Sakleshpur - April 27

I remember thinking around the beginning of this month - time is really flying. April 30 is coming closer with each passing day. A couple of days back I was thinking - how many more days for the end of month? April 30 was my commitment. Once that's over, I am free to leave. And I am thinking now - oh no, just 4 more days and this camp is over!

Well, today's walk was a short and easy one. I was walking after 5 days. I felt tired and wobbly initially, just wanted to complete the walk and get it over, that's all. But later, I think I found a rhythm and walking was no problem except for water. The weather was nice and well behaved too. The sun was gentle and there was always a little breeze so it was actually quite pleasant. I just felt thirsty all the time and before the walk was over I was done with my supply of water. We waited at the bus stop for a long while but the bus was late. It was apparently stuck behind a lorry carrying bricks which was moving uphill an inch a second, and did not get enough leeway to overtake it. Well, these are the Ghats...

We waited and waited and waited, and finally hitched a ride in a jeep; it soon got packed. Hitched another jeep ride to reach Sakleshpur. This one had 14 people on board, with 5 in front, 8 in the back and one on the foot board behind; the driver didn't have place to sit, he was half sticking out himself - and he was calling out for more passengers. :-D

Nothing more to tell at all - I think I am too tired today. By the way, since we had to vacate our room because of some engineer's visit, we are all crammed in one single room, which can barely accommodate just the luggage. So where will the people go? Outside! So I am sitting in our jeep and writing all this - I am going to sleep out in the veranda, with all the fishermen, their wives and children.

Moss Green

The vast and sprawling Kadumane Coffee Estate

Fungus

Gaido-san

A big fat Pumpkin

Sakleshpur - April 26

This place reminds of Rewa. It is just so hot. Whether you are sitting, lying down, eating, sleeping, trying to read, there's one thing which is common - you are constantly perspiring. I can feel streams of perspiration going down my body, back and front. Theres no breeze here which makes it worse. Just crossing the Mangalore highway(that's where this IB is located) to a small eating place where we go for breakfast, lunch and dinner(sigh!) saps me out completely. It's difficult to eat in this heat, but eat I must, for I need the energy. And drink I must too, coz I am loosing salts and fluids constantly sweating like this. I really wonder how we used to manage in Rewa, as children. Most of the time there was no electricity. I remember this being 'bathed' in sweat feeling very distinctly. Especially as 4-5 of us children and adults would try to catch a nap in a small little room after lunch in the afternoons. No wonder I'd prefer not sleeping and just loitering around, passing time - in the cowshed, or in the veranda with the massive Neem tree, near the well, or just hopping from one neighbour to the other. Evenings would cool things down. A spray of water in the aangan and in the veranda, and a quick bath in the bathroom by the well would do the trick. Nights were cool too. We would sleep out in the aangan or up on the terrace. I remember seeing so many shooting stars during those summer nights. The only annoying thing was having to get up at day break - coz the terrace really heats up pretty soon. And you can't sleep forever with the sun smiling down at you. Sometimes it would suddenly start raining in the night - so we would have to wake up and run down the terrace helter skelter with our mattresses rolled up and crash into the small rooms. Rain was always an adventure. It would cool things down and was general fun watching it fall pitter patter in the aangan. We would run from one wing to the other, criss crossing the aangan, enjoying the few seconds of rain on us, much to the annoyance of elders who didn't like the additional nuisance of children running about all over the place, making even the dry corridors wet and dirty. Anyway. So back to this heat. I am off today as well. I'll walk tomorrow. This heat is making me nervous. But others are doing it. And I have done it before. So it should be OK. I suppose. Anyway not much point sitting here and doing nothing also. So I'll walk tomorrow.

Hey, I saw a snake yesterday. It was quite by chance. I came out into the veranda, and what do I see on the driveway - maybe just 5-6 meters away, there's something long and thin and its moving. The snake moved into a flower bed, crossed the driveway and went into grass cover. I saw it for a good 15 minutes. It was thrilling to just see it move. It was about 5 feet in length, dark brown with closely placed black bands on it with a yellowish underbelly. It probably was a Rat Snake, Bip says.

This IB is on the Bangalore-Mangalore highway. So, day or night, there is absolutely no respite from the sound of these lorries(trucks). In fact, since the IB is right in front of the check post, they all have to apply brakes right in front, the sound is atrocious. In the night, there headlights constantly come through the window and light up the wall behind my bed. Right in front of the IB, across the highway, is a very high, steep mountain, almost vertical, covered with thick forests. Midway through it, along the contour, runs the Mangalore - Hassan Southern Railway. I remember the trek Avi, Maggu and Jaya went on. They probably trekked on this railway track itself. It was getting converted from meter gauge to broad gauge, hence abandoned at that time. I think. But now a goods train runs through this track three times a day. Every time I see a light near the tunnel or hear the goods train pass, I remember the trek these guys did - must have been awesome. This railway track cuts right across the Ghats and I am sure it has beautiful scenery on both sides. A forest guard once saw a tiger walk right on this railway track and one of the teams from our group found elephant dung right on the track. So looks like its used by animals as much.

