Encounters with Animals on Treks

A couple of days back I found myself reminiscing about all the ‘encounters’ on my treks with animals.

Reading back into my travelogues, I found I had almost always either intentionally left out describing these encounters or had underplayed the events.

So here are my chance meetings with animals on my treks, arranged in the order of scariest to silliest.

Rajhansa island, Chilika, Orissa (December 2012): 

This is a lovely island in the backwaters of Chilika. We had just made a boat journey from land’s end at Arkhakuda to Rambhartia, a beach on Rajhansa island which is a long strip of land between the backwaters and the Bay of Bengal. We had a couple of hours trek to the Rajhansa forest rest house from where we were to take a boat to Satpada through Irawadi dolphin territory. Our trek took a path touching the edge of the island from where we could see water and then away from the edge through the foliage. It was a lovely flat walk in an idyllic setting with cattle grazing every here and there. It was almost like a walk in the park till a bull in rage came charging towards the serpentine line of trekkers. The bull was definitely not aiming at us but his path would have cut across our ‘line’ for sure, the only question was where. The trek leader yelled, a few of us stood rooted to the spot and a few of us ran but for all the yelling and running I doubt the bull would have bypassed anyone in his line of rampage without some serious damage. Luckily the bull’s path cut across the line where there was a gap, a gap of less than 10 feet. We were a lucky lot to come out of that unhurt.

Juda Taloa (9,100 feet ASL), 4 KMS from village Saud (6,500 feet ASL),Uttrakhand (May 2008): 

We were trekking to Kedarkantha peak, a cool 12,500 feet ASL. We had reached the first camp after a day’s uphill trek from Saud village near Sankri. It was the month of May and it was lush green all around. I had reconnoitered the camp site earlier with a couple of trek mates, it was a lovely meadow, with a pond on one end with stagnate, greenish water with two tiny islands in the pond. A short way off was another meadow with a huge stone in the middle, then another meadow and then yet another, from where we could see the mountains of Swarga Rohini, Bandar Poonch and Kala Nag  and in this heavenly setting was a herd of cattle and horses grazing. At around 730 in the night, it wasn’t dark yet and we were having dinner near the pond when out of nowhere about 20 horses came charging our way. The camp leader yelled (all camp leaders yell well) and again for all the yelling we neither had time nor space to react. The horses were almost upon us as the yelling started and directly behind us was a vertical wall of the mountain, it was a typical between the rock and hard place situation. That day we were saved by a female dog, Bonny who barked, chased the horses and channeled them into a narrower space leaving us some space where we stood mutely watching her put her life in danger while she subdued the horses. The entire drama was played out in 10 seconds but there was no doubt in any of our minds that the advancing horses could have easily knocked us down and strode over us and that would still have been the least of the damage. Bonny saved us and miraculously she was unhurt too and completed the trek with us. Either she knew what she was doing or she got lucky as well. I would like to believe it was the former.

To round off this episode, the next day morning, the horses and trekkers had breakfast peacefully standing next to each other, the horses acted like nothing had happened the earlier day and we followed their example.

Some where in the Himalayas: 

I am beating myself up but am unable to recollect which trek this happened on. I remember the camp site clearly but just can’t recollect which trek or who my trek mates were. By a process of elimination I have zeroed down on Talouti in the Kedarkantha trek route. But I could be wrong. It was another picturesque camp, a small clearing in the middle of a high altitude forest. We had dined at 7PM while it was still bright and retired into the tents as darkness fell around us. We were having a wonderful time talking while awaiting hot chai before bed. That’s when the dog(s) started barking and within minutes…..guess what happened…..the camp leader started yelling. In another 5 minutes, the camp leader made his way to our tent asking us to stay put as there was a leopard close by, the dogs were apparently barking at the leopard. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was scary, it would have been funny. Why would dogs bark at a leopard? How would anyone realise what had set them off on a barking spree and if indeed there was a leopard so close what was the trek lead doing running between tents? And the all clear after about 20 minutes, did the leopard shake paws with the dog(s) and bid us good night? We never got to the truth of what happened that day, but those 20 minutes I got pretty close to experiencing the jungle in my head.

