[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Thanks for the tip Manuuj. Will do that treatment once I come back after my trip.

How often do you polish your vehicles? Asking, since polish removes some paint surface coating every time.

Atleast once a month buddy if not twice. But i dont use cutting polishes. The Formula 1 Metallic is a liquid gel that is applied with a soft cloth and as soon as it dries (within a minute) u lightly dust it away. No hard buffing required that would cut away at the paint.

Infact it really feels like i am adding a protective layer instead of removing a layer from the surface.

[nilanjanray]

Thanks Manuuj. We have hard water here, and deposits have started appearing in some places e.g. around the logos, D4D signs etc. I also need to figure out how to make these go away - will do some forum searching.

On another note, I need to practice changing the tyre of the beast before the trip. I haven't had any puncture since I bought my SX4, so am a little out of practice. The Indica was diligent in ensuring that I had regular practice, but things are a bit different with the these cars with big tyres.

I was lucky to get the Baghira Log Huts for all three days while at Kanha. Opted for a Treehouse in Bandhavgarh, close to the forest line. I enjoy the safaris, going through the forest and capturing pictures of fauna and flora.

But I enjoy sitting quietly and getting immersed in the atmosphere of the forest a lot more. Watching how things change over the day, hearing alarm calls, observing birds and animals, watching the sunset, feeling the night atmosphere out in the open (say around a campfire or from a balcony). Nothing like hearing rustling sounds in the night outside the room, and trying to figure out whether it is a deer, a wild boar or something a but more dangerous. Once I saw a leopard at 2 am after waking up due to Cheetal alarm calls and going to the balcony.

The choice of the two places was driven by this. Here's hoping that the nights won't be unbearably hot during the 2nd week of June.

[DKG]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

But I enjoy sitting quietly and getting immersed in the atmosphere of the forest a lot more. Watching how things change over the day, hearing alarm calls, observing birds and animals, watching the sunset, feeling the night atmosphere out in the open (say around a campfire or from a balcony). Nothing like hearing rustling sounds in the night outside the room, and trying to figure out whether it is a deer, a wild boar or something a but more dangerous.

That really sums it up beautifully for why I am drawn to forests too. Honestly its not just for the Tiger. I just love being in forests. The sounds, smells and sights are unmatched in their complexity and extraordinary beauty

I can never forget that late evening when it had grown dark and we sauntered out of Corbett on elephant back as the eerie sounds of a darkening forest engulfed us. You realise how fragile the whole system is and how vulnerable everything is relative to everything else.

One other occasion I will never forget is when one evening it grew dark as we explored the Srisailam jungles in my open Jeep. I had two forest rangers with me and my 81 year old mum. At one point we saw something glinting in the headlights and the guards asked us to stop. As we tried to see what it was (turned out to be a foil) we could hear the sounds of animals rustling amongst leaves. In a moment it struck me that it was dangerous to be out in a open Jeep in the dark. The rangers said "Chalo saab abhi idhar se nikalte" and we drove out of the forest.

So many memories so many tales !!

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by DKG

I can never forget that late evening when it had grown dark and we sauntered out of Corbett on elephant back as the eerie sounds of a darkening forest engulfed us. You realise how fragile the whole system is and how vulnerable everything is relative to everything else.

So many memories so many tales !!

Corbett during late evening must have been fantastic!

Slightly OT: I am a huge fan of Jim Corbett, and have visited Kumaon many times. However, I used to think that maneaters existed only during his time. Guess my surprise when I read about man eating tigers killing 150 people during the 1960s around Rudrapur - where the agricultural college is located. In the 60's there were 10000 acres of land on which crop experimentation was being done, and the tigers started encroaching there. They used to kill people even in the streets within the campus. For those who want to read the story, here is the link to the pdf: http://ezine.nitroexpress.info/Nicku...DF/Asia331.pdf. Warning: the website - a hunting forum - shows up as reddish on my Firefox WOT meter.

And most recently, news about the Corbett maneater that has supposedly been killed (some people are still saying that the wrong tiger has been shot). I have traveled through that region (Mohan etc.) - next time, will look at things with a different eye when driving through.

I have taken some silly risks because I didn't know better e.g. 11 years back, walking 2+2 km alone through the jungle around 8 pm in North Eastern Kumaon, again under the same impression (that maneaters are no longer there). Was using Corbett's theory - ignore the front and the side from which the wind is blowing, cover the other two sides (in this case, with a torch). In hindsight, that was a very very silly thing to do.

