See the Journey:
We left on Sunday morning for Sunderbans Tiger Reserve with very little information other than Serena and the eleven other girls from Canada had gone a week or so before us and really had a great time. We contacted Kamal (their guide) and he said that it would be cheaper if we found more people to go on the trip so we spread the word and on Sunday morning twelve of us got into three taxis to go to the train station. Two American, two Mexican, one Aussie, and the rest Italian.
Before we got on the train the Italians decided that they did not want to go by train and chose to find their own way to Sunderbans (all seven of them in one taxi). Kamal explained that the taxi ride would be easier and maybe quicker but he believed we'd enjoy our trip much more because we would "see the journey." And that we did. See it, feel it, smell it and love it!!
The rest of us (which we nicknamed SJ for See the Journey) got on the train which was very crowded and traveled for about 1 1/2 hours southwest to Canning (the end of the line). There we walked through town before boarding a boat to cross the river. The tide was low so we walked though four or five boats stranded in the mud before arriving at the one that was actually floating in water. These boats acted as a boardwalk for us so we wouldn't get all muddy. Many people who did not pay extra for the "boat boardwalk" were walking through muck above their ankles to get to the boat. The boat held about forty people easily but at least 120 packed on and away we went across the river. No life rings but I did notice a pail that was being used to bail--it only had a small hole in it. It felt good to feel the breeze off the water and breathe air that was mostly free of pollution (until the diesel fumes blew our way). After crossing the river we jumped onto a motorcycle rickshaw (flatbed with a canopy for shade and our legs crossed on the platform or hanging off the side). The road was ROUGH and we were jarred around for about 1/2 hour as we rode along soaking in the sights of people washing clothes and swimming in hand dug ponds beside their houses. These ponds are their sole source of fresh water because the river here is salty due to its proximity to the Bay of Bengal. We also saw many people threshing rice, transplanting rice, washing dishes, and even some playing cricket. All were friendly and most smiled and said "hello!"
Sore and ready for a break we go off the rickshaw only to get on another one for a bit longer this time. We stopped at a small market town in Gosaba and ate lunch...no spoons so pour some dal on your rice and eat it with...what else? Your fingers!! As the guide told us "God didn't give us hands just for holding a glass of beer." Then onto another boat powered by a bamboo rod and very tired, old looking man. Sure that we would soon be arriving at the hotel we go onto yet another rickshaw (this time powered by bicycle) but still a very cramped space on a flat bed. More beautiful country side with fields, ponds, mud homes, and more welcoming smiles. Just one more rickshaw ride and we finally arrived at the hotel around 3 pm.
After a rest and settling into our rooms we had just decided to walk around the village before dark when we heard from Gabby from the defected group (by cellphone). The others that had come by taxi were in need of rejoining our group as they could find no place to sleep--as it turned out they'd had a miserable day trying to make connections --we were so glad we'd not been with them. Some of us then walked around the village and were invited into a local home for chai (tea mixed with milk) and we visited for about 1/2 hour (much translation going on as Bengali, Italian, Spanish and English were all there). Sophia asked the Bengali women to show her some dance moves but they were too shy to do so inside the house where the men were, so the women went outside and danced (Sophia with her long curly blonde locks and the Indian with long straight black locks) while the men talked about Soccer (futbol), Cricket, Farming, Exporting, etc.
As we walked back to our hotel the moon was shining brightly over the Ganges River and Sophia (Mexico), Tom (Australia), Roger and Jane (SJ group) stopped to sit on the bank and enjoy the cool evening air coming off the river. We didn't know until morning that a tiger had crossed the river late that same night and attacked a local man and a girl in their home just a mile or two from where we sat on the bank. The girl was mauled badly and was rushed to the hospital where she died. Our guides took us to the site of the attack and told us that the tiger was still inside the house. Approximately one thousand excited people from the surrounding area were all gathering around the house to see the tiger (in the past they would have killed it but now the tiger is tranquilized and returned to the Reserve). We approached cautiously and everyone seemed to be excited and smiling. I felt bad for the family who had suffered, but the guide explained that this is like "Tiger Festival" A loudspeaker was set up and it was announced that water was being brought in for those who were thirsty. The house was made of mud with a thatched roof and a nylon net was securely tied around the entire thing. A tiny hole in one end allowed a glimpse inside but when Jane looked in she couldn't see anything because it was dark inside. Someone told us that the tiger was sleeping in there. A man came along with a tranquilizer gun and started to cut a hole through the net and roof of the building just a few feet away from where I stood. I started to imagine what I would do if the tiger pushed it self through that hole....Then they thought of a better plan and climbed to the top of the house and made the there instead. After an hour or so we decided to return to the boat and continue our trip down the river. We later heard that they had to shoot five times before successfully tranquilizing the tiger.
We floated along for hours seeing a few monkeys, deer, storks and other birds and lot of mangrove trees. A couple times we stopped and climbed a tower to look over the top of the trees. At each stop there was the shrine to the Hindu goddess of tigers. We had lunch on the boat, soaked up lots of sun and visited with the crew and Sunderban guide who was required to be with us. We learned he lived on one of the islands in a house that was completed destroyed by a cyclone last year. He said he didn't know how long it would take him to earn the $150 it would cost to replace it. Besides his guide job, he tutored at night for about 20 students which earned him about an extra $4 per month. We tipped him generously.
About 7 p.m., we got back to the hotel ready for dinner, cold washing (no shower) and rest (on a one inch mattress.) A few cold beers were split between those who wanted some as we sat around visiting under the stars. The next morning--we headed back which meant: bicycle rickshaw to boat (this time we had to wade through the muck as it was very low tide) to motorcycle ricksaw to boat to motorcycle rickshaw to train to taxi to our new hotel--the Baptist Missionary Center which happened to be the cleanest, nicest place we've been in India!! A stand up shower with warm water!!!! I think my new life slogan will be: See the Journey
Enjoy!