In the jungle, the mighty jungle

“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope.” – King Mufasa, Lion King

Imagine a world that exists in perfect balance. Where the circle of life is complete and where wants are on a need to basis rather than a have to basis. Where the heart sings-“Hakuna Matata!
What a wonderful phrase”
“Hakuna Matata!
Ain't no passing craze”
“It means no worries
For the rest of your days”
“It's our problem-free
Philosophy”
“Hakuna Matata!”

The Pench river

 

At the break of dawn



Well such a world does exist just a couple of hours flight away from the concrete jungle called Mumbai. Welcome to Pench National park! Nestling in the lower southern reaches of the Satpuda hills the park is named after the Pench river, meandering through the park from north to south. It is located on the southern boundary of Madhya Pradesh, bordering Maharashtra. Pench National Park, comprises of 758 Sq. Kms. The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-Akbari. Pench Tiger Reserve and its neighbourhood is the original setting of Rudyard Kipling's most famous work, The Jungle Book.

The majestic jungle at day break



"None of the Jungle People like being disturbed." said Kaa the snake to Mowgli and this hold so true. Every day scores of men, women and children from the various resorts surrounding the park descend on the jungle to spot the elusive tiger. It is said that Badi Madha or the first lady of Pench is a tigress who is still around and has given birth to tigers and tigresses who now have cubs of their own. Tigers being territorial animals move out once they are 2-3 years old and claim their own territory, sometimes having to fight with another tiger, a fight often to the finish.

The thrill of chasing a tiger is a great adrenaline rush. The deer barks from afar and the monkeys start to chatter. There is a synchronized relay of alerts and animals stand in full attention, finally fleeing to safety, often right into the path of the camouflaged tiger. We had the good fortune of spotting a tigress less than 20 feet away from our open vehicle. She started to walk menacingly towards us and finally changed course once our jeep started backing up. Tigers don’t like loud sounds and they don’t like humans even more you see.



The Elusive tigress (Badi Mada's daughter)



While everybody is there to spot a tiger, what you also get to see is some beautiful scenery and some fantastic birds and animals. These animals are often camouflaged and hard to spot. This pristine jungle has an abundance of deer, monkeys, peacocks, jackals, wild boar, Sambhar, Gaur and if you are lucky you may even spot leopards and other exotic species of birds and animals.

The park opens at 6 am when the jungle starts to come to life. Awash with the first rays of the sun, animals move towards the watering holes or to greener pastures to graze. The landscape of the jungle changes throughout the day and by afternoon when it gets hot the jungle comes to a halt with animals resting under the shade of a tree. By late evening when the sun sets the jungle looks magical and almost enchanting. The next morning the jungle looks different with fresh tiger pug marks on the ground or scratch marks on the bark of a tree. All signs to show that the mighty tiger was here.

As she walks towards us (less than 20 feet away)

Tiger scratch marks on a tree







Tiger pug marks



Can you spot a tiger?



 

Enjoy some of the pictures we took on what was probably the most memorable vacation we have ever had.



Camouflaged owls in the bark of a tree



Gaur - Largest species of cattle



Pumba - The wild boar

 

Oh deer! One of the many deer families



A long tailed Langoor



Chilling in harmony



A grazing Sambhar

Ghost tree

Proud Peacock

Zipling through the jungles of Chiang Mai

My idea of an adventure is ordering a new dish in a tried and tested restaurant so unlike Jawaharlal Nehru (after his first meeting with Mahatma Gandhi), I was not “Afire with enthusiasm” when my wife suggested we keep one day for a Zip Line tour in the jungles of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

I was however “Afire with apprehension” when I read what their website had to say:-

Located atop one of Thailand's 5 highest mountains you will soar through the jungle on the adventure of a lifetime as you fly over 6km of the Longest, Highest and Fastest  Zip-lines and activities in all of Asia. We offer 6-7 hours of amazing adraline pumping adventure and fun. Enjoy over 34 platforms and activity stations as you explore one of earth's most precious eco-systems high in the treetops 50m above the 1500 years old Rainforest floor.

Man proposes but wife disposes, so my protests of  “but I do not want my adraline to pump!!” were brushed aside and off we went to book our tour. Like everything else in Thailand there is an original (Flight of The Gibbons tour) and a half price knock off (Jungle Flight tour). Of course money should not be spent on something foolish like safety so half price knock off it was thereby making a 50 % saving for money to be well spent on essentials like shoes and hand bags later.

The tour started bright and early. We were the first to be picked up and the rest of the group consisted of eight Americans. The drive was approx. an hour but seemed longer because we had the American gent giving us facts and figures about how Zipling works, gravity pull, accident rates, chances of death, spinal chord snapping. If you have heard of the term Paranoid American this was it. My loving wife promised me that should something happen to me she would ensure I would be flown back home in a ‘FRADA’ body bag.

We were greeted by a bunch of smiling helpers and were quickly strapped into our safety gear. We had two experts who would accompany our group. 34 platforms built atop trees at a height of 40-50 feet above the ground. The trees were connected with wire cables along which we had to zip across. The experts knew their job and the main guy was really funny and did stunts or would pull at the cables right when we were mid way with our feet dangling in the air.

 

To stir things up a bit we also had to grapple down from a height of 40-50 feet with our guide suspending us mid way just for fun (his not ours). There were also sky high rope bridges which would creak and sway while our guides would jump on them just to hear the group scream.

The experience of zipling through the rain forests was exhilarating and a lot of fun. I must say that paramount importance was given to all safety aspects. The facilities were top notch and our guides were professional and made the tour easy and enjoyable. Grudgingly I must confess, I enjoyed this adventure and was glad we did this tour which for us was the highlight of our entire trip. Next time we will do the longer course.

