Sitting on the tiger prints
tiger prints - fresh!
The 12 berth Bon Bi Bi
Cyclone damage
Godfrey & Walker
The Sunderbans - 360 sq- two thirds in Bangla, the rest in India - is the geograhical barrier that safeguards hundreds of thousands of Bengalis when the cyclone hits from the south. It is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, as well as crocs, otters, willd boar, deer and many many birds ( lesser adjutant, kingfishers, herons, woodpeckers, serpent eagles, brahminy kites). Last year it took a beating and we witnessed much devastation. We commited ourselves to spending big money for this trip as there is a history of river banditry here. So the very reputable 'Guide Tours' took our money and looked after us for 4 days aboard the Bon Bi-Bi - a 12 berth river boat. For this we got 12 staff including 2 x armed guards - all excellent. Days were spent lazing on the boat with binoculars, rowing boat excursions and 2 x guided walks which included the armed guards who were that concerned about the tigers that they proceeded to talk loudly, wear bright clothes and tread on any stick or branch available.....we didnt see a tiger. But we did see a few huge crocs, a family of otters fishing, most of the birds mentioned, wild boar, macaque monkeys and beautiful inquisitive deer. The early morning row boat excursion where we were all completely silent and well behaved was one of the highlights in this country.
The 2 x walking trips were ok, an opportunity to stretch our legs and in truth we did see fresh tiger prints x 2 and faeces - tiger not human. Our guards walking through the forest like the closing credits to Dads Army convinced us at least that there was a tiger in the vacinity - albeit sleeping and well disguised.
Due to the high price of this particualr trip, we had about 6 westerners which for us was a really welcome experience. 2 x financial heavyweights (hello if you are reading this!), 2 x london Bengali's visiting family here and the 2 of us. Wonderful company, wondeful food, wonderful trip. Money very well spent.
The 2 x walking trips were ok, an opportunity to stretch our legs and in truth we did see fresh tiger prints x 2 and faeces - tiger not human. Our guards walking through the forest like the closing credits to Dads Army convinced us at least that there was a tiger in the vacinity - albeit sleeping and well disguised.
Due to the high price of this particualr trip, we had about 6 westerners which for us was a really welcome experience. 2 x financial heavyweights (hello if you are reading this!), 2 x london Bengali's visiting family here and the 2 of us. Wonderful company, wondeful food, wonderful trip. Money very well spent.
1 comment:
Wes,
I'm not much of a blogger, so forgive me for taking so long to revisit this wonderful trip we took together. The Sunderbans remain one of the highlights of my 20+ trips to Bangladesh. It's nice to read about them again together with your wonderful pictures!
Best,
Rob
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