My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
The Kosi river forms the eastern
boundary of the Corbett National Park, and Club Mahindra’s Corbett Safari
Resort is located on its banks. The winter had begun to set in, and the river
was just a narrow stream, though flowing quite deep and fast at some stretches.
The rest of the river was just a bed of stones worn smooth by the flow over the
years, a tempting sight for me, since as you all know, I love to collect
stones!
On the very first day of our
Bloggers trip at the Club Mahindra Corbett Safari Resort, we went upstream to
an old bridge to try out some adventure sports.
The first thing I noticed was the bridge itself! The suspension bridge stretched over the wide river, and even from a distance, looked quite old.
The first thing I noticed was the bridge itself! The suspension bridge stretched over the wide river, and even from a distance, looked quite old.
A board told us that the bridge
was built by the Central Water Commission, and though the year wasn’t quite
clear, we were told by a helpful lemonade seller (the only vendor in the area)
that it was built in the year 1877!
My appreciation for the bridge
rose at once, and since I am really queasy when it comes to any adventure
activity, decided to explore the bridge and its environs while the others had
some active fun!
The age of the bridge and its condition is obvious, and seeing the growth of grass all over made me wonder how safe it is, especially when all of us walked over, and we could feel the vibration!
I was intrigued especially by the
narrow channel on one side of the river……And the remains of a wheel system in
it….
Could this have once been a mill
wheel? What do you think?
The warmth of the sun seemed to
bring out the butterflies….
And other insects, such as these
damsel flies, and also grasshoppers….
And while I was busy clambering
up and down the sandy banks of the river to reach the stone filled bed, the
others were all busy too…some watched birds and butterflies while some
photographed them, while the active ones tried out river crossing, rappelling
and other such activities…
This was a place I could have
stayed at forever! There were kids - local, I suppose, splashing in the water,
and though I can’t swim to save my life, I wished I could join them! The water
was so inviting, and I wished I could just sit there on the stones, with my
feet in the water, a notebook on my lap, waiting for inspiration to strike! But
it was time to leave, and the adventurous ones were lowered into the water from the bridge, and as they walked back to the jeep, I packed up my thoughts
and headed back too. This is one place I will surely be back to, whenever I
visit Corbett again!
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The wheel could have been a mill or maybe it could have operated a pulley to ferry things across, if the river was in spate and the bridge was not safe for use. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteAnd what a lovely place, Anu ! And a fantastic write-up. You seem to have had a great time. I have never been this far north and hope to visit this place and many more. ooking forward to more posts now. :-)
Who says your camera is not good. My husband always says, it is the skill of a person, not a camera which makes a photo great. So cheer up, your photos are very clear and colorful.
ReplyDeleteThe bridge really looks old and you have described it aptly. Sudha has given her views on your questions so I wont say anything now. :)
Now, tell me who all are in the pictures trying those adventures. I too would have gone for it. :)
Wonderful -narrative and photos- Loved it
ReplyDelete.Corbetts Park is now gaining attention in recent years-
In my time it was really an exclusive &remote place to take a Holiday -so missed out ... Now ith Travel &Toursim so popular am happy Indian sites spots are coming out.
Blogs help a lot to give real pic
Many Thanks,
CaptTR (Retd)-
Very nice!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sudha! quite possible... didnt think of a pulley since it was quite low, but then its possible i suppose! and u shd def go there sometime... love going north!
ReplyDeletethanks so much, Nisha! i love my camera.. its so handy and easy to use, but then seeing everyone using dslrs was a def temptation! and seeing their pics made it even more so!!! and i guess u would have loved those adventure sports!!! me, i would rather be a spectator!!
ReplyDeletewonderful place and absolutely serene!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Capt Rajkumar! It is indeed nice to see any Indian place coming up as a tourist spot. Unfortunately, along with all the popularity come crowds which we have never been able to manage. also, there are few who understand the importance of such places and the need to safeguard them.. corbett too is turning into a place filled with hotels and resorts, with more people around than tigers, which is a pity, considering how it once was!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Santosh!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that such reserve places are now full of hotels and people moving around. Just from this I recollected my recent memories of Melghat tigher reserve, near Chikhaldhara maharashtra. It is also an equally beautiful place, and not much crowded .Of course we could not locate any wild cats but recent visited stories were heard.
ReplyDeleteI havent been to Melghat yet... hope it remains unspoilt!
ReplyDeleteThe Kosi river looks lovely in your pictures! And there are some Melghat pictures on my blog too!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, Ambika! will look at the pics.. havent been to Melghat yet
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteGreat pics and shows that you guys had a great time.
I stayed at Club Mahindra some days back... just that I got the traveller treatment and you the diplomat one :)
But the place is fun anyway.