Our last day of sightseeing was very rushed indeed! We had to do two safaris before making our way back to Guwahati to catch our flight back home .
As mentioned earlier, Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO designated heritage site and extremely well organised.
With the early morning elephant ride we saw a different set of animals and a different landscape. The Jeep Safari took us to another zone of the park where there was more wild grass and wet land. We saw more smaller animals and birds.
The Grey Headed Fish Eagle was hard to spot with a black background shadow The Adjutant Crane The Vulture and its nest up highMama Turtle and her brood A wild boar The Indo Chinese Roller
Our 4×4 open aired Gypsy was a comfortable ride and our guide was fairly knowledgeable. He stopped at sightings and generously shared his binoculars.
A glimpse of the Indian Swamp Deer Wild Indian Elephant family The Oriental Darter drying its wings in the sun The Wild Indian Buffalo
He also pointed out a Macaque ( which I never saw) , the Indo Chinese roller whose brilliant blue plumage glistened in the sun as it flitted away, lazy Indian Buffalo and various other birds.
Once again this was a just a fleeting glimpse of the wild life of Kaziranga. To truly appreciate its beauty one should plan at least two whole days.
A close up of the ugly Bengal Monitor Lizard Brahminy Ducks
I must say that this was a far note exhilarating trip than my last Safari which was actually in the animal paradise of Kenya. We saw a tonne of animals grazing all day long in the grasslands of Masai Mara but despite the majesty of the African elephant, the grandeur of the African lion and the unparalleled grace of the Giraffe, by end of the day I felt sad by the sight of these animals nibbling away at their food.
But of course each ecosystem has its own beauty and it would be remiss of me to compare one with another.
Perhaps Kaziranga came at a time when the great outdoors was a welcome change after 16 months of being cooped up at home !
It was a beautiful sunshiny day when at 6.00 am we set off for our Elephant Safari.
In the 1960’s the John Wayne movie ‘HATARI’ captured everyone’s imagination. Since then the catchy tune of Baby Elephant Walk always comes to mind when I see an elephant. Little did I imagine that 50 odd years later I would actually go on an elephant ride in the wild.
Seeing our old elephant Rani I was saddened that the 72 year old pachyderm still had to work while she passed other elephants freely roaming in the wetlands
Our guide was no John Wayne but was kinder to his mount than the other mahout was. I could see him prod his elephant with the sharp tipped machete.
I asked myself if it was fair to go on an Elephant Safari even if the park had strict rules on animal care
But on the other hand unless people see animals in the wild, they have no idea of what conservation is all about. The Kaziranga Game Park is wonderfully organised and visitors are strictly regulated. The pathways are clearly demarcated and the mahouts and guides are well informed.
It would be a shame if animal rights activists discontinued elephant rides .
This part of the park is mostly marshy bogs that are slowly being encroached upon by trees. What one is likely to see here is the Rhino and we saw a ton of them .
Our first sighting was the Open Billed Stork The sluggish rhino slowly got up slowly The One Horned Rhino Did you know that this was the poop of just ONE rhino ? Image of the elephant going through the forest Forest thicket A shy barking deer Birds in flight Duck in flight
The Elephant Safari as over all too soon and we had to go back to IORA for a quick breakfast before our mid morning Jeep Safari to the Central Zone .
Deeply disturbed by the brown landscape of the East Khasi Hills, I was looking forward to the boat ride at Dawki and the visit to the Living Root bridge. Here at least I would find the lush forest and tropical paradise that I was so looking forward to.
But along the way, I did come across bits of mountainside shaved off as part of the road widening process. One cannot deny the importance of better roads that are essential for connectivity but I do wish there was a gentler way of doing it without destroying our fragile ecosystem. On the other hand, better connectivity is the only way in which the unadventurous tourist can explore the world.
View point at Mawjingih LapyshongorMountain ranges as far as you can seeHow deep is the valleyThe serenity of the mountains
Anil, our driver was oblivious to my inner turmoil and was particularly happy that at long last, we’d have no option but be face to face with Bangladesh when we visited Dawki.
The boats which are lined up for touristsBangladeshis on the peddly beach across
Parking the car to the side of the road he pointed to the boats below and the green umbrellas of Bangladesh across the river. He asked us to get down and enjoy an hour’s cruise down the river while he waited for us. He didn’t tell us that he’d be waiting on the other side.
As we started going down, I was shocked that wasn’t a proper staircase leading down! Nor was there any railing to hold on to. With my heart in my mouth, I slowly went down and actually clutched onto the hand of a stranger who offered to help. As we stepped into the boat, I discovered that he was our boatman.
Seating us in the narrow boat, he gently pushed it off the shore and within minutes we were paddling upstream towards the rapids.
Going upstreamFishing in the still watersLooking straight to the bottom of the riverThe river when in full flow is a good twenty feet higher
Floating down the Umngot river is an unforgettable experience for me. After years of panicking in a boat, for the first time I felt a sense of calm as the boat drifted downstream. It felt like going back in time, where fishermen sat patiently in boats or on rocks, waiting for the fish to bite.
As we passed the Alpine tents pitched on the pebbly bank, we neared the rapids and my heart began beating faster. Luckily the boatman sensed my fear and turned back towards calmer waters.
Alpine tents for the adventure seekrsMy heart beat faster as we approached the rapidsthe Natural refrigeratorThe suspension bridge
Once again it was a wobbly walk over the pebbly river bed and another stone staircase before we found Anil grinning with triumph that he had achieved HIS objective : seeing Bangladesh within touching distance !
At one point, we drove along a barbed wire fence marking the Indo Bangladesh border. A uniformed border security man reminded us how real the threat of infiltration is.
Then we had to go back via the suspension bridge that warned us that it was weak and only a few cars could cross at a time.
The steps up to the road . The Bailey suspension bridge Stacks of wood
On the way to the Root Bridge and Mawlynnong the cleanest village in Asia we got to see parts of the real Meghalaya with pineapple plantations and lush green hillsides.
Can you see the mountainside being shaved off to widen the road ? A pineapple plantation A traditional house The living root bridge The clear waters The stone steps The church of Mawlynnong village A village house Glimpse of what the village was like before the traditional homes became concrete A look out
The living root bridge and the Eco Park is a must visit.
The Living Root Bridge is an ingenious construction using the adventitious roots of the Rubber Plant , demonstrating how man can work with nature to achieve connectivity rather than work against it.
While I was impressed by the root bridge, I was quite let down with the cleanest village. With the money that the village has now come into, many of the villagers have made their traditional homes into modern concrete homes and quite honestly, I felt I was taking a walk through my father’s housing colony in Pune!
But all in all, this was definitely a trip that exhilerated me and made me feel glad to be alive.
However, one major take away was that advance research is well worth it to plan a more rewarding journey.
Twenty- five Seven 