National Geographic Traveller India February 2016

f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 4

I S S UE 8

SWITZERLAND special complimentary with this issue

1000 Islands

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Water-loving getaways

love on the St. Lawrence river

Grand Canyon Wild tackling the Colorado

on the water Cruise Control Big party On The Baltic • Stok Kangri Mind games on the mountain

n a t i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c t r av e l l e r i n d i a

february 2016

Contents Vol 4 Issue 8

o n t h e wa t e r

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Paddling on the Grand Canyon’s threatened Colorado River requires a steady oar and a surge of courage Text and Photographs by Pete McBride

Rocking the Boat Trip

Party, food, and cheap thrills on a passenger ferry across the Baltic Sea

By Zac O’Yeah

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One in A Thousand

On the St.Lawrence River, castles, Victorian cottages, and the beginning of a love affair

By Kareena Gianani

90 1000 Islands, Canada

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national Geographic Traveller INDIA | february 2016

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Into the Blue

Dive into 50 water experiences across the globe, from feeling the spray of Victoria Falls to soaking in Iceland’s geothermal spa

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Gently Down the Stream

On England’s Oxford Canal, cruise past pastoral scenes with floating neighbours who leave formalities on the shore

By Tara Isabella Burton Photographs by John Kernick

Will Van Overbeek/National Geographic Magazines/getty images

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River Dance

122

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voices

FEBRUARY 2016 • `150 • VOL. 4

ISSUE 8

SWITZERLAND SPECIAL COMPLIMENTARY WITH THIS ISSUE

Pythons, rhinos, and elephant grass: Walking the wild side in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park

22 Inside Out

Mangroves inspire a meditation on the invisible roots that bind us The magic of chance meetings on the road

n a v ig a t e

26 Taste of Travel

On the honey trail in Slovenia

Local Flavour

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How Assam’s smoky Singpho tea changed a nation 32 Pedakia, Bihar’s half-moon shaped sweet, tickles the palate

34 On Foot

Graffiti artists are on point in East London

S h o r t B r e a ks 1000 ISLANDS

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WATER-LOVING GETAWAYS

LOVE ON THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER

GRAND CANYON WILD

TACKLING THE COLORADO

ON THE WATER CRUISE CONTROL BIG PARTY ON THE BALTIC • STOK KANGRI MIND GAMES ON THE MOUNTAIN

On The Cover At Iceland’s Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, photographer Layne Kennedy captures happy visitors raising a toast. Located at Grindavík in the southern part of the country, the lagoon attracts thousands of visitors who soak in the silica, algae, and mineral-rich waters.

From Delhi

116 Himachal Pradesh’s low-key Banjar Valley brims with possibilities

Stay

andreas rentz/getty images entertainment/getty images (flowers), chris cheadle/all canada photos/dinodia (mural), jure porenta/shutterstock (honey) layne kennedy/latitude/corbis/imagelibrary (cover)

24 Crew Cut

113 Active Holiday

120 A heritage farmhouse in Sikkim has the warmth of home

38 Geotourism

Rooting for Maharashtra’s fascinating art and storytelling traditions in Pinguli

42 Off Track

Flaming cliffs and dinosaur fossils in Bayanzag, Mongolia

G ET G O I N G

108 Adventure

Mind games on a trek to Stok Kangri peak in Ladakh

regulars 16 Editor’s Note 18 Notebook 122 Inspire 128 Travel Quiz

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Editor’s Note |

n i lou f e r v en katra m a n

I

our mission

It is a place of transition in which I can choose to think about the place I’ve left or the one I’m going to

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n the last few years I’ve found that the days leading up to a trip abroad, especially if it’s for work, are always terribly hectic. Somehow, before I leave, a truckload of stories need to be cleared for the magazine, and at home, the list of errands that need completing magically becomes long enough to necessitate the making of an Excel sheet. I find I’m bustling about until the minute the taxi comes. Once I’m out the door, I’m usually nervous for the first ten minutes of the ride.

I recheck my handbag to make sure I have my passport, ticket, and any vouchers or reservations copies. Then I worry that there will be too much traffic and I won’t reach the airport on time, and really, I ought to have planned on leaving at least 30 minutes earlier. What if there’s already a massive line at the check-in desk? What if the flight is delayed and I miss my connection? Why didn’t I download the airline’s app to make the journey easier? And so on.

Once I check-in, 50 per cent of my anxieties dissipate. Then, depending on the time of day or night, I make calls or text or email people with reminders for things that need to be done while I’m away. It’s only once I’m in the aircraft and the crew demands I turn my phone off that I finally relax. That’s when I sink into my seat with the relief that comes from surrendering to the inevitable. Once that cabin door is sealed, I’m on that flight until it gets to its destination—that’s it. There’s nothing I can do, once

we’re soaring 30,000 feet above Earth, if I did not sign that important document or forgot to pack that half-read novel. That closed space brings on for me a happy feeling of time standing still.

