Enigmatic Chhattisgarh. Decoded -My magical journey into the heartland of India

Green, red, mysterious and magical- Chhattisgarh in the monsoon

Its been a while since my last post and for those of you who have been wondering, I've just returned from an unforgettable 6 day trip to enigmatic Chhattisgarh in the heart of India. Ever since my return, I find myself thinking incessantly of the magical journey that took me into fairly unchartered territory including the Bastar region and brought me back a changed person.

Changed? I could confidently say, for the better. For one, I've eaten my first meal of rice, daal, and 'aamat' cooked by a lovely little old Bastar lady with my hands. I've also travelled and made lifelong friends with a wonderful group of people,  many of whom I met for the very first time on Day 1 of the trip.

I also forgot what 'elevenses' are and happily went without that eleven o clock 'must have' cup of coffee ( until it was available- sometimes over three hours later- because we were on the road and it really wasnt possible to stop the convoy to grab that increasingly elusive cuppa)

Almost, but not quite- Touching the sky

But lets start at the very begining. My trip to Chhattisgarh materialised purely by virtue of the fact that I chose to join #TWC2015, ( Travel Wizards Club 2015) Started recently by Shraddha Gupta an avid traveller and blogger of Street Trotter.com a Boston based travel fashion and lifestyle blog, it  is a wonderful forum to meet and bond with like minded people. 

After the first meet, 12 lucky bloggers had a lifetime's opportunity to travel to Chhattisgarh as guests of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board 

http://www.chhattisgarhtourism.net/

to witness 'Monsoon Magic' and to my utter delight, I learnt that I was one of them.

Having recently moved back to India after 24 years in Muscat, Oman, I must admit, it presented a wonderful opportunity to visit and discover completely unknown terrain( in my book) and a few days and a whole lot of generous family adjustments later, I found myself on a Raipur bound flight with a few of the others and that was the start of one of my best travel adventures till date!

From having the most delicious lunch at Kanker Palace to walking in the footsteps of Hsuan Tsang and more recently, the Dalai Lama, a stay in luxurious tents at the Chitrakote falls, India's Mini Niagara followed by the totally awesome and thunderously cascading Tiratgarh Falls, a hugely thought provoking sunset on the banks of the Mahanadi and those great meals served at each of the resorts we stayed at, we really couldn't have packed in more than we actually did over those unforgettable 6 days.  

Lunch at the Kanker Palace, Chhattisgarh

Some glimpses for you..

The memorable long walk towards the Chitrakote Falls

Chitrakote Falls- The mini Niagara of India

Green, clean, lush  and beautiful

Served up with love - My very first tribal lunch in the heart of Bastar

Standing in front of  the majestic Tirathgarh waterfalls

Bright, colourful and very approachable- Tribal women of Chhattisgarh

Looking back, looking forward -in the jungle

Of course, there is a whole lot more. 

My top of mind  thought- something on the lines of more than can actually  be put in words because it is the feeling and the experience that has imprinted itself on my mind.

But I'm sure as hell going to try, so do watch this space for more.

And maybe..

 Just maybe...

That would actually be enigmatic Chhattisgarh decoded....

The descent -Back to New Delhi with a treasure trove of memories