My First Night In Dhikala

I love wild life and Nature, so after visiting couple of national parks Jim Corbett was always the topmost on my list. India's oldest and most prestigious national park which was established in 1936 A.D. the first National park where Project Tiger was launched. This park derives its name from Jim Corbett the famous hunter who later turned nature conservationist.  Situated in the serene Nainital district of Uttaranchal, this jungle is like a holy grail for the wild life lovers all over the world. When we talk about Corbett then its Dhikala zone, is the ultimate cherry on the cake. The heart of the jungle or in the wild life lingo Core area for animal activity. The lifeline of this forest river Ramganga flows through this largest zone making it one of the most spectacular and magnificent area of the forest, rich with exotic flora, fauna and wild life. By now you must have got the gist of how mesmerised I am with this place and how very excited for a special wild vacation with the family (pun very much intended). So staying in Dhikala is a big thing because its one of the only core areas in the country which allows to stay right inside the jungle amidst all activities. It is definitely a special stay and with limited number of cottages you really need to book in advance and get lucky to be here. We certainly were. Dhikala forest lodge is run and administered by the forest department of Corbett National Park. One finds here a lot of forest officials, professionals, wild life enthusiasts, photographers, researchers with all their gear and its quite fascinating to watch them at work. The lodge is about 1 hour inside the forest gate and the drive is a safari in itself starting your crazy wild life adventure without any delay. The guest house is 100 years old built by the British. Though the property is basic in nature from some olden era with huge rooms having massive French windows and the highest of ceilings; its the entire experience which leaves one spell bound. Living amidst the jungle with dense foliage and animal cries and calls it definitely can't get more exciting and magical than this.

As I said the options and rooms are limited due to the high demand so we had no choice but to share the bed between three. Husband, brother and me. So after we explored the beautiful but spooky scary property what with the dense canopy of trees, monkeys lurking everywhere and more of jungle and animal noises for company than humans. The truly beautiful machan overlooking the valley - jungle below with its water body where you could see animals playing by it or just lapping up some water, bathing or gazing intently ( i wondered were they human watching us in return ). The never ending electric fence recently fixed to keep the elephants and animals out of the property which we were told again wasn't 100% effective (so much for some reassurance).The sky was eerie and we had some folk tales and jungle stories narrated with full enthusiasm during our hot simple veg meal in the restaurant. All excited for our safari early morning we decided to call it a day having travelled far and being really tired. So everyone bid farewell for the night and crashed to their rooms. To our dismay we three realized that the fan in our room with the highest of ceiling worked only on 1 speed ( the lowest ). The air was hardly circulated till the bed where we three lay cramped, squashed on the bed (in the peak summer season). After tossing and turning hubby decided to take things in his hands and opened the windows (mind you these were the big, massive big French windows ) it instantly became pleasant as gentle breeze filtered in through the mosquito nets. It was a little later after that when I was woken up by something else filtering in. The night had begun in the jungle it was vibrating and echoing with animal calls and activity. Elephant trumpets, Barking Deer, Tiger Roars, in live form as if they were there outside the room and they were actually there in the valley below may be some where around too. Now all those amazing stories at dinner - of tiger kills at the property, sightings, all of them started reverberating in my head. The property being right amidst the jungle so much so that non veg wasn't served due to animal presence and danger.  I started imagining a tiger outside the window or worst an angry elephant,  now the charm of the charming French window was diminished down to zero as I lay awake I cursed the ever so high, wide and open windows. Imagining what a flimsy mosquito net would do between me and a tiger or a leopard. After having laid awake for what seemed like eons scared as hell I looked at the two blissfully unaware sleeping forms by my side and not wanting to awaken them for the fear of being deemed as a coward throughout life; I gathered every ounce of courage and walked to the window, stood there for a couple of hell longest of minutes expecting some animal to leap in air at me or some eerie ghost to catch up with.  Scared out of my wits with my own thoughts I ran to the bed only to scamper back to the window to half shut it, as if that barrier was enough for those predators. Well that was only so much I could do and as I lay tossing and barely turning into the limited space I had and thinking about someone pouncing in through the window. Even the sound of the house lizard was magnified in the eerie space as if played on loop on a speaker and finally after some time I was lulled to sleep by the jungle sounds, beautiful yet scary. An hour or so into my well earned jungle sleep, the alarm rang in the wee hours of the morning. As I dragged my tired body to get ready for my first safari in Dhikala which I had waited  for a very very long time. In all excitement as I sat in the cold metal jeep sleep deprived, eyes tired, puffy and paining waiting for my safari adventure; only to have a blink and miss sighting of the first tiger of my life. Yes but that's another story now..

xoxo

Bhakti

Continued here 

Adventure on our way back from Goa

Every trip is incomplete without an adventure. You need something to remember the trip by, don't you ? 😉

This time when we (hubby and me) were returning from Goa, we were caught into a complete adventure movie setting. Yeah, that's right. 

