Canadian World Traveller Fallr 2016 issue Canadian World Traveller Fall 2016 issue | Page 89

India at rice harvest time, and it was a
perfect time to get great pictures, enjoy a
freshly cooked bowl of scented rice and
feel the essence of rural Indian life.

including storks, multi-hued parrots and
many others.

Kaziranga National Park

They may not be India’s rulers anymore,
but the British left many traditions and
features that India has adopted. One such
item is Tea, and India has become masters of the art!
A visit to a tea plantation started by the
British more than a century ago was a lesson in history and agriculture, as this
region is very well known for its tea production and produces some of the world’s
finest leaves. We were also shown the vital
peppercorn plant, growing in vines on the
plantation trees, something that I had
never known before!
The visit also afforded us the opportunity
to stock up on our gifts for back home
and we bought loads of fresh and flavourful tea. Sadly we were denied the local
pepper, as they were sold out of last
year’s harvest – very disappointing!

With full stomachs and light hearts, we
proceeded to our destination - the
Kaziranga National Park. I love safaris,
and India offers many locals to view the
country’s spectacular and unique flora
and fauna.
Well maintained and organized, the roads
are open from November to mid-May,
and visitors who want to can drive through
the park in their own vehicles or go on
guided tours. A special treat is that travel
within the park can be done by riding elephants!
Regardless of mode, the tours inevitably
offer a glimpse into the wild side of India.
There are three tourist routes under the
jurisdiction of three Ranges — Kohora,
Bagori and Agaratoli – each offering a
magnificent cross-section of the native
vegetation and the many favourite hunting
and foraging spots of the animals who
call the park home.
As no visitor is allowed to enter the park
without an accompanying representative,
our group was entertained and informed
by a great guide who woke us up the
morning at 5am for a wonderful elephant
trek. It was still dark as we left, but the sun
quickly rose on the horizon. This was my
second elephant ride in the wild and it
was a real treat. Along the route we got to
see some of the big mammals starting
their day, including wild elephants, buffalo
and one horned Rhinos…but my dream to
see an ever-elusive tiger was not meant to
be. Even during the second outing, this
time in Jeeps, the tigers were not interested in human encounters. The park is also
a wonderful location for bird watching, as
it is home to vast array of exotic birds,

British influence, part 1

Further in the day we were blessed with a
visit to a small farming village that has
been living the same way since antiquity.
The farm-folk lived in unison with the land
and were very welcoming to strangers.
Gentle and open people, life moves very
slowly here, and really makes you wonder
about the rat race.

Guwahati, state of Assam
I will always envision Guwahati as a city of
temples, as we visited 3 beautiful Hindu
temples while there and could have easily
visited many more.

Basistha Temple
The first one we visited, Basistha Temple,
is nestled by a river and is well known,
and is considered as one of the most powerful temples for most Hindus. Considered
blessed by Lord Rama