Why did adam eat apple??. Review on Bandipur National Park

Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.

- Kenyan Proverb

Warning It’s a strictly informative review without the usual trace of humour and sentiments. So please bear with me.

Earth, water, fire, air, sky these are the five elements we the human beings are made of . That I think is the reason why we feel so much at home when we are in close vicinity of mother nature because nature is a combination of these five elements . Its like having a conversation with your own soul . That is the reason why every now and then my heart aches to pack my bags and run away from all the hustle and bustle of this concrete jungle and have a tryst with mother nature.

The Review

Friday sep 10th’04

11:00 Am All of a sudden the thought struck my mind that I can’t survive this weekend in city. The longing was so intense that I immediately start looking on net to find a place where I can go and save my soul.

11:30 Am BINGO !! I got it. Its bandipur safari lodge .One among many resorts run by Jungle lodges and resorts. It perfectly fits my weekend and I will be able to come back right in time to go ahead with my boring schedule for several weeks ahead.

Wait there is a problem I hardly have any money left in my account(don’t ask me where it has gone??).

12:30 Pm After an hour of thinking I got the idea. I called my sister who came to visit me and was about to embark on her tour de south. I asked how would you like to start your journey with an adventurous safari and comfortable stay in Jungle Lodge. I knew the answer would be yes( after all she is my sis)and moreover I knew my darling sister won’t dare leave me (so wicked of me). So far so good. I called up Jungle Lodges booking centre in Bangalore only to be told that they have accommodation for two only ( My heart sank).

But I couldn’t surrender now so I persuaded her to allow all four of us to stay in one cottage which she agreed to as long as we are paying for two cottages . Desperate as I was I immediately said yes.

Saturday sep 11th’04

11:50 Am We reached Bandipur safari lodge right in time( hurray finally I made it). It’s a nice resort . There are 12 cottages and over all 24 persons can be accommodated at a time. To maintain the natural harmony of the lodge air conditioners and TVs are consciously avoided. As per the management in their very words “why would guest even miss them…when a gentle breeze wafts in from the hillsides and through the cool shades of lush thickets to provide fresh oxygen rich ,natural air conditioning” . From my side I can add what they say is very much true.

1:30 Pm Its lunch time. All the guests gather in a GOL GHAR for lunch . The menu is full of filling and delicious items both for veggies as well as non veggies.

4:30 Pm We are all set to embark on the much awaited safari. We were given an open jeep and a naturalist to guide us through the safari.

4:45 Pm We spotted the first herd of spotted deers it was a group of around 50 to 60 deers. It was amazing to see them all gather around our vehicle while we sat silent in order to not to scare them away. A little while later we spotted a couple of Gaurs(the mighty bull type animal can be 6ft tall and weigh up to one ton) .

5:15 Pm There we see a big herd of Asiatic wild elephants. We were advised not to make any noise. In a herd of elephants you can always make out who is the leader. It’s a female elephant always( ladies rules) and her dignity and posture is quite distinct from others in group.

We were sitting on the top of open jeep and I noticed that none of us is talking. The serene beauty of the lush green and thick forest left us speech bound. There is no road you just follow an almost lost trail. All of a sudden it starts raining . The guide asked us to cover the jeep. No way !! today nobody is gonna come between me and the unfathomable beauty of nature. We were sitting there on top of jeep , enjoying the rain like a kid, staring at those breathtaking landscapes and spotting wildlife every now and then.

6:20 Pm We reached Gopalswami Betta, the highest peak (1455 m) in bandipur. The view was breathtakingly beautiful. From there you can see the Madumalai sanctuary separated by a river from bandipur.

7:15 Pm Its almost dark and the calm eeriness of the dense forest is something I always wanted to experience but never did.

Back in resort

8:00 Pm A bonfire is arranged and all the guests gathered there. It was a very friendly setting . We all were talking like we always knew each other .

The bon fire , the pleasant humm of friendly conversation over the glasses of beers and soft drinks and snacks. Ah! Would I ever forget that?

sunday sep 12th’04

6:30 Am The naturalist took us on a nature walk inside the jungle. It was such a refreshing experience. We did some trekking as well. After reaching the hill top we simply lie down on the huge rock beds. Basking in the morning sun light and letting the tranquility enter our mind and soul completely.

By the time we came back to resort we were ravenously hungry and attacked on the breakfast without bothering about having a bath first. The sumptuous and filling breakfast left us totally satiated .

11:00 Am All of a sudden its time to go. Oh no ! it can’t be . It was so nice and wonderful that I never wanted it to end. Why do I have to go back to that city full of cars, pollution, sky scrapers.

“Why the devil did adam eat apple?”

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we could have forever lived peacefully close to nature, without bothering about un ending thirst of earning money. Everyday waking up to the sweet sound of birds , having a walk by the river side or simply lie down under a tree.

Keeping my foots on Terra ferma I decided to leave but with a silent promise to myself to come back again soon.

Extra Information

bandipur is situated 80 kms from mysore on Mysore –Ooty highway and 220 kms from Bangalore.

Apart from Bandipur Safari lodge there are some cottages run by the forest department also. The room In those cottages cost from 450 INR to 1500 INR without food and safari.

The Bandipur Safari lodge charge 1200 INR per head including lunch , dinner , breakfast and safari etc.

You can also visit wayanad , madumalai and nagarhole sanctuaries while you are here . All of them are in close vicinitiy of bandipur sanctuary.

For booking and info on Jungle Lodges check out https://junglelodges.com.

Thanks for reading .Comments and suggestions are always welcome

jai

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