Sat 6 Dec Bhopal
The train heads to the southeast. We sleep until about 0830, at which time Mike relinquishes his seat to the gent who held the original ticket. For the next 3 hours they talk, joined by his colleague (Carol lays low and follows the scenery). These two fellows, a Muslim Shiite and a Christian, both from Nagpur, had taken a 21 hr train ride - almost as far as from Jaipur - to transact some business. Almost immediately, business completed, they caught a train back to Nagpur. They seemed to be business partners in some respect. One of them asserted that 9/11 was an inside job - how would a jet fuel fire have brought down such huge buildings? We three talked about Indian food and Indian politics. Time passed, and one guy thanked Mike for taking 3 hours out of an otherwise very boring trip.
It turns out that their loooooong train ride was competitive with their airplane alternatives: Nagpur to Delhi to Jaipur, followed by bus to the town, and then the reverse. Not an easy trip, but surely better than any bus alternative.
At some point in our journey, we leave the tourist-hub state of Rajasthan and enter Madhya Pradesh, rarely visited by tourists.
Since our train was late in leaving Bundi, we presume that we will arrive in Bhopal around 1230. At 1140, passengers around us say that we are at the Bhopal station! Quick onto the platform (as with all transportation actions we have to be quick, because things happen quickly, and you might end up involuntarily going on to the next stop).
Bhopal has a booming train station, surrounded by snarled traffic and vendors of all kind.
Guidebooks in hand, out for a short walk to Hotel Sonali, where we are booked. Sonali is not easy to find, since it is on a back street. But we find it. A back room (with balcony) on a back street means downtown quiet, much to be desired. And a chance for Carol to do some hand laundry.
We check in, shower, change clothes, and go up two blocks for lunch at Manohar Dairy and Restaurant. Bright yellow sign outside, busy tables inside. Manohar is half restaurant, half sweet shop. We are handed the English-language menu, which seems to have the same layout of menu items as the Hindi menu. By pointing, Carol orders the large thali, which includes a glass of buttermilk. Mike had the smaller thali, with one fewer dish, and without the buttermilk. After we finished we asked for the check, so the waiter brought two cups of chai.
By now it is 1500. We aren't going to get to any tiger parks this trip, so our goal today is to visit Van Vihar Zoological Park, where they have tigers. A 150 R rickshaw ride takes us there. We leave the crowded central part of the city and come to a much greener and upscale area. Upper Bhopal Lake, the oldest man-made lake in India, was created by Raja Bhoj in the 11th Century by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River.
A gated area indicates the entrance to the park. We purchase tickets and walk in. The park is linear, along the lake. Animal exhibits are located every 200-500 meters. The total walk is 5 km down and 5 km back, which is out of the question (it will be dark and the park closed long before we could finish such a walk). However, the tigers are only 1.6 km in, so off we go. Being outdoors and walking is a great antidote for our demanding overnight train ride.
We see an Asiatic lion, some panther/leopards, some tigers, and some white tigers. It seems that these large animals are in two kinds of enclosures - a large spacious walled and fenced area, in which it is impossible to see the animals on the far side, and a smaller closer cage, in which there are one or two animals reasonably visible to park visitors. Perhaps the animals are shuttled between the cages on a daily or weekly basis?
It isn't Sasan Gir, it isn't Ranthambore. But we are seeing animals in a much more spacious and natural setting than in any zoo we have ever visited. And they are awake and active, doing their own thing. One tiger is playing kitty cat, luxuriously grooming itself. No long jeep rides or guides with GPS. Less time, less money. Works for us.
About 1630 we have turned around and are walking back. On the way back, one of the tigers has caught a monkey and is chowing down. A sloth bear is engaged in some weird perseverative behaviors, twirling a very large rock back and forth.
We walk out from the zoo into an amusement park environment. There are kayaks and paddle boats available for rental. The teenybopper guys and gals of Bhopal strut along the lake, snapping selfies. We read later that some feel that the loud noises from the entertainment zone and country clubs are adversely affecting the nearby animals.
The rickshaw cost 150 to get here, but the going price seems to be 180 to get back to town. Something about a parking fee? Go figure. Anyway, finally a driver agrees to take us to the Rwy. Sta. for 150 R (it is easier than to say Hotel Sonali).
We wanted to maybe see the famous mosque on the way back but for some reason our driver was leery of taking us there. It turns out that today is the first day of Aalmi Tablighi Ijtima (World Preachers’ Congregation) an annual 3-day event considered among the top five Muslim conventions in the world. "Over 15 lakh Muslims" (that's 1.5 million people) from various parts of India and Malaysia, Iran, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka are expected to converge on Bhopal.
Back downtown, we spend an hour on internet to determine that Hans Travel has a sleeper bus from Bhopal to Aurangabad, our next stop, leaving 1700 and arriving 0740 the next morning. Total fee 1500 R for two tickets. We book for 8 Dec.
Out for "dinner" at Manohar. We just order drinks and milk shakes.
The range of TV channels is good in our hotel. We indulge before we go to sleep.
To get the big question out of the way - why have we chosen to visit Bhopal? There are some places, like Soweto, Selma or Dachau, that are forever linked with catastrophic histories. We aren't in Bhopal because of the Union Carbide gas disaster of 3 December 1984 (the 30th anniversary of the explosion, and the release of the film "Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain" have been featured in Indian and international news this past week). Bhopal is a city of 1.8 million with a strong Muslim flavor. Bhopal is also the best choice as a base for visiting our first Buddhist site, Sanchi, and beginning our westward return to Mumbai.