We wanted to surprise our parents and hence left by 3pm, so that we could be there with them for dinner. Hardly did we know, we were setting in for an adventure. 

It was 12 th May, we set in great spirits, enjoying the journey and the long drive, wanted to pass the ghats before nightfall. We were approaching just before Kolhapur around 7 pm, before Gaganbawda and were glad that we were on time, little did we know what was lying ahead. 

Right out of some drama series, the wind gathered speed and started billowing like mad. It was crazy, the sheer strength with which it was roaring to go. On our way we got 3 traffic jams due to trees fallen in the way. We surpassed them and continued, though delayed a bit. 

In the forest of Gaganbawda, just before Kolhapur, the wind didn't cease to blow, but now the sky started roaring as well, then started the dance of Thunder God. And no sooner than we blinked heavy rain like never before started pelting. It was raining not cats and dogs but elephants and horses. There was no visibility at all. The car was livid with the huge rain drops pelting on the metal body and creating frightening noise which was nothing as compared to the thunderstorm outside. We were hardly feeling safe in the confine of our car.

We couldn't wait, as this was a no mans land, we were in the middle of a jungle, with no soul in sight. The massive trees were taking the wrath of nature and could succumb to their life any second. 

We couldn't wait as trees were falling. It was so scary, literally had our heart in our mouth and were frightened like crazy. 

Although we continued at a snail's pace we met our worst nightmare. A tree fell right in front of us. It was a huge tree.

Now we were thanking our stars that it didn't fall on us and at the same time we were really shaken,we were in a grave situation going by the looks of it.

This deserted forest meant, were we stranded for the night, all alone, I was getting creeps.

Luckily for us,soon enough there were few vehicles who joined us on both sides. There was no use calling the helplines, as they wont come before dawn, in this remote area.
We travelers took this task up and were trying all sorts of means to remove the tree, a truck driver tried to pull it after tying it up with no avail. In the end after 2 hours in the heavy rains, it was decided to chop the fallen tree, so that it could be moved, the truck drivers had an axe and a big knife, people started kicking the branches, cutting the tree, pushing it. 

This took hours and by the time we handful of travellers were at it (all men , hubby included) who were first to the scene, there was a big line of vehicles behind us by now. People went and requested others to help as it would quicken the pace, but to no use, they were not bothered. They were nicely sitting in the car listening to music, as the work was being done by others. 

Pathetic, people are not ready to share responsibility, this is the country we live in, where majority of people, have this outlook that we are not bothered, the work will be done by others. These are our fellow country men. It's apalling. Disgusting and disappointing to the core. They just want to watch the drama unfold from their comfort zone. (tamasha dekhte hain, karte kuch Nahi) I think their conscious is dead, and this is why they are shaming the nation, humanity .  

Yet a small group of people, take things in hand and change the situation, proud of such people, no matter what the number, no matter what the consequence. 

Eventually, the road was vacated from the fallen tree and the traffic started moving, thanks to the hard efforts put in by those involved. 

It was so late by now, that we were hungry for food, nothing was available on the highway or in Kolhapur. We reached Pune by 3 am, were so hungry and starving, had Burji pav on station. 

One hell of an adventure, another journey always to remember . 

If you have any adventures to share with us, do write in to me. 

xoxo 

Bhakti 

Bike ride to Mahabaleshwar

I love to travel is a known fact. I am a wanderer I feel. The best way to make me happy is to take me out for a trip, however small or big. That's exactly what hubby dear did, he told me to get ready early morning last Sunday, packed few things and announced that we are going for a small trip and that too on the bike.

How I was happy and excited, extremely curious though. I am one of those type of people who can't take in curiosity for a long time. Curiosity kills the cat symptoms and I started randomly guessing names for our destination which were close enough for a bike ride. 

To my extreme surprise I realized that we weren't going to any of those destinations but embarked our journey which was headed towards Mahabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar is our favorite neighboring hill station. We have to have at least a couple of trips to Mahabaleshwar within a year. 

