Sundarbans! (part 2)

I could go on and on about the Sundarbans, but I'll try to limit it to two posts. After we anchored (and immediately saw several spotted deer and monkeys on the beach) in the bay of bengal we had an evening to kill time. Our dear Muslim friend Fazel again treated us to scotch and vodka (he's not super Muslim) under the stars. I lied down on the benches at the back of the boat and in 30min saw 9 shooting stars. There must have been a meteor shower or something as the same phenomena occurred the following night.

We had an early morning trek after the most spectacular sunrise. This hike was through a particularly mongrove-ish part of the mongroves. The entire way was on a raised walkway. In typical Bangladeshi style the walk way was completely rotted away and so we carefully stepped along the central concrete beam about as wide as a gymnast's balance beam! Somehow the older people and the children managed it however, and we made it back safe and sound. One of the guests, Fazel's sister, spoke the entire time (despite the guide's warning that we will see more if we're quiet). And, also in typical Bengali style she spoke as if she was trying to be heard over a traffic jam. When I asked her to please be quiet so we might see something she replied, "no Royal Bengal Tiger here." and proceeded to shout whisper (whispering like they do in Shakespeare plays where the entire audience can hear the actor despite no microphone). This place is always entertaining.

Our afternoon hike was through a sort of grassland on sand. It was beautiful country, although the group moved a little slow for my taste. In 35deg celsius we trudged along to the sea of Bengal. There we had our own private beach on perfect sand. Swimming was such a treat in that heat, especially after so many weeks of being covered up in a Salwar Kameez in plus 30 weather. The guides brought fruit for snacks (they did not let us go very long without eating) and we lounged around before making the 5km hike back. This may have been my favourite part of the trip, but the Bengalis complained and complained about the length of the hike in the heat. I thought it was pretty funny that they were the ones whining about the heat. It was a pretty long hike for the older guests with arthritis and the young ones (a three year old made the hike, but his poor father had to carry him on the way back because he was fast asleep).

The heat was such that you could feel your sweat balling up at your temples before rolling down your face. But, despite my normal dislike of extreme heat, it was totally worth it and I think I'm getting aclimatized as well. It was also no where near the heat I experienced the first few days (38deg with high humity. It felt as if the air was choking you).

That night we took the country boat through the narrow canals once again. We again saw nothing more than birds. The density of the forest is such that you can only see maybe a foot into the trees. But on the way back we saw deep tiger tracks that were not there before. The tiger swam across the river twice (apparently that is normal) just behind us. The feeling of being watched was thrilling. Two of the men that stayed back at the main boat were able to see the Tiger make his journey. They are two of the only people on earth (who do not live in the Sundarbans and are not biologists) who have ever seen a wild Bengal Tiger. It is awesome (In the Eddie Izzard kind of Awe-some, not in the "sweet, a corn dog, that's awesome," kind of way)

On the boat trip back to Khulna we saw two pods and one lone dolphin. These are the Ganges River Dolphins. Again, thrilling. There is something about dolphins I think that you can't help but feel a kinship (see the movie The Cove if you haven't already). It was so exciting to see them breach the water and jump. I've never seen a wild dolphin before, and the Ganges River Dolphin is a rare fresh water dolphin that is very distinct in appearance from the bottle nose dolphins that are in the aquariums.

The only part I disliked was the all night bus ride back from Khulna to Dhaka. You know how when you're in a moving vehicle you'll wake up when it stops moving? Well, picture this, we moved so little and so rarely that I woke up every time the vehicle started moving! 10hours. Most of which was spent waiting for a ferry. We were an uncomfortable bunch. No food, no bathroom breaks. But the traffic was so bad we were able to get out, find a local toilet and get back in. The bus had moved about 20feet in that time.

For those of you who like going to less likely places, definitely include the Sundarbans in your itineraries. It was one of the best trips of my life. The Sundarbans are inhospital to human habitation due to the tidal waves, the lack of solid ground and the high levels of salinity. So, as a result, there are no permanent residents in the park. Very nice.

Linds