It rained in the evening, so it's much cooler now. I was sitting in the highway chai shop and looking at the lightening - the shapes it creates as it illuminates the sky. I don't like thunder but I enjoyed looking at the lightening. Today, maybe it was far away, therefore there was no thunder. Or maybe the sound of thunder got drowned in the sound of these lorries going past.

There are these people in our veranda today. They came in just when it started raining. Men, women and many children. With baskets full of utensils and stuff. I was annoyed at first. Because of the general nuisance the kids were creating and because there was no space left on the veranda. I realised that they are fisher folks - I had seen them near the stream behind the chai shop today morning. They don't have a house as such, not a permanent one at least. So when it rained, they came over with all their belongings to this veranda, spread out their mats and made themselves comfortable. Why am I getting annoyed if these people are taking refuge from rain here? How many times after a long and exhausting walk, throat dry and parched for lack of water, have I taken refuge in the homes of these poor people - and every time I have been served so well - cold water, bananas, tea, biscuits - even an offer for food - it is almost humbling. And yet, when this set of men, women arrive with their belongings and children to escape the rain - where's my compassion gone? With this thought my outlook changed almost immediately - I even smiled at a little child who smiled back. I couldn't smile at his bidi smoking, paan chewing nosy grandmother with stained and mottled teeth, but I am not annoyed now. It's true, I've seen it and the belief just gets stronger with each experience - the poor are always large hearted.

The Forest IB

I am sitting in the jeep and writing in torch light. I like sitting here, it's more like a comfy sitting room. I am reminded of Jaya - who used to do her school homework in their new Premier Padmini when she was a kid. Wonder which place Jaya's little daughter would prefer doing her homework?

OK, so spoke with Maa. Drove down to a small toll gate hamlet - it only has some shady restaurants(& bars) and shops with just one STD booth. Most lorry wallahs stop there. It was 9 in the night and one of our teams had not returned back, we were getting a little concerned. There was no signal at the Sakleshpur IB so C drove down here to get in touch with them and I tagged along to make a call to Bhopal. Spoke with Maa very briefly. Was surprised she knew I was unwell. I wanted to tell her only after I recovered. I am sure she would be quite relieved now. She had also called Ap in the evening and asked her to tell me to take lots of fluids, fruits etc. Ap is suddenly getting calls from all these unknown people asking about my health and stuff. But she is sweet about it.

Current Scene: We are in our room. She is filling data sheets in torch light....I am writing all this in torch light. Rest is darkness.

I am feeling much better today. I plan to walk tomorrow. I just had Nariyal Paani from the shady shop across the road. The women folk there are nice actually. What else, there's nothing much...So peace out!

Sakleshpur - April 25

Well, I finally fell ill. 20th evening I was speaking with Maa and she asked me about my health. I said I was perfect, no problem at all. I've been having hotel food for almost a month, many times not the best of places when it comes to hygiene, water from all kinds of sources, from forest streams to dingy hotels, to well water, to water directly from the wash basin in small towns. But I am doing fine when it comes to health you know! I think it's true what they say about 'Tathastu Devta'. 22nd I felt weak and puky and went down with diarrhoea. It's amazing how one day you are fine and the next day you become so weak that just getting up to fetch some water for yourself becomes such a pain. So I slept almost the whole of 22nd. I figured I got dehydrated completely in the last walk, so I drank a lot of water with electral. The next day I felt much better. We moved from Napokulu to Sakleshpur. I was looking forward to doing the Sakleshpur grids. We reached Sakleshpur around noon and it was just so hot that I started feeling dehydrated and weak again. Yesterday was no better. I just felt so weak and tired when I got up in the morning, just felt like sleeping on and on. I pulled myself together and got ready for the walk. Maa chose to call at that time and I suddenly felt so homesick. I wanted to get out of this heat and sweat and filth and into the cool comfort and warmth of home. I didn't tell her I am unwell. No point getting people all worried when they can't do anything. I wasn't feeling any better, in fact I was getting nervous about this weakness which wasn't getting any better. I pulled out of the walk and saw a doctor in the city. Doc said it was fatigue and exhaustion and dehydration and suggested I take lots of fluids and rest for a day or two. He had been to MP but not to Bhopal. He said I am his guest and didn't charge any money.

