Cruising through the mangrove swamps, cut off from the city life and enveloped by stillness and tranquillity of a dense mangrove jungle in the backwaters of Karachi's Sandspit beach... truly no word can describe its splendour.

I decided to visit the Kakapir village near the Sandspit beach one cloudy morning. It's hardly a 40-minute drive from the city centre; provided one is not caught in the grip of traffic caused by trucks and container-carriers on the Mauripur road. This area contains shallow tidal lagoons, mudflats and mangrove swamps. The Lyari river feeds the backwaters while the seawater flows in from the Karachi harbour. The mangroves forest is home to migratory birds that come from Central Asia every year.

Usually, the mangroves swamp along the Sandspit beach receives no more than a cursory glance from beach-goers. They appear to be a rather dense collection of bushes separated from the sea by a road that is lined by beach huts. However, if they don on their explorers' cap, they will find a WWF's Wetland centre nestled in the midst of the bushes -- and an opportunity to enjoy a unique eco-adventure that makes them feel as if they have entered a Hollywood movie shoot in which they are cruising about in the dense Amazon jungle and suddenly a 20-feet reptile jumps out of water at them.

Don't worry. Nothing swoops up at you during your boat ride here. It's safe. There are no creepy crawling creatures around and the water is shallow. Besides, explorers are given life jackets to wear for additional safety.

Local fishermen captain their very basic fiberglass boats on nominal rates through the forest. The adventurer may feel a bit annoyed in the beginning by the smell of burning diesel and noisy engine of boats. But once the boat reaches the thick of the forest, the engine is generally turned off and the captain's crew guide the boat with the help of a long bamboo pole. That's when the pure magic of mangroves and nature mesmerises the visitor.

Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in inter-tidal coastlines forming coastal wetlands. They are unique natural wonders and act as natural barriers to shoreline erosion. Pakistan has 0.5percent of the world's reserves of mangroves that serves as a lifeline to fish exports and migratory birds and are considered to be covering the largest area of arid climate mangroves in the world. Along Karachi's coastline, though, mangroves are depleting due to land reclamation projects.

Our boat captain informed that the villages surrounding the forests use mangrove wood as fuel. However, after counselling and guidance provided to them by NGOs working in the area they have somewhat rationalised its use. They, he said, have actually started to value these coastal treasures that are breeding shelters for fish, notably shrimp.

The water quality here is sadly polluted by the human and industrial effluents brought in by the tides from the Lyari river. The boat captain mentioned the villagers generally handpick the floating filth to keep the water channels clean at acceptable levels and they wait for the rainy season to cleanse the water. Ironically the city of Karachi alone dumps more than 450 million gallons of untreated raw sewage and industrial waste into sea.

While we were lamenting the situation, our boat quietly entered a very dense mangrove forest -- and it revealed before us a world of its own. We crisscrossed large and small water channels that at times dwarfed the boat and its occupants. Apparently, at high tide a multitude of new waterways open up and an explorer can go further deep into the forest.

And since these mangrove swamps are home to migratory birds (particularly between November and February), we were fortunate to experience some of the bird species lounging around. It was the first time I ever saw pelicans in their natural habitat. Countless waterfowls, flamingos and herons and many other bird species lazed around, flew about and fluttered briskly in the breeze. How could a traveller resist being mesmerised? It's as if his good deeds had paid off and paradise declared as his final abode. Only the start of the boat engine could take him out of the trance -- to click his camera fervently.

This excursion into the mangroves generally takes an hour. On the way back from the boat ride, the adventurer can relish a delicious lunch of prawn biryani at the kitchen that has been set up by an organisation to promote local cuisine. Since the mangroves serve as prime nurseries for shrimps and other marine life, he may feel some guilt at consuming what is being protected. But don't worry, the whole purpose of the mangroves cruising is to create awareness for sustainable harvesting and conservation of the habitat.

The fun is not over yet. How can the visitor leave without paying a visit to the magnificent waters of the Sandpit beach that is just across the road? He can wade through the seawater and enjoy a horse or camel ride. And a picturesque sunset is always a bonus; provided he is left with energy to drive back home.

Having visited Bangkok several times over a couple of years had left me satiated -- neither was there a thirst to revisit some of the tourist attractions of the Thai capital nor to go to the shopping malls.