I am now “Afire with enthusiasm” for adventure and will even order a different brand of beer with a new dish at our well tried and tested restaurant.

Ripon 'Dhansak' Club

One of the many advantages of being friends with Lord Berjes is getting ready access to Ripon Club. The Ripon Club is an English style Parsi club located on the 3^rd and 4^th floor of one of the old heritage buildings in the Flora Fountain area of Mumbai. Unlike other clubs like Elphinstone or the Parsi gymkhanas which also offer other activities like sports, card rooms, bar etc., the Ripon Club means business and is focused only on food, food and more food with siesta facilities for afterwards.

The main dining area

The charming old lift

Although in the bustling city centre of Mumbai, Ripon club has a relaxed atmosphere. It has an old stately charm with pristine marble flooring and beautiful statues and portraits of Parsis from an era gone by. Today the main dining area is dotted with old wooden chairs and tables covered with crisp white table cloths. At the far end are easy chairs for members to take a quick nap after what is always a heavy lunch.

A historic old menu




The menu card





This club has had some of the most illustrious people as it’s members and even today regular members are mainly top lawyers from the high court which is across the street, businessmen, elegant ladies out for a leisurely lunch and of course the head honchos of companies especially from the TATA group what with Bombay House being almost next door.

Dhansak dal

Patra ni Machi

Food being the main attraction, the ala carte menu offers a wide variety of dishes like patra ni machi, akuri, liver on toast and various other Parsi delicacies. Wednesdays are unlimited “Dhansak buffet” days. The “buffet” consists of brown rice, Dhansak dal with mutton or chicken, mutton kababs and a salad of chopped onions and tomatoes. Members and their bemused guests pack the club on Wednesdays to devour this feast. The food tastes so good that not only does one go back for seconds but often for third, fourth and fifths as well. The meal has to be accompanied by a bottle of Dukes raspberry or lemonade and finished with a ‘melt in your mouth’ Lagan nu custard.



Lagan nu Custard is to die for



At end of the meal you feel like those snakes we see on National Geographic who swallow an entire animal and then sleep for months. This is what the easy chairs are for. With shirt buttons popping open around the waist, roll over from your table and onto one of the easy chairs for a sound afternoon siesta. The hard part is getting up and trying to stay awake for the rest of the day.



The Easy Chairs



Abusing the privilege of my friendship with Lord Berjes to the fullest, I have taken some of my colleagues from the UK and friends visiting from overseas to Ripon club for the sheer experience which they all fondly remember to date.



The illustrous Lord Berjes



I am sure Lord Ripon (where ever he may be) must be proud to have his name associated with such a august institution.




A proud Lord Ripon

 

Bonnie Scotland

In May 2010 my wife and I decided to get adventurous and do a week of driving through Scotland. It was probably the most adventurous and memorable trip we have ever taken. I still remember the sage advice my colleague in India Spencer gave me – “Remember try not to kill anybody with your driving.”



A 'Loch'. This drive is internatinally recognised as one of the most scenic drives in the world.



We started our journey in Leeds and via the Lake District region, drove up to Glasgow. Glasgow is the commercial capital of Scotland. The people of Glasgow are warm and very friendly. Love the way they speak in their lilting accent. The Kelvin Grove Art Gallery in Glasgow has been renovated recently and is brilliant. High tea at the historic Charles Rennie designed Willow tea rooms and a visit to the famous Horse Shoe pub is a must do.

Charles Rennie designed Willlow Tea room.

Kelvin Grove art agllery

Brilliant sky at Isle of Skye

Bright and early the next morning we left for the Isle of Skye. The 13 hours drive was long but very picturesque. We stopped at places like Fort William and other tourist spots. Every thing in Scotland is so historic and beautiful that it all looks like a tourist hot spot. The views are panoramic and the vistas change often from clear blue waters (Lochs) to majestic mountains. We even had to get on a boat with our car to cross over once. Perfectly lined cars waited patiently to get on the boat. A lil unnerving to think of something like this in India. All the cars would have been in the water trying to get on the boat first. The final drive to Skye was amazing as the road can accommodate only one car with little embankments to get on and give way to on coming traffic. Also along the way is the 3 Chimneys restaurant which is world renowned. The azure sky in the evening is something I will never forget. Well worth the long rode just to see the most amazing sky and views from atop the mountains.



Inverness - High Street


 Next stop was Inverness, Scotland’s newest city. Again a great drive with some spectacular views. Stayed in a lovely B&B called Bluebell with great hospitality and fantastic Scottish breakfast that Scotland is so well known for. Scottish breakfast traditionally is eggs, square sausages, black/white pudding, we also has cereals, juice, coffee, fruits, bread, butter, jams, cheese. A blissful, sinful way to start the day.





Such a pretty distillery

The whiskey making process

We drove to Edinburgh via Pitlochry and stopped at the smallest distillery in Scotland called Edradour. Took a tour to see how traditionally Scotch whiskey is made and had a wee dram of their finest whiskey. The process of making the whiskey is elaborate but the final product is smooth and delicious. Even the smell of the distillery was a mellow fine aroma and not the kind you would expect from an alcohol distillery.

The beautiful city of Edinburgh

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The architecture is beautiful and each building has it's own unique character. The Royal Mile runs between the Edinburgh Castle and the Holyrood Abbey. The now decommissioned Royal yatch Britannia is also permanently docked in Edinburgh. This magnificient ship has played host to some of the most famous people in the world but is above all the home to the Queen and the Royal family.
 

Royal Yatch - Britannia

The shopping in Edinburgh is excellent and there are “Scotland” shops where they sell Scottish merchandise. The Scots are proud of their country and it shows. After all they have a beautiful country and a rich heritage.

We loved Scotland for it’s sheer beauty, excellent food and drink and warm lovely people. Can’t wait to get back there.