So here I am, sitting in a IB and resting. Everybody else has gone on walk. We moved here last night. Like all IB's, it's a neat place. The only problem is it doesn't have electricity. So in the hot and humid day, there's no fan. Most of the times, there's no breeze either. So it gets quite sultry in here. Today is also my rest day. I might rest tomorrow also, that depends. I will then have a few more days of walking before I pack up from here. It was really good that I was able to reach Preetam last evening. I feel more confident about my health after speaking with him.

Napokulu - April 21

Crazy walk it was today. We had lunch by a stream. After a while the path we were on kind of disappeared. So from then on it was all uphill, making your own path. I am bad at this. Not having a defined track means constantly looking out for the guide to see where he is going. Many times when the forest is dense you loose sight of your teammate or guide. Other than that, it's leaves, dead, fallen and mossy trees, thorny creepers and so on which make going difficult. Thorny shrubs and creepers remind me, just when you frantically grab hold of a trunk or a creeper...yikes!!!! It has those nasty thorns and your hand is torn. So such was the scene today. Making our way up through dense overgrowth and slippery understory full of leeches. Hot and humid and no stream on way to tank up on water. Came out on the grassland and it was such a relief. It was dry(which means no leeches), and grasslands are generally friendlier compared to the forests where there is no path. But this grassland turned out to be really tricky. Actually we were climbing almost vertically up the face of a hill, and it was a rocky face, so making our way up was difficult again. One false foot on the rock would mean sliding down the hill. Of course you would be able to break your fall as grass offers good resistance, but it was still a difficult climb. The sun was beating down and our water reserves were running out. So in such atrocious heat, there were this three of us making our way up the hill. At one point, I was trying to heave myself up on a tricky foothold and I slipped, and hey, there I was, dangling, holding onto grass with no foothold at all. God bless the sturdy grass coz had the grass given way, I would have slipped down I don't know how many meters. Anyway, the experience kind of shook me up and I decided not to think of the heat and the thirst and the long way up, and just focus on the next step. It was difficult and I had to coax myself to go on every few meters. So one small hill after the other I climbed and finally reached the top of the highest hill and hit a ridge path. It was unbelievable - the 360 degree view. The ranges in the distance looked so close at that level. The eagles were soaring(?) much below us. The valleys below looked so deep and distant.

So we followed our ridge path which was fairly straightforward and an easy walk. I could hear distant rumblings, thunder I thought. It would rain in the evening. And just as we began to descend down the ridge, hell broke loose. Mist came down as if from nowhere and lightening started cracking on the horizon. Cold breeze started blowing and dark clouds started building up. Before we knew it, it started pouring. It never rains in Coorg, it always pours. Big drops started pelting us. I was elated initially, I like rain, and after the heat and thirst of the afternoon, this dramatic change, cool breeze and rain, really looked god sent. But it didn't take long to realise that we are far away from the main road or any village for that matter, and with the darkening skies a night in the forest or a trek down in torch light seemed quite a possibility. And that was scary. So I ran, helter-skelter zig-zag down that hill. There was no path, just cattle tracks. Stones became slippery, and my old shoes with no grip didn't help much. I slipped many times, slided down the red mud, but the urgency of the situation was such that I had little choice. We somehow managed to get down a few hundred meters. It was the fastest that I've ever done. The mist was all around us. I was drenched and it started feeling a little cold. We were going down at a much slower pace now. We heard a cow not very far, and I was soooooo happy! There must be a village or a house near by. We were walking along some kind of a fencing. After a while we came across a gate and went in. It was a plantation. We reached a house. The people in the house, like all these people usually are, were warm and welcoming. They were not very well off, their clothes were torn. The three of us sat in their veranda, soaked to the skin. They treated us with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. We were called inside and given hot tea in steel glasses, and a plate of glucose biscuits. Wasn't that glass of tea a blessing! We waited for the rain to subside. After a while it stopped and the skies became unusually bright. We thanked them and set off again. And I was thinking, thanks is such an inadequate word, so completely lacking. At least today it was. If someday this family has to come to Bangalore(God forbid) and is in need of help, will I trust them, will I help them, will I take them in like they just took us in. And I don't even speak their language.

We took a shorter route through plantations, bright green paddy fields and forests and finally came on to the main road. It was much easier walking on the main road, our vehicle was parked 5-6 kms away. P hitched a ride and was back with the jeep soon and picked us up on way. It was quite a relief to be sitting comfortably in the jeep after all the adventure that happened today.

I now think what a spectacle I must have been, on that main road of Madikeri - drenched and muddy and limping with exhaustion and muscle stiffness. :-D

Out into the grasslands

Climbed up that hill

The easy ridge walk

Dark clouds build up

Scorpion...dead

Napokulu - April 20

Been a while since I wrote. We've been coming back to the IB quite late these days. I haven't had any interesting walks either. Used the leech socks borrowed from P. They are efficient, don't let leeches inside. Also used salt to ward them off. They just cringe and fall to the ground. Salt works! So all you have to do from time to time is to wipe your shoes with the damp cloth containing salt, and you are safe. There was a place yesterday where there were just so many leeches, that when I looked down, I saw some 10-15 of them stuck to one shoe, some 10-15 stuck to the other. And a few climbing up my trousers. I didn't know where to start dabbing salt first. Anyway, I think I am getting used to them. I am a lot better now than the first couple of times.

