Our Visit To Nameri - Prashaanti Tourist Lodge

The best time to go visiting any city is when one of their main festivals is on. I know, I know - air tickets will be more expensive, hotels costlier, more crowds jostling around but the city feels nice. There is an under-current of excitement as well as a festive mood in the air. People are out shopping, visiting relatives, dining and everyone seems to be enjoying the moment. Such was the case when my wife and I went to Guwahati for Bihu. Luckily, the weather was in favour too as it would rain briefly at night and that made the whole place cooler (way better than Delhi at least). It also made our drive to Nameri very pleasant as the countryside had enough greenery to please the eye. Having three women in the backseat giving helpful tips does need some distraction :)

The reason we chose Nameri as our holiday spot was the fact that our uncle Joy Mama had set up a resort under the Assam Tourism Directorate called Prashaanti Tourist Lodge. So off we went - my in-laws, wife, sis-in-law and I. Nameri is about 200 kms from Guwahati, towards Tezpur from where it is a further 40 kms. We went over the Saraighat bridge and took the NH 52 via the towns of Baihata Chariali, Mangaldai, Rowta and Orang. The roads till Rowta were pretty fine. After that, there are a whole slew of bridges which act as speed breakers as they start and end with a bump with lots of potholes in between. Apparently, the town of Orang is famous for its rasagollas but the shop we stopped at did not look hygienic and hence I avoided trying the delicacy. Before the town of Tezpur, we took a left and also better directions than I can give here as there are many twists and turns and lots of small towns through which the road lies. Once the turn-off is taken towards Tezpur, the road becomes quite narrow and there is construction work going on but it is still motorable.

Luckily for us, Joy Mama had also left from Guwahati the same morning and caught up with us. We were following him when he suddenly took a mud road into the bushes. Ah, it felt like we were almost there. Big trees on either side, clean air and blue mountains in the distance - I couldn't wait to get out and stretch my legs after the 5 plus hour journey. We had to drive in second gear as the road was muddy with rains and there were a quite a few pot-holes with water (it is be advisable to avoid smaller cars in the rainy season). We crossed the famous Nameri Eco Camp and reached the resort which we later learnt was just behind Eco Camp.

The resort is about 2 acres big. Right in the centre is the lobby cum dining room. It is a big thatched structure, open on all four sides. At the back is the kitchen and around are the six cottages separated by patches of lawn. On the outer periphery, Joy Mama has been doing some gardening and has successfully managed to grow different varieties of chillies, pumpkin, papaya, tomatoes and the likes. The rooms are clean and comfortable, with attached bathrooms. They are two bed affairs with the option of providing a third bed. The whole place is very quite and the view is quite nice, surrounded by greenery. The mountains of Arunachal Padesh are visible in a 180o arc, which my father-in-law and I kept looking at while lounging in the armchairs.

Now, Joy Mama is a fantastic cook and of course, we got special attention. We had some excellent dal, rice, fish fry and cabbage subzi for lunch and then retired for some rest. In the evening, we were having tea when we got a pleasant surprise that the local villagers were visiting the resorts and would be dancing the traditional Bihu dance. We laid out chairs near the front lawn in anticipation and sure enough, they landed up. There were about twenty of them in all, with youngsters around 10 years old going upto 25 years. They came in singing, accompanied by drums and cymbals. The girls were quite graceful and the guys were very enthusiastic. What I liked most about the whole show was that they never asked for money and when we insisted, they had a small ceremony where we had to place the money in a plate covered by a gamusa (ceremonial towel), lay the plate on the ground in front of them and kneel down. They sang out a blessing and only then accepted the money. Once they left, we sat around talking while Joy Mama was busy in the kitchen preparing our special request of smoked pork and chicken curry.

