Apoorva Joshi - Journalist.Writer.Wildlife enthusiast. Foodie. Views expressed on this blog are personal and should not be considered endorsements. Other blogs include 'The Scribe Chronicle' & 'All Things Animal'.
Friday, August 10, 2007
HACKED OUT OF THE WAY...
We're supposed to be having at least 33.3% of the total land in our country under forest cover.right now, what we have,is between 6-9%.That is appalling! Wake up people! the road dept is going to make the most absurd claims now.so are the freaks who actually grant permission for this.Either they dont want clean air to breathe after the CYG are over, or they dont want drinking water in the future.Whatever little of the tree cover we have left,that too they want to take away for an event that isnt exactly happening all round the year in the city.It's one freakking game event! We're destroying 1300 trees!!! for that!! its not some simple number like 3 or 4, its 1300!!! do u have any clue how much time it is going to take to recover the loss that we're going to be facing?? taking into consideration the fact that our folks dont exactly keep their word of replanting trees that they cut down for the unbelievable amount of reasons, add to it the time that each of these trees will take to grow to full size.how many years will that be? by then im telling u, we're going to be in a situation where in we will be facing the worst situation ever.ultimately, the only thing we're going to be left with, are going to be those 4 roads constructed for one game event.
And if anyone is willing to accept that,please realise that neither u nor ur future generations are going to be able to breathe oxygen and drink water,unless of course ur some smart ass character who is going to develop this hi-fundoo technique to make artificial oxygen and water etc. in that case, u might as well begin now!
People, this is 1300 trees!!! Please try and think logically of what we're doing under the name of development. Obviously this hasnt gone down in the good books of Environmentalists and Naturalists and members of organisations like Pune Tree Watch etc. obviously they will do something. but i have a question. an honest question. Don't YOU want to breathe?!?! dont YOU want fresh air n clean water and a green home where u arent burnt by the sun or freezing to death?? then why cant YOU raise ur voice too? why cant YOU contribute to making YOUR home worth living???
I know for a fact that i would want to live in a better world.and i also know that i cant have that if i dont do something about it myself. Neither can u. So please wake up. PLease realise that we're destroying our home. and we cannot be selfish like this. because we do not have the right to dishome the hundreds of birds and insects and other animals living in these trees,feeding on them and basically,surviving on them.the top soil is as good as gone if these trees go.and when as many as 1300 trees are hacked mercilessly, dont u murderers dare complain or erratic rainfall and floods and crap like that.if ur contributing to it, u better face the music! those who are actually using their heads and doing something about it, u dont let them work. use your own tarsier sized brain n come up with rubbish plans like this one!
this is not like a pause button! that u can pause the trees' presence there for the games and then restart their growth process.you're kidding yourself! and if u still dont see the point, then may the almighty knock the daylights out of u or just knock some sense into u.
as for those who DO see the point- please speak up. u may just be one of the very few who can do soemthing about issues like this one.use ur voice and find out its capability.Mine's pretty loud, so i know wat im talking about.
Please wake up Pune. It's high time now. Our homes are being snatched away form us in front of our very eyes. Save them. Save those 1300 trees!!!
please excuse the spelling mistakes.those dont really matter to me as much as the urgency of the issue.
Monday, June 25, 2007
A "toast" to destruction...
this ground water that is tapped, is the life line of all the surrounding life that literally depends on it! and when this is tapped, its like a suction plug sucking up all the water... and with it, all the life around. when i learned of this, invariably, the Wildlife buff that i am, i started seeing dead animals on the covers of soft drink bottles... was like a nightmare! like being haunted or something. but the worst part is, this is real. ghosts may not be real. but this is. and that horrifies me.
that evrytime u unscrew u bottle of fanta or something, ur depriving a perfectly innocent animal of drinking water. and u do NOT have that right. none of us, whether we pledge our lives to conservation or not, have the right to disturb the ecological cycle. if the government decides one fine day, to simple cut off ur water pipe connections, u wont even be able to begin to imagine what ul go thru... well, same thing then isnt it? ul sit n fight ur lungs with the people for subjecting u to unforgiveable injustice n crap like that. dude- u have a voice. the animals dnt even have that. which is more reason for u to not disturb them.
