We checked into a homely bed and breakfast called Wildernest. Everything about it was exceptional: in the sensitive way the building was built, in its service and the food. Beyond the town a 31/2 km road through the forest lead to the Periyar river. The forest department is very active there and has several good opportunities for trekking, camping in the forest for a few nights, bamboo rafting etc. There are, of course, the touristy/janta ones as well that are rather disasterous. We set out at 8 on simple rafts pulled to and fro across th
e river by a cord. The 10 of us, thats a family of four Czechs, one German, Tarsh and I, two forest watchers and a guard, trekked through damp, shady forests for nearly an hour and half before breaking for tea and white bread with brilliant kissan jam ;). As soon as we stepped into the forest we were greeted by springing little frogs of red and black that disappeared into the black-brown-vermillion dried leaves that covered the ground. Further up the foliage and the ground were dotted with white fluff from a huge silk-c
otton tree.Creepers with stems like young trees, twined themselves onto thick trunks of other trees and stretched from one to the other making natural swings. The enthusiastic watchers pursued a herd of elephants for quite a distance for our sake but lost them eventually. Beside a small rivulet was evidence of a small thirsty tiger, and at the next, a much larger one whose paw seemed to have slipped into the water. Our forest paths opened out into vast, open and wet grassland that eventually led to the riverbank.
Post tea was a long spate of rafting on our luxury liners with bamboo benches and life-vests that served the more practical purpose of seat cushions. Rowing was great though I'm sure it wo
uld have been easier if I was a few inches taller. A halt at an island had the firangs in their chadds in seconds and into the water. Tarsh and I were bonding with the local watchers and decided against the public display. Later of course we found a quiet cove to dip dip, with wildlife as our only audience. At our lunch stop we found signs of the tiger again with remains of a sambar deer skull.Our afternoon siesta was peaceful, broken finally by the banter between a watcher and the keen German who was itching to get started again. Besides the elephant/bison/wildboar/sambar deer/ barasingha that we spotted in the distance, my main attraction were a couple of giant hornbills that I could see through binoculars, flying across the river with the loud whoosh of their flapping wings and landing on large trees that swayed under their weight. They are seasonal in their descent into these forests, and I'm not certain where they are when they're not here. (We only saw them at a distance though. They come every year to the fig tree in Tarsh's garden, an infinitely better option for sighting i'm sure)
note on hornbills: The Great Hornbill, Buceros bicornis also known as Greater Indian Hornbill or Two-horned Calao, is the largest member of the hornbill family. Their habitat includes evergreen and moist deciduous forests of India, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Their impressive size and colour has made them a part of local tribal cultures and rituals. The Great Hornbill is long-lived with a lifespan approaching 50 years in captivity. It is a large bird, nearly four feet tall with a 60-inch wingspan, tail feathers reaching 36 inches and a weight of approximately six pounds. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill.Female hornbills build nests in hollows of large tree trunks and the opening is sealed with feces, wood bark, and dirt. She remains imprisoned in her nest until the chicks are semi-developed relying on the male to bring her food. In the wild its diet consists mainly of fruit, but it also eats small mammals, insects etc. We were told that its only intake of water is during the rains when it opens its beak to the shower and collects and stores the water for future use! These birds form monogamous pair bonds and live out their lives in groups of 2-40 individuals. They are now a threatened species.
I incidentally chanced on some lovely photographs of these birds (among others) on a website, to view click here.
Our row back was incredibly short as we spotted a group of elephants in the water on the far shore and all 9 of us (excepting the lazy guard who clung to his defunct rifle) rowed for all we were worth to get there, only to find them ambling out of the water and into the forest when we were only halfway there! We trekked back via a shorter route than we'd taken in the morning, across wet open foliage and quaint forest paths. We met a group of adivasis who were distilling honey they had just collected and crossed paths with others till we reached our starting point and were ferried back across the river.
Endangered black monkeys scampered about near the boat jetty in such large numbers that it was difficult to remember them as being a threatened species. They are really the famous nilgiri langur and are poached for their fur and flesh.
Thats as much as is worth blogging in. Most of our wildlife photos were taken on another trip on the water between 7 and 9 in the morning. The rest of our time in Thekkady was made very special by Wildernest, we couldnt have asked for a better environment.Tarsh and I walked very far together and saw the sun streaming through the trees in the most spectacular God's fingers we've seen since Rishi Valley. Take it as you will, literally or otherwise, we remembered to look for what's beautiful, and found much more.
