Run through the Jungle

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Hello.
I am currently staying in a bamboo hut without electricity near Gokarna. It is a three mile hike to the nearest place with electricity and a six mile hike into town over some steep terrain. There are several other long term travelers staying here too. I've been traveling at a very fast pace the last couple weeks and will stay here for a week or so to relax, hike, and take some yoga classes. Unfortunately, my camera needs new batteries and none are available here, so it will be a few days before I can post pictures. I've had a lot of interesting adventures this past week, so I'll post a few short entries this next week re-capping and describing Gokarna.


Run through the Jungle:

The moment the bus crossed from Karnataka back into Kerala, the landscape changed dramatically. The brown-red dusty clay Earth almost immediately gave way to rich black soil and dense tropical undergrowth. I had just entered Wayand, the part of Kerala with the most intact virgin jungle. The bus rolled into a small sleepy jungle outpost and screeched to a halt. All of a sudden I heard a loud screech followed by a thud and the sounds of footsteps running. I looked down at my feet, and the bag of oranges I had brought for the trip was gone. . Looking up I saw a monkey swinging quickly out the window with a bag of oranges clutched tightly in its mouth. Suddenly a new wave of monkeys swung their way into though open bus windows and began running up and down the interior of the bus screeching and looking for food. After the crowd of people onboard started shouting and clapping, the monkeys finally left, only to move to the top of the bus and screech defiantly until the driver turned on the engine and pulled out.

I had just spent several days in Indian cities, and wanted to get out away from the noise and crowds. I spent two days in Mysore after Bangalore where I did some sightseeing and bought incense and oils from the nearby forests. Mysore was a laid-back but touristy city, and it was from here that I decided to dip back down into Kerala before heading on northward. I had heard that the Wayanad region had the most intact jungles in South India, so I wanted to go and trek there.

Upon arrival in Kalpetta, the region's largest town, I decided to walk around the nearby hills to see if I could find a place to stay up away from the bus stand. My search was unsuccessful, but as I made my way back to town I was met by two local carpenters who acted like they had never seen a foreigner before and seemed overcome with shock and joy at meeting me. They insisted I join them for a drink and took me by the hand to the local Toddy shop. Now Toddy is basically mildly alcoholic homebrewed coconut milk and is served in glasses. It didn't seem very strong, which was good as it was my first drink in a few weeks and I was still dehydrated from the long bus ride and hiking to find a room. I hung out with the two guys for an hour or two and then left to get a room.

The next day I went trekking with a guide. As I was hiking upwards I felt like I was realizing all over again just how tough climbing a mountain actually is. I made the hike to Chembra peak, one of the highest mountains in the region. Depending on who I asked I hiked somewhere between 900 and 1900 vertical meters up a peak that was somewehere between 2100 and 2600 meters high. Here in this part of India figures given for distance and time are almost widely open to interpretation. Nevertheless I struggled my way to the top of this barren craggy peak, which was surrounded by lush forested peaks. All of the other peaks, I was told, were part of a protected jungle and closed to trekking. Because of Chembra's lack of vegetation it was open to hikers, and was a great vantage point for the surrounding jungle. Green hazy peaks towered over valleys full of tea, banana, and coconut plantations, and the air was filled with eagles swooping. I finished the trek thoroughly exhausted and sore, but the guide said we hiked it in a couple hours under the normal time. As I made my way back to town I felt ready to head somewhere to stay a bit longer and relax. I packed my bag to head out to Gokarna unaware it would take two more nights before I arrived.

Stay tuned for more on Indian bus journeys, food, and head wobbles. Hopefully I'll be able to scour down some batteries too so I can post pictures.

Ciao

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