The payment in blood...

I wish this was the law!! :(

In today's world, its increasingly difficult to attain absolute solitude for an extended period of time. Like it or not, you're subjected to people you may or may not find appealing. Holds true even in the forest rest house where i was staying at Dandeli.

A family from Bombay (yes i fucking insist on calling it Bombay!) was present there as well, but they were more keen on safaris and general touring as opposed to wildlife photography. I was sipping my tea harmlessly as a mouse alone at my table when the first one among them started off, "Where are you from?" Thought or no thought, "Bombay" was my response! Cynical laughter from their side of the table. The right wing saffron brigade fascists were my company in the forest, just the thing that the doc insisted on right? Yea...

What followed was that traditional battle between the orthodox fascists and my liberal principles. Too much bile to be discussed about, so just forget it. But then there were two Kannadiga boys who'd come for a hike in the forest. They seemed like better company to keep. Well, it would've appeared really odd to be dining alone when there were people around me so...

All this bile distracted me from the focus of the day's topic, the payment to be made in blood. The forest is located near a river by the name Kali. True to her name, Kali demands blood from her devotees in payment for spending time in the forest. Something felt like chewing gum stuck to my foot and inspection revealed a reddish black creature devilishly latched to my foot. A strong shuffle dislodged it but it had apparently had its fill, of my blood...

A tiger leech!

More blood is wasted by excessive bleeding than ingestion by leeches. Their saliva prevents clotting and soon enough, the blood trails all over the place before clotting. Clotting'd happen if only a hundred more leeches hadn't smelt the rich blood...

Walking in blood isn't as scary (if not gory) as it sounds. It feels like chewing gum stuck to your feet. Combined with the red earth of Dandeli, it looked like i'd been shot in the foot with a shotgun!

The tribute in blood paid off. The birding was rich at the very least, and sighting after sighting, photo after photo followed suit. So, it didn't seem like a bad deal in the end :) All of this bloodletting was okay provided there was no pain in it. If only leech bites were to be painful, i'd be in Hell considering the number of bites i'd taken :)

In the evening, a plan was drawn up for a coracle ride along the length of the Kali river. This was offered complimentary for all guests staying at the resort for over 2 days. The coracle is quite a sight so to say. A round, saucer like raft made from strips of wood, ideal for moving quickly across rivers. It has no keel at the bottom and spins around whenever the currents push it.

Viewer discretion advised

"Beware of crocodiles in the river. Please do not swim here" a notice read grimly warning of a painful end for the errant with a caricature of the reptile. (Gulp!) A heavy and unwieldy camera lens posed two risks! One, the camera falls into the water, and i'm in deep trouble. Second, i fall into the water and the crocs close in. Not a very mild problem either. A Catch-22 of sorts you could term it, but no guts, no glory!

A Coracle looks like this!

Anand, our oarsman for the coracle, deftly navigated over the silent and deep waters of the Kali toward a clump of bamboo shoots. "There are more hornbills here than you could ever dream of sir!" his marketing pitch! Sure enough you could hear the raucous calls of the Malabar Pied Hornbills. Squawking and screaming, they were noisily feasting on fig berries. This tree was at a good distance, yet their calls could be heard clearly.

What followed could only be termed "spectacular" at the very least. The huge birds took to wing and three photographers tried to make the most of it with their respective weapons!

Malabar Pied Hornbills

Whenever we're confronted by a common situation (us includes non-humans as well), we often begin to bond and try to tackle it as a team. Well, the Kannadiga boys who so far had been mostly reticent became friendly! So far, the two spoke only in Kannada to one another, and rarely spoke with me. But after the Hornbill fest, all three had become pals :)

The forest in the meanwhile had effected me into its fold. Mind at peace and tranquil as the forest itself, i'd been cured of civilization's ills! The forest is a harsh mother, inflicting pain and hurt at times, but this pain serves only to toughen us for life's trials and tribulations. To think of material comforts and pleasures and assume this is true bliss, is but foolishness. I'd rather fancy sleeping atop a fig tree rather than a plush foam and feather contraption! B ut then, modern life has bound us in ways we cannot see or escape at will. But the effort is on...

An escape from present circumstances and situations must and will necessarily land us in another situation and circumstance (The law of conservation of energy at work!), and depending on probability and the weightage of Karma (good and bad deeds!), the situation will be either in our favour or against us!

But i'd like to think, parents prayers, friends goodwill and the general positive aura of the world around, had their significant part in influencing my situation in the forest. Thanks to them all, the sun set for the day and i returned back to camp grinning from ear to ear (we had a record bird sighting for the region!), and slightly soaked with blood in the shoes(yes, the leeches were still at work!)

The mighty Great Pied Hornbill, our record!

What next, let's talk about that tomorrow...? :)