Dooars in rain - 3

 

**Dooars in Rain - 3**

The next morning, the three of us—except Debanu—went to the Jhalong riverside to witness the mighty, overflowing river after the rainy night. While Kuntal was busy taking photos around the site using his newfound Go-Pro camera, Pijush and I sat on the boulders by the riverside. The water was turbid and flowing with force, creating a mesmerising sound as it rushed over the stones—a sound that could hold you spellbound for hours. Whenever there was a lull in the rain during the night, we could hear this intoxicating sound from our room. 

Sitting there, we lost track of time until Debanu called out to us from the riverbank, showering us with his typical colorful language. He had stayed in the room earlier due to an indigestion problem that had troubled him since the previous night. 

After breakfast, we decided our next destination would be the Jaldapara Forest - Murti River bank. Before setting out, we spoke with a few local properties and realized that, since it was the off-season, we could negotiate better rates for our stay. We visited a few estates, and the WBTDC property—Murti Resort—caught our attention. Situated on a sprawling campus with luxurious cottages, we decided to check in.




We were warned that the road outside the campus is frequently used by elephants, so we were advised not to go out after evening sets in. After having lunch at the resort's restaurant, we headed out to explore the riverbank. The Murti River separates the Great Jaldapara Forest from the road where we stood. The vast gap between the now heavily overflowing Murti River and the Jaldapara Forest appears to be the result of rampant deforestation and logging. It's surprising how many resorts have been allowed on this side of the road, while the other side directly borders the forest. 

There doesn’t seem to be a buffer zone exists between the human habitat and the forest area here!

Early in the morning, before sunrise, we visited the Murti River bank. As we dipped our feet in the cold waters, we truly appreciated the beauty of the river. Kuntal was busy capturing shots everywhere, while Pijush waded through the knee-deep water. I simply sat there, gazing aimlessly around. 

After oversleeping, Debanu showed up a little later. We tried to greet him with his colorful language, but man! we were no match for his quick wit!

Breakfast was complimentary, so after enjoying a sumptuous meal, we set out for our next destination: the Sultanekhole WBTDC Eco Tourism Resort. Along the way, we planned to visit a few tourist spots, including Rocky Island, Samsing, and the Bindu Hydel Plant.



To be continued…






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kashmir trip - April'2025

Image
  🌸 A Memorable Trip to Kashmir - April 2025 Nupur (also known as Kuntal) and I have been friends since our school days. We studied together at Shibpur Dinobundhu Institution up to Class X, after which life took us along different paths. He chose the commerce stream, while I pursued science and engineering. [Hotel Whitehouse on the bank of Lidder river] After graduation, Nupur joined his family business, while I started my career at NTPC, treating the whole of India as my home. Over the next 37 years, I moved from one state to another — from Delhi to Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and finally retired from a plant in Jharkhand. Throughout these years, we stayed connected over phone calls. Our spouses became familiar too, and whenever I visited Howrah, we made it a point to meet. We had once planned a family trip to Himachal Pradesh way back in 2010, but unfortunately, Nupur fell sick at the last moment, and the trip was called off. This time, however, there w...
Read more

Netarhat Trip [1]

Image
 Netarhat Trip So, four of my buddies, including me and three fellow retirees (plus one who’s about to join the club in six months), decided to zoom off to Netarhat, Jharkhand in my new car! This trip has been in the works for a while, though a few of our original group had to bail for various reasons. Luckily, two of my old college pals jumped right in to keep the adventure going strong! Our pickup plan was a true cross-city adventure! Two friends were at opposite ends of Kolkata, and Firdous was at Kolaghat, a solid 70 km down the route. Then there was Sharma, who needed to swing by CMPDI HQ in Ranchi to wrap up some office work to secure his leave.   The plan was for me to start bright and early at 6 AM, picking up Sharma first. But in classic Sharma style, he let me know that punctuality was optional—any delay was welcome! On hindsight, this was possibly to accommodate Sharma’s morning clearance routine! As luck would have it, my pet Daichi decided his morning walk (and ot...
Read more

One Night at Durgadih Eco Resort

Image
  One Night at Durgadih Eco Resort It all started with Debanu's suggestion—a simple plan to escape to a nearby resort for a weekend getaway with all our friends. The essentials were clear: good food, drinks for the big boys, and a scenic backdrop to relax in. Since it was a nearby location and just a weekend trip, we expected most of our friends to join. We quickly shortlisted a few places, some only a few tens of kilometers away. However, when I contacted them, the prices turned out to be heavily inflated, and none of the options could accommodate our group size. A quick search revealed that most of the nearby spots cater primarily to weekend family and friend groups from Kolkata, who typically visit for day trips or short week end stays. Their group sizes tend to be smaller than ours, which limited our accommodation options. It became clear that if we were willing to travel a bit farther, we’d find more choices at more reasonable rates. Expanding our search to properties beyond K...
Read more