Most people hate long flights and I can’t really say I love them too much either, but there’s one aspect of them I’ve grown to relish. Call me strange, but I’ve developed an appreciation for that period of limbo on a long-haul flight. Somehow, in those hours in between departure from one place and arrival at the next, my mind descends to a quiet place. Stuck in that capsule, flying from one part of the planet to another, I feel a sense of peace. I’m neither at home nor in another country. For those six to eighteen hours, there’s nowhere I have to be.

At that moment, no one, except those on board can get in touch with me, nor I with them. It allows me to be nothing more than just another passenger, cut-off from everything that I know, love, or hate. It is a place of transition in which I can choose to think about the place I’ve left or the one I’m going to. But what I prefer to do is shut my thought processes down and watch movies back-to-back; sleep, eat, watch another show. For me this time on the plane becomes almost a short break from life.

Sometimes I strain and look out of the window. All I see is endless, white, puffy clouds in the vastness below or the interminable darkness of the stratosphere. At this point, I like the relative freedom from choices. Beyond chicken or fish, orange or apple juice, still or sparkling water, I’m in a freeze-frame from the normal hectic pace of life. Sitting in an airplane might seem like the most uncomfortable and restrictive thing in the world, but it’s not so bad if you decide to savour that state of limbo. I think children really understand that. I’ve seen how my daughter embraces the time on a flight for what it is—a moment to enjoy.

In January last year, when a colleague messaged me from on board her transatlantic flight, and announced that there was free Wi-Fi in the skies, I shuddered, unsure whether it was a good thing or bad. A year after this facility rolled out, I’m actually quite happy to say that I have not yet been on a flight with free Wi-Fi. And if one of the flights I’m taking this year happens to have that service, I think I’m going to pretend I didn’t notice it.

National Geographic Traveller India is about immersive travel and authentic storytelling, inspiring readers to create their own journeys and return with amazing stories. Our distinctive yellow rectangle is a window into a world of unparalleled discovery.

national Geographic Traveller INDIA | february 2016

Compassionate Eye Foundation/Justin Pumfrey/DigitalVision/getty images

Sitting in Limbo

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LETTER OF THE MONTH

Wild Encounters Last year, on a warm April morning, we were tracking a tiger in the Jim Corbett National Park. After two hours, we noticed something moving in the grassland, and were delighted to see a tiger eyeing a herd of deer that was oblivious to its presence. We waited patiently.

The tiger moved closer, slow and stealthy, hidden by grass. Suddenly, it charged at the deer amid blaring alarm calls. Our vehicle stood at the perfect spot to capture this moment. Though the tiger was unsuccessful in bagging its meal, it left us with a memory to last a lifetime. —Aditya Sahdev

Theme: Extended Travels At our January Meetup, travel speaker ansoo Gupta, wanderer with a purpose Neil d’Souza, and slow traveller vahishta Mistry discussed with NGT Deputy Editor Neha dara, their extended travel experiences.

Here are some tips from the experts and audience.

■ Ask yourself if you’re emotionally ready. Extended travels have their share of highs, but involve much hardship too.

■ Accept the fact that you will lose something along the way. Travel light.

■ Budgeting is crucial to long travel. Look for hostels with complimentary breakfast, or couch-surf to save money.

■ Plan ahead and get visas for the longest duration possible. It allows your long trips to be flexible.

■ Hone your skills and hobbies; they will allow you to make new connections and can also help you travel longer.

NExT MEETup: 12 February 2016, 7.30-9 p.m. venue: Title Waves bookstore, Bandra (West), Mumbai. february 2016 | national Geographic Traveller INDIA

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KamaKshi ayyar (landscape), aditya sahdev (tiger)

dream vacations From flying out to the Galápagos islands off the coast of ecuador to watching the milky Way in the himalayas, here’s the NGt team’s travel wish list for 2016.

See Web Exclusives> Experiences

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on foot Graffiti artists are on point in East London

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off track Flaming cliffs and dinosaur fossils in Bayanzag, Mongolia

A typical Slovenian bee house (left) has removable wooden frames of beehives; Gingerbread hearts (top right) are made from honey dough and shaped by hand or in moulds; Artisanal honey in local markets is sold in glass bottles painted with pretty, nature-inspired motifs (bottom right).

The Bee’s Knees On the honey trail in Slovenia By Kalpana Sunder

B

eekeeping has been serious business in Slovenia since the 16th century, when honey was the main sweetener, and beeswax candles were an important source of illumination. Bees were kept in wooden hives traditionally stacked under a roof, and even today, these can be spotted in orchards and gardens across the country. In the mid-18th century, a folk art form emerged with beehive front panels becoming canvases for artists to depict Biblical stories, historical events, folk tales, and scenes from rural life.

