My Travel Blog

The Two Tigresses “Earlier, I used to get frightened, seeing elephant. But now, I’m habituated.” We were surprised by the fearlessness in the voice of Mamoni, a ten year old girl. We just completed a wonderful ‘safari’ under the guidance of Mamoni and her friend in South Khayerbari Nature Park.  On progressing a few kilometers towards Birpara from Madarihat, one can find the road mark of South Khayerbari, on the left hand side. The kutcha road leading towards the Nature Park, is amidst the dark, thick forest. We were warned beforehand that the elephants are frequent visitors in this road. Not just one or two, after travelling almost ten kilometers, we saw the entry gate of the South Khayerbari Nature Park.     This Nature Park is actually a rehabilitation centre for tigers and leopards. The tigers who used to entertain us in circus are given shelter here. The leopards rescued from the captivity of the poachers are also given shelter.  ...

“Oh no Just now saw a peacock.”   “So, what’s the big deal! You will see peacock in a forest safari.”   “Sighting peacock is a matter of bad luck. Now we will not be able to spot any Rhino in the safari.”   “Don’t worry, we will see Rhinos.”   “If that happens I will give a treat to you.”   Safari Just Started     This was the conversation between me and my aunt. She believes that seeing a Peacock at the start of a forest safari is not good, as you can’t see the main resident of the forest. She gave a solid reason, supporting her statement. According to her, the presence of Peacock suggests the absence of any wild animals nearby.    Soon, we saw a Peacock     We have started our safari in Jaldapara National Park, one of main National Parks of Dooars in North Bengal. It is the second destination of our tour. We reached here yesterday evening. We had our booking in the West Bengal Touri...

This has been one of the finest evenings I have ever spent. Sitting on its bank, we are experiencing the roar of River Jayanti, which is coming down from the Bhutan hills. The Moon is smiling over us.  But the day started in the worst possible way. Weather was ready to damage the mood of our North Bengal trip. The Durga Puja has just been over, but rains have not. Yesterday, we reached Mal Bazar at the night, with the rains pattering down. Today when we started our journey from Mal Bazar, the rains relented a bit. But soon it started again. It was in 1994, when I last visited North Bengal. That time I was merely three. So I didn’t have any fond remembrance of that trip. So, for me, it is the first ‘official’ trip to North Bengal. I was being simple mesmerized by the beauty of this part of Bengal.  The highway is running through the tea gardens. At a distance, the cloud covered mountains of The Himalayas can be seen. Though our first destination is Jayanti, we will b...