Bali Harchandi, Orissa (December 2012):

This is a Goddess Harchandi (Durga) temple on the coast line between Puri and Chilika. The nearest village is less than half a KM away but this place which is a bustling picnic spot during day transforms into a scene from horror movie at night. There is this lovely temple built on a higher ground, a couple of rest houses at its side, a pond a little way off, a few rest rooms in a building beside the pond and a couple of shops selling pooja material and other religious tidbits. A little way off on lower ground is a stream meandering into the ocean and there is a clearing from the temple to this stream offering a beautiful view. Add to this a heap load of rubbish that the picnickers generate and that completes the picture. During day, it felt like we were still in the midst of civilization, we were sleeping in a brick house as opposed to a tent, we had well constructed rest rooms, a short stroll brought us to farms and a nice village which even had a huge cyclone relief shelter. As night fell, things started to confound us.

First it was the unnatural friendship between cats and dogs there. There were lots of dogs and cats and they all seemed comfortable. A little too comfortable.

Then, there were these night time rituals in the temple, arthi with loud brass instruments which in itself is not out of the normal but what was strange was it happened within closed doors, then after the arthi, the cats were fed something, the dogs stood a little way off and waited for their turn. This temple is known for its tantric practices. 

When we headed to the rest rooms which were on the other side of the temple, we saw a dog right on the temple premises with a particularly bushy tail. We had company. As we walked the distance of 100 metres to the rest rooms, a couple of dogs accompanied us and so did the camp leader. Less than 200 metres away a pack of foxes waited, kept away only by the presence of dogs which were with us. That and rest of the night felt like a scene right out of ‘I am Legend’. The whole night the foxes kept howling, the dogs kept replying. It felt surreal, not even in a jungle, would the inhabitants create such a ruckus and draw so much attention towards themselves. This ‘encounter’ should have ranked higher but for the fact that at no point were we in real physical danger. I wonder if the foxes hound this place because of all the post-picnic leftovers. 

As day dawned, the orchestra ceased but the foxes were still around, taking their time to retract into the forest. As one drama was ending, there was another unfolding, there was a gorgeous sun, rising from the waters of the stream directly opposite to the temple. While rest of the folks watched from higher ground, another trekker and I made our way down to the stream about 300 metres away for better photographs. We spent a good 5 minutes facing the rising sun, least aware that we were being watched. As I turned to see my trek mates watching the sun, saw a fox sitting in the path and watching us less than 100 metres away. As we looked at each other, we sized each other up. In a matter of about 10 seconds both of us had worked out the possible escape routes. My fellow trekker was still photographing unaware of the fox’s presence. It was interesting how nobody from the higher ground made much of the drama being played in their line of sight. Were they still watching the ‘mundane’ sunrise? I was so intent on not being distracted I didn’t even think of clicking a photograph though the camera was in my hand. As the sun climbed and got stronger (it hardly takes a few minutes for that to happen) and we started walking back, the fox retreated into the foliage. As I neared the spot where the fox had been earlier, I looked into the foliage and saw the fox looking back at me. It was our goodbye to each other. Our paths had crossed and we chose to each respect the other and that was that. This is the only time I came face to face with a wild animal and a moment I will carry close to my heart. This episode should have ranked higher as well but for sake of continuity it’s here with the ‘I am legend’ affair.

Thandi Beri, Kumbhalgarh National Forest Reserve, Aravalis, Rajasthan (November 2012):

We were trekking in the Aravalis, the greener part of Rajasthan. We had started our trek from the famous Jain temple of Ranakpur through Maharana Pratap’s Kumbalgarh fort and had reached the last camp on the trek of Thandi Beri. There was a forest rest house where we were staying for the night. It was a well constructed building barricaded by grill all around as it was close to the forest. Just behind the building was a lovely pond with birds and even baby crocs. Especially beautiful was a nest constructed at a height on a stump rising from the water by a Woolly necked Stork couple. When we had to go back to the rest house for the night, I think I left a part of my heart there by the pond.

