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| The Panda! |
It was sure to generate resistance from family members, but we were Wild Hogs for the day. Folks whp usually sleep till the late morning hours, got up at 6-30 in the morning to get up and get ready for the drive. The plan was, again simple.
- Get up early and get set for the drive.
- Have breakfast at Alipurduar.
- Travel to Buxa and explore with whatever time we had at hand.
- Return back home, non-stop.
As usual, we could not avoid a late start. So, it was around 9 when we started from Cooch Behar and reached Alipurduar, 25 kms away and excellent roads to boot at around 10. At the nearest tea stall we had Puri, Subzi, Mishti and Tea. It felt very relaxing. That driving can be so comfortable, I felt after quite some time, especially after the horrendous drive from Calcutta. This quick getaway was the window of joy. Friends meeting after more than a year with the usual pleasures of life was surely an moment to rejoice. From Alipurduar, it was another 25 kms to Buxa. On leaving Alipurduar, the trees gradually thickened into woods and then came up running through the forest the Dooars railway line. There are places where "ELEPHANT CORRIDOR" placards are hung up. It is always advisable to drive slow through those stretches because Elephants always travel in groups and in case you are stuck in between two of the tuskers then it is a tough situation. We purchased the entry tickets.
Cost Per Person - Rs 40
Cost of the Vehicle - Rs 200.
and entered through the Buxa Tiger Reserve gates.
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| Spot the Elephant yonder! |
The core area of the tiger reserve lies inside and it is better to be careful at all times. The first thing that strikes on entering the core area is the sudden drop in temperature and the deafening shrill of the insects residing on the trees. The road is narrow but excellently maintained. The car was cruising at 60 kmph and we were making merry, chatting about good old school days and clicking photographs of the verdant greeneries around when suddenly out of nowhere we saw a huge elephant emerge from the trees on the right hand side and enter the other side. The very sight set us into a frozen state. We braked immediately and reversed for quite a distance thinking there might be other elephants in the group. Waited for quite some time but nothing happened. The solo elephant which almost jumped from one side of the road to the other, unnerved us. The music that was playing on the car audio suddenly seemed to be an irritant now. Excuse for the bad quality of the photo, but this was taken on the run when we were cruising with hardly any fear in our minds! From then on, it was a slow drive to Santalikhola. We drove the car uphill for some time and parked it. From them on, we trekked for a couple of kilometres but the sight of the elephant was still in the minds. Later we came to know that a single elephant is always more dangerous than a group. The afternoon sun was gradually starting to weaken, and taking no chances, we started for the return journey back home.
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| At Shantalikhola |
But this time we were more careful. We were behind a local vehicle for most of the stretch in the core area when suddenly the vehicle stopped and started to reverse. It was ample sign for us to reverse. We came to know that a group of elephants were standing at some distance into the forests but no one wanted to take a chance. Folks ran around to capture a shot of the tuskers but could not manage one. So, whereas this was supposed to be the den of tigers, it was the elephants which were terrorizing us. This one was a long wait of around 20 mins and we waited for the elephant group to recede deeper into the forests. But we did get what we had bargained for - this was innocent entertainment with a touch of fear. We covered the next 50 kms in the next hour and reached home, safe and fine.
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