Another drive into the Wild



Being busy for last couple of months and with the long weekend kicking of the month , gave me a chance to drive out of the city. The trip started with Mark, an US engineer visiting and wanting to see some Indian wildlife and so a few frantic calls(exams over + school summer vacations) and emails exchange was lucky to find a really nice place at Bandipur for a night halt.

The world cup cricket was at its closing phase  and I had no clue that 2nd April was the final game when I booked a place at WildFlower. Later I realised how lucky I was not to have got a booking on the 2nd but on the 3rd of April since the Indian Cricket team was about to create some history .So after watching the grand finale at home and packing , with just about enough sleep I started the long drive out of the city.

I hit the road around 5:30am on a nice and sunny Sunday morning (3rd April) . Picked up Mark and Pulkit on the way and with some good music hit the wide open stretches. There was quite a bit of traffic to my surprise and our first pit stop was for a traditional breakfast at Kadambam on Mysore Road. After savoring the piping hot masala dosa, vada and filter coffee we continued the onward march. The next stop was at Cafe Coffee day just about the corner at Bandipur . The weather till then was quite sultry and sunny but it turned cloudy and we caught a shower as we entered the forest area.

The wildflower resort at bandipur is a new one and the room , food and friendly staff makes it a perfect getaway for a weekend trip out of the city.


The rest of the day was spent just lazying, enjoying the full course meals and then taking the jungle safari into the forest. The forest this time of the year is quite dry and we were able to spot a few deers, peacock for awhile before a herd of elephants came out. Bandipur is a Tiger reserve but we weren't lucky enough to even catch a tiger pugmark . At night we did a bit of star gazing thanks to pulkit's great knowledge on the subject.

Next morning after another great meal with tons of fresh watermelon juice , we started the long drive back. The return trip was done in about 4hrs and ended with a great lunch at one of my favorite places - Only Place.


Pictures from the trip


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