The Goa you see... beyond the waves, raves and five-star enclaves Val Souza [email protected]
Goans are probably more clued in, but most other people's notion of Goa is centred on waves, raves and five-star enclaves. I too was much like that all these years, until a visit to the other side of Goa in December 2010 opened my eyes to a breathtaking panorama of delight that incredibly eluded me all these years. I was in a Biodiversity Hotspot! A few months ago I signed up with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) [http://www.bnhs.org/], in the hope of reviving the forays into trekking that had been such an enjoyable part of my adventures in the past. Somehow -- perhaps due to lack of company, lack of time, or maybe sheer lackadaisicalness -- the trekking had tapered to a trickle and then dried up completely. With BNHS, I thought, at least the lack of company would get taken care of -- they have something on almost every week in Bombay, and it's not just about bird-watching. But I guess I underestimated my laziness, for rising early on Sunday morning never happened. And then BNHS announced a camp titled "Explore the Western Ghats of Goa". With the Wildernest nature resort [http://www.wildernest-goa.com/] as the base (in the Chorla ghats, 800 metres above sea level, up from the villages of Sanquelim/Querim-Satari somewhere between Bicholim and Valpoi, spread across the borders of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka) the group would do several treks over four days, venturing into the surrounding forests famed for "mega biodiversity" and packed with many endemic (found nowhere else) species of flora and fauna. The group would also explore three of the six wild life sanctuaries in Goa [Amazingly, out of a total of 3700 sq km area, Goa has something like 1450 sq km of forest cover out of which about 750 sq km is protected under sanctuary/reserve!] An opportunity of a lifetime of course, and I was not going to miss it for the world! A trip like this assumed special significance for me, as my exposure to Goa had almost exclusively been as a deadbeat beachcomber, lazily lounging in beach shacks all day long. Somehow, I persuaded a friend to sign up for the camp too, and we were off. Wildernest Paradise Wildernest itself is pure, pristine paradise. High up in the Sahyadris, this fabulous resort is set amidst 450 acres of forested land, dotted with 18 cosy wooden cottages spread out in the jungle or overlooking the valley, with a separate central restaurant and bar area, ethnically yet practically designed to blend with the raw nature it shares space with. The "Infinity" swimming pool, so constructed as to give the illusion that the water continuously plunges waterfall-like off the cliff into the valley below, is a not-to-be-missed marvel, even if simply to sit by. Wildernest is owned and run by committed nature lovers, and it was great to have Nirmal Kulkarni (one of the directors and a well-known herpetologist and conservationist working hard to save the Western Ghats from exploitation and destruction) accompany us for a couple of treks. http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/plateau.jpg Sunset at the plateau, Wildernest, Goa The days of the camp were packed with almost incessant activity, starting early in the morning with bird-watching along the trails adjacent to the restaurant area. The treks in the Wildernest property and surroundings -- Chorla falls, nearby plateau, highest point and night trail -- were not just about walking. With Nirmal and the other resort guides (as also the knowledgeable BNHS participants) we were treated to a wealth of information and anecdotes about the teeming wildlife all around us. Of course, wildlife is not just about lions and tigers and bears, as most of us generally tend to assume; there are birds, and butterflies and reptiles and insects and amphibians and fish and wildflowers and other assorted flora in plentiful abundance; and it's fascinating to learn about the physical and behavioural characteristics and peculiarities of some of them. Mammalian wildlife in the region includes leopard, sloth bear, barking deer, gaur, langur, fox, slender loris, wild boar, giant squirrel, etc, but we unfortunately didn't directly encounter any of them, except -- quite dramatically -- two battling alpha-male langurs late one evening, and several giant squirrels at Bondla. Medicinal Plants The Western Ghats are home to many valuable medicinal plants. A case in point is Amruta (Nothapodytes nimmoniana, also known as Narkya). This innocuous plant with small, greenish fruit is one of the richest sources of camptothecin (CPT) -- analogues of this biomolecule are used in the treatment of colon-, ovarian- and lung cancers. Because of the high-value commanded by its bark and other parts for the CPT extract, Amruta has been indiscriminately harvested and is now endangered. Attempts are on to protect this species and devise means for mass cultivation, but this has proved to be notoriously difficult thus far. http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/amruta.jpg Fruit of the Amruta plant Another interesting plant is that which bears the "false guava". The fruit of Catunaregam spinarum is inedible, but has an effective piscicidal action. In earlier times the local tribals would use these fruit to catch fish in small ponds or pools of water formed near streams and rivers. Introducing the fruit into the water would cause the fish to perish and rise up to the surface; the toxins in the false guava are specific to certain