Sharayu Jakhotiya

Aatankwadi – A Tiger Story Jungle: Kanha National Park Zone: Kisli Area: Karai Ghati Waqt: 8.30 A.M. Date: 1/11/2016 Jeep Number: 193 Driver: Sajid Guides: Ramkumar Yadav and Jhaduram Sighting: Aatankwadi – Male Tiger On the morning of 1 st November, 2016 we waited impatiently in our Jeep at the Khatia gate of the Kanha National Park. We felt like veterans after our first safari the day before. We were some of the luckiest people to have seen the Umarpani female on 31 st October in the Kanha Zone, Link 8. But the sighting was very brief. The female walked on to the road for two minutes and made her way back inside. The heat being too much for her (Though it was only 15 degrees Celsius!). The forest guard stood at the Khatia gate and looked at the line of jeeps waiting to get inside. Today again our jeep was the first one in the line and the excitement and anxiety were palpable. The guard stared at his wristwatch and looked at us and

‘Can I smell it?’ ‘No! Nooooo. Give it back. Give back the smell.’ I pulled the book back from my friend’s hands and clutched it to my chest. I stroked the paper back cover of the book like I was caring for a newly born child. ‘The smell forms an essence of the book. And you tried to take away the essence. I might get violent.’ I warned my friend while she rolled her eyes. Well, those are the side effects of having a bookworm for a friend. The timeline of the Indian bookworm: Ages 10 – 12 : The Muggle Born Witch and the Secret Seven detective Probably most Indian kids got hooked on to books because of our beloved J. K. Rowling and our very own Enid Blyton. Our evenings were spent in coming up with innovative passwords and secret group meetings so that we could be as cool as the Secret Seven. Our childhoods be like, ‘Mom, did an owl come with my letter?’ ‘Not yet. But why don’t you finish your maths homework?’ ‘Maths! I got to

Trek to Garbett Point Trek : Garbett Point Height : 2625 feet Distance : 8 kms (Till Garbett Point) + 2kms (Till Dasturi Naka) Difficulty level : Medium Region : Matheran Base Village: Bhivpuri Duration:  4 -5 hours from Bhivpuri to Garbett Plateau (depending on how many pictures you click) 30 minutes - Garbett Plateau to Garbett Point 1 hour - Garbett Point to Dasturi Naka (Matheran) What to carry: Packed Lunch. 2 litres of water. Either Tang/Glucon D/Electrol (to combat the humidity). Cap. Sunglasses (to look cool). Trekking shoes are a must (if you don’t have any, buy Action trekking shoes and you will be sorted. INR 800) DSLR (because why not!). All right, phone camera would do as well :) 1. Till Bhivpuri Road Take the earliest possible local to Bhivpuri Station. Dadar: 6.24 AM Fast to Karjat Bhivpuri Road: 7.51 AM The Sunday morning local train ride shouldn't be too bad (at least for the ladies). The guys might not get

Valley of Flowers Trek, Uttarakhand August 2016 Youth Hostels Association of India (Factual Blog, keeping my overpowering emotions for this place in check) Day 1 A. Travel: Rishikesh to Joshimath (by bus) Distance: 280 kms Duration: 10 hours Road: Crooked, Curvy, Crazy Travel Tips: If you are the 'throwing up' types, make sure you take an Avomine. If you want to fight it, get involved in a game of Antakshari or some playful banter with your fellow bus-mates B. Stay: Overnight stay at Joshimath in Hotel Brahmakamal Review: Comfortable accommodation. Budget stay. No running hot water. (You might be successful in coaxing the hotel manager to give you a bucket of hot water for some extra cash) View: Surrounded by the Himalayas. Sudden euphoria! TIP for the evening in Joshimath: Visit Auli, the most happening skiing destination in India. There is a ropeway cable to take you to the top. The to and fro cost is INR 750 per person. The last cable ride to return to J