The time when i just stepped into learning the technicality of photography from a workshop, I came to know about this place. Before that day I had never heard of it. I got a chance to visit on a Photography trip.
Agumbe…. What is this place..never heard of it… Should I opt for this trip or not.. So this was my mind state immediately after receiving that email.. But again from somewhere I need to start. My inquisitive mind was not allowing me to think lucidly. Big perplexity… Then thought atleast give it a thought. Instantaneously got into internet to research more about Agumbe. The result what I got, illuminated all the qualms I had for the place. Here we go.. It’s a small village situated in Shimoga district in Karnataka and it’s called the “The Cherrapunji of the South” due to the heavy rainfall this place gets, which is second highest in India. It’s one of the distinguished rainforest in India and associated with rainforest conservation effort, medicinal plants, power generation through hydroelectric and promotion of cottage industry.
The elevation of this place is 643 meter above sea level along the pinnacle of Western Ghat or Sahyadri as few of us know it. The utterance of Rainforest has haul up my curiosity to a new altitude. And instantly, decided to go for it. I was completely ignorant about what a Rainforest expedition will be like. As till now my experience with rainforest restricted upto TV series. So my preparations were terrible. You will come to know soon ahead what I had to face due to this terrible preparation. I was not very sure of the location and road condition so thought of dropped the idea of driving down. Next and only option was KSRTC bus.. wow.. Sounds interesting and exploratory.. yeah.. it all started from here .. Why not give a try to the different aspect of the travel.. why not just get out of that Cab and flight notion. And that was the perfect opportunity when your family is not traveling with u.
Well.. with that thought in my mind, planned to take up a BMTC, city bus till Majestic, from where I will get the KSRTC bus to Agumbe.. I got into the bus and settled in the seat. Least I have expected to travel in a non-AC bus.. phhhheeewwww…. Next day early morning I reached Agumbe.. I was the only traveller left in the bus. I was told that i would be get picked up from the bus stop but when I looked out though the window, I can see a very secluded place without a single soul there. But the beauty of the place is so enchanting, that I just forgot, I am a lone female out here.. Anyway then just i vehicles is there to pick me up. What a relief.. Then we head towards ARRS (Agumbe Rainforest research center), where we are going to spend next 3 days.. The choice of stay is due to the obvious reason that there was no hotel or resort in that place. So now I have stepped into the kingdom of, king of the snakes, the KING COBRA.
After just a brief fresh up I came to the main building for Breakfast. There I met other members of the trip, including a doctor who hailed from NZ. Till end of the trip I couldn’t make out his real name. We just refer him as Doc.. They all are there from previous day and went for a morning walk inside the rain forest. Then something weird I saw. They all sat in one far corner and striking out something from their pants.. From there leg.. I looked cautiously.. eeeaaaawwwww.. Leeches… Believe me I felt like running away from there.. But that was not an option that point of time. I have already jumped into it without knowing where I am jumping. Anyways we were given a goodie bag which contain couple of pairs leech socks as well.. I was bit relief.. I saw Doc just pulled one from his leg and crushed it between thumb and index finger and threw it away. My mind was completely blank.. lost the ability to think anything further.. Soon we got the breakfast call and I was damn hungry… But still the revulsion of Leeches was haunting me. Post breakfast we are all set to enter the rainforest equipped with all our photography gears, Leech socks, tracking shoes.. Everyone else had the boot but I was not aware that I need a gumboot. First disaster hit me due to a awful preparation.
We just stopped near a small bush when Mandy said there is a Vine snake, find it out.. we searched all over again and again but couldn’t find.. He gave us the 1st clue.. still didn’t get.. then gave 2nd clue.. still no.. Somehow with 3rd clue we could realize it was just in front our eyes .. That’s a real camouflage. We as a human being needed 3 clues to find it then forget about any predator.. That’s nature’s defence mechanism.. Which has been carve up equally among all the entity of animal kingdom. For human being it has gifted a superior brain with a vision that this race will protect all other creation of his. But the fact is other way around.. I always pursue a dialog from Spider Man movie “With great power comes great responsibility.” Are we following this..Anyway let’s not get diverted from the subject matter here.
We then started entering to the deepest part of the forest, and suddenly few leeches are climbing on my trouser. I just shouted my heart out.. Everyone reacted like “c’mon its Just leeches. Have u played Carom anytime … just strike it same way…” Obviously, its just leeches, when u are invading in territory of a king, the King Cobra.
Never could imagine Fungi can be so colourful and beautiful.
While you walk on a rain forest you need to be very careful as a complete set of lifelines are bestowed on the bed of the forest. You never know what may just come under your feet. Suddenly I saw a curious millipede was crawling through the dry leaves on the path. I asked Mandy for the identity.. And he just touched it. With no time it became a size of ping pong ball. That’s Pill millipede..
