PashaTuks celebrates Diwali

Rajasthan- The Royal heritage. Sariska Tiger Reserve and Bhangarh Fort

Its not the destination as much as the people traveling with you who add that special zing to any travel. Pashatuks is happy to announce the completion of yet another travel.

 As usual an unplanned trip brings out the best in people born with the travel bug. So we decide not to make any kind of reservations,and just travel with the flow.Go whichever direction our heart desires and the heart desired for Rajasthan. We had 2 days to spare and decided to pack in as much as we could in these two days. Unlike other travels where we would travel at the crack of dawn, we started almost around noon,the reason being that the previous night was Diwali and we went to bed in the wee hours of the morning of travel.

 Destination for day one was Sariska Tiger Reserve 192 Kms from Delhi. The route we took is the tried and tested Gurgaon- Manesar- Daruhera from where we take a left turn for Alwar. The road condition of Haryana is excellent and  we made very good time and in no time we were settling down at The Jungle Babbler at Daruherafor lunch. This hotel has the ambiance of a resort and being a haryana tourism run unit,the pricing, that of a motel. For the Delhi dweller looking for a days outing, this forms an interesting option, specially in winter months, where the guest can soak in some sun in the well manicured carpet grass lawns and tuck in a good quality Indian meal. Pashatuks recommends you to sample their  cheese cutlets should you happen to require a snack.they make it out of cottage cheese(paneer) and we like it enough to recommend it.

The jungle babbler complex

The cut for Alwar comes in almost a kilometer before this place,but there is a service lane which one could use to get back to the cut.

We had decided to check out the Siliserth Lake which boasted of a palace, now a hotel run by the RTDC. We wouldn't have minded staying there for the night and then hitting for the safari the following day.

There is a board, rather primitive, indicating that we turn right and go for another 3 km- a small climb uphill and we drive into the palace by the lake. The lake is surrounded by the Aravalli hills which sport the just post rains look. A photographers delight

It is really disheartening to see what the state machinery can do to ruin something as grand and as elegant as a rajasthani palace,known for its grandeur and regal finish.
The structure by the waterfront does suggest that the place has seen some real grand days,but the chipped paint of the walls and the stench emanating from the washrooms across the area around the balcony offering the most spectacular vista of the lake surrounded by the beautiful Aravalli hills made us relieved that the non availability of rooms scuttled our plans of staying there and having a tete a tete with the royal residents floating in the building residing for hundreds of years. Ghost or no ghost unhygienic places do not appeal to Pashatuks. In any case we were sure that the spooks also were as unwashed and derelict as the palace itself.

We turn back for the road leading to our safari destination,fortunate enough to catch a spectacular sunset amidst the hills, hoping to manage some accommodation at the RTDC run Tiger Den. We took a chance knowing full well that we could be turned back. It was an extended weekend and booking is also done online. We have stayed there before and found the place to suit our needs perfectly. The rooms are spacious, neat and the food edible, almost bordering good.All meals are included in the tariff and there are options for veg and non veg. Meals are buffet and their vegetarian fare is definitely better than their boiled chicken in watery gravy dinner.We were lucky to manage rooms for ourselves against a no show of a prior booking.
Breakfast was a decided improvement.

The next morning we were up and ready -  private cars are allowed in on certain days of the week after paying INR 250 per car and a nominal amount of Rs.25 per person in the vehicle.
However post our Corbett trip we realised the advantages of travelling in open air gypsies and we set off to hire the gypsies with permits . These gypsies,run by the forest department can be hired from the gates of the park at INR 3000. Since the supreme court  mandate of allowing only 20 vehicles per day and bookings made online,there is always a rush for these gypsies.

 It is advisable to plan the gypsies in advance or reach early. Bookings start from 6 am in the morning and close at 730 am.

If you miss the gypsy and still want a visit into the scenic national park, the other available option is the open air canter with a seating capacity of 17 people, charging INR 500 per head.Not at all a wise option for the serious wild life enthusiast because the darned vehicle makes too much noise, scaring away the striped cats,panthers and other bigger animals. The deer, peacock,monkeys, birds and wildboars remain unaffected and can be spotted in plenty.

We managed to get into a canter and we guess theres no need to talk about the wildlife that we saw. However the mud tracks surrounded by the majestic aravalli hills sporting all the possible colours of fall and great company of like minded people more than adequately compensated for the big cat no show.
Post safari we checked out of the hotel and hit the trail for Bhangarh Fort, 50 kms from Sariska.