At dinner, the camp leader told us stories about how a leopard walked that way through the rest house every night at around 1130PM for a drink in the pond. When everyone had slept, a few of us ladies made plans to say hello to the leopard. We gathered our blankets and quietly made our way out to where the watchman was sleeping. We woke up the watchman and told him we would wait there for the leopard. He asked us to wake him up at 12AM. It was a chilly December night, we huddled together for warmth and started our vigil. There was a clear sky with a zillion stars, I watched the stars for a while, listened to the silence for a while, fought off the chill for a while, woke the watchman a few times to check if the leopard was still coming and giggled at the standard reply of ‘He’s coming’. Then around mid night, as fatigue caught up with us, we concluded it was a fruitless wait, cursed the watchman and went back to the safety of the rest house to sleep off the heartbreak from the missed rendezvous. The only new thing I saw that night was a shooting star. If indeed the story of the leopard was true, the leopard would have had more sense than to venture close to a place with the scent of about 30 humans, 7 of whom were waiting directly in his path. Leopard’s decision to not to turn up notwithstanding, what a stupid thing to have done?

Cambodia - Sihanoukville, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh

A quintessential tropical setting, richly endowed by nature, a country that is caught between its glorious past and the wretched memories of the not so distant past. 

My search for a destination with blue waters, history, nature and visa-on-arrival (USD 30 per person to be paid in USD with 1 PP sized photo) culminated at Cambodia. There is so much to see in the country, I had to pick the places like stocks on a limited budget. 

Sihanoukville (on the sea), Siem Reap (gateway to the ruins) and Phnom Penh (we didn't have an option with this, entered and exited Cambodia from here) 

Sihanoukville - The Sea

Sihanoukville, though not the best 'beach' destination in South East Asia was definitely as beautiful as any white-sand, blue-water, touristy sea side place can get. A little bit too touristy for my taste. I spent many hours trying to book a hotel on the quieter Otres beach, but none of the hotels ticked all my boxes and I booked a hotel purely for its guest review - Sunset Lounge Guesthouse on the southern-quieter part of the overtly crowded Ochheuteal beach.

Located close to the mouth of the Chheuteal creek, the water tends to get a little murky but when the tide is in during the first half of the day, it's lovely enough and quiet enough for an extended session in the water. Breakfast on the beach, day spent away on islands, evenings on the beach watching sunset and dinner at Queen Hill Resort(on Otres beach-just across the bridge on Chheuteal creek) trying out wonderful vegetarian Amok, a Khmer coconut-based curry. It was perfect, except we missed our date with the undersea life. 

There are many islands off the mainland, the much visited Koh Russei(Bamboo island) just 45 minutes from Serendipity beach jetty or the 2.5 hour distant Koh Rong. For USD 15 per person, a big boat will take about 30-40 people at 9AM to Bamboo island, stop at a couple of other islands for snorkeling, provide lunch and soft drinks and be back at the jetty by 3PM, just in time to shower and be back on the beach to catch the glorious sunset. The trip to Koh Rong is a little more expensive. There are many who operate these tours and most recommend the trip to be booked at least a day in advance. Go over the previous day to the jetty and check out all the options at the ticket counter, the ladies there are friendly and speak English. (We booked through Ravuth Travels -servicestravel.info via e-mail) There are many scuba diving companies as well, check them out too.

Once in the boat and off at the islands, you are pretty much at the mercy of your own swimming ability, unlike Malaysia and Thailand where I had ample help to enjoy the magic of the underwater world, the clientele in Sihanoukville is mostly capable of swimming and by the looks of it was more interested in jumping from the boat into water than in the underwater. And if you think, you can arrange for someone to come along with you or hire a boat just for you, well with the communication barrier, all the best. There was this hilarious episode where we were so desperate for a glimpse of the underwater, we hung onto the ladders and stuck our snorkel fitted faces under water. The water wasn't clear enough for us to see much. Sour grapes. 

Missing the underwater magic notwithstanding, missing out on a sunset is the real crime. There is something magical about spending the evenings on a west facing beach, and if you reach the beach early enough, the challenge would be to not to doze off in the 'lullabeeish' comfort of the setting sun. I managed to stay awake on one of the days and chanced upon children building castles of wet sand in the low tide, a thousand tiny crabs sieving out food from sand and leaving behind neatly rolled sand 'laddoos' all around their hole and children 'fishing' with plastic cups. I was curious if the poor little fishes were dinner or snacks. Also saw a wonderful rising full moon in the east, like a compensation for the sun going down.