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My guide, Ales Fevzer, tells me that as well as helping the beekeeper distinguish between different colonies, painted hives help bees orient themselves and find their homes easily.

Some motifs provide protection from witchcraft or misfortune. According to a Slovenian saying, beekeeping is “the poetry of agriculture.”

Beekeeping tourism is unique to Slovenia, as is its protected native bee species, the dusky brown-grey Carniolan honeybee, popularly known as the grey bee. The species is known for its “docility and diligence,” Ales explains,

national Geographic Traveller INDIA | february 2016

ATLAS

SLOVAKIA IA

BANGLADE ADESH

COLOMBIA

LESOTHO

Radovljica, Slovenia Honey cookies or loški kruhek are baked in carved wooden moulds or loški, named after the town of Škofja Lok, a 1,000-year-old city that is the best preserved medieval city in Slovenia.

Juan Carlos Muñoz/age fotostock/dinodia (bee house), photo courtesy: Slovenian Tourist Board (gingerbread hearts), Kalpana Sunder (bottles)

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local flavour How Assam’s smoky Singpho tea changed a nation

and is one of the top three species favoured by beekeepers worldwide.

“Slovenia is the only EU country that has protected its indigenous bee race,” Ales tells me.

In Radovljica, a small town in northern Slovenia and the centre of bee tourism, I taste a variety of artisanal honeys made by these bees—fir, spruce, linden, maple, wild cherry, and even dandelion. Since 60 per cent of this small country is wooded, bees forage on a variety of trees. According to Ales, honey takes on a gamut of flavours

and consistencies depending on what flower it comes from. Artisanal honey is usually thicker and denser than massproduced honey because its harvesters patiently wait till bees build wax caps over the cells of their honeycombs, signalling that the honey is mature.

In Slovenia, this honey makes its way into a variety of products. Some that I see on sale in Radovljica include mouth-warming honey biscuits baked in moulds, boxes of honey chocolates shaped like bees, honey liqueur, honey wine (mead), and honey sparkling wine.

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Kalpana Sunder (painting ), whitworth images/moment open/getty images (Beehives)

Radovljica’s Museum of Apiculture has exhibits (top) of the 18th-century folk art of painting beehive panels; Beehives in Dolenjska province (bottom) are often brightly painted, apparently to help bees locate their homes.

In the cellar of the Lectar restaurant, I visit a workshop fragrant with the aroma of Slovenian gingerbread hearts.

I watch a baker make these beauties out of honey, rye flour, pepper, cinnamon, and clove, icing them with colourful floral decorations. Heart-shaped honey cakes are traditionally purchased by lovers as gifts, iced with a name, and embellished with a mirror.

Nearby, at the gift shop in Bled Castle, Slovenia’s oldest castle and a popular tourist attraction, I encounter some unusual bee products like royal jelly, which is secreted by worker bees, and propolis, used to protect their hives from infection. Propolis is created when bees collect and enrich tree resin with secretions from their salivary glands.

It is believed to have around 300 chemical components and is known for its healing powers.

In the central square of historic Radovljica, a few rooms of a baroque mansion are occupied by the Apiculture Museum. Inside, I see a tall wooden statue of a Slovenian peasant brandishing a pitchfork, almost missing the discreet opening above his hand: a hole for bees to enter. There’s also a wooden soldier and a small church, each with an opening in the back for removing the honeycomb.

The museum has 200 hand-painted panels of apiary art, dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. There are scenes of bucolic bliss and several panels that make fun of hunters, including one depicting a fox holding a knife to a man’s neck. I see scenes from the Old Testament, bears with honey on their paws running from farmers, soldiers in battle, and even bandits attacking innocent travellers.

There are 15 “honey routes” around Slovenia, where people can learn about honey gathering, the healing qualities of honey, and even experience “apitherapy”, which uses honeybee products such as honey, pollen, bee bread, propolis, royal jelly, and bee venom. Although most of the country’s 9,000 beekeepers are amateurs, they produce about 2,000 tons of honey each year, mostly for local markets. I buy two jars to take home, along with some beeswax candle figurines, and a souvenir painted panel. Every time I drizzle honey on my toast, I taste a bit of Slovenia.

Navigate |

off trac k

The Lost World Flaming cliffs and dinosaur fossils in Mongolia text & photographs by Prathap Nair “Every driver and guide knows of a secret location where you can still find dinosaur bone fossils,” Sara told me, piquing my curiosity. I took her bait.