This was our first bike trip to Mahabaleshwar and I was really excited. 

We had a fabulous time and this was an awesome surprise, which I totally loved.
Days like this and moments they get along just make life so beautiful and spontaneous. 

Check out our trip in the snaps below with what we exactly did and how are trip turned out to be -

All prepared

First Pit stop

Breakfast

Misal and vada pav = best breakfast

Highway

Next stop

I love to be on the road

Reached Panchgani

1st stop

Chilled ice creams on a hot summer day is bliss.

Finally - Mahabaleshwar

Strolling in the market, buying Mahabaleshwar goodies.

Roaming around

Nothing can beat the local Nimbu soda at scenic points.

Posing for you all comfortable in my casual attire.

If this is where I relaxed everyday -- dreams

I just love Nature

Foodies Heaven - lunch

Dessert is not far behind

good bye snack

Returning back after a wonderful day. 

Some tips and facts by Hubby Dear :

Pune to Mahabaleshwar is 120 kms.

One can go there for a day trip and return comfortably by evening.

Plenty of accommodations for an over night stay available.

for your bike trip

Make sure your bike is in perfect condition, before embarking on the journey.

Travel Light.

Do carry your sun gear, cap, scarf, a jacket for the windy evening.

Do carry a bottle of water, candy, a napkin.

Make regular stops and keep yourself hydrated as well as stretch your legs and back a bit.

Stop at places which are frequented and crowded.

Do try and leave early morning from Pune and leave from Mahabaleshwar before dark.

Cross the Pasarni ghat in sunlight.

Do not travel on the bike after sunset.

One can enjoy Mahabaleshwar for its climate, nature, beauty, different points, markets, food (a complete post on the same here)

An awesome trip and some more memories to treasure.

xoxo

Bhakti

A small Hike with Big Happiness.

It was Friday night and as I lay in bed at night browsing through my regular sites as usual, a post fascinated me, Thanks to Tes.

I just wanted to go there and explore the place myself. Being Born and brought up in Pune, I love the city too much, I love the hills surrounding it and since childhood enjoyed the small hikes on weekend mornings, but as Pune is growing, the hills surrounding it are rapidly dwindling. So when I saw a post about this hill on Tes's blog I had to explore it myself and bask in its beauty.

I decided to surprise hubby dear, and woke him up early Saturday morning and told him to get dressed. He was really surprised and was really excited to know where I was taking him.

I packed a quick picnic breakfast and we were on our way.

This little hill is some 20 minutes drive away from our home, exactly located right next to the
D. Y.Patil Knowledge city Lohegaon. Its a small hike, taking about 45 minutes to an hour.

Small but pretty

Please do not litter on nature trails, we always carry an extra bag for all the garbage.

Enjoy this beauty and safeguard it, do not destroy it in anyway.

Beautiful

Thailand -- Bangkok Tales -- 1st day -- Terminal 21 mall

The joy on arriving at your holiday destination and knowing your vacation has just begun is amazing and full of enthusiasm and happiness.
We were too filled with all these feelings and more the moment our flight touched the Bangkok soil. Though really tired and sleepy, we arrived in Bangkok at 7 am travelling by Bangkok airways(tickets booked online by Yatra.com hassle free). We were trying to get the first glimpse of Thailand through the plane window and the happiness that seared in.
As soon as we landed we got our visa on arrival which is really convenient and easy. For more information regarding the same check here.
There is an express line as well for the visa, for some nominal amount per person, I suggest taking it on a crowded or a busy day. After that we were really hungry, not much variety to eat at arrivals though. We collected a free map of Bangkok from the tourist counter, took a dtac card for our mobile, I strongly suggest it, has really good deals with internet and all. Took a taxi to our desired location. After checking in we slept like logs as we really were sleep deprived.

Refreshed and rejuvenated in the evening we decided to head to terminal 21 mall. We made a quick stop at Subway replenished ourselves and continued.

Terminal 21 is a relatively new mall on the Bangkok shopping scene. It has been popular in making its mark due to the uniqueness of this mall. How? Well to begin with it gets the whole world packed in this mall. Every floor is designed on a theme to be one of the world's famous city. Rome, Paris, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, San Francisco  take your pick.This is a mid range mall with boutiques of Thai designers.



After seeing the Bangkok traffic we decided to take BTS to the Asok station (direct access via skywalk) for Terminal mall. It is connected to Asok station.