Today is sort of an off day. So what did I do - washed clothes of course! And here I am sitting on the veranda of Napokulu PWD IB, binocs and bird book by my side, writing all this down. Whenever I sit like this, lazily in the veranda with plants and trees and flowers around, I am reminded of my house in Bhopal, 4 N6, where I've spent many such lazy afternoons, especially in winters, sitting in the sun with Maa, sometimes Avi, and later with the dogs. Doing nothing. Maa would of course knit or do her round of the garden. It used to be like a scene from Jean Renoir's 'The River'. I also like these IB's because of the birds around here. I saw a Plaintive Cuckoo, a Baybacked and Rufousbacked Shrike here yesterday. This little place is a paradise for birds.

On our way back from one of the walks, P and I met an auto wallah we had asked directions from before. In his auto was sitting an old time Coorgi - sozzled in mid-afternoon. He said, you might see some pigs here. But Coorgi's are good hunters, they might have hunted them all down. He was hardly able to sit upright himself and he was saying all this with a drunken sway and a slurred voice. How's that for effect. :-D

Last night we were at Udumbe Forest Guards Cottage, waiting to be picked up. It's a hard life for these guards and foresters. Far away from civilisation. Far away from their families. The only entertainment is radio. And probably finding out nooks and corners around the cottage where the phone might catch signal. These people were nice and kind, they offered us tea and bananas, and when our pick-up party got really late, they also offered us dinner. I sat in the veranda filling data sheets in the afternoon. Time passed...it was evening and then it was night. I love to see how it gradually gets dark in a forest. The sounds of birds are replaced by the sounds of cicadas and frogs. And when it is very dark, the glow worms light up the forest. I have a feeling they all do their glowing act in sync. Coz at once, most stop glowing, and then as suddenly, start glowing together. So the forest looks beautiful with hundreds of these small lights floating around, switching on and off at intervals.

It's hard to follow the motion of a Swift or a Swallow. They are just so...well, swift!

We had a very long drive last night. Had to drop off three field assistants at their homes in different villages. The road from Maukut onwards is so atrocious - big potholes for a long stretch. I was shocked to know it's a national highway. Anyway, so with the way we were stuffed behind in the jeep last night, every lurch of the vehicle was becoming increasingly painful. We reached the IB at 3 in the morning. I was so glad to stretch my limbs and hit the bed after that terrible journey.

Napokulu PWD IB

Coucal or Crow Pheasant

Start of the walk to Udumbe forest quarters

A fallen tree

Parasitic creepers choking a tree

Thalacauvery - April 16

Today's leech day again. I got bitten twice. More than the bite, just the sight of them ready to find a victim - with one end stuck to a leaf and the other end waving wildly to and fro - is so repelling! Today I learnt to remove them with a stick from shoes and pants. But the terror of having hundreds of them moving up on me to find skin to latch on to kind of spoils the walk completely. I look for leeches more than animal tracks. I think I am obsessed. Why can't I just accept these creatures like flies, mosquitoes, moths, caterpillars, or even cockroaches? They terrorise me. I was even thinking of leaving camp early and going back if there are going to be leeches everywhere. Anyway. I'll start using leech socks from tomorrow. Hope that helps.

Well, I think we are leaving Thalacauvery tomorrow and moving to Madikeri. I like this place. In the dark, the glowworms on the trees are like hundreds of angels glowing for a while, then stopping. It rained very heavily today and we had a long drive through coffee estates on our way back. I enjoyed the drive. The mist on the road, the lush trees. I cherish these moments. I am pretty much by myself here. There's no light at the cottage today and I am writing this in the extremely dim light of a candle. I'll miss this place for it's trees and it's birds, and of course, the fetching-water-from-the-well part.

I saw a swallow perched on the ground, finally! It chose to alight on a mound of mud. I was talking to Avi from a STD PCO when I saw it. Little doubt then that half my attention got diverted. It didn't sit there for too long. It flew, and I got back to the phone conversation.