The train heads to the southeast. We sleep until about 0830, at which time Mike relinquishes his seat to the gent who held the original ticket. For the next 3 hours they talk, joined by his colleague (Carol lays low and follows the scenery). These two fellows, a Muslim Shiite and a Christian, both from Nagpur, had taken a 21 hr train ride - almost as far as from Jaipur - to transact some business. Almost immediately, business completed, they caught a train back to Nagpur. They seemed to be business partners in some respect. One of them asserted that 9/11 was an inside job - how would a jet fuel fire have brought down such huge buildings? We three talked about Indian food and Indian politics. Time passed, and one guy thanked Mike for taking 3 hours out of an otherwise very boring trip.
It turns out that their loooooong train ride was competitive with their airplane alternatives: Nagpur to Delhi to Jaipur, followed by bus to the town, and then the reverse. Not an easy trip, but surely better than any bus alternative.
At some point in our journey, we leave the tourist-hub state of Rajasthan and enter Madhya Pradesh, rarely visited by tourists.
Since our train was late in leaving Bundi, we presume that we will arrive in Bhopal around 1230. At 1140, passengers around us say that we are at the Bhopal station! Quick onto the platform (as with all transportation actions we have to be quick, because things happen quickly, and you might end up involuntarily going on to the next stop).
Bhopal has a booming train station, surrounded by snarled traffic and vendors of all kind.
Guidebooks in hand, out for a short walk to Hotel Sonali, where we are booked. Sonali is not easy to find, since it is on a back street. But we find it. A back room (with balcony) on a back street means downtown quiet, much to be desired. And a chance for Carol to do some hand laundry.
We check in, shower, change clothes, and go up two blocks for lunch at Manohar Dairy and Restaurant. Bright yellow sign outside, busy tables inside. Manohar is half restaurant, half sweet shop. We are handed the English-language menu, which seems to have the same layout of menu items as the Hindi menu. By pointing, Carol orders the large thali, which includes a glass of buttermilk. Mike had the smaller thali, with one fewer dish, and without the buttermilk. After we finished we asked for the check, so the waiter brought two cups of chai.
By now it is 1500. We aren't going to get to any tiger parks this trip, so our goal today is to visit Van Vihar Zoological Park, where they have tigers. A 150 R rickshaw ride takes us there. We leave the crowded central part of the city and come to a much greener and upscale area. Upper Bhopal Lake, the oldest man-made lake in India, was created by Raja Bhoj in the 11th Century by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River.
A gated area indicates the entrance to the park. We purchase tickets and walk in. The park is linear, along the lake. Animal exhibits are located every 200-500 meters. The total walk is 5 km down and 5 km back, which is out of the question (it will be dark and the park closed long before we could finish such a walk). However, the tigers are only 1.6 km in, so off we go. Being outdoors and walking is a great antidote for our demanding overnight train ride.
We see an Asiatic lion, some panther/leopards, some tigers, and some white tigers. It seems that these large animals are in two kinds of enclosures - a large spacious walled and fenced area, in which it is impossible to see the animals on the far side, and a smaller closer cage, in which there are one or two animals reasonably visible to park visitors. Perhaps the animals are shuttled between the cages on a daily or weekly basis?
It isn't Sasan Gir, it isn't Ranthambore. But we are seeing animals in a much more spacious and natural setting than in any zoo we have ever visited. And they are awake and active, doing their own thing. One tiger is playing kitty cat, luxuriously grooming itself. No long jeep rides or guides with GPS. Less time, less money. Works for us.
About 1630 we have turned around and are walking back. On the way back, one of the tigers has caught a monkey and is chowing down. A sloth bear is engaged in some weird perseverative behaviors, twirling a very large rock back and forth.
We walk out from the zoo into an amusement park environment. There are kayaks and paddle boats available for rental. The teenybopper guys and gals of Bhopal strut along the lake, snapping selfies. We read later that some feel that the loud noises from the entertainment zone and country clubs are adversely affecting the nearby animals.
The rickshaw cost 150 to get here, but the going price seems to be 180 to get back to town. Something about a parking fee? Go figure. Anyway, finally a driver agrees to take us to the Rwy. Sta. for 150 R (it is easier than to say Hotel Sonali).
We wanted to maybe see the famous mosque on the way back but for some reason our driver was leery of taking us there. It turns out that today is the first day of Aalmi Tablighi Ijtima (World Preachers’ Congregation) an annual 3-day event considered among the top five Muslim conventions in the world. "Over 15 lakh Muslims" (that's 1.5 million people) from various parts of India and Malaysia, Iran, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka are expected to converge on Bhopal.
Back downtown, we spend an hour on internet to determine that Hans Travel has a sleeper bus from Bhopal to Aurangabad, our next stop, leaving 1700 and arriving 0740 the next morning. Total fee 1500 R for two tickets. We book for 8 Dec.
Out for "dinner" at Manohar. We just order drinks and milk shakes.
The range of TV channels is good in our hotel. We indulge before we go to sleep.
To get the big question out of the way - why have we chosen to visit Bhopal? There are some places, like Soweto, Selma or Dachau, that are forever linked with catastrophic histories. We aren't in Bhopal because of the Union Carbide gas disaster of 3 December 1984 (the 30th anniversary of the explosion, and the release of the film "Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain" have been featured in Indian and international news this past week). Bhopal is a city of 1.8 million with a strong Muslim flavor. Bhopal is also the best choice as a base for visiting our first Buddhist site, Sanchi, and beginning our westward return to Mumbai.
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