Mar 13, 2017

Kerala Bhraman- The Bamboo Raft



How did I overcome my doubt about my Jungle Trip? Rush to Kerala Bhraman- The Moment to uncover.

Who was this man? A short mustachioed man, lean and dressed in a green uniform appeared from the hut's backyard. After he had unlocked the doors, he came up to me with a pad and laid it on my lap. 

Here! Fill up this form and sign underneath.

This man was going to be my guide for the safari, I figured out. Next, two more men, similarly dressed appeared in the front yard. They greeted my guide and went inside.
As I filled the form, the man went back into the hut and returned with two pairs of anti-leech socks. He quickly removed his shoes and covered his feet with the fabric and tied it tightly to his thighs then assisted me in doing the same.

Leeches were an inevitable bunch of dwellers in the damp and dark climate of the jungle. They are notorious for sticking on to the skin of the host on its set of teeth and constantly suck on its blood. If not taken care of, these hungry maniacs tend to bloat to large sizes.
Call it their gratitude towards their host for the delicious feast, leeches secrete something into the wound of the host that clots the blood and also makes the whole agenda painless.

Salt is a solution. Sprinkling a pinch of salt on the leech while it is at it will remove it instantly. If you sprinkle more than what is needed, the leech will leave but only after puking all that Bloody Mary on your leg!
I gently patted my pocket which contained the pack of salt I had filled from the hotel’s kitchen last night. After I was into my pair of special socks, I felt like a soldier myself- with my DSLR in my right hand and an umbrella in my left. I had put the spare lens in another pocket of my jacket along with a cell phone with the SIM card that could function in that locale.

I followed my guide down a stairwell to the bank of the Periyar Lake. We had to cross the lake and that was our first challenge before making it to the realm!
A wooden stump on the bank was wound by a rope which my guide tugged at to drag a bamboo raft toward himself. When the raft hit our side of the bank, the man signaled me to hop on.


The Bamboo Raft

As I stepped on the fragile piece of framed bamboo, it rocked and creaked. So, I collapsed where I stood and gave a thumbs up to my guide.

The man quickly walked to the other end of the raft and pulled at the rope which was tethered to the stump on the other end of the lake.

As the raft moved, I felt a tiny jolt of excitement in my tummy. One could see the huge expanse of the Lake on either side. Far off at a distance men sat on the forest floor while a huge steel trough steamed near them. Cooking amidst the wild must be so exciting!

When the raft hit the other end and I was on my feet again, I made a virtual hop of glory.



Stay tuned for the adventure that awaits ahead.


5 comments:

  1. Nice sketch to start with ...
    the post is too short .... need to see more, soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. অনবদ্য। খুব ভালো লাগলো পড়ে।

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you uncle! Stay tuned for the next chapter :D

      Delete