This backpacker went to Tadoba using public transport. What happened next will shock you!

Thank you Scoopwhoop for inspiring me to write this title. My Facebook wall is inundated with posts with similar names. My head can't get enough, it seems.

Getting to the point, I never imagined that getting to Tadoba - Andhari Tiger Reserve, such a popular tourism destination, was so much hassle. It's not that the ride was bumpy - it wasn't. What alarmed me was that nobody really knew how to get to Tadoba if you didn't have a car waiting for you at Nagpur. So here's some chronological help for those of you who like to rough it out.

1. Book accommodation at FDCM: Little known place, right next to MTDC, also government owned. You can book rooms at Maharashtra's Eco Tourism website, the site that is usually used for booking safaris. Most people know that if you don't book your safari one month in advance, all park safaris get sold out. What most people don't know is that FDCM has a 3 jeep quota for all guests staying with them. So even if you don't book in advance, you still get to travel in the core areas of the park.
2. Reach Nagpur on a Tuesday: Nobody, bloody hell, tells you this. Go to point 6 to know why.
3. Go to the bus stand: When you reach Nagpur by train or air, head for the nearest ST (state transport) bus stand. There is a bus stand right next to the station. From the airport, the closest station is Chattrapati Shivaji Chowk that is about 1.5 kms away. The only two ways to get there are walking or by an auto-rickshaw that will cost you Rs. 150. Take your pick.
4. Take a bus: AC buses are hard to find. Take a regular ST bus to Chandrapur for Rs. 157. At the ST stand, you'll find private buses picking up passengers too, and for the same cost. My suggestion is to take the ST bus because they tend to be airier.
5. Sleep for 3 hours: A car takes you 2 hours, but a bus will take you 3. Get off at the last Chandrapur stop.
6. Take the 1:30 pm Chandrapur bus to Tadoba: There's only one ST bus from Chandrapur to Tadoba daily. Just one. And if you take this bus, you reach Tadoba at 3 pm....if your bus leaves on time...which it won't. Which means that you'll miss the evening safari. Which is fine if you reach on a Tuesday, because there is no safari in the core park area on Tuesdays. I didn't know this so I couldn't go on the bus. It costs about Rs. 50, I think.
7. If it's not a Tuesday, you can also take an auto-rickshaw: You've already booked your train / plane tickets? No problem. Get off at Chandrapur and don't look for a cab. Catch an auto for Rs. 500 to Tadoba. It's 10 times more expensive than the bus, but it will get you there for cheaper than a 2000-buck cab. Most auto-walas don't know that they are allowed till Moharli, but they are.
8. Save the auto-wala's number: So he can come back to pick you up on your way back.
9. Try to take the bus back: The bus from Moharli to Chandrapur leaves at 9:30 am everyday (if it leaves on time). If you oversleep, go to point 8.

Now get your best camera ready and go see some tigers!

A pregnant Maya walks towards the water to cool herself down

Rajasthan Trip - Sand, sand, everywhere!

11 Jan 2009 People: Alpana, Chandan, Gayatri, Vedant, Fahim.

On the way to Jaisalmer is Pokaran. Well it is not really on the way, but this route has been used for ages and this is how it goes - the train goes all the way to Pokaran, where the tracks end, and then turns back to join the main tracks again. We got off at Jaisalmer at 1245 hrs and were welcomed by pleasant climate. The station itself is beautiful and once off it, a tourist is greeted by scores of agents holding hotel placards. You can get an idea of the rates by asking them and then hop on to your chosen hotel's vehicle free of cost. On getting to the hotel, there's no reason to fret if you don't like the place...you can just tell the hotel guy and if he's nice enough, he'll let you use the same vehicle to check out other hotels as well! After all the help, you may want to tip the vehicle driver Rs. 20 or 30.

Pick your hotel!!

So after checking out a few hotels, we fixed up with a Hotel Prince. And man, is Jaisalmer cheap!!! The 5 of us were to stay in one room (with a bed that was comfortably big enough for all of us) for Rs. 300 per night (and not per head!!). We also took a desert safari package which would cost us Rs. 1100 per head, which would include the following:

1. Ride to the desert which is about 30 kms away.
2. Camel safari in the desert.
3. Camping the night in the desert with evening snacks and a cultural folk show, dinner, beautiful tents and breakfast in the morning.
4. A ride back to the hotel.
   