Thalacauvery - April 15

Easy walk today. Spoke with Preetam-san in the evening. He told me about the children in Shoja - grandchildren in a joint family who run up and down the hill, play in the mud and are very cute. He asked me to bring chocolates for them when I come to Himachal, I'll remember to do that. Rest - life is dragging a little. Today we found one leopard scat. There were a couple of other scats too, but too old to determine which animal was responsible for them. It usually rains in the evenings here. The roads become wet and a kind of mist starts rising from the roads. I don't know if it's mist or vapour, but it sure creates a nice effect. Sometimes it becomes so dense and rises so high that visibility is drastically reduced. Looks like an ideal setting for some horror show or movie - twilight, rain drenched roads, with mist rising. Reminds me of some X-Files episode. It gets quite cold here at night. And the problem if you come late from the walk is - you've got to fetch water from the well in the dark, and these days there are leeches in there too. Which reminds me, I had a close encounter with leeches today. One almost got me you know. I made a loud hue and cry and much jumping around, to the amusement of our guide, a local guy. Ap helped remove the thing off me. I am sure to get bitten one day, the sooner I get rid of this leech hang-up, the better. So lemme look at this slimy creature with sympathy, and give it all the respect it deserves for its place in the universe.

View from a high point

View from a high point

Thalacauvery - April 14

No walking for two days now. Yesterday was a break day. Was by myself. Did some birdwatching. Some loitering around. A lot of fetching water from the well coz I also had to wash all my clothes. It rained in the evening. Terrible thunder. The rear tyre of the jeep burst on our way back from dinner and picking up folks. It was pitch dark forest on both side of the road, the sky formed a lighter band in between coz there were stars up there. It was a beautiful night. There were glow worms all around to give the whole scene an enchanted touch.

Today. Nothing much. Just going up and down the narrow one-ways of Madikeri to find a Ceat tyre shop or dealer, a Mahindra spare parts dealer and a garage. Madikeri is a crazy town. Just 4-5 roads emanating from the city centre, that's all. And one-way's at that. You don't really get anything there. The people are nice, as almost everywhere. We came back without the tyre changed, and with the smooth finish of our rear tyres, the potholed road and the late hour of the evening, we were wary of another tyre burst happening. A tree had fallen blocking the road, so we had to take a detour through coffee plantations. Reached safely anyway. I like these jeep drives through the forest, especially in the night with mist rising on the road.

Did a lot of catching up with folks today. Avi-Jaya, Viki and finally Maa. Maggu called but it got disconnected as we moved out of range. Gotta call him from someplace sometime soon.

Thalacauvery - April 12

Ap just came back, she looks fresh, home-returned.

Today was a hell of a day...a hell of a walk. It was all uphill right from start. There were patches of even ground, but really, they were just patches. Hot and humid it was all the way and I was drenched with perspiration. I could feel the sweat trickling down from my head. The initial few kms were just one plantation after the other, construction and encroachment. In the afternoon we stopped by at a house near a stream. The lady was very nice, she gave us cold water, called us inside and offered us sherbet. It was a god send. I drank many glasses. She also insisted that we have lunch at her place. Typically in these plantations the owners have a pukka house. They usually don't live there. The caretakers(Kannadigas if the owners are Kannadiga or Malayali if the owners are Malayali), live in much smaller, more down to earth and humble quarters within the plantation. Uttaiah our guide was a very social guy, he would know the caretakers in most plantations or make quick friends. I suppose Uttaiah knew this lady coz he accepted her lunch invitation. He didn't particularly like our packed lunches - chitrana or lemon rice that we had almost everyday. Anyway, we had our packed lunch of cold chitrana, said goodbye to the lady and moved on. We were kind of pressed for time. The distance wasn't very long but since it was all uphill, we had to kinda hurry. Didn't want it to get dark while we were still in the forest. So it just became one big marathon in the end. It was evening and we still had a few kms to go. The good thing was we were out of the forest and in the grassland. The mist started coming down as if it was being pumped down artificially from above and started covering the hills and the valleys. The wind would play with the mist - it would suddenly become clear and suddenly be completely shrouded. The mist and the wind made everything so spectacular, so magical. But when you are doing the survey, you don't really get time to appreciate the landscape that much. I do steal a glance or two from the track to look around. This ridge walk from one misty hill to the other was particularly spectacular. Unfortunately it was getting dark and visibility was poor so I was literally running(walking very fast) along the ridge.

So it was like this when we started climbing the last hill. It was 7 PM already and getting dark very soon. It did get dark pretty soon. I managed laboriously with my small torch. It was really dicey. The narrow path was on the edge of a hill, so one false step would mean quite a shaky and jarring experience. It was getting colder now. There was that mist still, and one look behind me kind of made me shudder. The mountain behind me was all charred black because of a recent fire, all vegetation was burnt to cinders. Through the white mist, the charred mountain looked ominous and dark and spooky, the mist like a shroud covering it. I decided not to look behind and forced myself to trudge on. At one time, I kind of lost my way. The path disappeared and I could only see some big rocks ahead of me, on my left was a sheer drop. I panicked. Loosing my way was the last thing I wanted. I looked around, I couldn't see any path anywhere. I looked up and got a complete scare. I hadn't expected to see so many stars - it was like a magnified view, they all looked so close. Many of them were twinkling really bright in the night. I didn't realise I so close to heaven, panic taking the better of me every passing second. P was further up somewhere, I wasn't able to see his torchlight and he wasn't able to hear me call. With no other way I decided to go up the rocks. Somehow managed to heave myself up. The rocks were slippery because of due. I started waving my torch this way and that. P was further up, he saw the swaying light, came down and showed me the way to get back on the track again.