Our litttle Adventure from Siam to Platinum mall Bangkok !!!

It was a bright and sunny day calling us to explore Bangkok.(oh boy and did we explore in the truest sense)
We decided to go to Siam and check out Siam center, Paragon and Discovery. We took the BTS our daily, friendly, fast, easy and cheap mode of transport. The BTS takes you to Siam and is directly connected to the Siam center. So here we were in the Siam center, enroute we had gorged on street side fruits, which are truly yummy and delicious, the best of them being the guava and then Mango.
Well this was our daily breakfast and oh did we enjoy it.

our breakfast - bags of fresh fruit.. I dint like this fruit much though

 We explored Siam Paragon which is a luxury shopping mall took a look at the Siam underwater ocean world.

Holiday hangover - Thailand tales -- Pattaya it is.

As most of you know that I have been ranting about my holiday. Well to tell you honestly I still have a massive holiday hangover which refuses to go.
So here I thought why not blog about the same as I can't keep the thoughts to myself alone ( so typical me hehe)
Bangkok being one of the popular destination of the world. As you all know I being a OCD victim have a habit of doing in depth planning and research of most of the things (eyes rolling) so I was all prepared and well versed with Thailand. Thanks to bangkok.com which is an amazing website which allows you to download a free pdf guide as well as has detailed iteneries, maps, convenient travel, packages, food, shopping and any other think you can think of listed.

Tourism Thailand site which has detailed information about Thailand, everything you need to know and much more.

But Thailand has its own way. It springs surprises at you no matter how well you are prepared.
Thailand especially Bangkok and Pattaya are so similar to Mumbai yet so distant and mystique I felt. Every lane (soi as they call it) had a surprise to offer, something new to discover.

We were there for 9 days in Thailand but every day was a new experience. There is so much to explore, so much to experience and at the end of it all Thailand binds you in the magic unknown, and all you can do is keep reminiscing your experience until you create another new one with Thailand.

Don't worry as you very well know me, I am going to provide you with all the details of my Thailand trip with its beauty, markets, shopping, tips and tricks.

However today I feel like beginning with the last leg and day of our holiday, that was in Pattaya.
As you very well know that I am driven by my whims, so here it goes.

Pattaya- (we were here for 3 nights)

Completely took us by surprise, after much insistence of our peers and family not to take Pattaya and instead go to the pristine Phuket, stubborn that I am, thus here we were in Pattaya and were we glad about it.
Pattaya has its own charm. Active by night more than day, though plenty of things to do during the day as well.
We use to sleep till late, have a huge lunch, take a stroll or swim on the beach, go for a massage, do some shopping, get ready and have a relaxed dinner after which we used to go for a walk at the walking street followed by long hours of shisha till the wee hours of morning.... ahhhh Bliss indeed!!


Have a look yourself---

Lunch at the pizza company, we  had ordered extra large bbq chicken, the quantity was huge, but I found the pizza slightly on the sweeter side, though cheesy. The cheese garlic bread was yum.

 the remains--

 Pattaya beach - the beach is a thin strip in the common area filled to brim with loungers, one can hire a lounger for a small fee and sip beer for hours looking at the sea. Tip - buy a beer from the 7/11 stores located widely all over at short distances, you will find everything that you need in these stores, right from mobile recharge to ice creams, snacks, and everything. the price of everything you buy here is very economical.

 well I wont suggest to take a dip in the sea on this common beach as the water is dirty and polluted, one can swim in the private beach adjoining their hotel, or go to the nearby jomtien beach.

There is lot of street shopping in front of the beach. One can get good deals, I got myself a huge haul of swim wear. Do take souvenir Thailand magnets across the street- cheaper than Bangkok. Vast variety of pubs, restaurants with different cuisines, fast food joints, street Thai food available across the street.

dress- westside

footwear- footins

we- happy happy !

Massages are available in plenty- but do check their license as many times they fool you into illegal activities and take money- the massages start from 120 to 200 baht for feet massage (1 hour)

The walking street is closed for vehicles at night, the action starts after 8-9 pm. exotix shows, beer bars, shopping, street shows,fish market, you name and you have it. One needs to experience the pulse of this street to understand it. Must do ! (obviously not for children)

Shisha places dotting the streets near the walking street. have a beer and shisha and sit for hours watching life go by. All the shisha places are facing the road with chairs and tables put up on street. This was our favorite part.

Till my next Thailand post .

take care and plan up your vacation

xoxo

Bhakti