As soon as we hit the trail we were fortunate to come across the great indian neelgai putting up a photo-op for us right on the state highway.
The road condition is very bad and the fancier cars could end up in workshops.Thank god for the rugged home built desi SUV that the team has.

 Around 35 kms from Sariska we spotted a huge lake to our left with typical Rajasthani chatris(canopies) built within the lake and an ancient temple and fort to our right.No marking, no proper access to the buildings, the temple drew us to it. We trampled through the thick foliage without encountering a single soul for quite a while. There were skulls of animals strewn around,letting the imagination run riot with images of animal sacrifices, possibly humans too by powerful tantriks seated on skulls practising their witchcraft.Banshee like sounds cutting across the silence made us unconsciously move closer and hold hands as we approached the temple.But there was no thought of turning back. And suddenly there was a clearing and we had access to the steps leading upto the temple. The raw untouched beauty of the temple in ruins drew us to it like moths to a flame.The word ruins took on a new meaning as we soaked in the view from the temple courtyard. The steps leading underground makes us assume that its probably a direct connect to the fort up yonder in the hills.

The royal must have used this to pay his respects to the reigning deity, whose identity we are unsure of as there was not a single soul around and the temple doors were closed. We admired the architecture and came back to the main road.
Pashatuks suggests that if anyone is making this trip to this temple, do not do it alone- we are still not sure of the safety factor and Rajasthan is not exactly the safest of places. Make sure that you are in a group. Exploring the unexplored has a thrill that every die hard traveler seeks,but one should not be foolhardy.

Another 15 odd kilometers and we were in the haunted site of Bhangarh. Nestled in the Aravalli mountains this fort calls for a long walk from the parking area.

 This is one of the many temples within the Bhangarh complex

There is no entry fee and the walk to the main fort from the parking is through a lot of ruins, which transport you  to a rather harappan feel. The erstwhile city gives you a feel of perfect symmetry and we got the impression that citizens of that area were less than average in height  because the archways were lower than what we are used to seeing in other forts or places steeped in history.

Local folklore say that this city died overnight under the curse of a powerful tantrik who was displeased. Bhangarh is rumored to be one of the top 10 scariest places in the world and no one has apparently come out alive after sundown. Moreover the law enforcing agencies do not allow an entry to the premises post sundown. The mystery remains unraveled and our curiosity un-satiated.

One can spend the entire day out here with picnic baskets in the lawns. There are a couple of beautiful temples within the premises,but none drew us the way the one on the way to this place.
Pashatuks find themselves intrigued by the clampdown by law enforcement agencies of not allowing visitors post sundown as they do not really believe in the unnatural. We would love comments by anyone who may have visited the place post sundown and is alive to tell the tale.
All too soon it was time for us to come back to Delhi.We took the route back via Shahpura- Kotputli- Behroron the Jaipur Delhi highway.
It is important to remember that Rajasthan does not have the same dhaba culture that one is used to on the highways and it is always a wise idea to eat wherever one gets food or one has to wait for the next big city. Food in this belt is high on chillies and spice -so do make sure you either have a taste for it or carry your quota of antacids and hope for the best.

Ashwin Anand Diaries- straight from Vishakapatnam. Post the Hud Hud

Hello all !! We survived Hud hud but the city died !! Our lovely Vizag devastated and torn... Let us build a stronger Vizag !!
Communication is down. Extreme shortage of fuel and essential commodities. No power and mobile coverage is restricted.. Like a war zone!
A big thank you to all who showed their concern for our safety and well being! We are Hud hud survivors and will turn around to be stronger and build a better Vizag !!! Will try to communicate through this as phone lines are still down and are connected through wired BSNL internet ..Mobiles are working selectively in few pockets in and around Vizag.
These are a few photographs from my collection around home. Cannot express the devastation done and don't have much to say..these pictures say it all..

Vizag Airport

Cinema on beach road

thats some wave

Ashwin Anand Diaries presenting the Hud Hud straight from Vishakapatnam

8th October 2014.0343 

The target of intensifying Cyclone Hudhud has changed slightly.

 It was earlier the

 AndhraOdisha border at Dharmavaram. Now latest forecasts say the cyclone is going to hit Visakhapatnam headon,on October 12, 2014, Sunday morning. The winds then will be a howling 150 KPH, gusting up to a massive 185 KPH.