I realised I've reached the top when I heard voices and found an anxious C waiting there with the jeep. I was happy to reach the top safely, happier to get inside the jeep, away from the cold wet wind and the dark hill. Next few kms in the jeep brought us back to Forest IB. Jaya called. It was good to speak with her. She had called when I was lost on the hill. No wonder I sounded a little panicky so she was concerned. All's well now. I am sitting in the warmth of my sleeping bag and I have decided I am not walking tomorrow. I look forward to Banjara, Shoja. I am not really sick of this camp yet, but I do look beyond.

Into the grasslands - ridge walk

The mist and the wind

It's unreal - how fast the mist completely envelopes everything

The path we walked up in the dark

Thalacauvery - April 11

I have to think hard to remember what date it is. Very hard to remember the day of the week. Avi and Jaya had a daughter. She came yesterday. 10th April. It now becomes an important date in our family. I don't believe it. Avi and Jaya and their tiny little daughter. And Jaya already sounds like a mom. I don't have signal here, so actually I would have gotten this news a few days later. I was prepared to be out of touch with the world for 4-5 days that we are here. It was yesterday about 11:30 in the morning when I was wandering about in a plantation on top of a hill(the caretaker of the plantation was a friend of our guide, that's why the long halt there between the walk), I came close to where my bag was kept and heard the phone ring. Surprising the phone was catching signal at that point and someone actually thought of calling me then! I took the call and from then a sequence of calls led me to make a call to Avi from whom I finally got the news! It was unbelievable.The rest of my walk was just mechanical most of the way. I don't know how many tracks or signs I missed, but how does it matter! I was happy and I was with my family in Bhopal. I was imagining all the joy and excitement the new born must have brought to everybody there. I wished I was there too! Anyway.

So continuing with the walk...The last 2 kilometers were very steep downhill, which was made worse by the fact that the track had a thick layer of dry leaves. Somehow managed to come down with a few slips. There was fresh elephant dung on the path every few meters. From the look of it, a herd of elephants would have passed not more than a couple of hours ago. They could have been there somewhere, so we were very wary. We reached the anti-poaching camp at Munjachal; a modest structure, with 3 small rooms and a kitchen, crammed and small but with a pretty neat garden - hibiscus and pineapple and cashew and bananas. Just crashed in the veranda and in a couple of minutes it began to pour. It rained heavily for half an hour, it was beautiful and refreshing. Some roof tiles were leaking, found a dry spot to sit back and enjoy the rain. The folks at the camp came back from their daily vigil. After tea they began cooking dinner. It was a pretty setting with the sound of the stream water in the background. It slowly got dark and the folks started Malayalam radio. We chatted about many things, had dinner and slept with the sound of the stream more clearer in the night. I kept checking the signal on my phone but the dratted thing never came! So I couldn't call home again last night.

Today, it was a very long bus journey(many buses) back from Munjachal camp to Thalacauvery Forest IB. We reached almost by evening. Within minutes mist started descending on our little cottage from the hills and forest behind it. It was almost unreal. Like some set of a movie. Very soon, in a matter of minutes there was mist everywhere; everything got engulfed in it till I couldn't see just a few meters ahead. The mist just kept doing this covering-uncovering act throughout the evening. There was the sound of distant thunder in the hills. I thought it might rain but it didn't.

Here we don't get water in the taps. We need to fetch water from the well. So as I heaved matka after matka of water to fill two buckets for my bath, I remembered Rewa and the old well there. There are just so many memories - so many summer vacations - around that well. I remembered how Maa would wash clothes on a big stone near the well, fetch water from the well for rinsing etc. How I used to get two cold buckets of water from the well for bathing. And of course, the wasps around the well. As kids we'd get stung at least once every vacation. The pain and the swelling would keep us off the well for a few hours. The water of this well is very cold. I washed my clothes on a stone by the well, washed my hair as well. It was like going back to village life. It appeared inconvenient, but I realised it was so easy and natural.

In the night, in the trees behind the cottage, there are hundreds of glow worms. They look like small twinkling lights in the dark, sometimes 10-20 of them lighting up together in a kind of quiet celebration of the night. It is beautiful to just watch these glowworms on those trees. The two bamboo clusters in front of the cottage sway and rustle in the wind. The toads croak. Insects make their own noise. I spent some 10 minutes outside watching the glow worms and listening to the sounds of the night. It is beautiful. I think I shall cherish these moments.