So, this time around, moving out of Bangkok was on the top of my agenda. Minutes of web search for tourist hotspots and a brief chat with a local convinced me to take a trip to Bangkok's famous Safari World. The Safari World is a multi-attraction park located in the Klongsamwa area in the suburbs. At most it's an hour's drive from the city centre.

On a relatively warm March morning, I left for the park in a rented car. The driver promised to show me all the important parts of the park for about 1,200 Baht (about Rs3,000 rupees). On our arrival we found the place overflowing with tourists from all over the world. Deciding on watching a few of the attractions, I got my ticket, and the journey began. Here, I must mention my fear of water and reptiles, so I made sure I skip the jungle cruise that had a boat ride through a lake with crocodiles and snakes lurking around.

Starting with the Jungle Safari, we entered a gated section separating the visitors and animals from the outsiders. Greeted with a beautiful sight of zebras grazing all around, it was indeed a sight to be captured through my camera. I would have loved to come out of the car and photograph these photogenic animals, but the visitors were instructed not to leave their vehicles. Then there were rhinoceroses wallowing on a squishy ground not paying much heed to what was happening around them. These large light brown creatures were big enough to keep everyone in awe, if not fear. We found deer, ostriches, wilder beasts, pelicans… till we reached the areas where lions and the Bengal tigers were roaming free. The area was separated by a big automatic electric gate which let in one car at a time. We were not allowed to roll down our windows or open our doors for it could prove to be fatal. It was a feeling of excitement, fear, and anticipation as our car moved on.

A little further behind, a bunch of trees we caught sight of a pride of lions sitting near the roadside. I had never seen lions at such a close distance before. We stopped and then the action for the next 10 minutes. The lions were calm and did not react. We drove past the tigers some of whom were swimming across a small lake, while others were perched on a big wooden platform, basking in the sun. I left the jungle safari ride after having a quick look at bears, alligators, giraffes, and buffalos since I did not want to miss the rest of the fun in the safari world.

Next was the dolphin show. The dolphins exhibited their skills in dancing, catching plastic rings thrown in the air by the trainers, kissing the trainers while coming out of the water, and jumping through the hoops while the popular music of the 1980s played in the background. --The final countdown by Europe being one of them.

The visitors then crossed a small bridge, over a lake, suspended by ropes to reach the spot where the Orangutan Show was taking place. Orangutans are amongst the world's endangered species and some people questioned the morality of organising such a show. The show began with the orangutans trying their hand on different musical instruments. A boxing event was also arranged and they did their best to emulate their human counterparts as the fight looked so real. Some hilarious acrobatics performed by orangutans were also part of the show which amused children in particular.

We then headed to the stunt show that was performed in a Hollywood-style setting depicting a 19th century American countryside. The set included a bank, a barber shop, small houses, a well, and a few horses. The actors enacted a bank robbery scene and the ensuing fights that are part and parcel of Hollywood movies. It was an interesting effort though the actors spoke in Thai which made it difficult to understand.

The Spy War was another attraction. It was a live-action show modelled on James Bond movies. One would see a James Bond, and his heroine battling their way through the hub of criminals in presumably a remote mountainous area. The use of guns, boats, missile models, computer gadgetry and a helicopter model gave some semblance of a real bond movie. Again, the script was in Thai and thus we could judge the situations only by the actions that were being performed.

The park offers other attractions on the side such as polar bears, white tigers, bird and fish. It has been scenically designed as one walks or drives from one part to the other. Thai culture is dominant at the main entry and exit points while the food and drinks are available at several locations. Visitors can pay to have photos with tiger cubs or giraffe or other animals. Souvenir shops are full of fancy products, but are priced relatively on the higher side.

The Safari world boasts of having the cleanest toilets in the country for which they received an award for the year 2009 -- another rare attraction for most of us since this is rare in most part of the world. As is usually the case with most tourist spots, I saw many South Asians in the park -- though outnumbered by Europeans -- yet their presence didn't make me feel like a stranger.

All in all a refreshing experience for those who have never been to Bangkok and for those who are a bit tired of having to roam through the city centre and historic sites time and again. Happy Safari!

Email: barkaatali@yahoo.com