One of the high points of my childhood in a nondescript Tamil Nadu town was watching Jurassic Park in a dark theatre. I was 15 and I still remember clutching the armrest tightly. Ever since Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg saved dinosaurs from paleontological obscurity and immortalised them in popular culture, these creatures have held a powerful sway over me. I feel exhilaration at the mere thought of walking on the same ground where giraffe-necked brachiosaurs ambled along millions of years ago.

The flamboyant American paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, allegedly the inspiration for Indiana Jones, arrived here in 1922, on an expedition for the American Museum of Natural History. His team found hundreds of fossilised remains, and Bayanzag became known as a dinosaur

On various stretches of the Gobi Desert, only hardy, drought-resistant saxaul trees provide relief from the stark landscape.

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national Geographic Traveller INDIA | february 2016

graveyard. Ultimately, the team collected fossils of up to 140 previously unknown dinosaur species and other prehistoric mammals at the site. Among the 80 million-year-old bones were skeletons of Velociraptor, Saurornithoides, Oviraptor, Protoceratops, and Pinacosaurus.

Andrews’ expedition took an even more exciting turn when George Olsen, a member of his team, found fossilised

ATLAS

SLOVAKIA IA

BANGLADE ADESH

COLOMBIA

LESOTHO

Bayanzag, Mongolia Fossils found in Mongolia include that of a Velociraptor buried while attacking a plant-eating Protoceratops, and a group of baby dinosaurs discovered with eggshell fragments.

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lutching my camera tightly, I scrabble in an ungainly manner after my guide Sara, following her down the craggy, orange sandstone cliffs that overlook the vastness of the southern Gobi Desert. It is a sunny afternoon in early September, and a swift breeze whips at our clothes and sends swirls of fine sand into motion like an unruly dervish.

In the distance, the scattered greenery of needle-leafed saxaul forests adds a touch of shrubby vegetation to the otherwise khaki-brown landscape of Bayanzag, Mongolia’s “Flaming Cliffs.”

I’m here in the stark wilderness of the south Gobi Desert on a mission to see dinosaur fossils. A few days earlier, in the capital Ulaanbaatar, I saw fossils at the Central Museum of Mongolian Dinosaurs. And a couple of hours before this trek, I was shown some fossilised rocks, purportedly containing fragments of dinosaur bones, in my desert tent. Now I hope to see them in their own habitat.

Mongolian gers (top left) are tents built with wooden frames, felt, and waterproof canvas. They can withstand the strong winds of Bayanzag’s Flaming Cliffs (bottom left); Mares (top right) provide nomads with nutritional milk, which is fermented to make the popular drink, airag; Toad-headed agamas, a lizard found in the Gobi desert, are known to display their red oral frills when threatened by predators (bottom right).

eggs at the site. This was the first clutch of dinosaur (oviraptor) eggs and nest ever found. Since these discoveries, Mongolia has become one of the most prominent paleontological sites for dinosaurs. The Gobi’s wind-battered, serrated sandstone cliffs are constantly exposed to the harshness of the region’s extreme weather, bringing more fossils to light. Dinosaur eggs have been found here as recently as 2013.

I kick a misshapen rock speckled with calcium deposits, and then reproach myself; it could well be a dinosaur fossil.

Sara points to a cluster of wooden huts

in the distance, a winter settlement for the region’s nomads.

Our driver, Batah Erdene, walks ahead of us on the gravelly mounds, armed with a pink toilet brush. Every once in a while, he points at the earth, squats down, and brushes the sand to reveal a white, chalky piece of mineral. “Is that a bone?”

I ask incredulously. Yes, it is. Batah sticks it in his mouth and says, in throaty Mongolian, that dinosaur bones will stick to your tongue. He hands the fragment to me. It looks chalky and bone-like. For all I know, it could be a piece of camel bone, but I also know that it is this easy to

stumble upon dinosaur bones in this part of the Gobi. However, I politely refuse the offer of a lick.

It is illegal to remove fossils from Bayanzag. Sara and Batah place the bone fragment back where they found it, and throw some sand over it. The orange of the early evening sun lights up the sandstone cliffs, as if they were on fire.

I turn back to see two fast approaching jeeps with another bunch of tourists, all intent on making the next big discovery.

I may or may not have found a dinosaur bone, but this certainly is as close as I will ever get to a bona fide Jurassic Park.

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In Focus |

ON t he water on

i n t o 5 0 Wa t e r - I n s p i r e d Tr i p s

t h e b l u e

by Margaret Loftus, amy alipio, maggie zackowitz, Raul Touzon, norie quintos, david swanson, Andrew Evans, Elaine Glusac, Rachel Howard, Hannah Sheinberg, Edward Readicker-Henderson, & others. illustrations by Hanna barczyk

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That Make a Splash

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Paul Nicklen/National Geographic Creative

The ten-kilometre stretch of Hawaii’s Oahu North Shore from Hale’iwa to Sunset Beach is the original surfer’s paradise with waves that can crest up to six storeys. It is also a great place to go snorkelling and diving at sites like the world-famous Shark’s Cove, home to superb corals and marine life.