We start going down from the highest point of that ridge

The shola grasslands

With our guide Uttaiah

Through the woods

The forest understory

Munjachal anti-poaching camp

Rain...

...Refreshing Rain

Thalacauvery - April 09

On way to Thalacauvery. Stocked up on provisions - rice, dal, vegetables, bread, jam etc. Pretty forest cottage, English style again. We have two forest watchers as guides. New recruits, helpful. I got a room to myself. I made good use of binocs in the evening, identified Yellow Browed and Black Bulbul. There is no water facility in the bathrooms here. We have to fetch it from a well about 50 mts away. We are at a height and it's a little cold here. There is a room for boiling water in the other cottage. It is actually a bathroom, separate from where we are staying, but it doesn't have a door so can't use it. All these PWD and Forest Department bungalows have a British style construction - cottage type, high wooden roof, fire place in the dining area and really spacious big bathrooms. Those guys sure lived in luxury. These places usually have a nice setting, an old kind of charm. I particularly like this one, maybe because we are not all crammed together and I have a room to myself. I am writing all this in candle light, sitting on an old dusty wooden chair in an enclosed veranda. Looking out through the windows, it is pitch dark and I can see some glow worms here and there on the trees. It is a clear night and there are many stars up there. Tomorrow we are leaving for a place, walking 18 kms through steep decline. We'd stay the night at a camp there and then get back here the next day by a bus. It's going to be tough but I am looking forward to it. That's all folks. Good night.

Blue hills - on way to Thalacauvery

Still on way...

Finally there

Thalacauvery Forest IB

Forest IB - from the well

Virajpet - April 08

Today. We wanted to do the survey in the Devarkadu or sacred grove close to a coffee estate. Went to speak to the family that owned the estate - to know how many kilometers of forest was in there and what kind of wildlife we'd find there. The grandfather offered to take us to the forest himself. Theirs was a simple house set amidst fields and plantations. It was simple yet felt so cool and relaxing - small house, neat aangan, lovely flower beds, pepper spread out to dry in the sun. I've often wondered how nice life on a plantation would be. They are probably not very rich but definitely well-to-do - living with natural things close to nature. The lady of the house gave us a cool sherbet after we came back from the walk. It was sweet and refreshing. I will remember that pretty house amid plantations, the cool sherbet and the warm hospitality of this family.

One of the best part of this survey - the part I really enjoy - is the drive in Mahindra Invader, especially the front seat. The rear seat gets bumpy but it's not bad. It is good fun - the winding roads of Coorg with plantations on both sides.

Virajpet - April 08

Thora - a steep descent of about 4 kms down into the forest and back. It was a tough walk and I was struggling most of the time. It was hot and humid as in a typical rain forest. The trees were tall. We had lunch by a river sitting on the boulders. It started getting dark on our way back up and I lost my way a couple of times, which was scary. Actually, there was no 'way', we had to make our own way back following a general direction. So, many times we just had to heave ourselves up using a support like a tree or a rock or something sturdy. It was tough. We finally managed to come out of the forest around dark but we still had a long stretch of a coffee plantation to cross before we could reach our jeep. I was almost dead by the time I reached there, barely able to stand at all. I was dripping with sweat from head to toe, my throat was dry and parched and I was hungry. All I could think of was water, just one mouthful of cold water. It was dark and I was leaning against the jeep for support, knees wobbly with exertion. And then it was as if my prayers were answered. We saw two people coming towards us in the dark - a man with a girl - they brought us a jug of cold water and a bag full of bananas. It was like heaven sent. They were the caretakers/workers at the coffee estate. We had met them earlier before starting our walk and informed them we were going down into the forest. They were anticipating our arrival and brought us such life savers as water and bananas. Couldn't thank them enough.

View of a waterfall through a clearing

A giant evergreen

Forest as it was

Virajpet - April 08

I sit on the steps in front of our room and listen to Red Whiskered Bulbuls singing and Jungle Myna's quarrelling. The walk on 4th from Maukut Forest check post to Arabithittu was in many ways very memorable. The ground was wet so we could see many tacks - wild boar, sambar, elephant. I was carrying my backpack with three day provisions in it. It was heavy and the incline became quite tough. The forest was hot and humid. It was up up up all the way to Arabithittu. Each step was a big chore with the bag weighing me down. I thought I wouldn't be able to take it any further when with a few more heavy steps I looked up to see a lot of light further up the track - it looked like some sort of a clearing. There was some kind of a construction there - one room and a shack. It was Arabithittu, the forest cottage, right at the border of Karnataka and Kerala. A neat little aangan with tulasi in the centre and a wooden bench overlooking the hills beyond. There were 2 or 3 people there. I took off my backpack and crashed on the bench. What a relief! I didn't want anything else. Under the shade of trees, cool breeze, the heavy weight off my shoulders...it was heaven. We were quickly offered cold water by the forest staff. The forester was from Tumkur, a computer science graduate who decided to be a forester. He was living in this room in this wilderness with a couple of forest guards, no electricity, no telephone, no jeep. They could reach civilization only on foot, a few hours walk through the forest. And yet he told us he liked it there and wanted to do a video clip on elephants. We had seen a herd of 4 on our way there. Inside the room, there was a thick 'An Introduction to Algorithms' kept on a table. It seemed incongruous - in the middle of the forest, no phone, no electricity, and that book on the table. It's encouraging, and inspiring, how some people shun a more regular, a more comfortable life and choose to do what they want to do.

