Into the jungle
Part four: Expect the unexpected.
Nights in this mangrove forest can be terrifying.
Imagine you are a fisherman out in one of the many waterways* in this forest. At night, all alone in a small boat or "dinghy". Crocodiles could easily snatch you up because these boats aren’t sturdy enough. One whip from a Crocodile’s gigantic tail could easily tip the boat. Tigers could also do the same, if they feel like having a snack!
But trouble doesn’t just stop there. You have killer mosquitoes, venomous snakes and a whole list of deadly things( which I forgot. Sorry. ×_×).
And sleeping in the midst of all those life threatening predators would be horrifying in my opinion. But fishermans of Sunderbans have fairly done a good job in weathering that fear in order to put food on their family’s table (Hats off to them).
*[According to the Forest Department, 13 large rivers, including Bhola, Baleswar, Shal, Pashur, and 450 canals stream through the largest mangrove forest. In these rivers and canals, there are 210 species of white fish, 24 species of shrimp, 14 species of crab, 43 species of molluscs and lobster. In addition to these, there are 6 species of dolphin, including the nearly extinct Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).]
But the reason I’m saying all of these things is that, when I imagined about spending a night in the deep of a mangrove forest it would just be like the way I mentioned before.
Absolutely terrifying.
But I was wrong. Danger did come for me. But it came in the form of the unlikeliest thing you could imagine.
A chicken!!!
Well, not a live one of course. It was barbecued chicken. And let me tell you why it was after my life?
As it happened. We returned to the water carriage or boat (you might call it) after the end of the tour that day. And it was predetermined that the boat crew would arrange a barbecue for us that night. And it was time to start celebrating.
Well, with all the modern day comforts at one’s disposal, makes one forget about the dangers that surround them.
And it happened to us as well.
But there was actually no need to worry, only if anyone didn’t trip over the boat and fall into the water. Because if the crocodiles didn’t take him hypothermia might (it was pretty 🥶).
And tigers usually stay away from bright lights and loud noises.
So, there we were, on the roof of the boat, gathered around a big table sharing our excitement with the person sitting next to us.
It was cozy and nice. But there was also this aroma in the air that had the smell of roasted spices, charcoal and grilled chicken. That smell alone was enough to make us salivate.
Grilled chicken with fried parathas were on the menu for dinner that night. And it looked pretty good when it was being served to us. But it didn’t matter if it didn’t taste good too. So it was time for the taste test.
And that is where it starts to get tricky. So I didn't notice anything at first because I was starving, but after a while it started to kick in. The meat tasted alright, but the person sitting beside me told me that he suspected that it wasn't cooked properly. But I thought, what's wrong with eating it anyway, almost everyone else seems to have no problem with it. So I kept eating. But halfway through that chicken, when my hunger was doused to a bearable limit, I decided to not push my luck any further.
The fear of food poisoning in the middle of a mangrove forest, miles away from the nearest hospital wasn't anything desirable. So that was dinner for me. And I went to sleep thinking about where we would be for the next day. But oh boy, little did I know about what was awaiting me the next morning. Absolute horror!!!
The next morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my stomach. It was so painful that I had to completely empty my stomach by vomiting and I couldn't eat anything peacefully at all for the rest of the tour.
And the suspect in this case was that barbecued chicken! Because several others started experiencing stomach pains as well. But luckily it was not all grim for me, because I was on trip with a boat load of doctors( literally! How lucky could I be?) and they had medications too!
But I had to spend that morning and noon in my cabin while the others went off to explore a new section of the forest. What sucks more than coming so close to a wonderful forest and getting sick before you could even experience the journey completely.
But I wasn’t gonna let some chicken get in my way of enjoying the journey, and I was surely not going to chicken out (chicken-pun *_*) on this hurdle, that life threw at me.
So I made it a mission to tough out the pain and go exploring like everyone else. And looking back, I'm glad that I did what I did back then. Why?
Well, that's for the next time.
