BreathlessAnt's Blog

Chapter Four - THE JUNGLE AND THE SEA

Amar was roused out of his deep slumber by the rude jangling of the alarm. For a moment he was confused about why he’d wanted to wake up when it’s dark. Almost immediately he remembered - he was to set off for Cotigao at 6 am in the local hired jeep. A quick shower later, he came back into the room toweling his wet hair. He ran a comb through it and then mussed it a bit with his fingers. “Hmmm, that’s better” he said to himself. Pulling on an olive green deep pocketed shirt over denim jeans, he bent to seek his socks and Adidas. He put his wallet into his pocket, switched his cellphone to silent mode - “Can’t have ME disturbing the local fauna” he muttered aloud to himself as he dropped it and the slim Nikon DSC into his capacious shirt pocket. Making his way towards the cafetaria, he fixed himself some coffee from the machine and headed straight for the jeep.

It was a lovely cool run to the jungles without encountering a single car. The drive was particularly lovely once they were out of the city, and they’d made it past the winding roads in good time. At 7.15 am, their jeep turned into the entrance gates of the sanctuary. The fresh grassy smell of the forest assailed his nostrils as the jeep slowly scrunched up the track, small pebbles bouncing off the ruts left by countless jeeps. The guide was busy looking for pug marks. Everyone was quiet - experienced enough to just listen to the calls of the wildlife inhabiting the jungle. The huphup of the monkeys as they jumped from branch to branch using their prehensile tails so effectively, and the countless bird calls added their bit to the background sounds. This was the part he loved best, just absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of the jungle. Even if he didn’t encounter any wildlife, this in itself made a visit fulfilling.

As their jeep made its way past the empty river bed and turned the corner, the jeep came to a halt as the guide pointed silently to the herd of spotted deer (chital) about 40 ft off the track. Soundlessly, he reached for his camera and got several shots. To the right of the herd, he noticed a small group of langurs doing their own thing, picking at berries and leaves. It never failed to amaze him, how these numerically major inhabitants - the deer and the monkeys, had forged such a wonderful alliance - both co-operating to warn each other about the presence of big cats. Driving up and down the numerous tracks, they saw wild hog, barking deer, and a solitary jackal. And umpteen different birds - darters, some parakeets, crested eagles, a jungle owlet, even a hornbill!

The jeep safari continued till about 11 am, and as the heat of the sun started making its presence felt, the driver turned back for the jungle gates. Rules are rules, and all wildlife enthusiasts made it a point to follow the rules of these sanctuaries. At the gates, Amar got off to exchange a few tidbits of information with the warden. He learnt of the close encounter a group had had at dusk the previous day, with that solitary denizen of the Indian forests - the leopard. Shy creatures these, indeed it was a rare occurrence for people to spot these big cats.

Back in his hotel room, he took a look at the pictures he’d managed to capture. Nice stuff. He couldn’t wait to get back home and upload these onto his photo site. Washing up quickly, he went downstairs to partake of the sumptuous spread laid out at the buffet. Map in hand, he walked down to the jeep and asked the driver to head straight for Old Goa where he’d revisit the Bom Jesus Basilica. Later, they had driven long and hard so he could visit both the Shanta Durga and Mangeshi temples. Albeit pretty far from one another, he’d still made it a point to visit all these three religious sites during the course of this last day at his disposal. Boy, was he glad to be seeing these places from the inside during the hot afternoon hours. It was almost dusk by the time he got back to his hotel.

Changing back into his trunks, he headed for the beach yet again for a refreshing swim. He wanted to make the most of his time in Goa. Deciding to dine in, he walked into the speciality Goan cuisine restaurant of the Holiday Village. As he entered, he noticed the family of four - a young couple of about his age, their pixie like daughter (around 5 yrs) and the chubby son (maybe 2 yrs). He’d noted that they were occupying the room next to his. Responding to the man’s friendly wave, Amar walked up to them - a smile on his face. Introducing himself, he asked if he could join their group. Over dinner, he learnt that Rafi and Yasmeen too were from Mumbai. The evening was spent amid much laughter and banter - he got along famouslyy with the kids, and had a fun time with little Sara and Zami. The scrumptious meal was followed by a melange of icecreams (he as always chose a nutty mix, while the kids and their parents chose fruit flavours). Quick to pick up the tab, he overcame Rafi’s protests and, after several handshakes and bye byes, he walked back to his room.

Boy, all in all this had been a wonderful vacation. On the way, he’d asked the receptionist to have his bill ready as he wished to check out at 8 am. The arduous day had taken its toll on him and it wasn’t long before he fell into a deep sleep.

To be continued

  share this

Post a Comment