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ON t he water on

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In Focus |

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Orlando

Alex S. MacLean

Water is one of the main reasons we travel. Even Orlando, 88.5 kilometres from the closest Florida beach, has lots of ways to get wet: lazy rivers, water slides, hot tubs, swim-up bars—and wave pools. Sure, Mickey Mouse is king, but we’re betting water helped draw some of Orlando’s record-breaking 62 million visitors in 2014.

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In Focus |

ON t he water

Pristine Shores

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Greek Cyclades The Cycladic archipelago strings together a necklace of pebble-beach islands, such as

storied Naxos and Paros. Enric Sala, leader of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project, calls the island of Amorgos, with its crystalline coves ideal for diving and snorkelling, “the essence of the Mediterranean.”

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Patara, Turkey

Anakena, Easter Island Legend has it that Hotu Matu‘a, the Polynesian chief who first settled Rapa Nui (Easter Island), landed on Anakena, a rare stretch of beach that interrupts the island’s mostly rocky shoreline.

Today, carved moai keep a watchful eye on beachgoers and swimmers.

Loango National Park, Gabon

Plage de Saleccia, Corsica

Thanks to a preservation order that prohibits development from encroaching on the nearby Roman ruins, the 19-kilometre stretch of sand at Patara on southwestern Turkey’s “Turquoise Coast”—one of the longest beaches on the Mediterranean—is blissfully unspoiled.

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With regular sightings of humpback whales, elephants, and western lowland gorillas, the 97-kilometre coastline along Gabon’s Loango National Park is “the wildest beach on the planet,” says Pristine Seas’ Enric Sala.

Swimmers beware: Hippos have been known to bodysurf here.

One of the handful of beaches that skirt northwest Corsica’s protected scrubland, Désert des Agriates, Plage de Saleccia can be reached by boat or a rugged hike through the fragrant maquis. Your reward: nearly a kilometre of soft white sand, sloping gently into the Med, all to yourself—well, almost.

Marja Schwartz

Shells frame a sunset view from Agia Anna beach on Naxos, Greece.

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Picture Perfect

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Raja Ampat, Indonesia Dubbed the Amazon of the oceans, this archipelago off the coast of West Papua

is “the heart of marine biodiversity,” says photographer David Doubilet. “Raja Ampat is under-explored and laden with life. The currents can rise like a wind, bearing nutrients that feed this ocean wilderness.”

Rich in all manner of sea creatures, the waters around the archipelago of Raja Ampat are among the world’s best diving spots.

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Sri Lanka

Cuba

Rajasthan

Few know that the waters off this island are strewn with shipwrecks, perfect for adventurous scuba divers.

Interesting relics include a 17thcentury European ship laden with soda bottles off the coast of Galle. Sri Lanka’s wrecks are usually surrounded by schools of brightly coloured fish.

The Gardens of the Queen, a protected 2,590-square-kilometre stretch off Cuba’s southeast coast, teems with sharks, large reef fish oblivious to divers, and crocodiles that patrol at the edge of dense mangroves. “This time capsule of a national park represents what the Caribbean was 50 years ago,” says Doubilet.

Built over 1,000 years ago, Chand Baori stepwell near Jaipur, is considered one of the oldest and deepest in India.

About 3,500 steps descend 100 feet, creating a lattice that is a masterpiece of symmetry.

Temperatures at the pool at the bottom of the well are always much cooler than at the surface.

tips When photographing

underwater, work within about ten feet of your subject.

The deeper you go, the less light you’ll have and the more important flash becomes. Flash will bring out all the colours in the fish and reef. It will also allow you to “freeze” or convey the movement of a subject.

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dhritiman mukherjee

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Travel Quiz T e s T Y o u r T r av e l I Q

2

what do birderS caLL a fLock of fLamingoS?

What do they call coWboys on south america’s pampas?

which country grows watermelons in perfect cubes?

1

4

dinoSaurS once ruLed Laramidia, an iSLand LandmaSS that formed the weSt coaSt of which continent?

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an old german Word for bracelet gives a name to Which popular bread product?

5 name the submerged vertical cave beloved by divers in the belize barrier reef.

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name the umbrian hill town that draws pilgrims to its basilica honouring st. francis.

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6

the dragon’s blood tree, known for its dark red sap, is native to what island in the indian ocean?

What american food product did margaret thatcher refer to as a “Wartime delicacy”?