Enough of the rant on maneaters. But, give me a forest full of tigers to walk in rather than a forest full of elephants - that is the only animal I am scared of when walking around during daytime or driving in the night on narrow trails. With a SUV, you are more or less animal proof unless it is an elephant or a 2 ton male bison.

[pvrajan]

if you are going to enter forests often, then thorn scratches will happen.

hear that "zzziiiinnnnggg" when u go through narrow trails with bushes on both side. ouch, that hurts.

One possible way to avoid those are to make a side cover with thin tarp (camo colour is what I am thinking), which u can use inside the jungle, remove it once u are out.

After a recent 2 days inside the forests of ooty, looks like that my next item. have lot of scratches to worry abt as I just came back.

[nilanjanray]

@ Rajan: sounds like you had a great time - why don't you post a travelogue?

I plan to do something like that (tarps or some other protection e,g. clip on plastic guards) , but not an immediate priority since I don't expect such narrow trails in my upcoming trip.

Have you got your Strikers fixed yet? If so, do post a few pictures.

[pvrajan]

looks like I am not the first one to think about making a temp rough skin for the SUV
check this out
Ford Raptor Forum - SVTOffroad.com | Paint Protection Done! Protecting My Raptor's Paint From "Pinstriping"

yes, I have fixed the strikers, not yet aligned properly.
here is a snap

YouTube - fortuner in the trail

This is inside forests of ooty. private estates.
here is a small video of a sharp uphill turn inside the trail. I had used Low range as there were lots of stones and was having trouble because of the steep uphill just before the turn, also I didn't want use momentum to come up


have to try writing travelogue. too lazy and the awareness that I dont have the skill like you and few others here

[pvrajan]

the striker pic didnt attach last time.

[nilanjanray]

Rajan,

Interesting trail! From which # bend do you need to take the detour? Is this somewhere near Mystique Ville?

Did you see any animals? How did your Strikers perform?

We should do a trip together :-)

[pvrajan]

strikers perform well. Infact I have been using them for close to 5 years now!

didnt see animals,

I was too lazy to go out at night, and I pref animal sighting in daylight. pref at dawn or evenings if I can.

I was too lazy to go out at night, just sat in dark, had some wine.
listened to deers and gaurs who were around. saw some fresh leopard signs.

drove around next day @ few places I wanted to see. places that I have been many years back on 2 wheels.

may be we should plan a trip.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Acco booked at Kanha and Bandhavgarh. Itinerary almost finalized except for Pench acco and 11th plans.

4th early morn: Bangalore - Hyd - Nagpur - Pench
5th: Pench - Bandhavgarh
6th: Bandhavgarh
7th: Bandhavgarh
8th: Bandhavgarh - Kanha
9th: Kanha
10th: Kanha
11th: Kanha - Hyd (most likely)
12th: return to Bangalore

Will need to check with Pench MPTDC whether they will allow us to go past the checkpost in the evening after 6 pm.

Having done the trip just 3 weeks back, I can offer some things I learnt.

I hope you have the safari bookings done online for B'garh and Kanha since those are hard to get especially for the Tala zone. The jeeps are available in plenty and you wouldnt really need to book/pay in advance. The going rate was 1250 per safari and you can even hit a bargain since you're doing 5-6 rides at a single place. Your resort guy should be able to arrange for you easily. MP needs a forest guide to accompany you unlike the K'taka forests where the driver is the guide too.

For the first day, you wouldnt really sweat until Nagpur but beyond that will be a fight to keep awake and having two drivers will help. The stretch beyond Hyderabad isnt the best and has diversions etc, if you hit rains it will make matters worse with keeping up the avg speed. Dont go with the hopes on Adilabad since I spent 45 mins going in and coming out of the town only to find no good place to rest our souls for the night. Plan for Nagpur to be your first stop and then leave early morning for B'garh.

Nagpur to Pench is decent roads but no six lane highway types. After crossing Pench, you'll hit the big highway which will take you to Jabalpur and beyond. The highway stretches offer you a good 120-140 cruising speeds. I didnt cover B'garh so cant comment on anything there.

Your route while coming back is quite reasonable and Kanha-Hyd should be a good break point. Hyd-Blr is actually become a 6-7 hour journey so if you manage to leave early morning, you'll be at home before noon.

