Day 1: We found ourselves on a Friday morning in a rather queer street called Tottee lane off Sudder street ( nobody had heard of it!). The initial reception with the tour operators did not give us too much confidence, but that initial experience soon faded away as a distant memory. We were packed off in 2
vehicles accommodating 14 backpackers. We drove past the morning chaos of
Kolkatta to reach the National Highway in no time after fuelling our Qualis.
Om, our guide cum driver made us comfortable by his continuous chatter and good
music in the car regardless of the rutted roads. We reached Gosaba where we
abandoned our car to board a ferry. Here we got the initial glimpse of the
Sundarbans with its calm waters and mangroves.The ferry ride was a bit freaky. It was a small rickety boat with 50 passengers, 2 motorcycles and the travel fare was just Re.1!The hot , humid weather worsened our condition. From the dinghy to
the local motorised cargo rickshaw- don’t know which was more perilous. We clambered on
the wooden plank behind the rickshaw with our backpacks and set out on a bone-
breaking ride through the uneven roads. The entire landscape of Sundarban
countryside was predominantly swampy with settlements in between. Acres and
acres of paddy fields made us ignore our weary journey and sore backsides.
Another short ferry ride ( pleasantly luxurious) finally dropped us to the eco village. Om had assured
us that we could refresh by taking a dip into the cool waters of the pool in
the eco village. Little did we know that it would be amidst the company of
buffaloes in the swampy ponds! We then realized that Om was never serious about
what he said unless proven otherwise. Thus we brushed aside the idea of
swimming and headed straight towards the mess hall. We were blessed with some
hot, home cooked food which included tarkari, bhaja, macher jhol and rice. We
rested for sometime in our cottage named Bonobibi ( goddess). The mud hut with
thatched roof ensured that the scorching
sun did not reach our worn out bodies. The refreshing afternoon siesta later,
we broke the ice with the rest of the group members over piping hot ginger liquor
tea. We then set out exploring lives of the villagers. Embankments around the
village attempted to keep wild animals at bay. Walking on the embankment, we
could see the stark contrast in the landscape from paddy fields and mud huts on
one side to acres of mangroves on the other. We had a visual treat of some
exotic birds like the white collared kingfisher, comorand etc. The village
folks entertained themselves on each Friday evening by arranging cock fights.
We zoomed our lenses to get some rare visuals of it and continued with our
village exploration. Walking on the embankments at dusk, the calm waters, vast
mangroves till the eyes could see, steamers, retreating birds with their chirpy clatter was breathtakingly
beautiful. After soaking into these visuals, we set out on our evening ferry
ride. Our boatman diligently rowed us towards the mangroves. The water was
shimmering against the moonlit sky. Lying on the deck watching the clear sky
amidst the peace and tranquility of the jungle felt surreal. Much against our
wishes, we were taken back to the village with an assurance of returning for
the night safari. Some lively folk music and piping hot home made dinner got us
rejuvenated for the night safari. While our evening boat ride was serene, the
night safari was creepy. The high tide made it possible to row into the
mangroves brushing ones shoulder, neck and head into the trees. The utter
silence of the night amplified the sounds of insects manifold. It was
completely a scene out of a horror movie. Om added to the drama by catching
some crabs and letting them loose in the boat. Fortunately we did not encounter
any snakes as were told earlier. Just as the eeriness got unbearable, we saw a
stunning visual. Fireflies lit up the waters resembling twinkling stars. We
headed back to our Bonobibi cottage. Our tired bodies took no time to crash on
the beds and fall asleep.
Day 2: Started at 5am. A quick wash followed by ginger
liquor tea and we were ready for our safari. Some photo ops and we set out. Our
chef boarded on the way and prepared breakfast of delicious aloo subji and
crunchy lucchis. We crossed from inhabitation to no mans land. We could figure
that out after seeing the fencing around the mangroves to keep the man eater at
arm’s length. Good food, Om’s chatter, good company and a breezy boat ride kept
us enthused. We witnessed some rare species of birds and various species of
mangroves; one in particular was with hanging roots resting on the ground giving
a visual of walking trees. The denseness of the forest kept us in awe. Besides
that we were treated, albeit infrequently, to spotted deer, monkeys, monitor
lizards, a gigantic, sunbathing crocodile even. As evening set in, we wanted to
end the safari with one glimpse of the mighty Royal Bengal tiger. Having lost
hope of seeing one, our guide took us closer to fresh tiger pug marks. This
suggested that the tiger swam just some time back from the forest towards the
village. We were told that tigers could swim as much as 7 km across rivers! Well, after little bit of consolation with the tiger pug marks, our tour ended. We off loaded from the ferry and started our return journey soaked in the marshy memories of Sundarbans.
