Of solitary walks and much more...

An 8 hour privately hired bus drive brought us almost close to the resort at 9 in the blazing sun; exactly up till 2 kms away from the resort, wherefrom we were tucked onto the resort's old school jeeps. A bumpy ride up to the resort prepared us well for our upcoming stay. After having gorged on the decently prepared breakfast, minus the south indian preparations which continued to have some different kind of flavour and smell all throughout the breakfast meals, a few of us showered the dust settled during the ride up to the resort, and slept the morning off in a very cosy bed. The tastefully done rooms in wood, left us disappointed when the TVs did not work, the AC could not cool and the fan did not move. With the setting of a pleasant evening, the convention centre turned into a private disc and allowed us to let ourselves loose to the taste of some good snacks and music. Followed by a heavy meal at dinner, with some sumptuous chicken and mutton dishes, we called it a night, to wake up to a very early walk into the wild. The next morning saw us up at 5 am and one of the resort's official took us for a guided walk up till a nearby village by the name of Chopra Village. A wild walk into the forest, with the company of a few adorable stray dogs, happy children, a calm breeze, and very soon passive rains made way for a memorable experience. Sheltering under a hut, a kind tea seller served hot cups of tea, making it all not only a pretty sight with the greens coming alive, but also taking in the fresh air hinted with the now moist mud fragrance. A further walk into the forest led us to discover ruins of what looked like carvings on rocks of figures from old Indian culture. Upon return to the resort after 2 hours we headed straight to the restaurant for the breakfast which was more or less the same like the previous day and having stuffed, hit the bed till the time for the next meal was around. Having slept half the day, I plugged my music in, tucked my book in, and went out to explore the property, while the others lazed in the sun, a few others jumped into the pool to cool off. The gorgeous well attended paths all around, the mini golf course surrounded with a few rocks sitting idle here and there, the perfectly manicured lawns, along with the consistent calm of the property kept drawing me in. The evening beckoned with some bonfire, old hindi songs and freshly made snacks, while the time post dinner awaited for the night safari to kick in. At 11 we were yet again tucked into the jeeps in groups of 6-7 each. The cold, the paranoia, the dark lent to the excitement of a 2 hours long ride. Although we returned disappointed with only having spotted a wild giant elephant and to the contrast a wild baby pig, the entire experience was overwhelming for the first time, at least. The next morning we packed our bags with dirty linen and our hearts with some timeless memories.