The north east of India is opening up to tourists. Traveltalks JON UNDERWOOD visited West Bengal to see what the state has to offer.

MUKTIRANI NEGOTIATES the slippery river bank with the grace of a gazelle. This is no mean feat, given she is a 45-year-old Asian elephant with a gaggle of excited tourists on her back. Sunil, the mahout, gently coaxes her onwards by digging his right foot into the back of her ear.

The sun is sending lightsabers of warmth slicing through the jungle canopy and the early morning mist is rising from the river, but it is still cold. I am glad of the shared body heat of my companions and the warmth being given off from below by my pachyderm pal.

This is the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in the Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal, some 130 kilometres from Siliguri. It stands in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and covers more than 200 square kilometres. Opened in 1941, the sanctuary provides shelter for endangered animals, in particular the Indian one-horned rhino, which is faced with extinction. Locals claim it is the best animal park in northern West Bengal, an area that is only just opening up to large scale tourism.

I am hoping to get a glimpse of a rhino, along with the Bengal tigers, leopards, wild elephants, deer, peacocks and other assorted fauna that now call Jaldapara home. Its incredibly quiet as we set off around 6am on our elephant safari, the jungle peace interrupted only by the sound of two peacocks calling to each other.

With 33 species of mammals, 240 bird varieties and 30 types of reptile in the park, the chance of seeing something is high and it doesnt take long for my camera to whip into action. Sunil points out a sambar, the largest deer in India, as it looks up from its morning feed, and a peacock sitting high in a tree. Then, as Muktirani swings around a corner, there is a commotion in the bushes ahead and we all freeze like statues. A rhino ambles out of the flora, looking totally uninterested in us (which is a blessing, seeing as we are no more than a few feet away) and only pauses momentarily before shuffling back into the jungle. As animal encounters go, it was short but it was sweet.

BENGAL BEAUTY

44 | W W W . T R A V E L T A L K M A G . C O M . A U

The elephant safari is the ideal way to explore Jaldapara. You are perfectly safe on top of your elephant and it only costs about $10 for an hour, leaving you plenty of time to explore this fascinating region.

THE JAYSHREE TEA CITYYou cant come to this part of India and not visit a tea plantation. It would be like going to Singapore and not trying a Sling. The Jayshree Tea City is only a short drive from Jaldapara and stretches over an area of some 48 square kilometres.

Although we visited when most of the workers were on their annual holiday (mid-December to mid-February) and the place was relatively deserted, the gardens were still impressive, with the tea bushes neatly arranged in rows like soldiers on parade. Come March when some 1,600 workers return to pick the tea, it is a hive of activity. Visitors are able to watch the full cycle of production from picking to tasting at the on-site processing plant.

Jayshree is a relatively new plantation, being less than 10 years old. The pickers earn around 250 Rupees a day (about $4.50) and work in six hour shifts. It is hard work, made even more hazardous by the presence of two dangerous local inhabitants.

Sometimes leopards come out of the jungle and like to sleep in the shade of the tea bushes, says our extremely helpful and

friendly guide Mithun Das from Wild Planet Travels. His company can arrange tours all around the area so he knows his stuff. And there are also the cobras that make their homes in holes among the bushes. Suddenly 250 Rupees a day sounds really inadequate.

TOTOPARA In such a massively overpopulated country, it piques the interest when I am told about a place that houses the smallest tribal community in India.

Totopara is a small village on the banks of the River Torsha near the Bhutan border that is home to just 600 people, known as the Totos or the dooars aboriginals. When the monsoon rains come and the rivers flood (June to September), the village is cut off from the rest of the world. It is just 22

kilometres from Jaldapara and a must-visit on any trip to this part of West Bengal.

I wasnt sure what to expect when we arrived on the outskirts of the village and parked our cars. How many Westerners had come this way? How primitive were their living conditions? Should I be worried about taking their pictures? And then I saw the satellite dish

For while Totopara may be small and often isolated, the villagers dont lack some of the creature comforts of modern civilisation. Youths on motorbikes whizz up and down the tiny main street, mobile phones are everywhere and posters for the latest Bengali movies cover shops and walls. Unfortunately, the plastic bottle and packaging epidemic that seems to be engulfing India has also reached this tiny enclave and there is rubbish everywhere.

A one-horned rhino

Muktirani and Sunil

Kids get food in return for attending school in Totopara

Jayshree Tea City

T R A V E L T A L K J U L Y 2 0 1 3 | 45

India India

44 | W W W . T R A V E L T A L K M A G . C O M . A U

Today is market day, however, and there is colour in abundance. Vendors sell everything from fish to footballs, tobacco to toothbrushes. Its noisy, pungent and totally enthralling. The children play happily in the street and stare at the silly foreigners who are busy taking pictures of everything that moves. I share some mints with a group of kids and watch on in amusement as the strong taste makes their eyes water.

Mixing with the outside world has its benefits but can also lead to unforeseen changes in village life. Mithun explains that 30 years ago the Totos were pure bred but now they are a mix including Bhutanese and Nepalese. They have their own Toto language but the young people dont want to speak it as they consider it primitive, he explains. They only want to learn mainstream languages.

The government has launched a worthwhile program to educate the children of Totopara to try and keep their culture and heritage alive. Kids who attend the tiny village school are given food if they turn up, a clever incentive in a place where life is hard and the next meal isnt always guaranteed.

JALDAPARA TOURIST LODGEHaving spent a dirty and dusty day getting to and from Totopara, I was glad to return to our accommodation at Jaldapara Tourist Lodge in Jalpaiguri. It is adjacent to the park and a perfect base for exploring the region.

The Lodge has a decent restaurant, bar and well kept gardens, including an intriguing animal walk featuring replicas of the wildlife found in the surrounding jungle. There are 22 double bedded rooms and each is clean and comfortable, with TV and air conditioning. However, 11 new cottages are being built next to the main lodge that will offer new facilities and more privacy. These cottages are also right up against the fence of the park so sitting out on the verandah one night guests may be lucky enough to see a passing elephant.

GETTING THEREBoth Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines fly from Sydney to Kolkata via Singapore. Virgin Australia: 13 67 89; virginaustralia.com/auSingapore Airlines: 13 10 11; singaporeair.com

WHEN TO GOWest Bengals climate varies from tropical savanna in the south to humid subtropical in the north. The western districts suffer from heat waves in summer when the temperature gets up to 45C and beyond, whereas the northern region sees occasional snowfall in winter when the temperature drops below freezing point. Avoid the monsoon season from June to September.

FA S T FACTS ///WHAT TO TAKEA tourist visa is normally given for six months and is valid for 180 days from the date of issue and not from the date of entry into India, unless specified otherwise.

CURRENCYThe Indian currency is called the Rupee and one Australian dollar is currently worth about 55 Rupees. Credit cards have become increasingly popular in most cities but it is advisable to carry enough cash when visiting small towns, where ATMs and credit card machines may be hard to come by.

CONTACT DETAILSJaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. jaldapara.comJayshree Tea City. jayshreetea.com Wild Planet Travels. wildplanettravels.comFor more information, visit westbengal.gov.in and incredibleindia.org

Jaldapara Tourist Lodge

India

46 | W W W . T R A V E L T A L K M A G . C O M . A U