I stayed the night with a Malayali family in Kerala - not from the forest quarters - a lady living with her daughters. There's was a small little brick house, unplastered. A neat little aangan and a garden - banana trees and rose bushes. In just a few minutes, the entire village seemed to gather there - to take a look at the spectacle that I was - sweaty, dirty, tired, in shirt, trousers, cap and a backpack. All the ladies were related to each other - aunties, cousins, nieces, in-laws and so on. I was bombarded with curious questions. I was tired and I wanted to take a bath but I enjoyed their simple curiosity and in a mix of broken Kannada, English and Hindi with lots of gestures I tried to answer their questions - my name, where did I come from, what did I do, was I married, did I have children, what does my husband do, when am I going back home etc etc etc. More women poured in later in the evening as we sat in a still, breeze-less, humid, candle-lit night inside the small room. I remember one of the ladies even came quite late in the night, when I was in semi-sleep to see what a sleeping bag is like - how does it work. I am sure this Mallu family got more visitors that evening than many months put together. I also realised that they were enjoying the importance they were getting from all their envious neighbours, flaunting the chance visit of this speciman from Mars that had suddenly appeared on their veranda that evening! :)

In the morning I was given a warm farewell, some of the aunties I was now familiar with also came, contact numbers were exchanged and I was given a plastic bag full of guavas and bananas from their garden. The lady came with me to drop me off at the forest cottage, I looked back to see her daughters Soumya, Sindhu and Gobiga(Gopika). In a sense, I was happy to be getting out of there - it was suffocating being surrounded by all these women, being watched and being discussed - and yet somehow, the 'stay' at this Mallu home has touched me somewhere and has become a part of my experience.

The house and it's inhabitants

Gobiga

Virajpet - April 03

We are at Virajpet PWD IB now. Today's walk, we saw a Sambar. In fact, he saw us first. He was a well built stag. He stood still looking in our direction and we stood still looking at it. He then turned back and moved slowly into dense cover. After a while he came out again to check out on us from behind the bushes, and realising we are still around he finally retreated deep inside. We got a good view because he was slightly higher up on the hill slope. It was an amazing encounter. This forest is a reserve forest and not a protected area where the density of animals is usually much higher. So a chance meeting with this Sambar on this hill made me feel good. It was a dense forest, seemingly undisturbed. We kept going down and down and down hundreds of meters. The substrate was leafy and wet - sunlight probably did not penetrate these depths. It was a good walk.

I also saw my first Emerald Dove today through the window of a crowded bus doing a slow steep uphill. And in the morning I saw a pair of Chestnut Tailed Starlings, the southern race. They were perched on a big tree just outside the IB compound.

As we came out of the forest, the trail merged into a pagdandi on the edge of the forest. The pagdandi slowly merged into a jeepable dirt road through plantations, which led to a potholed tar road through a village, which eventually led us to the highway. And C remarked - this is development.

Virajpet PWD IB

Sambar

View from a high point

Ponnampet - April 01

Long walk, about 15 kms through coffee and teak plantations, villages and forest. Saw many signs. Met a forest guard on way and asked for directions. He was going to a village in the other direction but he turned back to show us the way and walked with us for a long distance. We finally said good bye at a timber depot. He refused to take his token payment - It's my duty to help you , I don't want money - he said.

Gonikoppa - March 29

Sitting on some dirty steps of a basement shopping complex, waiting for the jeep - Mahindra Invader - to be fixed. Leaf springs. Called home and Goldie da. To get Preetam's co-ordinates. He left an hour ago. Biking it to Shoja. Well...it's a little early...and I shouldn't be making any judgements yet...but when you are not walking, it gets a little boring.

Srimangala - March 27

7:45 AM, I drop out of bus with my bags. Srimangala seems like a nice place, one of those really small towns with a bus stop and a few shops. The acco at PWD IB is pretty decent. Amazing variety of birds around there. I start using my new binocs.

Oriental Magpie Robin
White Browed or Pied Wagtail
Scarlet Minivet
Red Whiskered Bulbul