Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar
+Previous: Of loosing photographs
+Next: From Wayand to Kozhikode and Kappad Beach
+Go to the beginning of the series
This is an experience we had in Wayanad the last time I was there.
We were on our way to birding in Edakal hill. Birding is an early morning activity, and we were there as early as 7am. When we arrived and parked the car at the base of the hill, some locals told that the hill is closed and opens only at 9.30!
Next day we were at Phookot Lake, again for birding. It was around 8am when we reached there. The lake was closed too and it was to open sometime later.
I have a few questions to ask about this.
I understand when a museum is closed, or a temple is closed. They have to be closed because the caretakers have their working hours and it can’t be kept open when there is no one inside. And going one step ahead, we can even say it is up to the museum authorities because they have built the museum and they can do what they please with it. But can we apply the same logic to a hill or natural lake? The people who ‘close’ this did not build it, nor do they own it. They ideally have no authority over that.
There is some good logic in restricting entry to ticket holders or making some money by selling entry passes. The tourist spot, be it a hill or lake needs some maintenance and protection when there is an inflow of people. This needs money, and collecting it from visitors is fair. The people who collect money may also have provided some facilities to tourists like drinking water, a place to rest, steps to climb the hill, etc.
But does all this give them authority to prevent a tourist from enjoying the beauty of sunrise from the top of the hill because the hill is not open, or sunset because the hill is closed?! If they can’t have a ticket vendor up there on a time when someone wants to go up, at least they should keep it open. There should be some sense to think of people who wake up before the ticket vendor does. Again, I would not have complained, were it not a natural structure which was built by nature many millenniums ago. I don’t see how some one suddenly gains authority to ‘close’ such structures.
In fact, the hill or lake being closed did not bother us much, as we spent a lot of time birding around the area and arrived at the ‘closed’ place much later. But it definitely hurts if I wanted to spend a serene early morning hour sitting and enjoying the beauty of the lake, but was denied access because the ticketing guy is not yet out of his bed.
I can imagine! Somehow I have not come across such a site till date but I think I will something like what you have written.