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Answers 1. fLamboyance 2. Japan 3. gauchoS 4. north america 5. great bLue hoLe 6. aSSiSi 7. bageL 8. Spam 9. Socotra

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SpiderStock/iStockphoto (flamingos), Jcphoto/iStock photo (fruit), hugh Sitton/corbiS (man), Lucie Lang/ShutterStock (dinosaurs), aLex robinSon/Jai/corbiS (atoll), roJo imageS/ShutterStock (statue), maeStrophoto/ShutterStock (wheat), epitavi/ ShutterStock (cutlery), LarS haLLStrom/getty imageS (trees)

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Active Holiday

Intensity The walk through the jungle is not strenuous though it traverses different terrains. It may require confronting any fears of the wild that visitors may have.

Easy

Moderate

demanding

Chitwan is one of those rare places where hikers are allowed into the national park’s core area.

Walking safaris are one of the best and most intimate ways to observe wildlife.

Walking the Wild Side B

eyond the village of Meghauli in southern Nepal extend the dense riverine forests of Chitwan National Park. Over 600 one-horned rhinos and other wildlife, like the sloth bear, royal Bengal tiger, and elephant, live here. Walking in the wild is commonplace here and I was about to hike in the forest.

When a boatman dropped my guides, Prem Gurung, Subhash Gurung, and me off on a lonely bank of the Reu River, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being abandoned.

The guards were not carrying rifles, which left me feeling uneasy. Neither the sight of hundreds of sand martins roosting on a sandbar, nor the vast panorama of the Reu winding through the hills of Chitwan, could calm my thumping heart. I had never set foot inside the core area of a national park before.

Apart from being a roaringly successful conservation story, Chitwan is unique and different

1,000 The number of police personnel that patrol Chitwan from about 40 posts, to keep poachers out.

from most national parks in India, in that you can actually track animals on foot here.

I was thankful that the first creatures we came across inside the forest were a herd of docile chitals grazing in a green pasture. Despite myself, I hoped that the sighting signalled the start of a boring, uneventful day. However, the next few hours turned out to be anything but humdrum.

Charting a path straight through the jungle, by noon we’d arrived at a spot frequented by a tiger.

Here, we stumbled upon a well-marked trail going up a hill. Hoping to get a bird’s-eye view of the park, we marched up, stepping over withered leaves that covered the forest floor. Suddenly, Subhash threw his bag down and ran towards something. It slowly registered that the young, lanky naturalist was wrestling with a humongous rock python just 15 feet from me. february 2016 | national Geographic Traveller INDIA

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ethan welty/aurora/getty images

A city slicker lets her guard down in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park | by Neelima Vallangi

Get Going |

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I have fear-filled childhood ideas about big snakes thanks to the outrageously misleading movie, Anaconda. Those fears rushed to the surface and, imagining I’d be hunted down by a conniving reptile of the sort shown in the movie, I shrieked and ran away.

Meanwhile, Subhash seemed to be using all his might to straighten out the python. The poor snake however, seemed intent on gently slipping into its home, a hollow bark nearby. In his career spanning nearly a decade Subhash had never seen a python that big and wanted to measure it. It was a massive 18 feet long.

Leaving the python and my fears behind, I hiked to the top of the hill, where we ran into a few army men who were part of the 1,000-strong force deployed for park protection. These men patrol every inch of the national park, guarding the denizens of Chitwan. Their efforts over the past decade have produced phenomenal results in curbing poaching and raising the dwindling number of Indian rhinos in Nepal from 375 to the current 645. But because of this frequent human movement, encountering a tiger in Chitwan is uncommon. Thankfully, I thought from my position on land.

From the vantage point near the army camp, I spotted a lone rhino cooling itself in a river, a few hundred metres away from where we would be crossing it on foot very soon. My heart went back to thumping mode in an instant. As we descended to the valley floor and walked through a narrow, sand-covered path fringed by tall elephant grass, I couldn’t tell the difference between fear and exhilaration anymore. Luckily, just as

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Chitwan National Park, Nepal China NEPAL

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Chitwan National Park India

Chitwan is Nepal’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has managed to stay free of poaching for two years, since 2014, with not a single tiger, rhino, or elephant killed.

we were about to wade through the thigh-high water, an old friend of Subhash’s offered to take us across in an old WWII army vehicle.

Soon after crossing the river, Subhash and Prem positioned themselves on either side of me and asked me to stay quiet and be cautious. The large swathe of towering grassland by the riverside is prime rhino territory. Climbing up a wooden watchtower, we spotted bear scat on the stairs and at least three rhinos munching on the grass around us. We also saw a baby rhino with its mother hiding in the grass right next to the trail we had come on, though we had failed to see them as we passed. On the way back, we carefully tiptoed around the colossal creatures. A startled rhino mom chasing us was the last thing we wanted: The massive, prehistoric-looking beasts can reach speeds of 40 km/hr, though they don’t have very good eyesight.

