Two days of consecutive holidays and it is a perfect setting for a jungle trip. I was contemplating a trip to Nagarhole for quite some time and two holidays in a row provided the much needed kick.
Nagarhole National Park is now officially known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park but as many names just don't become favorites the park is still popular as the Nagarhole Park. Its one of the better kept Wild Life Reserves in India and boasts of the highest concentration of Tigers , Leopards and Wild Dogs.
I generally like to start early and even after trying my best I could leave only by 5:30am in my Zen . The isolated roads made me fire the engine full speed and with speed comes death. Well I stopped much short only to be hit my a speed breaker. That made the Zen sweat and I ended up damaging something which I'm still not sure. A buzzing sound greets the driver each time the first gear is applied. A lesson to learn - a car is not a jeep.
A speed breaker was not going to spoil the trip - this is what I told myself and I decide to continue. The black beauty responded well to my trust and it took us just over two hours to cover some 120 kms on the Bangalore - Mysore Highway. Hard music and speed just thrills !!
Nagarhole is another 45 kms from Mysore. We made our way steadily and once the six lane highway ended we were greeted by pot-hole ridden roads. The car never complained and we were in the jungle by 11 am. Thick growth of wild grass and bamboo along the roads made us believe that we were entering a forest.
The serenity and calmness of that place forced me to extend my trip by a day and I decided to check out a hotel. Felt lucky to discover that an accommodation in the form of a tent house was available .
After a heavy lunch -a real heavy one – it was time for the jungle safari.
The first sighting was a Serpent Eagle. Next we spotted dears and they were plenty - a sign that the predators have ample food available. Caught a glimpse of the giant Malabar squirrel courtesy the Mahindra jeep. Its a tough vehicle but certainly not suited for spotting wild life. The engine noise is deafening.
The next on the menu were wild dogs who had reached the brink of extinction during colonial times. Credit to forests like Nagarhole , their numbers are bouncing back . We climbed a "Machan" and were thrilled to site a "Gaur" – the Indian Bison , a wild pig and some Sambhars.
A few animals accompanied us in the jeep. They talked about their salaries , their Managers and how their children outclassed their peers .Their wives were even more fussy. They wanted to see the tiger and the guide had a tough time explaining that the king of the jungle cannot be dictated to pose for them.
A four hours safari was nearing its end and the Tiger remained elusive.
Hot tea served with pakodas do provide solace after a tiring day. It was time to grab a seat - a 30 minutes documentary film on the Nagarhole National Park was very enriching.
Dinner was served late much to my annoyance but it seemed I was the odd man out . Everybody seemed patient with the idea of a late dinner. I ate as if I had never eaten and after this feeding frenzy it was time for bed. A night in a tent and that also in a jungle - its just too perfect if the moon shines bright overhead.
I had a comfortable sleep and the next morning it was time for a short safari -not again with the same sick crowd. We had better companions this time and we felt blessed to site a herd of wild elephants. An elephant training camp was not to be missed. We met an elephant who had recently created havoc by killing eight people but his luck ran out and the beast was finally caught and locked in a cage.
Food is prepared for these giants in vessels which are no less amazing. Tribal have been been recruited as care takers and forest guards . A good way of keeping everybody happy.
It was time to leave but not before a heavy breakfast and that too its silly to miss one if the hotel provides a complimentary one.
We decided to visit a Tibetan Monastery which was around 40 kms from Nagarhole. The drive was good and the country side was even more enchanting. We entered Coorg and accidentaly I sighted a board which read "Abbi fall- 45kms".
The next place we stopped was Abbi Falls - 80 kms from Nagarhole. Its an awesome place , coffee and pepper plantations greet travelers and with mountains around you one is forced to admit - its heaven.
As with all Falls - they are haunted by travelers who like to donate plastic and similar non degradable waste. Its a way of expressing our feelings and a majority of Indians enjoy littering around.
It was time to pack up and head home. Black clouds are a sign of rain and who's stopping them . It started to rain and it rained and rained and it flooded the roads and jammed the traffic . It took twice the time to drop down from the hills .
After a few wrong turns we located the "Golden Temple" - hundreds of Tibetan monks and visitors flock the place. Tibetans have done justice to the place of worship . It was clean - real clean . Gigantic statues of Buddha and other Guru's were breathtaking.
The rain continued .
Heading home was high on priority and the Zen was hurt but still not out. Pot-hole ridden roads get dangerous when it rains. Luckily we covered a major part of the journey before sunset. Reached home around 10 pm and it was still raining !!
I started with "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright !" and I guess its best to end with this nursery rhyme- “Rain rain go away,
Come again another day.
Little Johnny wants to play”
