilling

About an hour's ride from the city is the Rumtek monastery. As far as places of worship go, Buddhist monasteries are my favorite. They always have a serene atmosphere and at the same time, they present a rich burst of colour. The reds, blues, yellows and greens of the walls and the murals are just incredible. Rumtek is now tied in the first place with Thikse monastery, Leh on the official 'Best Monasteries Mana Has Been To' list. We reached Rumtek in time to catch the morning prayer. I found it quite interesting, unlike a little monk boy seated in the back of the prayer hall, trying desperately to stay awake.

Clouds greet us en route to Tsongmo Lake

One of my favourite aspects of the trip was the visit to Tsongmo Lake or Changu Lake. The original plan was to go to Nathu La but a week's worth of snow can play spoilsport to the best laid plans. We could only go up to the lake, which is about 10-15km short of the pass. The lake itself is at 12,400ft and it quite a sight. We had to trudge through quite a bit of snow, politely refusing yak rides to get to the half frozen lake. I had to trudge along even further to leave behind the horde of loud Bengali tourists. I eventually went around the bend and reached an isolated stretch where the snow was undisturbed, the noise was far away and the mountains were serenely reflected on the glazed surface of the lake. I might have gone further if I wasn't scared of sinking into the snow. I spent some time on that isolated spot, taking pictures and just breathing it all in till my dad found me and called me back for some warm grub. Maggi, momos and snow. Yes, life is good.

Diagonal lines

Shades of White

A bit of fun in the snow

A day in Namchi- the first of the Sikkim Series.

Much of 3rd grade geography was spent trying to learn the names of the states and their capitals. Sikkim and Tripura were my personal demons. I was always mixing the two up- their locations on the map as well as their capitals. They were just so remote, and so unimportant to a 9 year old living in Delhi. Even in the 15 years that followed, hardly any thought was given to these small eastern states. Till the time Air India announced all domestic flights at Rs. 1500. Almost on a whim, bookings were made for Bagdogra with the intent of traveling ahead to Sikkim.

We spent a day in Namchi, South Sikkim. At first sight, Namchi is unimpressive. A disappointment even, considering that the Chief Minister of the state for the last 25 years belongs to this constituency. The major 'attraction' is the Char Dham Temple Complex, which in my opinion, is essentially a Mini Siam of temples. There were smaller 'replicas' of the four main dhams and a gigantic Shiva statue to overlook the whole complex. The place is pretty enough- manicured and well maintained. The main prayer hall is adorned with murals depicting scenes from Shiva's life, which, being quite fond of mythology, I found interesting. However, I felt that the place lacked a certain character. It felt too artificial, too new and too 'perfect'. The sense of awe and wonder that you experience on beholding the massive, yet intricate temples of Kanchipuram, or the sense of peace and serenity that washes over you at the Bahai Temple, Delhi was missing in this place. It just felt too plastic. (Incidently, this is also how I feel about the Akshardham in Delhi.)

Walkway of the bazaar covered in pink gulaal after holi

In the evening, we walked to Namchi Bazar. All the shops were closed on account of holi. Well, almost all. The liquor shops were very much in business. So was a tiny little shop called 'Rekha's Fast Food'. People were lining up outside this shop for a hot cup of tea and samosas. After warming ourselves up with the Rs. 5 chai, we wandered along the Central Park. This is a misnomer since it's not technically a park, but a pedestrian-only area with a fountain and an aquarium surrounded by (shuttered) shops. The 

walkway was covered in pink gulaal after the day's festivities. We sat on one of the many benches and people watched. The longer I sat, the more I started warming up to the place. This was the heart of the city. Even though the heart was on holiday, there were still locals walking around, catching up, laughing... I imagine that the atmosphere would only be livelier on a regular day.

The statue at Samudruptse

We made an early start for Gangtok the following morning, stopping to visit a couple of places in between. Our first stop was at Samudruptse, where there is a massive statue of Guru Padmasambhav- the patron saint of Sikkim (according of one of the plaques). The path leading up to the statue was  lined with Buddhist flags waving in the wind, the air was fresh with the smell of the mountain forest and the sound of chirping birds flitted through the atmosphere. Peace! I made friends with a kitty who I found meditating (soaking up the sun) on one of the benches. It mewed and purred loudly in response to my petting but refused to pose for photos. 

We made another pitstop at a Temi Tea estate where we basked in the sun as we enjoyed a hot cuppa of the garden fresh tea. Refreshed, we resumed our drive to Gangtok, the state capital, which requires an entire blog post of it's own.

Fresh tea from the garden

Mandu- Good things come in small packages.

My suggestion of a trip to a small town in Madhya Pradesh was mostly met with an unsure 'Why do you want to go to Mandu of all places?' Honestly, the only answer I had was 'I just do'. So, obviously, that's exactly what we did.

Our train from Delhi to Indore was running 6 hours late. Frustration and annoyance was hitting a dangerously high level. By the time we reached (it was 7 in the evening), the buses to Mandu had left and we had to hire a cab (which charged extra money) for the last 95km of the trip. Surprisingly, the roads were in excellent condition and it took us about 2 hours to reach our destination- Malwa Resort (an establishment run by the MP government).

Mandu is one of those places which make you feel as though the time has stopped. There is a charm in the serene lake-side town which leaves you wanting more. The night was spent walking along the lakeside, gazing at the splendid night sky and going back to being 8 years old in the playground in the hotel premises. We slept with intention of waking up at the crack of dawn and witnessing the sunrise over the lake. But all noble intent crumbles when faced with a warm, snuggly blanket on a chilly morning.

When we finally went outside, it was nice and sunny. We had a hearty, albeit spicy, breakfast at the hotel and started our leisurely walk on an undulating road passing through green wheat fields, towards the Rewa Kund group of monuments. I am glad we decided to walk instead of taking a cab. It allowed us to soak in the rural serenity of the place- the small huts, the farms, little chicks following the mother hen, the cawing roosters, the smell of cow dung and the soft bleats of goats. The village children were very excited to see strangers sporting sunglasses and waved at us as we passed.

The premises of the Rewa Kund monuments- The palace of Baz-Bahadur and Rani Roopmati's pavilion- are quite well maintained and sparsely populated. The architecture is typically Persian with plenty of arches, domes and baths. The view from the pavilion is absolutely breathtaking and we spent our time just sitting atop the ruins, chatting and looking out into the distance. The sun got pretty harsh as the day progressed and I came back with a slightly sun burnt nose. 

One can 'see' Mandu in a day or not get enough of it in a week. I do not like to check off 'Things to See' from a list of  'Places to Visit' which are flooded by tourists. I like places which are far from the madding crowd. Places which allow you to sit and reflect, maybe read a good book by the lake. Places which make you take in a deep breath and soak up the atmosphere and attain a sense of Inner Peace. Mandu is just that kind of a place. I know I did not spend too much time there on this trip, but I am coming back in the future. You can keep your Agras and Goas.