As we made our way back through a dense thicket in which the grasslands mingled with the forest, the flaming red of a scarlet minivet, the splash of a turtle jumping into a swamp, and a lone wild boar scampering through the undergrowth kept me distracted enough to keep fear at bay. The wonder set in. Putting myself in such an unguarded situation in a forest brimming with wildlife seemed to have aroused my primal fears, but as soon as I reached the safety of civilisation, I was thrilled to have walked through one of the world’s last remaining pristine stretches in the Himalayan foothills. The forest had opened its heart to me, and I’ll be forever indebted to it for that privilege.

jacek kadaj/moment open/getty images

Indian rhinos are solitary creatures that love to wallow in water bodies to cool down on hot afternoons.

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The Guide

Orientation Chitwan National Park lies in southern Nepal. It is located on the banks of the Rapti and Narayani rivers, about 180 km from Kathmandu. Far away from Sauraha, the over-commercialised region providing entry to Chitwan, Meghauli offers respite from the crowds and is the recommended gateway into the park’s more tranquil parts (chitwannationalpark.gov.np).

Getting there

By Air The closest airport is at Bharatpur, 32 km/80 min east of Meghauli. Taxis to Meghauli charge `2,500.

By Road Meghauli is 180 km/7 hr west of Kathmandu, on a road that winds through the mountains before opening onto the plains of the terai. The roads are mostly decent, but the ride from Bharatpur to Meghauli can be a bit rough along country roads through villages of the

indigenous Tharu people (taxis charge `8,000 one-way). Taxis and private deluxe buses, most popularly from Greenline Travels, ply from Kathmandu and Pokhara towards Bharatpur (5-7 hr; `700 per head).

The border towns of Sunauli/ Birgunj, 150 km from Meghauli, are the nearest points of entry from India to Chitwan.

Hiking in the Jungle Walking safaris on the periphery of Chitwan National Park can be organised through your accommodation. Anything from half-day hikes to multi-day jungle walks, which include camping on the fringes of the national park, are possible with prior reservation. The walk I took was organised by Barahi Jungle Lodge, a luxurious ecolodge situated in Meghauli (97186 37711/+977-56-695447; www. barahijunglelodge.com). Other options include Landmark Forest Park (www.

landmarkforest.com) in the Sauraha region, and Kasara Resort (kasararesort.com) in the Kasara region.

Seasons While the park remains open all year long, the weather is most pleasant from October until March (10-25°C). In summer (AprMay), the temperatures can soar upwards of 40°C. In the monsoon, between June and September, intense precipitation floods the park’s mud roads and adjoining rivers, making it difficult to enter the forest.

Risks and Dangers Forest rangers and guides might downplay the risk of a rhino encounter, but it is possible. Don’t push your guide to take you closer to the animals or accept any offers from them to do so. Stay with the guides and do not stray off alone because the tall elephant grass can hide a rhino or two.

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Neelima Vallangi (python & river), de agostini/getty images (ant hill)

Spotting a python (left) on a walk in Chitwan National Park, an 18-foot giant at that, is rare; Rapti and Reu, the two tributaries of the Narayani River form a natural boundary around the park (top right); On a walk through Chitwan, the terrain changes dramatically (bottom right), from tall grassland to lush riverine jungle.

Short Breaks |

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In the Shadow of Kanchenjunga Embraced as family at a heritage getaway in Sikkim | By Lynn Hilloowala

When the light is right, the five peaks of Kanchenjunga are reflected in the swimming pool at Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse.

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The resort is located on the estate of the Sharkahlon family, who settled here in the early 18th century. They chose this spot for its remoteness. The family’s original house is still standing, and is currently the home of Dekyi Gyatso, a member of the 14th generation of the Sharkahlons.

Dekyi and her family, including Bolt, a lolloping St. Bernard, greeted us warmly. Staying with them was like visiting old friends, as the family took great care of us. The staff, all locals, had beautiful manners, and were wonderful with our baby.

The historic main house is straight out of a fairy tale with its pretty painted gables and balconies.

On the edge of its lawns a sprawling pinewood deck has comfortable armchairs, lacquered tables, driftwood, river stones, and pine cones artistically strewn about. Those too lazy to venture into the surrounding wilderness can enjoy mountain views and do their birdwatching right here.

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photo courtesy: Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse

B

iksthang is located among acres of pine and fruit trees in a pristine Himalayan hamlet in Sikkim. After a two-hour drive from Pelling, via some of the country’s worst roads made bearable by some great views, we arrived at the Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse. Every corner of Biksthang has breathtaking views of the peak of Kanchenjunga, the guardian deity of Sikkim.

