Traveling is good
Thangsing is guarded by Pandim on one side and a swift river flows noisily close by. One flank of the mighty Kanchenjungha shone brightly ahead of the path towards Goechala. Thangsing easily qualifies as the best spot enroute to Goechala Pass.
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Our safari driver cum guide has made a wonderful job by describing the facts of the jungle. Understood that Tiger sighting needs a patience and more than one safari but we were not demoralized at all.
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“India Jones” ride, this ride was very exciting and adventurous, you pass through steep valleys, rail roads, and a big stone try to hit your Jeep etc. Next, we went to “Pirate of Caribbean’s” ride, I didn’t know about this movie until this ride, my wife liked it most. They make you sit in a boat, that boat give you a tour of pirate world and you also get to know something about movie. During the ride you always feel that at some point of time boat will take a sudden fall.
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One can see many venomous and non venomous snake which were rescued from the forest near by. The park had a collection of variety of birds also like Turkey, Emu, etc. Some days ago before we reached there a thunderstorm made havoc and the park was disoriented a bit.
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नामकरण के किस्सों को जानने के पश्चात् मैं इन्हें देखने के लिए और लालायित हो उठा. कदम तेजी से बढ़ने लगे और मैं गुफा-वृन्द के गेट पर आ गया. वहां २४ लाजवाब गुफाएं थीं. पुरातत्व विभाग द्वारा एक बोर्ड भी लगा हुआ था, जिसमें बताया गया की वे गुफाएं लगभग २०० वर्षों में बनीं थीं. कई गुफाएं तत्कालीन सम्राटों और धनिक-सम्मानित लोगों के द्वारा दान में दी गयी राशि से बनाई गयीं थीं और बौद्ध धर्म के हीनयान सम्प्रदाय के अनुयायियों द्वारा उपयोग में लाई जातीं थीं.
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“We are from Calcutta, you have got a beautiful place here”
“Ki je bolen babu, ki ache ekhane… khaowar jal parjyonto nai…” (what are you saying sir, nothing is here… not even water to drink…)
“Lok ashena ekhane ghurte?” (Don’t you get people visiting this place?)
“Ho, ashen bote. Majhe majhe chele puler dol ashe. Tabu lagiye thake oi okhane lake-er pare. Aar dori-dora niye pahar-e uthe. Pura jayga nogra kore diye jai” (Yes, indeed some group of youngsters come. Stay in tents near that lake. Do some rock climbing on the hill. And finally leave transforming the whole place as dustbins) certainly true, that is.
His petty house was behind his pettier shop. But his heart was bigger than anything. Since his shop was not ready to supply anything yet, he ordered something from his home – and we were served with a good meal. And more notably, we had to forcefully pay him.
“Babu-ra sokalbela khali pete aaichen, aapnader kach thika khaowar taka kemne lomu?” (Sir, you have come here so hungry in the morning, how can I take money from you for this food?) where have those people gone today?
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The competition gradually became tougher and louder till there was a total din. Amidst the chaos, looking at the prospects of not being able to find a clear-cut winner, the challenge-competition was halted in the middle. In that interlude it was the perfect time for telling the story of an old woman, who lived alone in a hut at Jabalpur about 650 years ago.
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Further ahead, the scenery again changed. We were drawn more deep into the actual jungle. The forest cover got dense and our excitement jumped higher. Under the shade of the trees and some swamps, we found a herd of the world renowned one-horn Rhinos. It was not the first time in my life that I encountered them but still, they being the pride of my State, rakes up my pride too.
Our Gypsy driver suddenly had a rush of adrenaline and after few minutes of some sway-and-swanky driving, he brought us into this clearing, which was clearly bang in the middle of the forest. With a few words of prayers, we de-boarded our vehicle for a photo-shoot!!
Now, you must be wondering, why we were having a photo-shoot when we had prayers in our lips. Well, that’s because inspite of the heavy forest cover, the view and the vibes took our breath away.
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The park is built for people like us who cannot go to Masai Mara or Amboseli or to similar places. It is a small snapshot or trailer of what you could get in those places. This park is the only national park which is built inside or very nearby a metro city. It is home for black rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, buffaloes, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, elands and diverse birdlife with over 400 species. Black rhinos are special attractions, they are declared as endangered species.
As soon as you enter the park, you enter into an altogether different world. Nairobi skylines are visible from a distance (the national park is about 7 kms from the city centre), no sound of any mechanical human devices, you surrender yourself to the inviting nature.
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Shani Shingnapur is perhaps the most popular place for all Shani Dev devotees. Shignapur is situated at a distance of 6 kms from Ghodegaon on Aurangabad-Ahmednagar highway. Its distance from Aurangabad is 84 kms, 75 km from Shirdi and from Ahmednagar it is 35 kms. From Ghodegaon, there is a motorable tar road up to the idol of Shri Shaneshwar and is open in all the seasons.
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My business schedule didn’t allow me to make a voyage to one of the ultimate destinations of Kenya – The Masai Mara. So I decided to explore nearby areas in the next Saturday. We took a taxi (booked by the hotel) and started off for a place named Utamaduni Craft Centre (http://utamaduni.com/). One of the specific reasons to go there because that place specializes in African native crafts and arts, and has a huge collection of all varieties. Reaching there I realized that was indeed a great decision to arrive here – the assortment is really so remarkable. Collected a few souvenirs from there as well.
After spending a couple of hours there, we headed to another nearby place Kazuri Bead and Pottery Factory (http://kazuri.com/). They are supposed to be one of the largest manufacturers of clay made beads and pottery works.
The place is really a heaven for ladies, specially who fancy the jeweleries made of beads and clays.
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If you are an aficionado of history, then Rabdentse is a place not to be missed if you are on a trip to West Sikkim. Located on a ridge near Upper Pelling, Rabdentse was the ancient capital of the kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814. It was destroyed by the Gurkha invasion and now only the ruins of the palace remain. The remains of the palace have been declared as of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. The ruins offer panoramic views of Mt. Kanchendzonga.
Vikram dropped us at the point from where we were to trek about 1.5 km through forest to reach the ruins. A huge decorated gate leads to the trekking path. We started our journey through a stone-cobbled path through the forest. The path was narrow and dark. The forest was deep. There was not a person to be seen anywhere. It was super-thrilling!!
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