Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

“Another trip to India... I could stop counting now (it must be my eighth visit), but it is always good to have your head to the grindstone til the last day of work in France and feel some form of relief the moment you board the plane! And this time the program not really defined except for the part where I will rest rest and rest...

Except that in the end, I travelled from one end to another and most of it in an adventurous style!

I am just writing a summary, you can see some pictures online if you want because the sites I visited are kinda crazy crazy crazy and really worth the effort.

Travel route plan: arrival in Mumbai, journey to the Sundarbans, return to Mumbai and recovering from the West Bengal heat for a few days, then a couple of days in the middle of the week in Matheran, weekend in Ellora and Ajanta, quick stop between two planes in Mumbai and end of stay doing really anything in Goa!

And what to tell?? The plane from France was...

Click on Lire la suite to read more

It comes this time of the year again where the need of nature and disconnection becomes a urge…

Though I have travelled a lot in India there are still many places to discover, luckily!

My criteria are usually: a remote area, a comfortable place to stay, wilderness, no phone network, option to exercise.

So when I read this: “The largest mangrove forest in the world is a mist-shrouded, river-riddled swamp region of shifting tides, man-eating tigers and off-the-beaten-track adventure. It’s surrounded on three sides by two of the most densely populated countries on earth – India and Bangladesh – yet it remains remote, inhospitable and largely uninhabited by people. This is truly wild terrain, and chug-chugging along its river channels into its swampy heart of darkness is as thrilling as it is serene.*” I could only say “let’s go!!”.

And this magic place is called… Sundarbans!

Looking further, I tried to decide whether to visit from the Bangladeshi side or Indian side. The Bangladeshi part seemed even wilder and mostly visited by boat, so I was really keen on going there. But May was the beginning of the rainy season and there were risks of storm. Plus I needed a visa. And travelling from the airport to the Sundarbans would require one night bus. So I decided to be reasonable (for once) and opt for the Indian option.

Looking for an agency I found this very appealing site: “We try as much as we can to buy our vegetables and fish from the local farmers and fishermen, engaging local folk artist to present their art to our guests. Our island does not have electricity and we want to keep it that way. We use lanterns and lamps and some solar powered lights. The idea is to let people break away from their daily life chaos spending few days in the lap of nature and doing things which pleases their senses. Take a dip in our ponds, take a boat into the mangrove to watch birds in the daytime and stars at night, take our goat for grazing and give our water buffalos a shower. Learn some bengali cooking and meet travellers’ in the community center for sharing travel stories...**”. I was conquered!!

News when I get back!

* http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bangladesh/travel-tips-and-articles/77644#ixzz2MqK2my3c

** http://www.tourdesundarbans.com/