species of fish; all other organisms in the water would remain unaffected and the pond would return to normal in a day or so. Contrast this with the unscrupulous dynamiting techniques used today -- which invariably finishes off all life in the pond -- and one realises the immense value of traditional knowledge handed down over the centuries among those who lived exclusively off the land. We were treated to many more captivating stories on the wonders of nature while we walked through the different types of forest -- mixed moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and secondary ridgeline. Did you know that if you're lost in the evergreen forest with no visible source of water around, you can quench your parched throat with the water obtained by cutting into the widened trunk-base of the numerous buttressed trees all around (Lophopetalum wightianum and other species). And, to get your bearings right, look for the rose-petal-shaped nest of harvester ants -- the nest's highest tip always points north! Trekking the Sahyadris My high points of the trip definitely were the several treks we did. Climbing hills and walking on rocky, undulating terrain are things I've avoided in the last few years, and the fact that I was able to complete the 25 kilometres (or so, overall) with minimal fuss was heartening indeed. The big one for me was the climb to the highest point in the Wildernest property. Ever since a scary, slippery climb to the summit of Rajmachi near Lonavala over two decades ago, I had avoided ascending steep cliff-faces as far as possible. Although hesitant, I managed to overcome my apprehension and climbed this one (to a point about fifty metres short of the topmost sheer segment to the summit), soaked in the majestic views of the hills and valleys all around, and then descended safely -- mentally and physically unscathed. http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/tambdisurla-falls.jpg Tambdi Surla Falls, Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary, Goa The trek to the Tambdi Surla falls in Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary/Mollem National Park was particularly invigorating albeit moderately challenging. It was on this trail that we spotted the rare hump-nosed pit viper just inches away from the path, and where I got bitten by a leech (still itchy on and off, even a week later!). Our later halt for lunch at the nearby Nature's Nest resort was rewarded with sightings of flying lizards on the coconut trees, a pack of grey hornbills, and other exotic birds I didn't quite catch the names of. http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/humnosed-pit-viper.jpg Hump-nosed Pit Viper in Mollem Not exactly being a fan of snakes and creepy-crawlies, I was really reluctant to go on the night trail -- more so because the stated objective was to seek out the venomous Malabar pit viper! In the end, I was happy I did; it was quite a thrill to see a juvenile pit viper curled around a plant, and gaze at the elegant and seemingly luminescent green vine snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) less than an arm's length away. The way in which the trained eyes of the guides spotted myriad life forms in the undergrowth and foliage off the trail was pretty amazing; stuff that was literally staring me in the face but I was oblivious to until someone pointed it out. http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/greenvinesnake.jpg Can you spot the Green Vine Snake? Bondla Sanctuary Our visit to the Bondla wildlife sanctuary on the last day turned out to be a rather tame one, except for an interesting interaction with the dynamic and enthusiastic Range Forest Officer, Paresh Porob, whose talk was peppered with interesting nuggets. The Bondla sanctuary has a small zoo attached. The zoo has a pair of tigers, obtained in an exchange programme with the Vishakapatnam zoo a little over a year ago. Nice, except that the roaring of the tigers has resulted in the leopards from the forest keeping away (these two big-cat species usually operate in non-overlapping territories in the wild), resulting in an increase in the population of spotted deer, which in turn gobble up the small, shrubby vegetation on the forest floor, resulting in shortage of food for smaller species such as barking deer and mouse deer -- which consequently have packed up shop and left! Paresh happily informed us that three wild dogs have recently moved in to his sanctuary, perhaps finding their way through the reserve forest area that connects the 240 sq km Bhagwan Mahavir sanctuary to the 8 sq km of Bondla; now that should take care of the spotted deer quite suitably indeed. So that's it then. There's Goa beyond the beaches, and a lot of it too. I am completely smitten and now have many more reasons to return. Wildernest is certainly one of them. It could be yours too. Provided of course, you're willing to forego, at least for a while, rowdy boozing sessions, loud music, satellite television and sanitized, air-conditioned living conditions. The remark by the guide as we were handed over the keys to our forest cottages at Wildernest aptly said it all: "Please don't complain if you happen to see lizards and insects inside your rooms; just consider them a complimentary part of the package. Remember, this is the jungle!" http://saligaoserenade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/bnhsgroup.jpg The BNHS Group for the Goa Bio-Diversity Camp Source "The Other Side of Goa" [http://www.saligaoserenade.com/2010/12/20/the-other-side-of-goa/]