u have a bunch of wonderful other liquids that are cold, natural, sweet n healthy to top it all... choose wisely people. ur choice decides an animals life. i merely decided not to contribute to indirect loss of life-innocent life.
this article wasnt intended to be one of those highly influential ones that i try n put up otherwise... was basically a simple revelation of truth. that ur actions, what u do, affects someone somewhere who didnt ever do nething to hurt u- n ur hurting that someone by snatching away from it the basis of all life- water!
so think. before u pick up that bottle the next time. and lemme tell u, feels mindblowing to know that ur right decision is making a good difference to a life.feels very very good. on the lighter side of things...if u dont fancy the natural healthy drinks i mentioned before, there's always alcohol!!! (base again-water)... dnt always listen to me!!! use ur own head too! bottom line is- u can make the difference. try. thats the only word that limits u. dont let it.try again.each time!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
UTTER CRUELTY
thats the link to a video. if u take the time off to watch it, u may juts feel the need to scream n tell the world, that humans dont have hearts anymore.
thats something, that makes ur hair stand on end. n shock the daylights out of u. thats waht happened in japan. thats the fate of innocent Dolphins. thats what we do. thats what humans- the so called superior species- do to innocent animals when we dont have the right or the authority to. watch that video. n ul see water being poured into the sea, n that water is bright red, n so is the sea there, u know why? coz that water is the blood...of Dolphins. that have been hacked to death by japanese people. n please watch that video with sound on. coz u wont know what ur missing otherwise.
thats how we treat our animals. thats how we treat our heritage. n that exactly why, man should be given the most painful death ever.
i dont know what else to say bcoz i dont have words to describe that Dolphin massacre. please watch it right till the end. thank u. for taking the time off.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Supermarket- of a different kind-
The earliest incontrovertible evidence of a gigantic market emerged in August 1993, when the Delhi police,with the assistance of forest dept. officials & TRAFFIC-India seized a huge haul of 283 kg of Tiger bones,estimably representing the remains of 25 Tigers.Along with the bones, 8 Tiger skins, 43 Leopard skins, and over 100 skins of sundry protected animals were seized from Pema Thinley, a Tibetan exile and Mohammad Yaqub, a known local skin trader.
the sheer scale of the haul was atrocious, and the claim of the accused to the operator that they could produce 1000kg of Tiger bone within a month revealed the mammoth scale of Delhi's wildlife market.Investigations revealed that a huge network of traders,including Sansar Chand,were procuring wildlife articles from across the country,storing, and supplying to those buyers from Nepal n Tibet.
In the past 10 years,Delhi has continued to be the centre of illegal Tiger trade. In August 1994, 12 mounted Tiger heads and a Tiger skin coat were seized from New Rohtak Road, and in December 1994, 2 Tiger skins were found with a relative of Sansar Chand. Then, the Delhi police seized 6 Tiger skins from a Kashmiri trader in April 1996 and in November 1997, a person was arrested in Delhi's Nizammudin area with a Tiger skin.By the end of 1996, two separate seizures in Delhi, revealed 2 Tiger skins, a Leopard skin, n some Chital Deer skins. There was a skin recovery in 1999 and 2000, 2 separate confiscations in Lajpatnagar and Anand Vihar which had the police on the tail of traders with international links.In 2001 and 2002 one skin seizure each were recorded.In February 2003, the Delhi Police recovered a mounted Tiger head and a skin.Clearly the trade was alive and well,but equally clear was the fact that we were way behind the trail, which was thriving,but had managed to escape detection.
When the seizure data over the years is analysed, it suggests that Delhi trades in almost evrything that the illegal wildlife market is willing to lift.Ivory carvings,bangles,buttons n cane handles collectively weighing 26.4 kg. were seized from 2 accused in April 2001 while in August 2005, a shop owner from Bhavnagar, Gujarat, was arrested in North Delhi with 6kg of raw ivory in his possession.
Following are a number of such cases which have been listed to prove the extent to which the trade has risen. Statistics have been provided to emphasise the seriousness of the issue, to which only a deaf ear has been turned.
July 2004 - 18kg consignment of Copperhead Rat Snake skins imported.
October 15th, 2005 - illegal consignment of 95 birds, including 6 Peacocks.
May 13th, 2001 - one of the largest bird seizures- 1,200 Red Munias and 33 Alexandrine Parakeets- stopped before being smuggled to the middle east.
