Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Of Forests, Watch towers and Elephants!

Dudwa Wildlife Sanctuary - November 30th, 2009

Dudwa is synonymous with strolls in the forest and solitude. Calm, peaceful and pleasant.

The first trip out of IIM L, Khadu, Penguin, Sudeep, Gogo, Shaggy, Ghasi and myself, we found our recluse at the Dudwa WLS on the border of Nepal. 238 Kms from Lucknow, the journey took us roughly 5 hours by a Qualis. Thanks to Sudeep, We booked our rooms at the Tharu huts to avoid any accommodation hassles. We started from the campus at 2.30 and reached the camp at 7.30 in the night. Breaking away from the monotony of life we got accustomed to, most of the journey was spent singing songs and eating ganna.

The first night at this place was mostly fun & frolic. Signature, Kingfisher, Caste, Religion, India and Politics all came in at the same time and provided some profound discussions till 4 in the night. The next morning, we took our vehicle and went out for a stroll in the forest. The gates are open only between 7-10 in the morning and again from 2-5 in the afternoon. After a jolly ride through the absolute green, we decided to go to Nepal which is a 15 km drive from the camp.

Unfortunately some Maoists bombed the border village of Nepal and hence we could not go much on the inside. However, we did buy certain souvenirs in the local market. Filled with shawls, clothes, perfumes and a lot more genuinely fake stuff, the market was bustling with activity. There was a watch tower at one end of the camp which provided a great view from the top. We spent a lot of time chatting away at the top! The night was spent mostly playing killer and mafia, games taught to us by shaggy. We never thought playing these games would be so much fun.

We managed to get hold of elephants for a ride in the forest on the final day. A slow and three hour long ride amidst the trees was a splendid experience.

Total distance: 550 kms
Time: 2 days
Cost: about Rs. 2000

1 comment:

Lisa said...

Gratefful for sharing this