Our rooms were nothing much to look at, but that's how our rooms usually are. As usual, we had clean toilets and that's all we wanted!

We decided to do the desert safari immediately, mainly because it is said to be best on full moons and we were just a day late. It would be the best time during our stay in Jaisalmer to do the safari. We packed enough for a night and took the hotel jeep to the camel stand at the edge of the desert.

The desert is beautiful and I personally think its the vast ocean-like feel to it that gives a sense of calm. Sometimes I just want to keep walking into it. There's something about how limitless, boundary-less beings pull you into them. Sigh!

The camels are well kept (except for the "nose piercing", do they have to do that??) and healthy, however I can't say too many nice things about the camel keepers themselves. They are greedy people who are looking for opportunities to squeeze more from the tourists. It starts with the point where you reach an area in the desert where all tourists get off the camels and start taking pictures, etc. At that point, the camel keepers will ask you if you want to go further into the desert, away from all the crowd, and where the sand is pristine. Of course, it'll make your wallets lighter by some 500 bucks more. Each camel. Nope, not interested. The moment they know that you are not giving them more income, they get a little hostile. When we were taking pictures, they kept pushing us to leave. "It's getting late." "The sun is setting." "Our camels need to get back." Somehow, these were not applicable if we wanted to go further into the desert. After an hour an a half from the time we left our jeep, we were at our camp site. We tipped the camel guys Rs. 50 and they were very vocally disappointed. They insisted, "Pachaas se kya hota hai. Yeh aap hi rakh lo." (What happens with 50. You keep it.) Pissed, we did.

Slow, bumpy ride. L-R: Fahim, Gayatri, Vedant, Chandan and me.

Note: Don't take the camel further into the desert. It's hardly too far from the main site where the crowds are, and if you keep a good eye around you, you'll find a lot of places with sand that's not been walked on and places where you can take a picture without anybody in the background. Also, don't tip the camel keepers too much. They are just greedy. they already make a lot of money from the safari. I understand that most large tippers are westerners due to the fact that currency conversion makes them think that it's a small amount. But it's not. Trust me, you are not taking food away from them, you are only encouraging bad behavior!

There are at least 4 - 5 camps, all a few feet from each other. All hotels have a tie up with any one of these camps. We were the last camp 'Oasis India', which was awesome, but there was a 'Dungaree Camp' that was playing loud dance music. At the beginning, we were really wondering if it would have been a better camp to be in, but as the night progressed, we totally fell in love with the place.

We went into our tents (we had 2 for the 5 of us) and set our stuff in. It was beautiful! A nice comfortable bed that was big enough for 3 people, 2 folding chairs and a coffee table with colourful Rajasthani art inscribed in the wood, a bathroom cum toilet separated by the rest of the tent by a curtain, and even electric plug points!

Note: When you book the safari package, you are given a choice of basic or premium tents. The next morning, we saw the premium tents and they are no different from the basic tents, just pointlessly priced higher. Go for basic.

Basic tent: Bed

Basic tent: Furniture

Basic tent: Bathroom - toilet

Once settled, we went outside to a cold evening and had some tea and poha, sitting on bedding set around a bonfire. We had brought some whiskey as well, and after a while, settled down to warming ourselves outside with some good alcohol. The folk program started with dances and singing. There was one man who played an instrument called the khudtal which is basically a pair of flat polished wood panels, usually made from the sheesham tree. It makes a rhythmic beat and is quite difficult to play...you really have to get the hang of holding it right!

Guy to extreme left is playing the khudtal. The guy in between was an amazing singer and also later played the khudtal with lightening speed! The two "women" dancers in the back are actually men - originally, women were not allowed to do performances in Rajasthan and although it is not like that anymore, the tradition of men dancing as women has continued!

All the other tourists in the camp were more interested in the food rather than the music and soon left. Thus, inadvertently, it became an exclusive performance just for us. The five of us are total music lovers and we had a ball of a time, making song requests and getting the "band" to sit right in front of us for that 'personal' touch! Chandan and I took many many pictures and videos of the music being played. If Chandan's in your Facebook friends list, check out the khudtal video. This was one group worth tipping and we did that graciously.