June 2002 - recovery of nearly 1,000 kg of common mongoose hair-manufacture of paint brushes.
1999 - in the 1st 3 months- 290 'shahtoosh' shawls confiscated.
February 2001 - 70 shawls.
September 26th 2001 - 460 kg of shahtoosh wool -3 different incidents within a month.
April 2003 - 215 kg or PURE shahtoosh wool-from truck to Majnu ka Tila- infamous residential area of Tibetan migrants.
November 2005 - in 4days CBI arrested 5traders-planned operation-recovered 21 shawls.
Early 2005- Sansar Chand's daughter found in possession of 1 Snow Leopard , 7 Leopard and 2 Tiger skins. Further investigation led police to Shadi-Khampur where a veritable supermall of grizzly contraband was unearthed involving 30 Leopard, 42 Otter skins, 3 kg of Tiger nails, 14 Tiger teeth, 20 Tiger claws, 10 Tiger jaws, 60 kg of Leopard claws, 135 kg of Porcupine quills. - this was part of the uncontrolled empire of the notorious wildlife trafficker, Sansar Chand who takes delivery orders on telephone and supplies the products of choice to voracious international customers.
April 2005 - Timarpur police recovered 45 Leopard and 14 Otter skins.-said skins were procured from Sansar Chand-transporting them to Kathmandu.
February 2006 - 34 freshly tanned Leopard skins n 4 Otter skins.-destined for Siliguri n then to Nepal.
Decmber 18th, 1999 - consignment of 50 Leopard skins and 5 Otter skins, and 3 Tiger skins recovered.
May 2000 - parcel containing 50 Leopard and 5 Otter skins recovered.
April 2000 - a Leopard skin and nearly 4 kg of 'charas' from 2 accused.
March 1988 - Seelampur police recovered 26,000 snake skins , 2,000 small cat skins, and some Tiger skins from the house of one Maqbool.
1992, 1995, and January 2003, saw some major recoveries as well.
Sansar Chand has been aressted twice and released on both occasions. No further action against him has been taken and the illegal supermarket continues to have a thriving existence, with thousands of buyers, millions of willing suppliers, and a number of meddlesome middle-men, all of whom work against the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 , and fearlessly and/or ruthlessly deprive the Wild animals of their rights. An article on the background and a briefing on Sansar Chand will be uploaded next.
please note- the statistics are from Sanctuary Asia - the most reknowned Wildlife magazine there is. They are absolutely correct and a genuine apology to Sanctuary Asia for having used the material from an article in the issue- April 2006. Thank u.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Terrorism in Assam-its effects on Wildlife
the terror in Assam, is being publicised so much.Did anyone think that the area in which the blasts are occurring, has an evergreen forest stretch and semi-evergreen forests as well??? Did anyone think that these blasts are destroying the forests and its inhabitants?? NO! Why not???
coz u hold human dearer than animal life. well think twice- If the animals had not alerted the humans during the dec 2006 tsunami, those certain people would surely have died. these creatures save u, n u think of them last. amazing way to re-pay na???
it's high time someone starts realising that these animals have the right to live. NO ONE has the right to take that right away from them! Ulfa are bombing the places in Assam bcoz they are against hindi speaking people there. My god!!! Hindi is our national language!!!! that way-ur against all Indians!!!! and how ever ruthless they seem(the Indians), they still care deeply about their nation- or maybe thats what id like to believe! just bcoz of terrorists, we cannot give up on ur precious forests!
Incredible India- a recently started campaign shows all our states and their specialities. Arunachal Pradesh an Assam- are very very important for the country's Wildlife and the country as a whole!!! the campaign shows lush green thick forests in these states- how is that going to remain if the whole place is bombed down by cowards who cant face life and turn to terrorism on the name of religion!!!! how can u differentiate humans on which God they believe in!?!?!
have u seen God??? how do u know he exists??? its a belief isnt it??? then why the drama?!!? why killing innocent people??? did they tell u not to speak in ur regional language? NO! then why target the hindi speaking people??? its bloody cruelty! whats the point of calling urselves slaves og "God" and then killing in his name??? if he wnated people to die, trust me he would ahev appointed many people to do that before the population went for a hit!!!! he would not have created if he wanted it destroyed by stupid people like terrorists!!!
