Wayanad Trip - Part 4 : The way to Patchi paadalam - II

Earlier:

I was wondering when the guide brought “ gingley Oil, tobacco powder “ and said it will be useful. I was thinking what else can go wrong when everyone advised to take good care and watch your back, watch and keep track of your fella’s.

Cont :

We started from the Thirunelly Vishnu temple asking him to be with us along the journey. We crossed the temple and started our way along with a small mud road that took us inside the forest. After a few minutes walk we reached a small stream that is flowing out from the deep woods. The water is too cool that when it touched our feet we were almost frozen. The water seemed clean and fresh, we asked our guide whether we have such streams above also. He said yes, there are lot many. He also asked us not to take water from it and he didn’t give any reason for it at that time.

Thirunelly Pictures

There is small temple across the stream which looked very different, our guide said that’s a local tribes belief. Actually it’s the edge of the deep-thick forest where people pray to the god they believe and start their journey. We did the same and walked forward. The way is bit tough now where we have to climb and jump through few rocks. We again reached a stream and its bigger the one we crossed already. The water is fresh and clean. Our guide stopped us there and took a plate made up of leaves that he brought. He poured the oil he brought and mixed the tobacco powder into it.

Every one started at our guide that what is he doing. He patiently mixed it up and asked us to take off our shoes, foot wears that we wore. He asked us to check our foot, by doing that every one shouted or jumped. The PM almost fainted. There were 3 to 4 leeches minimum in every ones feet. The place was full of leeches. They were attracted by our body heat and running towards us like in a race with blood thrust. If you see closely its like a James Cameron’s Alien’s movie how they run to you.

Guide said not to panic and its nothing! He gave the mix he prepared and asked us to apply all over the leg. The powder will keep the leeches away and the oil will hold the powder in our legs. Hmmm..amazing and a simple way to protect you from the dangerous leeches. The place ,even the entire forest is wet and chill. There were leeches all through our way and the entire forest. The leeches were in different sizes, different types, shapes and they were seen every where. My god..from where they are feeding anyway?!

Into the woods... Few shots

We started our journey again through the woods. The path become more rough and tough now, and to make it even worse its full of leeches. After a couple of kilometers we guys got very tired and we desperately needed a stop. Since we are walking in a dense forest and there is no path also , we had to climb rocks some times these things made us exhausted so soon. The guide said that we can walk some more and find a small stream or some plain place to stop. And that will be safe too!

We reached a stream in no time, better to stay a forest river since it had water flowing out in good speed. It’s a beautiful sight , the water was coming from the rocks behind us and its flowing from a good height. It went down and disappeared in the woods in front of us. We had to cross the water body to proceed further. We planned to cross it and to stop by at the other end. When we did so, we noticed that the guide immediately prepares the mix again. Oh no..its because the precaution we took before was washed away in the water when we crossed the stream. I don’t know how leeches got the invitation, there are so many of them jumping and climbing in our feet’s. The water we crossed also got some and those are already started sucking our blood. Yeeeeuuuccckkkkkkk!!!!

Its good that out guide came up with the first aid’s and precautions where he prepared the mix again and we applied it in our feet and this time up to and above knee also. That’s what we are advised as going further the forest is even more wet and also we found the leeches in trees , Bushes and tall grasses too. When we start in a few steps suddenly the guide ask to keep quite with his body language. Issshhhhhh..!! We kept our heart beats even and looked at them, we can see the guard who came along with us taking his weapon out now and both guide and him are seeing each other and smelling something.

The Guard confirmed that its smells elephant. We were wondering what is it meant. Then the guard explained us that when ever the elephant is near by you can identity by its bad smell. The elephant that roams in the forest will be having a very bad smell from which these guys identify. Since the forest is thick and dark you cant see even a person who is there with in some 10 feet away. These tribes and the people who roams around in the forest whether its day or night, they have some unique ways to identify these kind of animals. The elephants doesn’t like any intruders in their area especially momma elephant with its kid . That too a single elephant on your way is a real threat.

Here I like to share something with you guys. If you encounter such a situation and you find that an elephant is charging towards you, run,run,run and run “immediately”. While running make sure you are not climbing or running upwards in a slope/hill. Because elephants are amazingly fast in running upwards in hills/slope. So always run downwards while elephant chases you also try to run in zig zag way, its very difficult for an elephant to chase you in that way. Happy running! He he

Back to our trip. With a bad smell our guard and guide came to know that we have elephants nearby. Our guard took his weapons and asked everyone of us to stay alert and calm. With in few steps we saw elephant dung’s here and there. Its hot and smoke was coming out, means they just left the place. There were so many broken leaves and branches of tress. They have toured the big trees also. Seeing those things the guard told that there must be some 4 or 5 elephants at least. Actually we were following a way that forest guards used for their surveillance purpose. The forest range have been spread across over the Karnataka state too. It’s a SUV 4x4 type track where only rough vehicles can go through it. The way is almost covered with thorn plants and broken. We were using that path for sometime to cover our distance.

The guard told us that the elephants were headed that way by tracking its foot prints. So we have to leave the way now and find some other way or make our own way. Now the guard and the helper he brought along with him took their long knifes they brought with them and start to cut the tree branches and bushes. They started making a small way and moved forward. We were thrilled and also scared and following them. Those guys were good, they just cut those really doesn’t allow us to move forward.

Now the journey becomes really tough for us. We have walked almost for 3 hours for now in the jungle, we are hungry, thirsty and worst part is scared. The way is really tough were we have to watch for the harmful plants, creatures and the leeches everywhere made it even more worst. Some places we scrawled under tree roots ,some places we jumped above the bushes and in some places we skied along with the wed mud under tree branches. I don have any words or picture to explain it. Its almost 4 to 5 kilometers we struggled like that. “Remember guys..All these are while climbing the mountain. The patchi paadalm is a big valley on the mountains. Its very touch to climb upwards in such a thick forest with out any proper way ”

I will continue how we reached a outpost created by the forest department. The Outpost is 3 mountains away from Thirunelly, means that we have to cross all the three mountains under the woods of the dangerous forest.