The pleasant October air was scented with the aroma of deodar wood and pine needles, which are fed into clay incense burners that send swirls of smoke through the trees.

When planning a holiday with a baby, Sikkim did not exactly spring to mind. As a young couple, Sikkim to us meant treks, frozen lakes, and cup noodles by campfires. Would we be able to enjoy it with a seven-month-old? We decided to put all thoughts of high-altitude treks on hold and made our way to this farmhouse in West Sikkim.

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fishing gear. The riverside, with its white sandy banks fringed by high grass and flat rocks is perfect for picnicking and lounging, legs dangling in the clear water. Another day, Popo took us to the family monastery. We strapped the baby in his carrier and trekked to Lhuntse Gompa to see some wonderful murals restored by Bhutanese painters, and a panoramic view of Kanchenjunga and the mountains around.

Guests can visit an organic farm nearby, explore the Sunday market, and learn to make delicious momos in the homestay’s kitchen. Biksthang is remarkably interesting and ideal for anyone who doesn’t need a sightseeing list. In fact, we did not venture out much.

One crisp morning, with my husband and baby still asleep, I stood on the veranda with only the mountains and the soft, distant chant of monks for company. Warm and content, I felt enveloped in the immutable peace of Biksthang.

Getting There Biksthang is a 2-hr drive south of Pelling. It is 116 km/2 hr north of the nearest airport at Bagdogra. The closest railway station is at New Jalpaiguri (115 km/4.5 hr south).

The farmhouse’s 18th-century heritage wing (top left) has been carefully restored to maintain its original look; The property is perfect for al fresco meals (top right) enjoyed under the shade of fruit trees; The infinity pool (bottom right) overlooks a lush valley and the peaks of Kanchenjunga beyond.

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photo courtesy: Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse

Around the main house are the guest rooms, which are individual wooden chalets, tucked between mandarin and cherry trees. Biksthang’s rustic appeal has just the right touch of luxury, such as the infinity pool jutting over the lush forested mountainside. Sometimes this pool captures the magical reflection of Kanchenjunga’s five peaks.

Other indulgences include taking a traditional hot stone bath in a wooden tub. For newlyweds, the honeymoon suite is on the most secluded patch of the property, surrounded by bamboo thickets and approached by its own private path.

Our cottage was close to the main house, and had a large fir tree in the front and a small private garden at the back. Though we were left an enormous bowlful of walnuts, fresh from the property’s walnut tree, my husband spent a good deal of this holiday under it foraging for more.

During our stay we feasted on roast pork, soft local cheese, even edible orchids. We enjoyed fruits picked from trees on the property: mandarins, chikoos, guavas, and persimmons, served with jellies, custards or, our favourite, a hearty chocolate and marmalade bread pudding. Our infant who had just started eating solid food enjoyed his carefully prepared dishes, and was right at home in a high chair that once held Dekyi’s daughter. Every meal, served in a different space, came with its own view. Breakfast was on the deck, to take advantage of the clear morning views of the five peaks. Lunch was served in a Sikkimese style room, with low seating and brightly painted tables. Dinner was in a stone-walled dungeon, now converted to an elegant dining room. We were offered chhang, the tantalisingly sweet millet beer brewed in-house, and served in silver-embossed wooden flasks.

Dekyi, her husband Namgyal (Popo), and their daughter accompanied us on a picnic to the river, packing food, drink, rugs, umbrellas, music, and

Accommodation Biksthang has standard rooms, two to a cottage (doubles `7,050), private cottages (doubles `8,050) and heritage suites in the main house (doubles `22,050). Prices include breakfast and dinner.

Set meals are varied (Sikkimese, North Indian, Chinese, and Continental) and can be tailored to special requirements. The months of October to March offer clearest views of the peaks (81700 15329; www.biksthang.com).

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Feria de las Flores Medellin, Chile Colombia Argentina

For one week in July-August each year, Colombia’s second city, Medellin is bedecked with flowers and overrun with the spirit of carnival, celebrating Feria de las Flores, the festival of flowers. Events include a rally of vintage cars, a procession of horses, concerts and festivities, as well as food festivals and flower shows organised to flaunt the produce of the surrounding agricultural region of Antioquia.

However, the star of the six-decade old flower festival is Desfile de Silleteros, or the Flower Bearers’ Parade. This parade showcases elaborate flower arrangements created by silleteros, vendors who traditionally carried small wooden seats or silletas, filled with a stunning variety of flowers on their backs, to sell them in the city. The colourful arrangements can weigh up to 100 kilos and vendors try to outdo each other with elaborate arrangements that display their skills. Not surprisingly, they draw more interest than the decorative flower floats of the main procession around the central square. —Rumela Basu

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Uruguay