saddest part is, some of these people who kill in the name of God...are actually educated!! i mean what school did they go to!?!?- St.Killer's??? even sadder part is- the Governaments of all these countries will sit n argue like weirdos while they kill more and more animals n people! then sit n griev over the loss. then take "action"!! which has been so effective till now u know!!!
get real man!!! and again- if these forests are destroyed, are the ministers who
"pledge their help to the victims" going to sit and plant trees?!?!? i doubt! ha!! its quite clear the money, the power and the votes, the acting is more impotant to these power-crazed maniacs. they wont do anything for Wildlife or even human life for that matter..until someone shakes things up.ot the Ulfa way...but maybe the decent way!!!
its time to teach them a lesson. its time to teach terrorists that Indians are NOT afraid of them. that Indians will help each other no matter where u put a bomb and what ur intensions!! and TRUE Indians will never let their country fall in the hands of such cowards!!! thast what they are- cowards!!! who are afraid to live!! so they kill. psychopaths!! the world will NOT encourage them but the people have to do something before its too late for them to get the messege!! too late for them to realise that we're gona live no matter what they do to obstruct life!!
and in memory of all those brave fighters who went down fighting- their examples will not go waste! the animals, the forests the essence of the North-East appeals to Indians- says- save us before we fall in the wrong hands.before we are blasted right thru!!
SO WAKE UP INDIA- AND DO SOMETHING!!! SAVE THE ESSENCE OF THE NORTH-EAST! IT NEEDS YOU. IT NEEDS US ALL. TO STAND UP STRING AGAINST THESE ERASERS OF LIFE. we can do this and we will!!! the Wildlife shall remain undisturbed!!! as it deserves to be!!!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Encroachment-our fault or their's???
think-why. why did the Elephants have to resort to encroaching on the farms?? would they have done so if they had had their habitat intact??? would they??? would they cum into ur fields if they had a place to live?? the article in a marathi magazine says- the numbers have increased frm 5 to 25...dammit!!!! look at the numbers that have fallen in the wild... what are u people doing?!?!? why would they want to encroach upon ur stupid fields if they had a forest to live in in the first place????
on one hand u worship the animal...and on the other hand u curse it. hows dat even sensible??? and basically... if they had a home, food, shelter and safety, they would never resort to coming close to a species of living beings that cares for no one but itself-humans! they would never want to b a threat to their own life by coming close to humans. any wild animal would always always always prefer the jungle to civilisation. and the sooner we realise that, the better.
it is extrememly traumatic for the animals when they are thrown out of their own home by selfish greedy humans who want more n more space for offices, houses, and activities that can well b hosted away frm the forest area. the government-as efficient as it is... has done "so much" for the protection of wild animals... that i cant stop complementing them!!! they're working so hard u know... i mean wake up dammit!!!! u cant accuse an animal of encroachment n then kill them n harm them when the MAIN CUASE OF THEIR ENCROACHMENT IS YOU!!!!
u cannot b a hypocrite... coz ur fake if ur a hypocrite. and ur utterly selfish. these animals have been here longer than we have even taken to establish ourselves... they belong here. they dont ask for nething frm us! and why shud they, when they rnt selfish, and they have a home to live in... but till they have their basic needs, they are gentle. and once u snatch things away... they will turn into a storm of beasts that u will never b able to digest.
and before that happens... STOP SNATCHING THEIR HOMES AWAY FROM THEM N CRIBBING BOUT UR OWN FIELDS. u can earn a livelihood in many ways. but the wild animals have nothing working for them right now. so stop cribbing n go get a heart. and if these elephants kill more farmers again n destroy more crops, it is TOTALLY the fault of the HUMANS.- thats why this blog's titled- HUMANS- AT FAULT-playing the blame game- does not work!!!!
Roadkills

Mahabaleshwar-a famous tourist spot,visited by thousands of people.A thriving hotel business.the main road in this hill station cuts through a forest n divides in into more than 3 parts.the animals are left with no choice but to cross this road.and this road has vehicles zooming around at a tremendous speed.so the innocent animal approaches the road, a vehicle comes at lightning speed, goes right over the animal, n the poor chap is dead within seconds.
