sunday..picnic!

Yesterday i was at Priya's place..and SUDDENLY..(hehe..sorry neelu!)..Rahul says we need to check out places around bangalore too..
and thats when we decided to check out Banerghatta Biological Park..
So tday morning.. armed with an assortment of sandwiches made by Priya and Rachu..
we (Rahul,Priya,Rachu,Radha and me)..set off at around 9am.. and reached the park by 10:15..
The park established in 1971 is approx 104 sq.kms..
Pros:
1. Short drive from the city..really no reason for any1 in the city to NOT have visited this place atleast once in his/her life..
2. Very reasonably priced tickets...with decent discounts for students and senior citizens..
3. a wide variety of animals/birds.. much more than i have seen in most other parks/zoos in India.
4. the enclosures in the zoo for most animals were very neatly kept..and i was impressed with the general level of neatness.
5. very rare chance to see lions and tigers really close..at 1 point i could just put my hand out of the window and "pet" the lion/tiger.
6.Very proactive about non usage of plastics within the zoo and also provision of paper bags to carry food items into the zoo.(for eg, they were providing paper bags to take chips inside while discarding plastic bags that the visitors were carrying in)

Cons:
1. The vehicle used for the actual safari is a pretty run down and shabbily maintained mini bus.. im sure the govt can invest in a better mode of transport. At least upgrade the seats in the minibus to well cushioned ones.
2.Though proactive about non usage of plastic, the food outlets within the zoo still sell items in plastic.Which sort of beats the whole exercise!
3.The enclosure for the lion/tiger safari seemed really small (understandably to ensure that patrons can easily spot the animal during the safari).Im sure a larger enclosure can be worked out considering the burgeoning population of these wonderful cats.
4.The govt. seems to have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to earn some more money, through active marketing, sale of zoo/safari themed pictures/postcards, books, photo sessions..or even in case of some animals.. a chance to meet/touch the animals..( on the lines of the singapore zoo)..
5. The actual safari can become more interactive and informative if the govt can hire professional guides to supervise each trip. As opposed to the current arrangement of a small boy who pretty much just mumbles whatever he picked up on the job.
all in all a must visit for everyone in bangalore!