Day V had a delightful beginning! I saw black monkeys from my room! I just went on taking pictures till Ma had to drag me away to breakfast!
First thing we did was to go for a boat ride on PERIYAR LAKE. We saw wild boars, otters, sambar deer, wild buffalos, wild dogs, jungle mynas and kingfishers. Was very, very excited to spot all these animals, as were the people onboard the boat.
There were quite a few honeymooners too, acting downright silly! Two couples were together, and they were the worst! They would go to the front of the boat in pairs, while the other pair would take their pictures. And by doing so they would block everybody else’s view! I was so annoyed at them that I even snapped at one of the guys to move out of my way, and then regretted it at once! I was doing exactly the same thing that I detest seeing other people doing – being unnecessarily rude! Sure the guy was blocking my view, but I could have spoken politely and not brushed him off as if he were a fly!
Anyway, after the boat ride we hired a guide and went for a trek in the forest. I was just too excited about going in to a real, live jungle!! I was also a little (O.K., quite a bit!) scared that some wild animal would jump us from behind some bush! This was a tiger reserve after all!
We started out on the plains first. The guide pointed out to a group of dogs and muttered something about a sambar deer. I just nodded my head and began to follow him. My parents and brother were trailing behind, as D and Dad were helping Ma down a steep incline. As we neared the wild dogs, they ran away toward the jungle. And then the most gruesome sight met my eyes! There was a half eaten deer lying right at my feet! And then I understood what the guide had said about the deer! D was quite excited and began filming the corpse! The insides of the deer were completely torn away by the dogs! There even some whitish organs lying near by! Hmmm… I think must have grossed out most people reading this, so I’ll stop here!
As we entered the forest, I could keep on hearing rumbling/roaring sounds, and kept imagining a tiger coming tearing out from some bush! But I soon deciphered the noises to be emanating from cars passing through the reserve! So much for imagining coming face-to-face with a tiger!
We walked quite deep in to the forest. After only about half an hour or so, Not-So-Deadly-Dad said that he was too tired to continue and that we should head back. I was not too pleased with this decision, and put my foot down and demanded that we have never ever been in a forest, and never ever may do so in the future, and also we should get our money’s and continue with the trek. I think my last words had the desired effect, and we continued with the trek! :D
We didn’t see many animals, but saw a group of lemurs eating jackfruit, some birds and a variety of spiders! We also saw a great many trees; well we were in a forest!
Jokes apart, we saw trees with humongous trunks. They must have been at least 100 years old.
We also saw a lot of elephant poo! The guide kept away from the tracks where the poo seemed fresh. I was just amazed that elephants could fit through such narrow spaces! And the branches and bushes didn’t even seem all that trampled upon! Strange!
In to our second hour in the forest, D noticed that leeches on the protective socks (they made from a very thick cloth) that I had worn over my shoes and pants, they were knee-high. I was extremely distressed by that, as I obviously didn’t want by blood sucked! Removing the little buggers was a tiring task! They just wouldn’t come off, how much ever D and I tried poking at them with sticks! It was awfully creepy!
By this time, even my legs were hurting, as was my lower back, which hurts when I walk a lot. I was just glad that I had booked a massage in the evening for myself!
Anyway, we reached the guide office, where our guide brought a packet of salt and began sprinkling salt on to the socks and inside our sneakers too. The damn leeches dropped off at once! Thank God!
We then had lunch and retired to our rooms, where I read ‘Deception Point’ by Dan Brown till 7 pm, after which D and I went for our massages. The massage I took was called Abhyangam, a massage for proper blood circulation of the body and relaxation of the mind. Hot ayurvedic oil, which smelt a lot of eucalyptus, is massaged on to the body. It actually wasn’t as relaxing as I thought it would be. There was a lot of sweeping action and not much kneading, which is what I needed! Washing off all the oil afterwards was a big problem! The oil was very thick, and had to wash myself about 4-5 times! And my hair also covered with a thick layer of the oil!