We wanted to go to the Ream National park, but apparently it was closed due to the rains of the last few days or so we were told, so instead that day we made our way through a wonderful journey to 2 disappointing destinations. Lessons learnt, never let yourselves be played into the hands of taxi drivers, they will do what's convenient for them. 

The journey to Kampot, which before the Khmer Rouge had Cambodia in its iron grip and did away with about a quarter of the country's population from 1975 to 1979, used to be known for producing the best pepper in the world, it's now gradually trying to earn back that distinction.

The journey of 130 KM from Sihanoukville to Kampot is through lush paddy fields, villages and distant Elephant mountain in the horizon. The Kampot river is huge and having said that, there is nothing more to say about the town or the river. Planned well, Bokor mountain, limestone caves between Kampot and Kep, Rabbit island in Kep would have been on our itinerary but like I said, the driver 'took us for a ride'. Another bunch of sour grapes then.

We went to Kbal Chhay waterfalls, which I would have happily skipped. All along the path of the gently descending waters, are huts with hammocks, where the locals picnic and sorry to say, don't leave it as they find it. 

The short flight from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap gives a good view of paddy and palm fields and the massive Tonle sap with tiny floating villages. 

Siem Reap - Angkor Ruins

Siem Reap is where all the 'ruin-chasers' congregate. Its proximity to the temples of the Khmer empire has made it a bustling tourist place. Siem Reap river runs through the city and joins the massive (sorry, I can't help it, every time I say Tonle sap, the word 'massive' automatically prefixes itself, the lake is that huge) Tonle sap. 

Siem Reap is a charming town and comes alive in the evening after the 'ruin-chasers' return, but first to take care of the business end of Siem Reap - the Ruins.

The Khmer kingdom was at its peak between 9th and 12th century AD, the kings predominantly followed Hinduism with the exception of Jayavarma VII who followed Buddhism and built numerous Buddhist temples in his time. 

The temples as God's residence were created in symbolic likeness to the 5 towered Mount Meru, where Gods reside, and is considered the centre of the universe, floating in the sea of milk (A question though, if something is floating, how can it remain at the centre all the time?)Thus most of the temples have 5 towers representing Mount Meru and are surrounded by a moat symbolising the sea of milk. There are many temples where the towers are built at a height in the 'temple mountain' style of construction. 

From the world famous Angkor wat to the lesser known temples; there are temples with intricate carvings indoor to lovely towers outdoor; temples built of stone and/or bricks to structures with a more utilitarian purpose than just housing Gods; there are structures of varied size, purpose and present state of ruin.

Of all the structures I saw in 3 days, I loved the carving in the gallery of Angkor wat, I didn't find the structure of Angkor wat as such very beautiful but the carvings on various themes on the wall is intricate and beautiful, you can spend 1 hour or quarter of a day just looking at them. 

The most overrated thing about Angkor wat is the sun rise. I was there in December where the sun rose on the left flanks of the 5 towers, it probably would be beautiful if it raises from behind the centre tower and there are a splatter of clouds which would be lit up by the rays of the rising sun, this happens around the equinoxes. Even then, am not sure if it's going to be as exquisite as the photo-shopped photographs promise them to be, for the simple reason that the sun rises over the structure a good while after the actual sunrise. Not just that, to see that unappealing sunrise one needs to be there at the temple at 5AM and it also gets 'suffocatingly' crowded at sunrise. 

The carving of Vishnu on brick structure in Prasat Kravan is lovely, the compact pink sandstone Banteay Srey is beautiful, the Boddhisatva stone faces on the towers of Bayon is unique and the carvings of the beings of the underworld on the terrace of the lepar king is just gorgeous. Of course, the nature having reclaimed the 'tomb raider' Ta Prohm temple is not to be missed. Neak Pean, a circular structure built in the middle of a pond, in the middle of a reservoir is a delightful. 

Especially if you are from India, look for differences in the way the mythological characters are represented in the carvings there to that in India. For instance, Ravana, the 10 headed demon king of Lanka has his heads arranged horizontally in Indian carvings and paintings whereas in Angkor wat, Ravana's heads are arranged vertically. The guides there do a good job of explaining stories and characters, in fact, Cambodia seems to be taking the Indian mythology and belief to the world like not even India is able to do.   