The effects will be felt in Pondicherry in the south and Bhubaneshwar in the north. But Vizag will face the brunt of the storm as the center of the storm is going to pass through it. 

 11th October 2014  0513

As a precaution, Beach road from Naval Coastal Battery to Park Hotel is totally closed for vehicle traffic and pedestrians. Avoid .

A very busy beach road in Vizag otherwise, now a ghost road . All traffic has been blocked and no one allowed since evening.

12th October 2014

Very very strong winds blowing in a wave form every 15-20 secs. Entire beach road in darkness and raining heavily too !

Never seen anything like this. You have to be here to describe it and experience it. 
Really scary.. Did not know a small bird could cause so much fury... Must be really pissed off. This is reality and nature's way !!

Beach road is terrible . Very very windy. Extreme gale force winds are around 100kmph now and expected to touch 180-195 kmph by afternoon. No electricity

Only a matter of time it will be all over leaving a trail of destruction and death.All said and 

done, nature ultimately is the BIG BOSS . 
It's nature's way of revenge to what we do to it....!

Editors note- We pray that everyone out there is safe and sound and there is minimal damage to life and property.We wait for more information as communication links get restored.Our prayers with all affected by Hud Hud.

Mumbai takeoff

Gods Own Country- a different take

We keep going back to Kerala- not because we are tourists who cant get over the beauty of the place- but because we have a home - a place to go back to. in Gods own country.
So the Kerala that we see every year is definitely very different from what the tourist gets to see.
We get to have a feel of the real Kerala - not the much touted picture post card Kerala.

The lush green of the coconut trees, the lighter green of the plantain foliage, the fast receding stretches of paddy fields, the sinister darkness of the rubber plantations,the slim stalks of the tapioca plant, the  dark green of the cashew farms are a sight for sore eyes- specially for city slicks like us and one soaks in the pollution free tranquil environment with the greediness of a parched traveler of the desert upon finding an oasis.The first week is bliss- and after that one starts accepting that there is more to Kerala than just the green.
A visit to ones own farmlands is a tricky affair- no matter how much we turn our noses down at the humble rubber slippers and the big black umbrella, its impossible to survive with dignity without these two accessories A walk to the paddy fields looks very enticing on the celluloid, but for a person not used to negotiating through the narrow lanes separating the  fields, it can be a harrowing affair, as one miscalculated step could land an unseasoned individual into the slushy paddy fields.

The pepper climber by the window sill

Labour has always been a cause for worry for the landowner of Kerala, more so now as more locals are preferring to venture out of their state for more lucrative shores. So we now to get to see land lying untapped as its cheaper and less of a bother to import agricultural produce from neighboring states.
And the fertile land that the place is, the so called fallow lands are lush once again with so much flora and fauna with very little appreciation of what nature has so abundantly endowed.
Yet the state enjoys the distinction of having the highest literary rate in India- the poorest of  poor know how to read and write.For higher education, Kerala still follows the centuries old mindset that its either Medicine or Engineering that are worth pursuing.Everything else is for the losers.
As a result we see Engineering colleges sprouting with the regularity of mushrooms and all young adults are either Engineers or Doctors.
Its heartbreaking to see these highly qualified professionals working for pittance and applying for clerical posts in government jobs.
Given the semi rural ambiance of the place , one would expect life to be more affordable than the metropolitan cities. Reality is a far cry, shopping for anything in the state makes us feel that life in our home city of  Delhi is decidedly more affordable. Plus unlike what we are used to, where the buyer is the king, in Kerala its the seller who rules the roost.

Most families have their own places of worship

A lazy lifestyle means that people of the state have time for recreational activities, have time for each other and are decidedly less stressed. The average malayalee may have his lungi folded to boxer shorts length, but he has a smile in place always and is very happy to be your guide, should you stop for directions.
A visit to anyones house makes sure you are greeted with a tepid cup of tea and an assortment of snacks and fruit from the garden. Jackfruit, bananas and pineapples are more popular. And everyone has a garden. If you are on time, you may be even offered Tapioca boiled with a steaming red fish curry.
People follow different religions, yet Kerala is not divided on the basis of religion- although in the recent years one does hear of a stray incident or two, its comforting to see religious harmony in a multi- religious community.
Kerala has been aptly named Gods own Country as it has something to offer for everyone- be it the tourist or the resident or the NRK (Non resident Keralite).

Weavers den at Balaramapuram, Thiruvananthapuram