TALES FROM A JUNGLE BOOK
Whether it is love for nature, fascination with folklore, lure of the bygone era, the virgin rainforests in Wayanad make a dream destination.
My first ever affair with nature’s abundance was predestined to leave a mark so very intense that I, till today, live with the undying memories of the time spent amidst nature’s glory.
Accustomed to the life in the suburban where the dusty air filled with chaos of day to day monotony rose, the lush green of the Western Ghats revealed itself as seduction personified. It had been raining continually for many days together when we checked into a resort in Wayanad district of Kerala in May.
Without any further aberrations let me get into the part of this serene paradise that I fell in love with.
Wayanad fits the bill in all respects. Scenic beauty, waterfalls, streams and dense forests abound in this microcosm. The comforts and frills for a luxury vacation are a bonus. The trails for hikers are countless while those perambulators and ‘hammock lovers’ need not buckle up their shoes to experience it all. The formula is simple: cut your own trail or follow the conquered path. Nature’s bounty will be a constant companion in these hills, be it you abide by the norms or defy them.
It was our first experience of sunrise in this thickly vegetated part of the equator and we rose to the slating rays of the sunlight that peered into our frozen cubicles. Outside a light satin drape of fine drizzle unfurled its tresses ceaselessly through the dense tree canopy as I sat in the veranda, contemplating the foliage of tall trees bedecked with shiny raindrop jewels. Green branches bowed under the weight of the raindrops, washed lush green, as the zillions of droplets traversed the leafy path and fell prey to the brook that gurgled below. The slender stream was now raging torrent. My friend reclined in the lounge couch, engrossed in the antics of the giant malabar squirrel foraging from tree to tree. The fluffy-tailed brown begum sniffed at one jackfruit after another, carefully evaluating each before leaving them to ripen just a bit more. The monkeys had enough sweet leaves and fresh fruit to pamper themselves on. A tree lizard scampered up a 60-foot tree. Visible only during movement, it merged with the rough bark as it stopped at odd angles. A momentary blink of the eye called for a painstaking search to locate its bearing. The tree lizard’s cousin on the rock equally matched the Houdini act on the dimpled gray surface.
The youngest of us, 14 years of age was out with his umbrella unearthing the mysteries of the newborn forest life. His adrenaline was on an overdrive, having been effusively patted for finding me one invertebrate beauty after the other. His excitement peaked every now and then each time a volley of shots and whirs from my camera targeted his finds. He was back again now panting from the sprint and bursting at the seams.
The joy of eureka gleamed in his smile.
Something in my heart told me that he must have found the green tree frog. Scrambling my lenses, tripod, flash, another umbrella and spare films, I ran up to the pool, next to the reception. Literally above our nose, I stared into the eyes of a large green frog with bright red webbed feet parked like Spiderman on the wooden support that held a roof above the passage. There were several others parked on the roof, as if stationed for display, watching this funny mammalian intruder aiming all sorts of gizmos at one of their sisters. The air was heavy with distrust as I strained to focus in the dimly lit ambience. Her eyes were now fiercely focused on my lens as I took a macro of the giant amphibian. In an instant, she leapt forward and as if to grab my lens away, darted at the camera and with a dull thud landed on my camera lens, sticking to the surface like a vacuum dart. I pulled back toppling the peace of everything under my feet. My retreat had been almost ignominious. She then leapt across into the pool with a splash and I had regained momentary sanity with the space around me.
Life erupted from every crevice.
We clicked mushrooms on the ground, on tree stumps, on bamboo shoots. Not too far away from the stream, I spotted a congregation of mushrooms that reared their heads ‘in sprightly dance’ atop a dung heap. A little further away from these fungi I captured resting butterflies, mating butterflies, mud-puddling butterflies vied with dragonflies,
Damselflies and larvae for top-honours in the pre-monsoon shower fashion parade. Glow-worms flashed their innate torches every now and then and sparkled over the stream down below and gently glided through treetops like rising stars from a magic wand, to enliven the night. The enigmatic fruit bats whizzed around like ‘ghosts in the darkness.’ A fiery red blossom emerging from brown humus interrupted the endless green of foliage. A rocky path led to the abode of Tarzan, with overhanging vines framing a lovely waterfall rushing into a pool before rolling down.
A seven-inch snail, which excuded an immodest silky sheen, wriggled up the path with its strapless backpack. It continued crawling unmindful of the efforts of the photographer lying less than a foot away in the mud holding his breath. The whir of the camera motor and the burst of the flash were shrugged off as mere thunder and lightning. It marched on in search of its El Dorado. We had already found ours right here at Wayanad.
The dream location straddles the landscape of the famed Nagarhole National park, in Karnataka, and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, in kerala.
The jungles around Vythiri are home to ancient ruins, Neolithic caves, aborigine tribes and mysterious legends,
At present, this stands as one of the least exploited wildlife getaways in the country.
The gems and jewels of Vythiri are one of a kind and the most diverse. Surely there are many more gems scattered in this hill region of North Kerala, waiting for restless spirits to come and discover.