For a list of the structures, its history, purpose and my rating, please follow the link to Angkor Ruin Guide 
In all the research I did prior to the holiday, tons and tons of data that I read through, not one gave the information in a spreadsheet. The 'Angkor Ruin Guide' is a spreadsheet and makes for easier reading. 

A few other pointers to make your 'ruin run' enjoyable:

 - The entrance to the ruins is via either a daily ticket costing USD 20 per person or or a 3 day pass with a validity of a week costing USD 40 per person. There is also a monthly pass available. People usually start their 'ruin-run' with the sun rise at Angkor wat and there is a huge queue for purchase of tickets in the wee hours of the morning, so instead buy it the previous day night or on the first day leave a little late and go to the distant Beng Melea. 
 - Pace out your 'ruin-run', the tropical sun can be taxing even in winter months.
 - Keep yourself hydrated. Drink tender coconut water - the biggest tender coconuts I have ever seen      and they are served chilled!!!
 - Relish the seasonal tropical fruits.
 - Watch the making of palm sugar and enjoy fresh palm sugar on the way to Banteay Srey.
 - Try 'kralan' - rice, coconut, sugar and red beans roasted in bamboo, on the way to Beng Melea.
 - Shop in the road side village shops while visiting the distant ruins for cane / bamboo bags, bowls,       baskets and a whole lot of other things. 
 - You need to convince yourself that you don't need to tick off every ruin on a list of Angkor              temples. It is very easy to be hit by 'ruin-fatigue' where you either don't want to see another ruin or    you don't care what you are seeing, it would defeat the whole purpose of a holiday in Siem Reap.
 - Relax in the evenings in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is a lovely place, there are lots of things to do after sun down. Go for the non-oily Khmer massage, not sure if the massage does any good, but for sure didn't do us any harm. Wander along the pub street, the by lanes and night market, soak in the vibrant ambiance. Enjoy the Khmer culture with Apsara dance, shadow dance and other performances. My suggestion is go to a performance which is not coupled with dinner. Eating while watching a performance is disrespectful to artists but it was disgusting to watch people at a performance who had enjoyed a sumptuous meal, leave when the performance began. If all you are interested in, is food, then go to a restaurant. If you want to enjoy the Khmer culture, go to a performance where you are not distracted by the need to eat.  

To see the ruins, you can either take a private package tour (tuk-tuk / car plus guide)or take a group tour. I opted for a private package tuk-tuk tour for USD 170 which included Khmer massage, pickup from airport, an Apsara dance performance, booked via proangkortravel.com. There are lots of travel agencies, check out for the best packages and price before you book. Booking the tour through the hotel is generally expensive.

Tonle sap - 'The ocean sized lake'

This is a huge fresh water lake and is a biosphere reserve with 3 core reserves of Prek Toal, Boeng Chhmar, and Stung Sen. There are many resident and migrant birds in the reserve. There are floating villages on the river along the lake, complete with floating schools, church and of course shops on boats. I also saw a dog in one of the floating houses! 

Take a birding tour to Prek Toal if you have a day to spare in Siem Reap(19 KMs away), but these tours are expensive, so instead you can opt for a group cruise or just make this your mode of travel between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. There is a train shaped air conditioned boat that leaves early in the  morning from both cities. The journey costing about USD 35 takes about 6 hours(that's how big the 'lake' is).

Phnom Penh - The capital

Depending on what you want to see, Phnom Penh can come across either as a pleasant city by the confluence of the massive Tonle sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers with a lovely palace, a few visit worthy temples, beautiful markets and a museum which also doubles as a cultural centre in the evening or a place with a horrid past with horror stories.  

The river front is the place to be at sunrise and sunset. In front of the palace complex on the road parallel to the river, lined by flags of different countries is where the locals gather-in the morning for aerobics while the fishermen sail by in their boats fishing and the pigeons cleanup the previous evening's left overs and in the evenings for a picnic. One can either enjoy the sun set from land as the locals do or can take a sunset cruise by boat. Boats can also be hired at Sisowath Quey, north of Phnom wat. A shared boat costs about USD 5 whereas a cruise with food can cost anywhere upto USD 30 per person.