Before going to sleep, Joy Mama told us that the sunrise was quite spectacular as the whole place lights up but that meant meant getting up per 6.00 am. Whoa, I was on a holiday, how can one get up so early ;-) Anyway, we still got up at around 6.15. By then, the whole room was filled with sunlight. After a cup of tea, we went for a 1.5 km walk to see a tributary of the Bramhaputra. It was a pretty spot where the banks were filled with rounded pebbles and the water was cool to touch. Definitely not majestic (thanks to summer) but the current was fast flowing and seemed a bit risky to swim in. In any case, I did not carry a pair of shorts and cursed myself for the lack of fore-sight. We then headed and breakfasted on puris, aloo subzi, chilli subzi and omelette's. After a brief rest, we checked out and came back to Guwahati via the same route. On the way, we stopped at Hotel Shyamlee in Mangaldai for lunch. It was clean and the a/c was working. We had a nice veg thali with chicken curry and fish tenga.

As usual, the holiday seemed quite short and we wished we could have spent some more time there. Ideal for a long weekend or a stay of 4-5 days, this is the place to go to if you want to combine sight-seeing the North-East with good food and lounging around. Some of the things to do here would be

- Make this a base camp and then go on to visit nearby places like Bhalukpong, Bomdila, Dirrang, Chela Pass, Tawang etc.
- River rafting, jungle trekking, bird watching is also possible.
- - For the ladies, shopping is an option where you get to purchase mekkala chaddhar, shawls, blankets made by the viilagers.
- Nameri National Park is close by and could be a day trip.

Joy Mama can be contacted on joyda49@yahoo.in / 9613853943

Here is the photo link of a few pictures of the place. Happy holidaying!!

Living it up in the Garib Rath

Getting tickets to Kerala during the Xmas season is a pain. Whenever I try to book tickets, I am reminded of the lemmings’ story. Normally I take the Island Express (Bangalorey to Kanyakumari). Course we didn’t get tickets but while searching I discovered a train called Kochuveli Garib Rath. Garib Rath sounded a bit scary and I was more worried because my eldest sister, Lisa was traveling with us and she is an NRI. Since there was no choice, I took the tickets.

Now this train starts from Yeshwantpur station which is a bit off the beaten track. We got out a bit late but reached the station with some palpitations. The station was really crowded and the first thought that struck me was that “All the garibs of the world have come to travel in this train". I then realised that none of the electronic display boards (that display the coach placement) were working and everyone was standing at the entrance waiting for some direction. After a few minutes, there was an announcement (garbled as usual) that the train was to depart at 10.30 pm instead of the scheduled time of 9.00 pm. Most of the passengers let out exasperated sighs and then went about looking for tea, food etc as our platform was spectacularly devoid of any amenities.

At this juncture let me explain what the Garib Rath train is. It is a fast fully air-conditioned train subsidized for poor people. All the State capitals are or will be linked with Garib Rath trains.

The train pulled in at about 10.00 pm. I was surprised to see that the train was extremely clean and well lit. The coaches were new and seemed more spacious. Even the toilets were spick and span. Anyway, the train pulled out at 10.30 pm as promised. We were sitting around chatting and the other passengers slowly started getting ready to sleep. The funny thing was that nobody was asking for the customary blankets that are handed out. Uncomplainingly, they took out their own sheets and quietly went to sleep. After the next stop - Banaswadi, we saw an attendant handing two sets of blankets and getting Rs 50 in return. I then asked him to get some sets for us as well and had to pay Rs 25 for each set. The TT was obviously turning a blind eye to this and the passengers must have thought that it is a Garib Rath so what the heck. The good thing was the air conditioning was not set too high so it was pleasant without turning us into icicles.

I got up at around 7.30 am and was hoping against hope that we would have crossed Thrissur. To my horror, I saw we were still at Coimbatore which meant We. Were. Three. Hours. Late. I couldn't sleep no more and got up. There was another Malayalee passenger who started a discussion on the Garib Rath and came out with the following meaningful statements
- Yes the train was more than three hours late
- This was a special train but would be made a regular feature (Hurrah)
- We had a diesel engine and that is why we were going slow and aslo why the train was shaking so much

Although the conversation was inspiring, I couldn't match up and kept quiet. At Palakkad, we got some good coffee and oily vadas. I was surprised at the quality of the coffee as I have usually found that both the coffee and tea served in Kerala stations are pathetic. The train plodded on stopping at most stations and it was quite frustrating. We finally reached Kottayam four hours behind schedule and were glad to get off.

