Follow Me said the Tigress

"Follow me"
Said who?
The tigress.
Tigers can't speak.
But this one did.
Where?
In Tadoba Tiger Reserve.

Did the picture say so? Would you not follow the tigress?
Ghumakkad had some lucky sightings in Tadoba yesterday. Two females and one male tiger!
Glimpses.

Hope these pictures have whet the appetite of scores of tiger lovers worldwide. Detailed stories of each of the encounters will follow.

Who were the crazy lot to brave 47 degrees heat? Six grand parents!

Thanks for browsing

   -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 29th May 2019

Open Shop KBG-17

From flowers to seeds to lakes to ruins, we take you back to travelling by road. Something that Ghumakkad loves!
The picture below shows a signage on the road side.
"Open Shop".
What does it mean?
Unlike some of the previous KBGs- Kaun Banega Ghumakkad Contests- Google search will not help this time!
Then, what to do?

See the clue in the next picture.

If you are a roadie, it is simple to guess! Shoot your response now.
First three correct answers get featured in the next post.

Those who missed the previous contest, click here to see the winners!

Happy hunting!

    -   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 26th May 2019

Special thanks to Ramya Sriram www.thetap.in for KBG logo design.

#KBG #kaunbanegaghumakkad #Contest17 #signboards #openshop #shopopen #funwithtravel #travelisfun #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #eyefordetail

Tadoba Again- Craziest of the Crazies

What do Navy Veterans do?

Keep holidaying! Forever.

That's OK, they have the all the time. But how do they beat the heat?

By travelling to the hottest places?

In thick of the summer?

Yes.

They must be crazy then.

Sure they are! Probably the craziest of the crazies!

Who are these crazy lot?

Six Navy Veterans and spouses.

Yes, here are six grannies and grandpas all Navy Veterans. They all  ventured to leave the cool confines of their homes in Delhi/Noida and Secunderabad and face the heat and dust of a jungle safari. 

Inspiration? To see the king of the jungle-- Royal Bengal Tiger in its natural habitat. Meet the six all in their sixties with ladies first.

Now the turn of Navy Veterans.

Why go in summer?

Because the grass dries up and the heat forces the big mammals including Tigers to come out to drink water. The chances of sighting a tiger therefore, increase. In fact, the tariff for rooms in MTDC Resort at Moharli, (one of the entry gates to Tadoba) is the highest from 1st May to 30th June every year.

Where is Tadoba located? Why the name Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve?

Why choose Tadoba when there are other Tiger Parks in the vicinity?

As we can see, tiger density per sq km is the highest in Tadoba. Our statistical research has been proven right in the past. Hope it gets validated again in a few days time when we are there!

How to reach Tadoba?

Four of us from Secunderabad chose to drive down 430 kms in CP's Maruti Brezza. It is a car suitable for Indian roads with good ground clearance. See the route map below.

Whereas Aditya and Seema took the overnight train from Delhi to Chandrapur which is a mere 30 kms from Tadoba.

One can also take a flight to Nagpur and then drive 140 kms south to reach Tadoba via Navegaon gate. See the earlier map.

As senior citizens packing our bags for this wildlife trip, we realised that apart from personal stuff like caps, sunglasses, clothes, ID etc, we also have to carry our medicines! Another tale of grannies and grandpas!

As we proceed on this adventure, wish us luck for tiger sightings!

   -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/22nd May 2019

#tadoba #tigers #junglesafari #TATR #navyveterans #buddiesinsixties #wildlife #india #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

Road to Himalayas

Ever embarked on a 3000-kms road trip with just four days planning?

Yes, just four days!

This is what we did. Two Ghumakkads one from Kolkata (named DM) and the other from Hyderabad (named HB).

Courtesy social media, DM’s call to join a trip was answered by HB. Phones rang, excel sheet opened and plans began. Destination Uttarakhand! Four days and we are on the move! Both Ghumakkads being Navy veterans helped in tying up road halts enroute. Another roadie from Kolkata named  ST willingly joined.

What is common between the three roadies?

All love to travel.

All are in their sixties and still passionate about cross country driving.

All are grandparents!

Our ambitious itinerary goes as follows.

Hope we are able to stick to it. As you can see it, apart from the Himalayas we also spend a day in a Tiger Reserve bordering Nepal.

Why Uttarakhand?

Because it offers some unique views of four high altitude peaks of the Himalayas. Namely Trishul, Nanda Devi, Nandakot and  Panchchuli. See the map below.

Wish us luck and good weather so that we can bring you some breathtaking pictures! This story is the curtain raiser of our journey to the Himalayas.

Stay connected

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/11th May 2019

#Roadies, #Travel, #Driving, #Himalayas, #Uttarakhand, #adventure #roadiesinsixties #navyveterans #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Manas Where Crickets Sing Like Temple Bells

Ever heard the crickets in a forest?
But did you hear crickets who sing like temple bells?
If not, then come to Manas National Park (MNP) in Assam India. The crickets will follow your jeep with unending jingle of temple bells! As long as you don't make any noise the music will go on. Of course, they are quite used to the engine noise.

Ghumakkad brings you another facet of MNP in this story. We take you to the northern part called Mathanguri with the Manas river as the boundary with Bhutan.

Here is the complete set of stories of our Assam and MNP visit. We were a team of 20 Navy veterans and spouses all in their late 60s. This set of stories should be read together. Quick links are given below:

1. Who were the travellers?
2. Guwahati the Gateway to North East India
3. Driving through the Bamboo land
4. MNP- When a Safari Vehicle Breaks Down!
5. MNP- Where crickets sing like Temple Bells
6. Bodo Village- Living with Nature
7. Where to Stay in Manas
8. Deepor Beel A Ramsar Site

Let the pictures do the talking and let the crickets do the singing.

Our guide Binoy signalled all vehicles to maintain total silence and listen to the temple bells. Yes, it sounded like tens of temple bells ringing together. But where is the temple? It wasn't any temple, but the crickets singing together! Listen to the video clip.

These are the magical aspects of a jungle. Read on.

Here is another video clip of Manas river.

Time for more pictures.

We end with a quote on living life by Joel Osteen. A group of teenagers followed us on the banks of river Manas. See the picture below.

In the next part we will take you to a Bodo village in Assam now called Asom. Stay connected.

Thanks for browsing.

       - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 9th May 2019

#navyveterans #reunion #assam #manasnationalpark #manasriver #crickets #forest #goldenlangur #mathanguri #PQ #joelosteen #templebells #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh