Day 74, Periyar, [Friday 15th February 2008]
Previous day: Day 73, Periyar [Thursday 14th February 2008]
Next day: Day 75, Periyar National Park [Saturday 16th February 2008]
We have omelette and toast for breakfast, then walk to the Periyar National Park entrance. The rest of the group turn up gradually — we're going into the park for an overnight hike. There's two Brits and a Swede. We all put on leech socks then head into the forest with our three guides — Pandya, the leader, another man with an antique looking rifle and a third, seemingly odd-job man.
In the next few hours we see macaque monkeys, sambar deer (they're everywhere!), giant squirrels, drongos and bison. The knowledgeable guide also point out cinnamon trees, sandalwood, wild cotton and wild curry bush, as well as pepper, coffee, cardamom and innumerable other plants, trees and spices.
Eventually we make our way onto a raft and push out into the huge man-made lake at the centre of the park. We paddle across to our camp, which overlooks the lake and the rolling hills of the park, great peaks surrounding the spreading fingers of water. The camp sits on a spur of land jutting out into the water, and our tents are surrounded by a deep elephant-proof trench, about 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep. We have to totter over a thin wooden plank to get in and out of it.
We feast on bananas, biscuits and tea, followed by curried tapioca and ginger yoghurt raita, all prepared by our guides on an open fire. Once the heat of the afternoon has passed we set out for a trek. We pass through thick forest, grassy plains and woodland dotted with clearings. We see two huge herds of bison, one of them numbering over 100, the other about half that. After they've run off we discover a baby they've left sleeping. We creep up for a closer look, and suddenly she wakes up, startled, and runs into the forest. Our guide assures us her mother will return for her. Later we see an elephant, briefly and tantalisingly close, about 20 metres away in the forest. It disappears quickly, though.
We trek on, arriving at a peak overlooking a karge swathe of the park — the lake stretches out to our left and right and the thick carpet of forest goes to the horizon. The scale of the park is huge — it's over 700km square. When we spot half a dozen elephants far below us at the water's edge, even their impressive size seems insignificant against the looming permanence of the landscape.
Back at the camp we have lemon tea, followed by a delicious thali dinner of rice, avial and various other veg dishes. We sit around a log fire afterwards and Pandya tells us how he and his colleagues used to poach cinnamon and animals from the park around 10 years ago, and how they curbed their criminal activities and came to organise eco-tours into the park instead.
We watch the stars and the fireflies, then one by one drop off to bed.
Next day: Day 75, Periyar National Park [Saturday 16th February 2008]
Previous day: Day 73, Periyar [Thursday 14th February 2008]