The National Museum (8AM-5PM) and the Royal Palace (8AM-11AM and 2PM-5PM) are close to each other. I suggest you see the Palace first and then the museum. The Palace with its silver floored (5000 silver tiles weighing a KG each) Emerald Buddha temple, coronation hall, dancing hall, king's residence, stupas of past kings, mini-museums showcasing royal household items, numerous artifacts collected by royal family, palanquins etc is a lovely place. Arrive at the opening hours when it's still cool and less crowded and take a guided tour around for about an hour. The buildings are beautiful and make for very charming photos.

The National Museum has a huge collection of statues from places linked to its past especially that of the Angkor empire. The Museum probably has its fair share in rendering the Angkor temples to ruins having removed the 'star pieces' out of the structures to the museum. It is best to visit the museum after going around the ruins, then you would be able to picture the statues in their original structures. The 1920 built museum building is lovely. Don't miss the cultural show in the evenings (Except Sundays) by 'Cambodian Living Arts', a non-governmental organisation. Probably after the show, walk across to Friends restaurant at 215, Street 13, just north of National Museum for dinner. The restaurant trains street children and marginalised young people in its restaurant and helps them live a life of dignity and if that is not cause enough to dine at the restaurant, the food is delicious. 

There is the Phnom wat, the temple on the hill, from which  the city gets its name. There are numerous markets around, the central market, the night market and the Russian market. The rule of bargaining applies to shopping here at any of the markets.

You could also choose to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (in what was a school before Khmer Rouge converted it to a detention and torture centre), Choeung Ek killing fields, 15 KMs from the capital or stop by at orphanages as most of the travel itineraries suggest. I chose to skip all these three. I got my fair understanding of the ghosts of the civil war by chatting up with our tuk-tuk driver and guide who were with us for the 3 day ruin tour.

Currency

Cambodian Riel is an extremely weak currency. An USD is a little over Riel 4,000. No surprises then, USD is almost the de facto currency of transacting in the country. But the spoiler is that all tourists are charged at a rate higher than the locals. These 2 factors put together make a holiday in Cambodia more expensive than neighbouring countries.

Some details of distances between cities and journey fare

PP to SV is 230 KMs and takes about 3-4 hours, depending on whether it's a private taxi (USD 60) or a private bus (USD 6). The road is in good condition but it's a road without a divider.

PP to SR is 315 KMs on a bad road which could take 6-7 hours to navigate(about USD15) There is an air conditioned speed boat(USD35) which plies everyday (because of lower water level might not operate in dry season) between PP and SR on Tonle sap lake, one each leaving each city around 6.30AM and reaching the destination a good 6 hours later.

The journey to and fro SV to SR is via PP by road, the other option is to take the 50 minute USD 115 per person Cambodia Angkor Air flight. You get to see the massive Tonle sap by air.

Travel within the cities by tuk-tuk, a 4 seater pulled by a motorbike, is completely safe. Of course being open, be cautious with your belongings. But it is nothing to be paranoid about as some of the write-ups suggest. 

Angkor Ruin Guide, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Khmer kingdom was at its peak between 9th and 12th century AD, the kings predominantly followed Hinduism with the exception of Buddhist Jayavarma VII who was a 'monument builder' who constructed many Buddhist temples in his time.

The temples were not really constructed to be places of worship as much as God's residence and so was created in symbolic likeness to Mt Meru, where Gods reside. The 5 towered Mt Meru is considered to be the the centre of the universe floating in the sea of milk. Thus most of the temples have 5 towers representing Mt Meru and are surrounded by a moat symbolising the sea of milk. There are many temples where the towers are built at a height and is called the 'temple mountain' style of construction.

There are no idols in any of the temples today and hence no worship. The Buddhist & Hindu idols of the Angkor empire are missing - desecrated by non-believers, ransacked for treasures believed to be buried under the idols, stolen and sold for gain in the international market, especially during the time of civil war to finance arms. The few Buddha idols being worshiped at a few temples are of latter day and not Angkorian. 

After the end of rein of the monument building kings by end of 12th century AD, the empire itself declined. In early 15th century AD, due to various reasons, the capital was shifted from Angkor to Phnom Penh.