Short of bundling us into the car, the first-born announced that we (Mr. D included) are going for a short vacation (I later came to know that this was his gift to us for our wedding anniversary – thoughtful indeed!!). Personally for me, this was a much needed break and I didn’t ask questions on where, why, what etc., One look at the place which was the destination of the short vacation, I fell in love with it – Backyard Camp, a pet friendly campsite. A slew of adjectives ran in my mind – rustic, green, unpolluted, calm, soothing etc., etc., etc.

As we walked in, my eyes caught the tents that were erected on a platform. Took my memories back to the many days of outbound residential training programs, when tents would be the place of stay. As I explored the place, I grew more and more fascinated. Pitched tents, benches below some of the trees, a couple of colourful cloth hammocks, different kinds of trees, places earmarked for tents that could be pitched if there were more guests etc., etc., etc..

Backyard Camp was founded by Koushik Bajibab, a wildlife adventure specialist, learned and passionate about wildlife and the environment. Conversations with him indicated an intuitive and a thoughtful mind, behind the design of the place. Backyard Camp contains 1500 trees of 500 different species – medicinal, fruiting and flowering trees. The fragrance from the trees teases the nostrils.. The sight of the hanging figs tempts the taste buds.. The red colour from the dried kumkum seeds makes one want to smear it on the palms.. The butterflies that so joyously flaps its wings flitting from one plant to another, lends credence to the thought behind the specific trees planted.

The yummy lunch and the calm environment made me take a short siesta. I was woken up by the pitter patter of the raindrops. Couldn’t but slightly open the tent we were in, and peep out to see the falling of the rain on the grassy area ahead. As I wriggled out of the tent like a small little kid, the sun came out as well. It shone thru’ the leaves of a tree, playing hide and seek. Nature simply at its best!!

As I was looking at the rays of the sun playing hide and seek with the leaves, one of the staff came and asked if we would be interested to go on a short trek to watch the sunset. We jumped at the opportunity. My idea of a trek was walking on plain ground that was riddled with stones and roots of trees. Didn’t quite anticipate that the trek meant climbing a small hillock. Loved the climb which wasn’t without some huffing and puffing. The rains that afternoon had left areas of the rock wet. We were told not to walk on areas that were black in colour as they were wet patches; which would cause a slip. Having tripped on an earlier climb though in a differnt place, I was super alert. Once in a while if I look up to see the top of the hillock, I freaked out, because it meant more climbing up. I decided that looking at the destination wouldn’t work for me. I would rather take one step at a time, knowing well that I had a destination to reach (my way of life as well :-)). Ah, so worth the climb it was!!

The 45-minutes spent atop the hillock was a memorable one, just gazing at the scene below, sitting quietly all by myself, alone but not lonely 🙂 or watching the setting of the sun. Amidst all this, having that hot cup of tea with biscuits was the icing on the cake. Time stood still, in the mind 🙂

If the campsite was breathtaking in the day time, the night added more beauty to it; though as I walked thru’ the pathway, something rustling and a thud sound could be heard. I couldn’t but turn back to see if I was being followed by a legless reptile or a 4-legged animal. I found nothing. Too much of movie watching does this :-).

What added a different dimension to this vacation were our fellow vacationers. So many small and big conversations that were interesting and non-personal. We made no formal or informal introductions to one another and yet there was a comfort in every conversation. Our paths may cross again or they may not, but each one of these vacationers left an indelible stamp.

Oh, and how can I forget our Mr. D? I can’t really say for sure but I think he also had a great time at Backyard Camp. He met Ms. O and Mr. L there. He kind of befriended Ms. O and didn’t take at all to Mr. L. A couple of times, Ms. O escaped from her leash and ran over to meet Mr. D. Both of them would go around one another, only to be pulled back by their masters. Mr. L, who is a small canine would stand a good few feet away and bark at Mr. D. When he sees Mr. D crouched and ready to charge or when Mr. D turned around to bark at him, Mr. L would run away. So much of bravado for Mr. L, when he was a distance away 🙂

Mr. D disliked being cooped up in the tent. The rare times he was put inside the tent, he wanted to get out. He would walk up and down the tent, sniff and whine. Just then Mr. L will let out a few barks and Mr. D would get even more cagey. Even if the tent was opened ever so slightly, he would try to nudge through the opening. His senses were getting super stimulated and was always on the alert!!

When it was time to leave Backyard Camp, I was left with the feeling of wanting to come back another time. The reasons could be many – the ambience, the unpolluted environment, the hospitable staff, the sheer beauty of nature, the design of the place that appears chaotic and yet intuitive; and most imporatntly, I want to go back to read the catalogue that lists the 500 species of the trees planted there (the botanist in me is out :-)); and see it as I read. Perhaps, then it would be a long stay? 🙂