When it got late (in the desert, 9 o clock seems like midnight!), we went to the buffet tent for dinner. All camp personnel were courteous at all times and really treated us well. And to top it, it got even better when Vedant told the cook at one time that I write about my travels, and the entire staff just went gaga over us! Oh, and the food was awesome!

We were not sleepy yet and decided to take a walk in the desert since we were stuffed from all the food. Some staff volunteered to accompany us to ensure we didn't get lost or anything. In the moonlight, the desert looked a milky white, and the silence was uncannily ear piercing. To say it was romantic, would be an understatement, and I think Gayatri and Fahim felt exactly that while they walked together a few meters behind us.

In the moonlight. L-R: Chandan, Vedant, Gayatri, me, Fahim.

Back in the tent, we transferred the pictures taken into the laptop I was carrying and soon a tired Gayatri and Fahim went to their tent to sleep. Vedant fell asleep while watching the pictures and Chandu and I talked for a couple of hours before we fell asleep. None of us really remember much of what we said to each other. But I think the gist was how beautiful the trip was getting to be and how it was a good idea to not skip Jaisalmer in the trip calendar.

12 Jan 2009 People: Alpana, Chandan, Gayatri, Vedant, Fahim.

I can easily say that when it was finally the five of us remaining in the trip, it was only leisure. We didn't want to scout through tourist hotspots, nor did we want to pack our day with stuff to do. When we woke up on the 12th, it was almost 1000 hrs and we were supposed to leave by 9. All other tourists had left and although we had apparently received a wake up call (which is, btw, literally a guy calling out to us to wake up from outside the tent), we overslept. Since we were the only tourists there, we took our time getting fresh and going for breakfast. While I was in the loo, I heard a weird growl, followed by another kind of weird growl. I couldn't figure out what it was and I must say that for a moment, I was a little scared. Finally, I found out that one of them was an angry dog and the other was a sleeping Vedant!

The night before we had asked the camp staff if we could have camel milk in the morning. Unfortunately, we should have woken up anytime between 0500 and 0700 hrs for that, since camel milk has to be drunk fresh. Ironically, in a state full of camels, there are very few domestic female camels, and it is very difficult to find camel milk. We spoke in length to the chef while having breakfast and when we finally left, took really good memories back.

On our way back, we stopped at an old Jain temple. Chandu and I stood outside while the others went in - we were more interested in taking pictures of the temple and its surroundings...plus I didn't wanna take off my shoes. We also stopped by some village houses on the way and were cautioned by the driver not to get into anybody's house - just look from outside. He couldn't or wouldn't explain exactly why, but I guess it's either that they trouble tourists or we trouble them!

On the way, we found a store outside of which two men were playing carrom. One old guy told Vedant to play a game and whoever won bought the other a beer. I don't quite remember who won, but we did have to pay for some beers! Some unknown brand, but awesome beer! Made in Rajasthan and something we didn't get anywhere else in the rest of Rajasthan!

Carrom anyone?

When we were back in Jaisalmer, we were hungry! It was 1600 hrs and we hadn't even had lunch! Most restaurants in Jaisalmer are vegetarian and we wanted some chicken. We found a rooftop restaurant while we were walking around and sat there, only to find prices as high as a good Bombay restaurant! So Vedant and I decided to look around some more, while the rest of the gang sat there, just in case we didn't find any other place to eat non-veg food. Asking people on the street, we found a place called 'Kalpana' where we called everybody else.

Some lip-smacking food later, we were walking back to our hotel when we found a private museum called The Thar Heritage Museum founded by Mr. L. N. Khatri. The man has been collecting items since he was a child - this includes things that have been thrown as garbage, old stuff that people don't want anymore, equivalent of garage sales by families, and contains coins, utensils, household articles, art, old documents, desert shells etc. According to the museum pamphlet, it has been "awarded the Sanskriti Dharmi Award 2007 by the district Magistrate of Jaisalmer for contributing towards ancient culture heritage of Jaisalmer" and also "awarded by Governer of Rajasthan on state level for conservation of folk heritage" in 2008. Entry to the museum is free and you may choose to give a donation when you leave, along with your name and some details. He's got some really amazing stuff in there and you just must visit this place if and when you're in Jaisalmer. it's right in the middle of the market with a very visible banner across the narrow street - you can't miss the sign! Read some good reviews here.

