New Year Revelry In The Jungles

A New Year Celebration in the middle of a forest.

Well it sounded like a blessing in disguise when my friend Tasha told me about the new year plans that she was making with some friends. I really did not want to be in Delhi because the city i have noticed has turned out to be a total commercial gimmick with drunk people making a nuisance out of themselves on New Year's. So i wanted to escape from all this negativity. And head somewhere peaceful.

So we started off from New Delhi on the 31st Morning the last day of 2010. I was hoping that this New Year is gonna be a spectacle of change. A positive change is everything that i was looking for. We were driving with some friends a merry lot i must say. It was the most beautiful drive i must say as there were clouds and it looked like it was going to pour but thankfully it did not and it helped us to reach our destination well on time.

We reached our Jungle Camp in Ramnagar, Uttrakhand late in the afternoon. We were starving and were welcomed to a great Kumaoni lunch in our Camp Resort. After a sumptuous lunch we decided not to waste any further time, and the adventure freaks that we are we decided to head off for a drive into the Jungles of Sitabani. The biting cold of the jungles had us all really shivering even though we were well prepared to fight off the cold with multi- layers of clothes. It was not working the cold was getting the better of us. However we decided to stop at some scenic spots and we clicked some pics.





En route we also heard the chatter of some monkeys and the call of a barking deer. I recognized the sound and immediately told my friend Mr Khandelwal to stop the car and turn off the ignition. From my past visits to the Corbett National Park i had learned the calls of the various animals e.g. Deers, Monkeys, Birds etc. I had turned into a pro in recognizing the various calls of the animals. My friends were all silent and were enjoying the excitement as much as i was. However we just heard some rumbling of bushes. On my left i saw a jungle hen and on the right the monkeys were leaping from one branch to the other with lots of noises. There was definitely something there but alas we could not spot it. We resumed driving and went on further into the jungle. It was getting dark so we decided to turn around and head back into our jungle camp.

They say the big animals come out at night time. It was dark and we were driving back. We saw some deers in the middle and also saw a Sambar Deer cross our path. The big animal walked past us majestically with our car headlights shining bright on it. We reached our camp resort. The entrance of our resort has a dry water bed. And it had become quite foggy. Driving was a bit tough but Mr Khandelwal is a champ and he managed to maneuver the car over the water-bed with perfection.


We were told by the camp staff that the bonfire was on and we should make ourselves comfortable in the seating area of the camp. We quickly freshened up and headed to the seating are where the warm bonfire was awaiting us. We carried our drinks and put them on a lovely wooden table. So our New Year revelry began. I was hooked on to the Rum my favorite in winters. We were joined by the resort owner and his family. We had a great discourse about the jungle's and the night safaris. We were served by some mouth watering snacks and we were really having a nice time with everyone. When the clock struck 12 we wished everybody and retired for the night.

The next day we got up early and after our breakfast we headed off to Manila. It is a breathtaking hill station from where you can get a panoramic view of the Himalayas. We stopped for lunch at our favorite dhaba. The dhaba owner was quick to recognize us and provided us with some great lunch. After thanking him we went up to the temple and spend an hour watching the peaks. It was indeed lovely to watch the Trishul peaks. We could see the mountain ranges of Nepal and China. Also to mention the Mansarover peak the holy abode of Lord Shiva was visible. So we started off our New Years on a great note i felt as it was auspicious to see the Mt Kailash peak on a clear sunny day. Also we were told that it had snowed the night before.

We drove back to Jim Corbett park in the evening and again when it got dark we saw a group of deers and the best part of it all was a Wild Elephant on the left hand side of the road. Majestic is all i can say when i saw the wild beast.

I must say people come to Corbett National park mainly to see the Tiger. No doubt the Tiger is a great animal to sight but i honestly feel that Jim Corbett park has a lot to offer other than the Tiger. We were lucky enough to spot the Wild Elephant, the Sambar Deer and the Barking Deer. It made us feel that this trip was worthwhile. I would also mention about the Birds that this region has to offer. I would mention them below with the pics.

PARTY TIME WITH FRIENDS FROM DELHI.When we reached our camp we were again welcomed to a bonfire right outside our tented accommodation. Also it was the night when our friends from Delhi came visiting. They drove down from Nainital specially to visit us and they were staying in a nearby resort. With great difficulty due to the fog they came to our camp as our camp is cut out from the rest of the area.
However they made it and the celebrations began till the wee hours of the morning. We drank and drank and played pranks on each other. Also at times we would hear the calls of the barking deer, the sambar deer and the village dogs barking. It just added to the fun and the excitement of the Jungle experience. Our friends Adnan, Osi & Danish really had a great time with us in the bonfire. It was 2 degrees i heard from the locals but the alcohol warmed us for the night. After seeing my friends of we retired for the night. Day 2 in Corbett had come to an end.
The next day we got up again in the morning. After breakfast we were in for a surprise. We were told that we would be heading for a village tour from the forest path. Wow i had always loved nature trails and a walk into the village was something i had never done before in Corbett National Park. So we began our village trek with one of the Forest Camp guards. We saw straw huts, mud huts, Stone huts and lots of livestock. He made us walk from the jungle and we saw a variety of birds as well. The most fascinating was the woodpecker pecking on the tree with his long beak. We also saw another lovely bird but i do not know the specie but it indeed was a beautiful bird.

The Village Trek also provided us with some fresh vegetables thanks to the kindness of a local family who gave us chillies, spinach and lots of other vegetables. We were surrounded by fields with plantations of wheat, spinach, Chillies and turnips. It was really beautiful. Look below for your own eyes.












After the village tour we came back to our camp. We thanked everybody and wished them luck for the new years and the best part of it all was the Village dog came to see us off and he won our hearts by his gesture. See Below. That's the end of this blog and lots of love and happiness to everyone in the new year.