In conclusion, take the Garib Rath if you have to get somewhere. As of now, it should be your last option because they must be ironing out the kinks. It was pretty cheap - only Rs 500 to get to Kottayam as against Rs 750 for the normal 3rd AC train fare or an AC non-sleeper bus. Also, Rs 500 is still not cheap for the under-privileged so don't worry about being surrounded by them. I am guessing they would rather travel in the unreserved compartment. Carry your own blankets and food though. Happy Journeying!!!

A Drive To Remember

5.39 a.m.
He rang the bell just before 5.40 a.m. As usual, she was not ready. He thought "Why are women always late? Even if they are almost on time, they manage to do something that would make them at least one minute late."

He said "Can we go? I'll take your bag."
She said " Sure. You step out and I'll lock up."

They took the lift down is silence. It was too early for even light chitchat. She was leaving for Chennai and he was to drop her at Bangalore Cantonment station. The arrival time of the train was 6.08 am and he was sure they would make it with barely three minutes to spare. She was pretty cool though and only looking forward to her trip outta town.

5.45 a.m.
He put on a CD of Tamil songs and she asked him to turn the volume down. They belted up and he took off, pretty fast, as the minor tremors in his stomach weren't letting him relax.

She said "Oh babes, I forgot to take my headphones (for the mobile). How will I listen to music? Shit, it's going to be boring.
He said "Take my iPod".
She said "No point. I won't be able to charge it."
He said "Then take my headphones. I'll go later to your place and pick up yours to use."
She said "Yeah, anyway you have to water the plants"

5.52 a.m.
She smiled as she saw him make a face. Suddenly, her smile froze as she realised she couldn't find her phone in the bag.

She said "Oh hell, I left my phone behind".

He hit the brakes immediately and said "Do you need it? I'll pick it up and keep taking messages."
She said "That won't work. How will I co-ordinate with the cabbie? And Priya and Prachi will find it difficult to hook up."
He was prepared to argue but then realised she was right. He turned the car around and said "You are an idiot. How can you leave your phone behind?"

He thought she would say something but she was quiet and he regretted his words, knowing she was feeling tense and bad and irritated at the same time. He cursed himself thinking when would he ever learn?

5.55 a.m.
He parked the car outside her building and yelled as he jumped out "Turn the car around".

He literally ran inside, ignoring the security guards who must have been thinking he was crazy.
He took the lift up and rushed into her flat. He found her mobile on her bed and paused for a second wondering if he had the time to use the loo.

He thought "Ah chuck it, it will take 30 seconds, might as well get it over with."

As he was locking the door on his way out, he realised the lift was called to another floor.

"Oh hell, five flights down, what a pain!!!" He rushed down and jumped in the car, handing over the mobile.
She said "Didn't you get the charger?"
He said "Nope, forgot" not wanting to tell her he was busy taking a piss

6.00 a.m.
No talking, only intensive driving and occasional cursing of the condition of the road, the government for not repairing it and other drivers driving peacefully

6.04 a.m.
She sighed "Well it doesn't look like we are about to make it".
He said with a tight smile "After all my 'Gone in 60 seconds driving'? I shouldn't have stopped to use the loo yaar".
She said "Aha, that's why you took so long"
He said "Pleeeaase. I was really fast. Going up and down I mean, not the loo".

6.08 a.m.
He was pretty sure that when they took the turn to the station, they would see the train pulling out. He sighed thinking it would be a pain to make alternate arrangements.

As they turned, she cried out excitedly "Look, I think it's just pulling in."
He quickly turned in to the parking lot and squinted his eyes at the train reading out "Baan...galore Chen..nai. Wow. Lets go,baby".

They jumped out and grabbed the bags and ran. He debated whether he should stop for a platform ticket but then decided the fine of Rs 100 was worth it if she made the train. As they stepped in, they realised her coach was just off the entrance. She climbed in and walked off inside with the luggage.
He stood outside catching his breath thinking it was a bloody pain to rush like this so early in the morning. Just then he looked up and she was back standing at the door, mouthing the words 'my hero' teasingly. She then smiled, breathtakingly and he thought "Well, it was definitely worth the ride".