AN EXPEDITION

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I recently had the opportunity to participate in a Raleigh expedition, one phase of which involved a 17 day trek and rafting experience across Kerala, organized and run by Kalypso. This was no easy feat especially for someone like me with no previous experience in trekking or any strenuous physical activity for that matter. So having to one day start trekking with a heavy rucksack, for an average of 10 hours a day came as a bit of a shock to my unprepared body. But as a group we stuck with the challenge, overcoming exhaustion and pain, while focusing on reaching the campsite for the day.The first 2 days were definitely some of the hardest, not only because of the tough terrain but also because we had to keep it up for up to 12 hours each day. Despite this, some my clearest memories come from these days as we trekked up and down mountains in what seemed to be a constant drizzle, sat on top of mountains eating lunch while taking in spectacular views and sceneries, walked as fast as possible through forests crawling with leeches that attached themselves to us anywhere they possibly could, crossed streams as soon as we began to dry out, slipped and slid down rocky mountains spending more time on our rear that we did on our feet and took turns to sit around a fire during the night to keep a look out for elephants while trying our best not to fall asleep.

Our Kalypso guide- Jerry

Reaching campsites at the end of each day filled me with such a sense of achievement that I had managed to finish yet another day of trekking, but our work did not end there as we had to set up tents, cook dinner and complete all the other tasks that needed doing before settling down for the night.

Cooking on a campfire
Getting a special meal ready
One of our many campsites
As the trek progressed, we got into the routine of getting up at the unearthly hour of 4.30 each morning, packing rucksacks and taking down tents in the dark, stuffing as much porridge as we could down our throats and setting out for yet another day. As we headed out each day I would anxiously wonder if this was the day I would finally be unable to reach the campsite. But thankfully with a little help from my supportive group, most of whom spent quite a bit of time holding my hand and pulling me up hills, we managed to reach campsites everyday in good time. Girls will be girls

Honing our navigation skills
Along the way, we would stop at tiny chai shops where a nice hot cup of chai and a banana did a lot to rejuvenate tired bodies and spirits. If we were lucky we would also manage to spot tiny restaurants and gorge ourselves on parotas and egg, fish, chicken and beef curry, pretty much buying the entire place out and thus avoiding the much dreaded “rice bags” which we carried as lunch. As we stopped for breaks in these small towns, intrigued locals would stop and ask us why we were walking with all our heavy gear when we could just as easily take a bus.We also developed an affliction we termed “the trekker’s waddle” which was the result of all the aches and pains and which replaced our normal gait with a mix between a limp and a waddle.
Lending a helping hand Sitting outside a tiny chai shop
As the days wore on, we trekked through forests so thick we could barely see the person ahead, got a few more leech bites, climbed to some of the highest points in South India, jumped into rivers whenever we could for a welcome swim and wash, washed clothes as we sat on rocks in the middle of a river, nearly had our tents blown off in the middle of the night as we camped on top of a very windy hill and I personally discovered that I have a very poor sense of balance.

Time for a wash
Learning the art of lungi tying
As the final day of trekking drew to a close, we finished on a high, having had to push ourselves on the final stretch which was all uphill, finally arriving at our campsite with whoops of joy and hugs all round. We ended the day with a candlelit dinner around a table (a rare occurrence) which was kindly cooked for us by our host.
Celebrating the end of the trek The final sunset in the mountains of KeralaThe next day we set out for Neriamangalam to begin the rafting and it was a relief to be able to sit in a moving vehicle rather than be on our feet. On reaching we were instructed on how to build raft with bamboo poles, rope and inflated tubes. Splitting ourselves into teams: ‘The Pirates’ and ‘The Titanic’, we completed the task in about 3 hours and set out on our journey down the Periyar River. But due to the dam being shut, the river was as still as a pond and no current meant that it took us about an hour to do 1 km. Rowing was hard work but us Pirates (Arrr) and the Titanic persevered, despite one of our tubes developing a hole which I held closed with my thumb for the last half hour thus earning me the name ‘Captain Gluefinger’, and accidentally losing one of our paddles leaving us with only seven rowers. The rafting proved to be tougher than imagined but was an equally memorable experience. To bring this adventure of ours to a close, we decided to spend our last day at Fort Kochi and had a relaxed time wandering around seeing the sights before heading back to Mysore to say our last goodbyes to everyone.This trip has definitely been an experience of a lifetime and it still amazes me that we actually accomplished all that we did. Some of my most memorable moments were taking a small detour down a slippery and rocky mountain path to see the most beautiful, pristine waterfall in the middle of nowhere which I’m positive only a few people have ever had the opportunity to witness, sitting and having a wash in the middle of a stream while watching tiny fish swim past, deciding to slide down rocks instead of navigating it on foot, pretending to be pirates, a whole lot of hand holding and the sense of achievement and pure joy on reaching the final campsite.This is an experience I would recommend to anyone!
Posted by Kalypso Adventures at 10:19 AM