The idea to start sharing my experiences came to my mind a few months after I moved to Gurgaon - sometime back in October 2017. I was in Gurgaon way back in 2004 and when I moved out of the city in 2006, I had made a promise to myself - never to come back here for another job, no matter how lucrative it would be. But then you can't change what destiny has in store for you and here I was back in the city one hot summer day in May 2017. The first 6 months went by, settling in the new city, getting comfortable with my new job, looking for a school for Kashvi, finding a gym in the neighborhood and getting back to the life I was used to. Thanks to Gurgaon, its infrastructure and my flexible work schedule, I had some time to think what I wanted out of life. From there on it was a trial and error process engaging with multiple people and activities and at the end narrowed down on - a) heritage walks, b) cycling and c) yoga and fitness. These 3 (along with my family) have become an i
Another Sunday and time for another ride. But before I get into this weeks ride let me touch upon the biggest challenge I have been facing ever since I got hooked on cycling - deciding on which place to RIDE.
So going by the rules (How to find new roads to cycle) we narrowed down on Sultanpur National Park for this Sunday morning ride. A paradise for bird watchers and nature lovers Sultanpur National Park is also a perfect retreat for anyone who wants to spend some peaceful time away from the hustle bustle of Gurgaon city life. Going by Google Maps it is a 25km one way ride and has multiple routes by car (wish google maps had a cycling route option as well for Indian roads).
We started early morning and rode through Sector 29 via Leisure Valley and took NH 48 till we reached Hero Honda road (roughly 10kms from the starting point). All well till this point, but then the landscape changed as soon as we took the right turn to Basai village. The roads very congested even in the wee hours of the morning bustling with autos and commercial vehicles. The ride till Dhankot (around 6.5km from Hero Honda road) was extremely dusty and we were already choked. This was one ride where we had doubts about our decision and even thought of aborting the ride midway.
Thankfully the road showed signs of improvement from Dhankot onwards, which is another 7.4km ride till Farruk Nagar. You can enter the park between 6;30 am to 4:30 pm after buying a ticket for INR 5/- per head and an additional Rs 25/- if you are carrying a camera.There are four machans or watch towers and one can climb up to the top to get an aerial view of the park. We spent almost an hour before heading back.
Must say our return ride seemed never ending with traffic that ensured that we had to walk our cycle for at least 500m through muddy roads. For once we were not really happy with the route that we had selected.
Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary is a must visit haven for traffic hit residents of concrete Jungle that NCR has become and also for people who complain about the complete absence of scenic beauty in and around Gurgaon. Not a good idea to cycle to Sultanpur. If you really want to enjoy Sultanpur, I would recommend driving down in your car.
Even the human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man - Anonymous.
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