Another day dawned late, the after effects of the previous day’s activities still reeling in my mind I start the day uncertain to the chain of events that are yet to be unraveled.
A late start to a beautiful day, uncertainty and boredom the only co-passengers on my ride. Its then that I decide why waste a good day travel a bit more and at least visit the much spoken about National Park at Bannergattha. Having no clue as to whereabouts of the national park I continue down the Bannergattha Road thinking it will lead me to the park automatically. Well I did find out that the park is approximately 40 kms on the outskirts of the city. Other than this my knowledge of the whole area is "ZILCH".
I keep going down the road and I keep going on and on for nearly 60 kms but no sight of the park. Well I guess it must have been due to the much clichéd fact of male genes, for not asking questions that I kept going. After 60kms I swallowed my male pride and asked a passerby as to the directions of the national park. Guess what, in his broken tamil and fluent kannada I get to know that the park is around 23kms behind me.
I go back and find the park. Park my bike and proceed to the ticket counter. As I exit the parking lot I get to a queue and I am like hello where are the ticket booths!!! I ask a lady in front of me if this is the queue to the entry to the zoo. Well as perplexed as I was so was she! The long queue snaked a course along the walls of the national park and the lady in front of me actually finished two ears of corn before we actually got beside the wall. Whew upon entering the park, thinking the worst is over, I discover that I thought too soon. Here I was pushed into a queue, one longer than the one I just got past.
Whew! I am pushed into a pathway just enough to accommodate one adult. This queue actually had me thinking if all this was worth but a call from a friend assured me that no matter what the sight of the cats is worth any queue, stench and pain. After an hour of waiting in the queue I finally get to board a bus bypassing a whole line, around two bus load of people as I was the only single guy there awaiting a glance of the mighty jungle cats. Who else but the biggest cat to be your first sight. The mighty lion as usual resting under the shade provides for the perfect photo session. Hmmm. From then on each sighting only got better. The dosage of the cats just too much, also combined to this is the enthusiasm of the people, going from one side to another. The force in which this happens only wants you to pray god please don’t let the bus tip over to the other side.
Secretly well I did wish the tigers or the lions actually charged the bus to actually liven the whole trip but well that still remains as a wish. Hope someday it does happen!!
We get back to the main park area and from there I head straight to the butterfly conservatory… I know a lot of you will ask what is there in a butterfly conservatory to actually be of any interest. My sentiments exactly but once you enter the conservatory you feel like you have entered a totally different world. The greens combined with the high domed glass roof dotted with conical pods for the butterflies, think they are the pods that serve as the hatchery for the eggs, and the carefree flutter of the delicate butterfly, wow its just too much to explain and something you got to actually see to ever get to know what I am talking about.
Well after a walk with my flutter counterparts in this stage called life I must get back although I would have loved to spend the whole day there, learn more and live amongst them. The concrete jungle beckons me to live another day amidst the concrete blocks with manmade colors, making me want to visit the natural world to enjoy its fruits undisturbed and with a better understanding…
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