Whether it is love for nature, fascination with folklore, lure of the bygone era, the virgin rainforests in Wayanad make a dream destination.
My first ever affair with nature’s abundance was predestined to leave a mark so very intense that I, till today, live with the undying memories of the time spent amidst nature’s glory.
Accustomed to the life in the suburban where the dusty air filled with chaos of day to day monotony rose, the lush green of the Western Ghats revealed itself as seduction personified. It had been raining continually for many days together when we checked into a resort in Wayanad district of Kerala in May.
Without any further aberrations let me get into the part of this serene paradise that I fell in love with.
Wayanad fits the bill in all respects. Scenic beauty, waterfalls, streams and dense forests abound in this microcosm. The comforts and frills for a luxury vacation are a bonus. The trails for hikers are countless while those perambulators and ‘hammock lovers’ need not buckle up their shoes to experience it all. The formula is simple: cut your own trail or follow the conquered path. Nature’s bounty will be a constant companion in these hills, be it you abide by the norms or defy them.
It was our first experience of sunrise in this thickly vegetated part of the equator and we rose to the slating rays of the sunlight that peered into our frozen cubicles. Outside a light satin drape of fine drizzle unfurled its tresses ceaselessly through the dense tree canopy as I sat in the veranda, contemplating the foliage of tall trees bedecked with shiny raindrop jewels. Green branches bowed under the weight of the raindrops, washed lush green, as the zillions of droplets traversed the leafy path and fell prey to the brook that gurgled below. The slender stream was now raging torrent. My friend reclined in the lounge couch, engrossed in the antics of the giant malabar squirrel foraging from tree to tree. The fluffy-tailed brown begum sniffed at one jackfruit after another, carefully evaluating each before leaving them to ripen just a bit more. The monkeys had enough sweet leaves and fresh fruit to pamper themselves on. A tree lizard scampered up a 60-foot tree. Visible only during movement, it merged with the rough bark as it stopped at odd angles. A momentary blink of the eye called for a painstaking search to locate its bearing. The tree lizard’s cousin on the rock equally matched the Houdini act on the dimpled gray surface.
The youngest of us, 14 years of age was out with his umbrella unearthing the mysteries of the newborn forest life. His adrenaline was on an overdrive, having been effusively patted for finding me one invertebrate beauty after the other. His excitement peaked every now and then each time a volley of shots and whirs from my camera targeted his finds. He was back again now panting from the sprint and bursting at the seams.
The joy of eureka gleamed in his smile.
Something in my heart told me that he must have found the green tree frog. Scrambling my lenses, tripod, flash, another umbrella and spare films, I ran up to the pool, next to the reception. Literally above our nose, I stared into the eyes of a large green frog with bright red webbed feet parked like Spiderman on the wooden support that held a roof above the passage. There were several others parked on the roof, as if stationed for display, watching this funny mammalian intruder aiming all sorts of gizmos at one of their sisters. The air was heavy with distrust as I strained to focus in the dimly lit ambience. Her eyes were now fiercely focused on my lens as I took a macro of the giant amphibian. In an instant, she leapt forward and as if to grab my lens away, darted at the camera and with a dull thud landed on my camera lens, sticking to the surface like a vacuum dart. I pulled back toppling the peace of everything under my feet. My retreat had been almost ignominious. She then leapt across into the pool with a splash and I had regained momentary sanity with the space around me.
Life erupted from every crevice.
We clicked mushrooms on the ground, on tree stumps, on bamboo shoots. Not too far away from the stream, I spotted a congregation of mushrooms that reared their heads ‘in sprightly dance’ atop a dung heap. A little further away from these fungi I captured resting butterflies, mating butterflies, mud-puddling butterflies vied with dragonflies,
Damselflies and larvae for top-honours in the pre-monsoon shower fashion parade. Glow-worms flashed their innate torches every now and then and sparkled over the stream down below and gently glided through treetops like rising stars from a magic wand, to enliven the night. The enigmatic fruit bats whizzed around like ‘ghosts in the darkness.’ A fiery red blossom emerging from brown humus interrupted the endless green of foliage. A rocky path led to the abode of Tarzan, with overhanging vines framing a lovely waterfall rushing into a pool before rolling down.
A seven-inch snail, which excuded an immodest silky sheen, wriggled up the path with its strapless backpack. It continued crawling unmindful of the efforts of the photographer lying less than a foot away in the mud holding his breath. The whir of the camera motor and the burst of the flash were shrugged off as mere thunder and lightning. It marched on in search of its El Dorado. We had already found ours right here at Wayanad.
The dream location straddles the landscape of the famed Nagarhole National park, in Karnataka, and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, in kerala.
The jungles around Vythiri are home to ancient ruins, Neolithic caves, aborigine tribes and mysterious legends,
At present, this stands as one of the least exploited wildlife getaways in the country.
The gems and jewels of Vythiri are one of a kind and the most diverse. Surely there are many more gems scattered in this hill region of North Kerala, waiting for restless spirits to come and discover.
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