Best of luck for the trip, hope you have some good sightings.

PS. I didnt see any checkpost at Pench since the MPTDC resort is outside the park lmits. Its around 10-12kms from the main highway and you'll need to keep a watch out for it since it may get missed. Baghira Log huts on the other hand will need permission to go since its in the buffer zone between the Khatia and Kisli gate (but if you're staying at the resort they should be able to let you go. The board there said no traffic post 10pm unlike the 6pm deadline that I had heard.)

[nilanjanray]

Thanks Amol. Loved your travelogue. I have a 3 year old daughter, but the plan of taking her along was vetoed :-)

So are you saying that I can book online (I have looked at the online link, but haven't booked yet), and then can decide on the driver later? If so, I will make the bookings asap.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Thanks Amol. Loved your travelogue. I have a 3 year old daughter, but the plan of taking her along was vetoed :-)

I'm hoping to see some more action from your travelogue now. I would have gone alone if there was an option in my case, you get a lot of freedom when you're working alone. But I dont really regret my decision of taking the litle one along, it was a lot of fun coupled with a lot of learning and father-daughter bonding.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

So are you saying that I can book online (I have looked at the online link, but haven't booked yet), and then can decide on the driver later? If so, I will make the bookings asap.

Pls get the bookings done asap, saves you time and energy and gives you the guarantee that you'll be able to do the planned no. of safaris. Make sure you save the ticket no before going into the payment page and then print the acknowledgements directly after payment is done. There is no email that you'd get for the bookings and I didnt see any easy way to retrieve the booking information on the site.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Pls get the bookings done asap, saves you time and energy and gives you the guarantee that you'll be able to do the planned no. of safaris. Make sure you save the ticket no before going into the payment page and then print the acknowledgements directly after payment is done. There is no email that you'd get for the bookings and I didnt see any easy way to retrieve the booking information on the site.

Thanks Amol. Made the bookings today online. Taking Abheek's help to get good drivers, and hoping that I am able to meet up with him in Pench.

Here's the safari plan:

• June 5: morning safari at Pench, Turia zone
• June 6 : morning and evening safari, Bandhavgarh, Tala zone
• June 7: morning and evening safari, Bandhavgarh, Tala zone
• June 8 morning: Tala, Bandhavgarh
• June 9: morning and evening safari, Kanha, Kanha zone
• June 10: morning and evening safari, Kanha, Kanha zone
• June 11 morning: leaving for Hyd, so might not do the morning safari (might feel sleepy while driving)

Can one drive around on one's own in Bandhavgarh (outside the forest gate), and get to see animals? Kanha won't be possible since the place is inside the forest gate.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

June 5: morning safari at Pench, Turia zone

You may want to skip the morning round and instead drive to B'garh for the evening drive. Believe me, getting up at 5AM after a 18-20 hour drive on the previous day is being cruel to yourself. Nagpur to B'garh should be a 5-6hr drive so you can even get out at 7-8AM and make it on time for the evening safari.

Dont really worry about the drivers, you also have the forest guards who accompany you. If you're a first timer, you'll realize certain differences between the K'taka vs MP jungle safari.

• You get a route assigned to you for each trip, you're not supposed to be found on any other route other than the one given to you. This rule gets violated pretty often though.
• The number of jeeps you'll see in the jungle are 10x times you'd see in B'pur or Kabini. Kanha-Kisli zone has 70 jeeps going in per safari, I'm sure Tala has a similar number.
• The tourism zones in the jungle are much bigger than Karnataka. You'd cover a lot more forest than what you see down south.
• Usually, the forest guard would suggest the course of action to the driver and they work as a team. Its not just the drivers tracking ability like what we have in K'taka. I found the forest guards to be pretty good except for one or two instances.
• The elephant show is guaranteed sighting for a price (200rs for a 5 min ride). Try it for the novelty value, not something that a wildlifer would want to do otherwise!
• The morning safaris are longer (upto 1030 or 11AM) and you can bring your packed breakfast to the center point to eat. You'll need to inform your hotel guy to keep this ready for you in the mornings.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Can one drive around on one's own in Bandhavgarh (outside the forest gate), and get to see animals? Kanha won't be possible since the place is inside the forest gate.

You can drive around in Kanha, but the big question is when? Except for the little time you get between the morning and evening safaris you wont really find available time otherwise through the day. I dont think you can venture out in the night though.