Jayanti Part-2
We
are just outside the Alipurduar station. Its 1 pm now. We are
bargaining with car drivers and autowalas for a ride to Jayanti - our
todays destination. Soumendu is calling his friend Dharma to get to know
the reasonable price range for the ride. Finally we fixed for an auto
rickshaw. Lets buy some liquor from here.
Our
auto rickshaw is running like an express. After 20 minutes ride we have
reached Rajabhatkhawa. Its the entry point to the Buxa Reserve Forest.
We are paying the entry fee for ourselves and Soumendu's camera (its the
bigger one than Soumya's). Yeah right, we got two functional cameras
for our trip. Again we have started our journey. We are running through
the jungle. I am thrilled imagining a leopard is running behind us to
get on the auto from the open backside (to enjoy a free ride of
course!).
The road map from Alipurduar to Jayanti
( Please don't judge by scale ;) )
we
are now in our cottage. We have reached Jayanti at 3 pm. We crossed a
river on our way. There is no bridge on that river. We got to know from
the auto driver that the river's name is Bala. Our auto crossed through
the river bed but we were not swept away by any strong current. How
courageous we are. (Actually the water was not visible on the surface of
the river bed). ;)
The cottage we stayed
We
booked a four bedded room. We are taking bath one by one (keeping it
simple as usual!). Rats and moles are doing exercises in our stomachs.
Its
4:30 pm now. We have finished our lunch. Now we are going for a stroll
to the river Jayanti. The Jayanti village is at the bank of the river
Jayanti. (No idea about how many girls in that village are named
Jayanti!)
Crossing the river Jayanti after sunset
A
dog was waiting to make its life meaningful by following the great
leaders who would come from the land of the south. Finally the moment
has arrived and you can clearly see it from the above picture.
The bed of the river Jayanti is very wide. There is not much water visible on the surface of the river. Most of the water flows under the rocks and pebbles of this wide river bed. There is a ruin of a railway bridge on the river. It was built by the East India Company in the year 1915 over the river Jayanti to transport dolomite stones. At the time of its construction, this bridge was 52 feet high. But now its leveled on the river bed. The bridge did not fell on the river bed but the river bed has risen up to kiss its back.
The bed of the river Jayanti is very wide. There is not much water visible on the surface of the river. Most of the water flows under the rocks and pebbles of this wide river bed. There is a ruin of a railway bridge on the river. It was built by the East India Company in the year 1915 over the river Jayanti to transport dolomite stones. At the time of its construction, this bridge was 52 feet high. But now its leveled on the river bed. The bridge did not fell on the river bed but the river bed has risen up to kiss its back.
We
have now crossed the river. Its becoming dark now. We are seeing trees
are standing firm on the extended river bed. There are many tree trunks
scattered everywhere. Flash floods have brought them from the upstream
of the river. We are now walking towards Bhutia Basti. Soumendu and
Soumya are taking snaps of a tall tree standing firm beside the road. We
found a bench beside the road and I utilized it for some time. We are
walking slowly. Suddenly a peacock screamed raucously in the jungle
beside us. Our guide of this stroll is the caretaker of the cottage. He
is telling us that there is a salt pit where the peacock was calling.
We are walking towards Bhutia Basti
We
have reached Bhutia Basti. Its a small habitat of people who previously
worked in the dolomite factories. Kerosene lamps are put on in every
hut. We crossed the village and then embarked on the river bed again. We
are walking upstream the river towards Jayanti. Its a moonlit night and
and we are walking on the river bed. Its amazing.
We are on the riverbed in the moonlit evening
Its
past 9 pm. We have finished our dinner. It seemed costly to us as we
have found the egg curry is priced at 40 rupees per head. But anyway its
a winter night and our stomach is happy. We are sitting on the porch.
There is a nice arrangement of chairs and tables here. We are sipping
Blenders Pride with Thumsup. This is the first time I am taking Blenders
Pride and it feels smooth to me. I am a novice in this practice.
Feeling lighter now. We have put off all the lights and enjoying the
moonlight. Soumya is talking about elephants. I am imagining a baby
elephant wearing a pink dress is riding the slides in a park.
Next part: Good Morning Jayanti
Next part: Good Morning Jayanti
Let me know your comments (all sort of) in the comments section ;)
Next part: Good Morning Jayanti
Previous part: Jayanti - The Beginning
Next part: Good Morning Jayanti
Previous part: Jayanti - The Beginning
