Second day

Bangalore
All of us were up by 6 in the morning. Those who slept close to the burnt wood were up "half-baked and half-frozen"! We didn't waste much time and started exploring another route that Thomas assumed is the final way to Soochipara. (again!)

In an hour we were sure about one thing.

None of us wanted to spend another day roaming around in the forest where elephants were roaming around like cattle. Except for some sweets I had in my trousers and plenty of river water, we had no access to food.

We decided to trek back the whole distance we covered the previous day. At the least we knew the way and the time it takes to trek back.

Another ten hours!


Trekking back through semi deciduous forest

The fear was only in terms of climbing the last stretch from the foot hills to Meenmutty waterfalls. That is probably a climb from 200 metres ASL to 1300 in one stretch! Something that is quite possible on a normal day but not when fuelled by hunger, fatigue, fear and low morale.

As a last ditch effort, Anoop and I decided to climb a steep hill in front of us to check out the surrounding areas from a higher altitude. Halfway, we understood that both of us were literally risking our lives by climbing that slippery terrain with no equipments whatsoever. In half an hour, we reached on top only to see miles and miles of forest and mountains in front of us and signalled the rest of the team to continue the trek. We followed them.

From their onwards the speed in which we trekked was crazy! Those bamboo filled areas which we trekked carefully the previous day (considering the presence of elephants) were ignored completely and we were pacing as if we would just say a "Hello, nice to meet you" to the wild elephants and continue the run!

We just wanted to get out of the forest!

© GP 2007

Cold

Bangalore
Luckily, it didn't rain at all that night. Seeing the drizzle earlier before we settle down, I was wondering how we would stay dry the whole night, especially when the temperature was dipping. Without much dialogues and discussions, each one of us had found safe and 'comfortable' places to stretch on various boulders.

Thomas and Anoop had again become the wonderful resource persons. Gauging the importance of the heat and light considering the whole night in front of us, they had dragged in a huge wood. The fallen tree was stuck between rocks probably during the previous monsoon.

"half baked - half frozen!"

Probably for the first time, I felt happy to be in the company of a smoker. If not for Thomas who smokes his beedi often, we wouldnt have had a match stick to set fire to the wood! Even though we were all unimaginabily tired and calf muscles were literally withering away after ten hours of trek during the day, none of us realy slept because of the cold. The boulders were getting colder and colder by night and it became almost impossible to even sit on it.

After twenty minutes effort, we managed to set fire to the thick wood which lasted for the whole night. It saved us from elephants (fire keep the elephants away!) and we had some of our colleaugues literally lying down on top of it by the beginning of the next day!

© GP 2007

In the middle of nowhere!

Bangalore

Don't know if it was my training in disaster management or just sheer common sense, that I had started looking for a safe place to camp by 3.30pm. Even after an hour we trekked according to the information we had and the direction we reconfirmed with Velutha, there was an uneasy feeling about the trek route. It was obvious that not many had trekked this path in recent days.

Decreased light, hovering rain clouds and trumpets of wild elephants from all possible places (later we realised it was the echo because of the huge boulders) didn't give me confidence at all to trek any further. Being the leader of the group, Thomas didn't show much panic, but it was kind of obvious that he was lost when we reached the huge boulders that should ideally lead us to the Soochipara waterfalls.

"where to go?"

It started drizzling and slippery rocks were the last thing we needed at that time. The moment I saw fear in Thomas's face, I decided to take charge of the situation. While climbing from one boulder to another I had noticed couple of places that we could convert as safe shelter.

I wasn't looking at a shelter for the night, but more than that, I just wanted to ensure that we were on a height unreachable to elephants and be on a safe plain where there was no chance of a flash flood hitting us in the middle of the night!

© GP 2007

Elephants

Bangalore

Arun and I were in Wayanad on new location scouting. Once the activities and programs along River Nila was kind of identified, we were looking for a location that could be offered as an extension to our guests who come to River Nila

Because of torrential rain since morning, it was late when I left Kalpetta. While changing my wet clothes behind his tea shop next to the check post, Maathan told me that I wouldn't be able to cross the river on time if I don't rush. He was one of our guides from the indigenous community who lives on the fringe areas of the forests close to the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.
I should have listened to him!