An eventful yet leisurely day passed, we crashed in our hotel sleep for some good sleep and another day beckoning!

North Trip: Part III – Tiger? No Tiger.

People: Alpana, Kashif, Saurabh, Rajesh, Chandan, Vicky, Ashish, Manish + Khushbu + Farhin + Pawan

We reached Ramnagar which is on the outskirts of Jim Corbett National Park on the 28th afternoon and booked ourselves for the safari the next day. Only mistake we had done was that in order to go to the innermost part of the jungle that is covered in the safari, you need a permit that must be applied for 20 days in advance. This part of the jungle is called Dhikala. So we settled for the usual safari. For 11 people, it meant 2 jeeps as one jeep will carry about 6 people plus the driver. Each jeep costs about Rs. 2000 for a 3 hour jungle ride.

Khushbu, Farhin and Pawan reached our hotel early next morning, and found remnants of a bonfire we did on the 28th night. This was just a preparation for the real thing that would happen again this night. We got some potatoes and some ingredients from the market for a dip to have the baked potatoes with. The secret dip recipe is something only Kashif knows because although I was supposed to help him with it, I fell asleep and he did it himself without any complaints (you’re what dreams are made of)! It turned out to be excellent and everybody was raving about it when they ate it with the potatoes, freshly thrown in to the bonfire and removed after 10 minutes of cooking.

We then left for the 2:30 safari ride with me, Kashif, Manish, Chandan and Ashish in one jeep and the rest in the other. We saw many species of deer, a leopard in the distance running (that was really beautiful), peacocks and peahens, wild boars, and many types of birds. The deer and boar babies we saw were really cute and it was amazing how fast and agile the deer babies can run. Oh and yeah, we saw monkeys…sitting with deer and eating together. The driver told us monkeys and deer are very co-operative with each other. The monkeys throw berries from high trees to the deer below and also warn them of approaching tigers visible from the height. We didn’t spot any tigers which was very disappointing, but we did see pug marks on the way back – the driver suspected one mother and one cub – and it really got us excited. The jeep was stopped and suddenly everybody’s senses came alive. Every tiny sound suddenly seemed louder than before, every corner of vision was clear! It was a feeling I have never felt anywhere other than that jungle. I felt that I was really utilizing my sensory organs to reach optimum levels! Another highlight of the trip was a small hutment in the middle of the jungle which served as a snack bar and a “bio-break” for all visitors. There we saw a pet spotted deer which was walking amongst people with no reservations at all. I touched it and its fur was smooth and clean. In fact, even its horns had a lining of skin on it!

Information:
The spotted deer shed their horns regularly and when they grow a new one, it has a soft lining of skin over it. If its horn is hurt in the stage, it will bleed. However, as time passes, the horn gets harder and the skin completely disappears. An injury to the horn at this stage doesn’t result in any bleeding for the deer.

That night we set stage for the full fledged barbeque by the bonfire in our hotel, The Corbett International Resort. Kashif and Manish were the official chefs, but everybody helped in the whole effort. I helped start and sustain the bonfire by getting firewood, along with Pawan who was continuously fanning the flame. Farhin helped peel the garlic and Khushbu helped marinate the paneer. The chefs handled the chicken themselves, cleaning and marinating 3.5 kilos of pure delight and finally putting them on the barbeque. Chandan was the official photographer while Rajesh and Ashish were the official jokers. He he!

People: Alpana, Kashif, Saurabh, Rajesh, Chandan, Vicky, Ashish, Manish, Khushbu, Farhin, Pawan + Nishit + Kanika

The next morning we were joined by Nishit and Kanika on the day we were to leave Corbett. We decided to spend a night at a hill station called Kausani which had absolutely nothing to offer, except some caves about 150 km away which we eventually didn’t check out. We still had to decide where to spend New Year’s Eve and after a lot of evaluating, we headed for Bhimtal, which is on the outskirts of Nainital. Below: Our hotel in Bhimtal.

Information:
Bhimtal gets its name from the mythological Mahabharat story in which the Pandavas and Draupadi are in banvas in the mountainous jungles surrounding Bhimtal. When Draupadi gets thirsty, Bhim goes looking for water and when he cant find any, he digs all night long at the foot of a few mountains. The lake thus formed is called Bhimtal.