Amboli- heaven on earth- three olive forest snake roadkills in september 2006. Tamhini Ghat-Pune district-innumerable roadkills-i myself have counted 22Checkered Keelback roadkills within a stretch of 7km. is that justice? the same day when we counted these 22 kills, there were more than 30crabs, frogs, lizards...all smashed on the road surface. ok...maybe 10%(maximum) of the fault is that of the animals... as in..maybe 10% of those killed were at fault.but what about a whopping 90% ????
what did they do??? isnt it evident that humanity is on the brink of an epidemic of insensitivity?!?!?! why must u drive at a speed enough to hurl u into space?? and risk not only ur own worthless stupid life, but also that of the animals...who have done absolutely nothing to you???
why must u act like the boss of the jungle..when ur behaviour shows u to b lower than a slave ... ??? in one year 6lakh animals were killed in Mahabaleshwar.thats an annual count. now consider this- if one more hotel comes up-it means an annual increase of say 2000 visitors(minimum). that means a subsiquent increase in the number of vehicles zooming in n out of the forest land... that means more than 6lakh annual roadkills.
the saddest part is, even snakes like Vine Snakes(Ahaetulla nasuta) and Bambbo Pit Vipers(Trimeresurus gramineus) get squashed on the roads... Owlets and birds too are not spared. Is it right, on our part that we silently watch? well, as far as im concerned- im not silent- n i cant b -when the matter is so grave. i used to think this was all. but today i saw a photo of a leopard roadkill.... and believe me-it was disgusting!!!! it was horrendous-the thought as to how anyone can be so ruthless, so selfish, so careless, so heartless- so INHUMANE.
how can u run over a Leopard?!?!?!?!?! Snakes -r small, n not easy to spot on the road fine! but a Leopard?!?!!? what the hell happened to ur bloody eyes?!?!?! its a whole mammal in front of u!!! how can u be like that??? u leave a dead Leopard on the road???? utter disbelief!!!! i mean i think its high time people-those who care bout conserving the wildlife instead of running it over... speak up. use ur voices, ur talents, nething right u can do that will spread awareness.
it really is high time... kinda what i would feel like if id been put in jail for working for the welfare of wildlife.... insane is the word. such drunk people who risk evry life on the orad when they take to the wheel-should be shot dead-through the head!!!!!
think bout it... thats all there is to it.... thought. and then- action. coz if like in mahabaleshwar the count goes higher than 6lakh- its gona b one helluva fight betvn wildlife lovers and the Government.
a simple lesson
living in a false world is risky. ur fooling urself, if u believe that white lions or polar bears are going to survive without help. ur fooling urself if u believe conservation is on a real high!! ur fooling urself if u believe that Steve Irwin could do it, so a lot of othe rpeople can. try getting out into the forest n finding exactly wat u want. try field work. n if u find it easy- sure enuf- ur a fool!
point is not who's smart n who's not- point is, that wildlife needs conservation n some evry dedicated people need wildlife. when u cut a tree or when u pluck a leaf- it may seem like an activity u dont really pay attention to... but do it out of habit. or need. but what ur overlooking is, that tree, cud b sumone's home, someone's life. ur killing not a tree but potentially many lives! that leaf-cud b food for a growing caterpillar. ur taking that away.
im not harping on sumthing or making it a big deal... its a matter of awareness. its a matter of how u feel , how strongly u feel- about the one thing-that i feel for. - Wildlife.
if ever u got a chance to do sumthing for an animal, would u take it, or give it sumone else? if u saw an injured dog on the street, would u run to its help or wud u leave it to the hope that sum animal lover will cum up n do it? if u see a flightless bird with a broken wing, will u do ur bit to help it or will u say that there are a lot of birds as it is... one doesnt matter...??
now, think- would u do that- if either of the concerned "victims" were ur family???
no u wouldnt. why are poachers not shot dead jst as they do to the animals? why are corrupt forest officers not suspended?? why are things so out of hand in a country who's wildlife was its crown once upon a time. its crown, its pride!!!!! poachers r shooting at the country's pride and we're letting them.
they're running off with elephant tusks n we're letting them. there are so many dedicated forest guards n officials who could use our help, n we're NOT letting them!!! why??? - because we're - UNAWARE. unaware of what this will lead us to. of wat this will do, n is doing to our country-our homeland. to what our future looks like. we r unaware that we ourselves r killing our future generations.
