Nothing excites me more than traveling to unknown places in search of unique experiences with the aim of enriching my life and achieving the inspiration to live. It is this passion for traveling that made me ignore the rigorous routine of daily life for a while and respond to nature's call. And I visited the wild heaven called Sunderbans in December 2013.
Most of us are well versed with the term mangroves and almost synonymous to this term is the 'Sunderbans', the largest single block of tidal mangrove forests in the world. Part of both India and Bangladesh, the forest of the Sunderbans is one of the last homes of the majestic Bengal tiger. Even though in close proximity to my hometown Kolkata, my dream of visiting the Sunderbans had somehow not become a realty until now. So, with a nod from my husband, who luckily shares the same passion with me, we booked our tour for the Sunderbans.
With only a weekend to spare, we opted for the West Bengal Tourism 1 night, 2 days tour on board the vessel MV Chitrarekha. With the festive season in full swing, only lower deck tickets were available and without wasting any time we ensured our births at Rs. 3000/- per person. The cost covered our travel, accommodation, fooding, and sightseeing during the entire tour, and hence appeared pretty reasonable. My major excitement was based on the fact that for the first time in my life I was going to spend a night on board a vessel in the river.
On the day of our journey I was tumbling with excitement when my husband had to keep his calm to ensure that we reached the tourism office in one piece. A joyride via an early morning Kolkata tram took us to the tourism office in Dalhousie (near the Stephen's Court building). We reported there half an hour prior to the scheduled departure time and at 8:00am we boarded the bus that would take us to Sonakhali where our vessel was waiting to receive us. Breakfast packet was served on the bus and consisted of veg sandwich, an apple, a sweet and a cake. Though my husband happily muched on the breakfast , the Indian foodie in me was looking out for more delicious puri and sabjis.
A two and a half hour journey without any breaks took us to Sonakhali jetty. We waited eagerly for a boat to carry us to the master vessel. Sonakhali is the start of a chain of waterways that are a feature of the 'land of a hundred islands'. Opposite Sonakhali is the town of Basanti. From Sonakhali, vessels carry one down the Durgaduani Channel, past densely inhabited islands to Gosaba and into the Gumdi river where the land of the tigers begin.
After a perilous ride on a wooden boat with all the passengers and the luggage, we reached the vessel, MV Chitrarekha. With a warm smile, the tour guide welcomed us aboard the vessel. The interior was nice and clean. We were guided to the lower deck.Now was the time for a shock. The lower deck was way low and we had to climb down a steep iron staircase to reach our dormitory styled lower deck room. A caution for the elderly : 'Never go for the lower deck'. However, our enthusiasm for the jungle made us forget all discomforts and after dumping our luggage in the beds we climbed upstairs to the upper deck for a view of the surroundings.
The upper deck was splendid with rows of chairs and tables spread all over and all our food servings were to be made here.
The vessel had started on its destined route and passed through the channel lined by small villages with long fearful tales about the Royal Bengal and its numerous confrontations with the dwellers of these villages.
A mood of excitement and curiosity prevailed in all minds on the vessel. The forest guard inroduced us to the geographical details of the place.
There is a saying by Swami Vivekananda that even' religion cannot be practiced with an empty stomach' holds true for all of us. So, the announcement of lunch lifted our spirits to the highest peak. We were served a delicious and sumptuous lunch consisting of fresh fish, rice, dal and sabji. By the time we completed our lunch, we were nearing Dobanki, our first and last destination for the day.
There is a saying by Swami Vivekananda that even' religion cannot be practiced with an empty stomach' holds true for all of us. So, the announcement of lunch lifted our spirits to the highest peak. We were served a delicious and sumptuous lunch consisting of fresh fish, rice, dal and sabji. By the time we completed our lunch, we were nearing Dobanki, our first and last destination for the day.
So, with full stomachs, making ourselves excellent meals for the fierce residents of the jungle, we set sail for the Dobanki tiger camp.
However, the arrangements at the camp seemed to ensure a very safe distance between the predator and the prey. With high wire nets spread all over the place, there were no chances of any mishaps. We were instructed to take a long canopy walk along the camp with a watch tower in the middle. Only some domesticated deer were visible through the netting. With nothing much to look out for we concentrated on the greenery and ourselves and instead of an adventurous exploration enjoyed a sweet romantic walk in Sunderbans.
Soon, we were back in our vessel and had warm fish fries and pakoras with a hot cup of tea as our evening snack. Dusk was setting in providing an enchanting, mystic look to the land of the Dakshin Ray.
At night, we had a grand dinner consisting of mutton, dal, rice, sabji, chutni, papad and sweet. Our vessel anchored near Sajnekhali with many other vessels. A wildlife film was to be shown to us when we all found to our disappointment that it was Life of Pi, a movie already seen by most of us, and that too in a small 14 inch television set. Gradually people started disappearing from the upper deck. Only a single group sat there chatting and enjoying glassess of wine one after another, We found it preferable to stay in our sane minds and instead breathe in the silent air of wilderness surrounding us. We had a good night's sleep except for the incidence of vommiting by one of our fellow passengers who had drunk too much.
However, the arrangements at the camp seemed to ensure a very safe distance between the predator and the prey. With high wire nets spread all over the place, there were no chances of any mishaps. We were instructed to take a long canopy walk along the camp with a watch tower in the middle. Only some domesticated deer were visible through the netting. With nothing much to look out for we concentrated on the greenery and ourselves and instead of an adventurous exploration enjoyed a sweet romantic walk in Sunderbans.
Soon, we were back in our vessel and had warm fish fries and pakoras with a hot cup of tea as our evening snack. Dusk was setting in providing an enchanting, mystic look to the land of the Dakshin Ray.
At night, we had a grand dinner consisting of mutton, dal, rice, sabji, chutni, papad and sweet. Our vessel anchored near Sajnekhali with many other vessels. A wildlife film was to be shown to us when we all found to our disappointment that it was Life of Pi, a movie already seen by most of us, and that too in a small 14 inch television set. Gradually people started disappearing from the upper deck. Only a single group sat there chatting and enjoying glassess of wine one after another, We found it preferable to stay in our sane minds and instead breathe in the silent air of wilderness surrounding us. We had a good night's sleep except for the incidence of vommiting by one of our fellow passengers who had drunk too much.
At 6:30am next morning, we headed for the Sajnekhali camp. We breathed in the fresh air of the morning and were rejuvenated by absorbing the beauty and serenity of the entire place. A troop of monkeys entertained us by their naughty tactics all along the way.
The place houses a small turtle and crocodile hatchery. The endangered river terrapin is conserved here.
The most impressive attraction here was the Mangrove Interpretation Centre, a museum to illuminate the ignorant about the need to conserve nature's treasures.
Coming back to Chitrarekha we enjoyed a platter of puri sabji and warm beverage. Within half an hour we reached the last destination of our tour-the Sudhynakhali Tiger Camp.
Here, there were two watch towers from where we managed to spot two monitor lizards basking in the sun.
Lunch in the vessel followed soon and back we were to where we started from.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Sunderbans trip by WB Tourism department is meant for the entire family. It is an excellent journey with ensured great fooding and loads of time for relaxation in nature's lap. However, for all those looking for a wild experience this trip will not be enough to satiate your thirst.
In a nutshell, we enjoyed a romantic, relaxing getaway with a touch of wilderness in our trip to Sunderbans and would recommend the trip to those who are looking forward to chill out after a tiring worklife.
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