Mother nature has crafted so many mysterious species that you will astound to distinguish their beauty and their behavioural pattern. We were just about to back for lunch time to ARRS, suddenly near to the main building we saw one Malabar pit Viper basking in the sun. wow.. My words are failing here to narrate its beauty.. But if it get on you then u have just 2 hours left. The Venom of this species is categorized as Hemotoxic, which act on the heart and cardiovascular system and gives a little chance before it stops our heart beat. But for me a lifetime love affair just started.
What do you see in below image.. A dry leaf… watch very closely… did u get that ??? Y es, its a butterfly.
We again entered the forest post lunch session and back to ARRS for hot cup of tea and refreshment. By now I have already got couple of leech bytes.. Can u believe by now I can pull them from my skin and through away.. and can ignore the continuous bleeding from that wound. you really don’t realize when they stuck to your skin and start sucking the blood. Their byte has anaesthesia agent for which we will never feel anything even when they are taking so much blood from our body. After a brief discussion we get ready for the night walk inside the forest to experience the nocturnal species. Everyone got ready with their night walk gears.. I don’t have much in specific.. again I blame my ignorance..
Next day early in the morning we enter the rainforest once again. And bumped into this beauty. Malabar Trogon. This is my first ever bird image and I welcome myself to the birding world.
While coming back to the ARRS camp for breakfast, we saw the Draco, the flying lizard or the flying dragon.
After breakfast the plan was walking alone the stream. I was quite excited about it.. But I can see Mandy is bit worried as I didn’t have gumboot as we have to walk in ankle deep water in the stream.Then all decided that we will not get into the stream rather just walk on the side. But after u see such a stream, can u hold your temptation of getting inside?? No way.. so we entered..
This kind of rainforest I use to see in Nat Geo or discovery, never thought I will be experience that in my real life..
My feet are completely shocked in water making my tracking shoes unbearable to walk but the spell of the moment was so strong never realize what’s happening down inside the shoes. We came back to ARRS for lunch and then only I can realize how bad the shoe condition is. luckily I had a spare pair of casual half shoe. Well again after lunch we decided to explore the forest further deep. I had to go with that half shoe of mine which is really a bad idea but didn’t had any other choice.. The bad reparation of the trip strike me again.
It was dream walk along with the streams and mangroves as if I was walking in one of the Pandora’s forest from Avater.
Then after evening tea session waited for bit darkness to get into the forest again for a night walk. While walking with torch beaming at the ground suddenly I saw a one tiny thing which has spots like deer went inside the bush. I couldn’t make it out what exactly that was. Finally…, that was a mouse dear. After few minutes of walk everyone was bit alert and what we saw, a SLENDER LORIS. We just looked at the tree top and he flashed the light again for a fraction of second to locate it. Ohh my… can clearly saw it, with those big burning red eyes.. It stays very short time to capture a good image of him.. Then again we start our journey in a line, inside the forest in that intense dark of the night. Being only female in the group, they made sure I shouldn’t be first or the last in the queue. Suddenly I heard the person behind me screaming “oops… “. Immediately with no time I turn back and focus my torch light on his gumboot. What I saw was unbelievable to my eyes. One snake is dangling on his boot and he just very mildly shake it away. Then the snake land on the ground and made a coil and rest. It was a humped nose pit viper. Immediately we checked the person.. He was absolutely fine but the snake has done a tiny hole in his boot. I was just ahead of him. What if the sequence of the events would have been destined just a second earlier.. I didn’t even had a boot. Ohh no.. Don’t want to think of it.. This is the worst disaster would have happened to me for my yet again a bad trip preparation.
After this terrifying encounter no one had any wish to go inside the forest in the dark anymore so we head back ARRS. Everyone was quite upset with the fact that I didn’t brought a boot with me and It was declared that no boot .. no night walk.. Anyway after dinner we just head towards our own cottages and call it a day.
Next day morning we get into a cave full of bats. That was another enchanting experience all together. The cave was completely dark and damp with rain water. Also we could here a small stream is flowing though inside the cave. And with that hundreds of Bats fluttering around. They definitely didn’t like our presence in their home. After spending few moments in that cave we were back to ARRS and packed up our way back to Bangalore.
This trip has changed my interpretation about the snakes, spiders, leeches, frogs and any kind of amphibian. When I spent dark nights alone, without electricity with hundreds of vipers and may be few king cobras slithering around just outside of the room. When I spend the night with a huge spider with a deep red face just above my bed and can see his burning face with that fade torch light what I had all I can say light. When I spent the night all alone after listening to that a hug black snake was just spotted outside my cottage door. It’s a life changing trip for me and I can go back any number of time. Agumbe till we meet again….
