Into the Jungle
Part three: what journey holds
It was finally time for us to set foot into the Jungle, but were we prepared? Not exactly.
But in a good way (of course!).
That morning we just had our breakfast and we were ready to get exploring like adventures did in the past (or so we thought, in our head). But we were greeted with a huge warning sign the moment we reached our first spot on the tour.
No wandering off alone! Stay in your group. And BEWARE! It read…..
So the spirit of adventure had to be put on hold. Nevertheless, we were not disappointed with what nature had to offer. It was a sight to behold, and it became even more exciting. With the added excitement of being in the mangrove forest, we only read about it in books, for the first time!
The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the aerial roots or "pneumatophores" of the mangrove trees that had emerged from the ground like spikes (yikes!).
[Note: Because of the forest being so close to the Bay of Bengal, most of the time a lot of the trees in that forest stay submerged in salt waters for a long period. That makes the amount of salt in the ground rise too much, so because of that tree roots can't absorb the oxygen they need to survive.
So their roots evolved in a way that they can get oxygen even after being submerged in salty waters. The roots have lots of narrow pores and they emerge from the earth to absorb oxygen from the air to keep the respiration going.]
We were just setting foot in the forest and we were already impressed with the flora and fauna around us (One reason was that we never really had been to many places before to call for comparison). We were fascinated by even tiny fishes(mud skipper) that crawled in the mud (But with their ears of course *_* )
The tour started at the "Kotka" point of the Sundarbans. It was a sandy beach of sorts. A trail led alongside the beach crisscrossing with the forest along the way. There was a waterhole for animals that was made by the forest department. The trail was a very popular site, as a result, it was filled with people. So, no animals in sight for us!
But walking that trail was a joy on its own. After a while, we ended up on a remarkably vast shoreline along the waterways. But it was marked with danger signs here and there.
Beware of quicksands!
Our guide told us about a tragic incident that occurred just a few months ago when a group of friends on this beach fell prey to the hidden quicksands. What happened is that one of the guys in that group got stuck in a quicksand, and when he shouted for help the others rushed to him. But one by one they all fell prey to the quicksand. There were seven of them, and not a single one of them survived.
We sat on the extended roots of trees on that beach grasping the sight before us and thinking about the dangers that lie within the veil of magnificence.
The forest sometimes can be merciless, as it can be captivating to travelers.
So after a while, keeping the warnings in mind we marched ahead.
When it was well past noon we finally saw some animals. The forest department arranged stacks of tree branches with lots of leaves for deer to eat at a distance for the amusement of the people eager to watch animals up close. And the deers did come, in herds! They were just gorgeous. And it was time to take photos. So everyone took out their phones and cameras and clicked right away.
After the photo sessions, we hung around for a while and moved on when the sun was starting to come down bit by bit.
As we went on, we saw small canals running deep within the forest, surrounded by gigantic trees from both sides, looking magnificent in the afternoon sun. And it was time to head back to the boat. When the sun starts to set in the forest it gets dark quickly, and no one is safe in the forest when the night falls.
So we hurried back to the boat with lots of memories of that day. As we were returning, I looked back at the woods and realized that, with the light fading away, the forest slowly engulfed the presence of the travelers that once passed through there.
Now you might think that, well the fun is over now so roll back to your bed now. Well no. The fun was just starting because the staff on the boat were prepping for the barbecue!
But that didn't go as well as intended. Why?
Well, that story is for the next time.
Till then, bye-bye.
