Thekkady: Idyll in the Wilderness
It was a Thekkady not many have seen. An isolated forest rest house right
in the heart of the jungle, far away from the madding crowd, with access only
by boat and a good trek. An island of tranquility undisturbed by human, with
a rest house surrounded by an elephant moat, and beyond, only the jungle and
the cool, refreshing water everywhere... And on the hill slopes all around
us, elephants and gaur and wild boar coming down to the grassy water's edge
practically through the day, giving us a panoramic, grandstand view as we
watched the drama of life in the jungle unfold in silent wonder...
It took us a while to get there - a remarkable journey by bus, auto, van, jeep, boat and finally a two km trek - but when we finally arrived at our destination by sunset, the sheer beauty of the place gently eased away the tedium of travel. While the hardier of the Wildertrailers opted to do the short boat ride-come-trek to reach the rest house, the children and a couple of chaperones went along with the luggage on a lovely, two-hour boat ride. The boat ride itself, in the soft evening light, was sheer pleasure - but what made it absolutely exciting was the variety of wildlife we saw - herds and herds of elephants, gaur and wild boar, tortoises, water-birds, and a sighting of the Great Pied Hornbill.
It was almost dark when the boat finally dropped us off at our rest-house -with no other human beings in sight except our group, and only the night sounds of the forest to break the stillness. We settled in for the night, secure behind our elephant moat, eagerly awaiting the excitement the morning would bring...
Morning was misty and full of promise, and the Wildertrailers set off on a trek through the jungle, led by an able watcher who scouted ahead for elephants and gaur - and steered us clear of danger! The forest was lovely, with majestic cedar and rosewood and ebony trees with canopies so large they could easily have sheltered an entire house. Our guide pointed a variety of spice plants, including turmeric, pepper and cinnamon. We also saw hare, barking deer and sambar, and some otters in the water. As we neared the rest-house, the sudden sound of elephants had our guide shepherding us back urgently - only to find, when we reached the water-front, an entire herd of about eleven elephants, complete with calves, placidly feeding at the water's edge on the slope right across!
The elephants stayed around for over an hour, and then it was time for a rollicking dip in the cool water, when the Wildertrailers put on a show that must have been a sight for all the animals that watched! More elephants ambled down later in the day, and towards evening, a group of four gaur... Then dusk set in, and it was time for us to get back to the safety of our moat, to a quiet campfire with soft guitar music under the stars...
The next morning
was pleasant and cloudy, just right for another short trek and a cool dip
in the water before it was time to go. A small hitch in plans meant there
was no boat to pick up the luggage, so it was heave-ho and the unfazed Wildertrailers
picked up their back-packs (not to mention the guitar) - and everyone, down
to the youngest kid, gamely did another two km trek to a point where we were
picked up by the ferry.
As we neared civilisation and the end of camp, one member put into words what
all of us were feeling. "Yeh dil mange more" he stated, "can't
we stay back for another day?" You said it, Wildertrailer!
When's the next wildlife trip? - I want more details.
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