we ourselves are strangling those who cum up with sum passion n hard work to take forth the conservation mission. we r still opposed to unconventional careers-like wildlife sciences. especially done by girls! we still see medicine n engineering as to two only options a person has. why??? because- we are afraid. afraid to try , afraid to let those who have the capibility use it, afraid that they may fail- wat we overlook is- only if we try will we know if the other side is success or failure.
so wake up India. and open ur eyes to the world that needs u.- the world of wild animals that needs the most evovled and independent specie- us- to speak for those who cant speak for themselves. wake up India- coz if u dont rise now- it will b too late to even stir.
too late India- to even stir!!!! think about it. n teach ppl around u-why it is important that u help Wildlife Conservation n how it will benefit evry living hting on Earth! we're One Planet, n One Country- an incredible country with incredible will power!!!!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
All those ppl who went to Amboli in September 2005, will know the awe that overcomes a person once u step in Amboli. The climate, the sight, the sheer presence of a place so new yet so familiar. All u nature lovers will know.Its exhilerating! The place in the Monsoon is even better. Parikshit point- leeches! Mahadeogarh point- the sloth bear trail.. n much more! Shirgaonkar point- waterfall n nature -the works! The experience has been unforgettable! 4 SNAKES!!! - in order of occurence: the vine snake, the Bedom's Cat Snake, the wolf snake, and .... ladies n gentlemen- brace yourselves- Trimeresurus malabaricus - the Malabar Pit Viper!!!!!!!!!!! n to think that it was right behind me when i was drinking tea!! Imagine the adrenaline rush!!! A flutter and bustle for cameras, evryone grasping for one... the Instructors keeping the campers at a safe distance.. (im not being diplomatic- its quite necessary with a snake like that one around!!!) so there is posing and photography session for 20 minutes... after which the snake is transferred into a jar with holes- which took 15 frantic minutes to search for!! then, its colouration is displayed and explained, my mouth refuses to shut!. the sheer shock that the snake had been exactly behind me on a shrub -the drizzle making it even more authentic!!! thank god for the fact that it was a juvenile bcoz adults are mindblowingly longer than most Vipers.To think that this snake could make a group of 42 ppl keep so quite that it was eerie... is amazing!!! to think that it could make ME keep shut!!- wow!!! talkative is my 2nd name!!and this guy has such a mind boggling effect- i guess the camp bcame special 2me that instant.!! and then... Amboli really is gr8!! especially with 41 leech bites to show off!! - seriously- my feet bled thru the 3 kerchiefs i tied 2 each of them!!! thats called "blood presssure" hehe... but this camp- had it all- Nature, Birds, - we waited for the so called Dwarf kingfisher which akash still hasnt managed 2 convince us about!!! n then, the leeches- that made 5 ppl back out Parikshit chi trail- Cowards- they missed it!!!Then, the Hiranyakeshi temple and the cave, wowee!!! even the intro trail during which we had the intro session in a mandir thanks to gorgeous rainfall !!! incessant!!!! vinya went crazy after the lime n almost went off the "hill". cartoon!! the mad rush for Solkadhi- Christ!!!!!!!! we were looking like starved hooligans!!! the cat that had charmed Amogh so much!!! cute kid n cute kitty!! The musical afternoons- with Bhuvan's guitar and us singing!!! we did that so dedicatedly! -is that even a word???The absolutely annoying antiques of Rahul Bhusari- his fantastic Pj's.... mostly on me!!! deepak raag- yeah rite! and the time when we were eating fresh hot kanda bhajji in the cold rain.... wow! then the frisbee championship at Nangartaas. - the water spouts- in our face! the group photo- with all the volunteers n instructors running to the camera!! - Rahul bhusari cheated btw- jumped first!!!! so then, this camp had it all- Nature, adventure, psychos, thrill, awe, speechless moments, sighting moments, friendships...that have lasted thruout! evrything.... there's lots more ive been wise enuf not to mention!! hehe... ;-)but it all comes down to this- Amboli rocked and so did the campers!!! n so did that mindblowing Malabar Pit Viper!!!!!! so... hope there are more ppl to appreciate the beauty of the place next monsoon!!! go on- we gotta c a blue mormon on the 1st trail!!!!! yeah!this place is pure magic, just pure magic... incomparable. so when u headed there?... gimme a call- il b packed n ready 2 leave! AMBOLI ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!- A J.