For dinner we again had the sinfully delicious “Fried Fish Kerala-style”!
And there ended Day V.
First thing we did was to go for a boat ride on PERIYAR LAKE. We saw wild boars, otters, sambar deer, wild buffalos, wild dogs, jungle mynas and kingfishers. Was very, very excited to spot all these animals, as were the people onboard the boat.
There were quite a few honeymooners too, acting downright silly! Two couples were together, and they were the worst! They would go to the front of the boat in pairs, while the other pair would take their pictures. And by doing so they would block everybody else’s view! I was so annoyed at them that I even snapped at one of the guys to move out of my way, and then regretted it at once! I was doing exactly the same thing that I detest seeing other people doing – being unnecessarily rude! Sure the guy was blocking my view, but I could have spoken politely and not brushed him off as if he were a fly!
Anyway, after the boat ride we hired a guide and went for a trek in the forest. I was just too excited about going in to a real, live jungle!! I was also a little (O.K., quite a bit!) scared that some wild animal would jump us from behind some bush! This was a tiger reserve after all!
We started out on the plains first. The guide pointed out to a group of dogs and muttered something about a sambar deer. I just nodded my head and began to follow him. My parents and brother were trailing behind, as D and Dad were helping Ma down a steep incline. As we neared the wild dogs, they ran away toward the jungle. And then the most gruesome sight met my eyes! There was a half eaten deer lying right at my feet! And then I understood what the guide had said about the deer! D was quite excited and began filming the corpse! The insides of the deer were completely torn away by the dogs! There even some whitish organs lying near by! Hmmm… I think must have grossed out most people reading this, so I’ll stop here!
As we entered the forest, I could keep on hearing rumbling/roaring sounds, and kept imagining a tiger coming tearing out from some bush! But I soon deciphered the noises to be emanating from cars passing through the reserve! So much for imagining coming face-to-face with a tiger!
We walked quite deep in to the forest. After only about half an hour or so, Not-So-Deadly-Dad said that he was too tired to continue and that we should head back. I was not too pleased with this decision, and put my foot down and demanded that we have never ever been in a forest, and never ever may do so in the future, and also we should get our money’s and continue with the trek. I think my last words had the desired effect, and we continued with the trek! :D
We didn’t see many animals, but saw a group of lemurs eating jackfruit, some birds and a variety of spiders! We also saw a great many trees; well we were in a forest!
Jokes apart, we saw trees with humongous trunks. They must have been at least 100 years old.
We also saw a lot of elephant poo! The guide kept away from the tracks where the poo seemed fresh. I was just amazed that elephants could fit through such narrow spaces! And the branches and bushes didn’t even seem all that trampled upon! Strange!
In to our second hour in the forest, D noticed that leeches on the protective socks (they made from a very thick cloth) that I had worn over my shoes and pants, they were knee-high. I was extremely distressed by that, as I obviously didn’t want by blood sucked! Removing the little buggers was a tiring task! They just wouldn’t come off, how much ever D and I tried poking at them with sticks! It was awfully creepy!
By this time, even my legs were hurting, as was my lower back, which hurts when I walk a lot. I was just glad that I had booked a massage in the evening for myself!
Anyway, we reached the guide office, where our guide brought a packet of salt and began sprinkling salt on to the socks and inside our sneakers too. The damn leeches dropped off at once! Thank God!
We then had lunch and retired to our rooms, where I read ‘Deception Point’ by Dan Brown till 7 pm, after which D and I went for our massages. The massage I took was called Abhyangam, a massage for proper blood circulation of the body and relaxation of the mind. Hot ayurvedic oil, which smelt a lot of eucalyptus, is massaged on to the body. It actually wasn’t as relaxing as I thought it would be. There was a lot of sweeping action and not much kneading, which is what I needed! Washing off all the oil afterwards was a big problem! The oil was very thick, and had to wash myself about 4-5 times! And my hair also covered with a thick layer of the oil!
For dinner we again had the sinfully delicious “Fried Fish Kerala-style”!
And there ended Day V.
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