Instead, I took my own time to change my wet clothes, and even stayed further more after I spotted a Malabar Whistling Thrush.

Before I reached the Karnataka-Kerala border, I could see a long Que of vehicles on the sanctuary road. Water level had risen in the swollen river and had started over flowing on to the road. Though some vehicles were taking risks, most of them were waiting patiently to see if the rain water was going to recede. I waited there for almost an hour and it was past already quarter to six.

Knowing about my urgency to reach Bangalore the same night as J was arriving that night from Paris, Maathan suggested that I push my motorbike through the hip-level water before it rises further. I wasn't keen on pushing my bullet (Royal Enfield 350CC motor bike) as I was worried about water getting into the silencer. So couple of the local boys (who were gauging the water level rise since morning) offered a polythene sheet, with which they covered the mouth of the silencer and made it water proof. Later we pushed it through the water and went on to the other side.

Well, I was once again soaking wet after walking through the water. Didn't really care much to change again, even though it was freezing cold. I had another 6-7 hours to cover by road including one hour and a half stretch through the forest.

Having been crisscrossing this stretch of Wildlife Sanctuary for many years, I was fairly knowledgeable about the terrain.The moment I started climbing up from the water logged road, I knew that I might face trouble coz of the possibility of another river over flowing on the same road, which makes the place I am riding in to an island!

In few minutes I had to stop by a curve as I saw a herd of elephants in a distance. Having faced such situations several times while living in Masinagudi (Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary), I was cautious. Anyways, I had no options left than to wait. I didn't dare to switch off the engine though. Even took off my helmet so that I could hear even small sounds and was on guard.

If not for the uncertainty of -What-will-happen- next-, it was quite an amazing moment. Green green every where, wonderful sighting towards the Bandipur side, and trickling water drops from the trees after rain and hundreds of chirping birds.

But,

-the hanging rain clouds,
-setting sun and
-the elephants almost hundred metres ahead didn't quite make things any easier.

The thought that I was stuck in an island, probably alone (as I didn't see any other vehicles following me!) wasn't comfortable either. What worried me the most about the elephants were the presence of couple of calf's on either side of the road. Some of them were crossing the roads, and the others remained observing all around. Though known for their poor eye sights, I wasn't really sure if I was out of their "radar". (Anyways, I was sure they were aware of my "Bullet's" engine!)

I was sure that I had to get out within ten minutes or else, I am going to get stuck as I wont have any visibility of the surrounding except with the halogen lamp on my moto. Luckily, I found company in a truck and a small 800 cc Maruti car that came through the water. Seeing me stranded there, they asked me if there was any problem. I smiled and asked them to look ahead. The young folks in the car were presumably drunk, but the lorry driver seems to be knowing what he was doing. He told me to follow him closely as he expected the elephants to move seeing the truck coming.

They moved slowly and while I was trying to put my helmet back and position my back-pack properly, the engine switched off !!

Shit!

After having waited all this time with the engine on, and when I got an opportunity to move out of the situation, the bike cheated me! (Or I pressed something that I shouldn't have out of tension!!!)

Whatever, I was left behind by the vehicles by the time I started the engine, they had crossed the danger zone. I was in the company of furious elephants once again! They were trumpeting, and am sure they quite didn't like the idea of those vehicles moving through their territory.

Gosh, they were so annoyed that I thought they were going to come towards me. I took off my helmet again (I needed to hear the surroundings!) and I slowly put the bike in neutral and went back wards little by little, only to see another herd of elephants on the road behind me!

I know what I was going to do was stupid, but I had to take a decision. I pumped in the throttle, made big noise and -don't-ask-me-how- I reached on the other side of the road. I almost felt one of the elephants turning its huge body towards my direction, but I was safe. Phoo!

Two-three minutes after this adrenalin pumping experience, I was on the straight road to Gundalpet.

A white Tata Sumo, coming opposite to me from Gundalpet side, all of a sudden stopped screeching and I was wondering!

Only when I looked into the mirror did I see what it meant.

There was a tusker chasing me!

And on the mirror, it was written in grey scale, "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear"!

© GP 2006
Photo © GP The elephant picture was shot in the same location a year later when J and I went to Wayanad