We are all similar in our love for Nature and adventure! No matter which part of world we’re from, by experiencing new cultures and by exploring new places, we realize, a journey is best measured in experiences, rather than miles.
Thadam organized a day of activities for students from Cegep Garneau University, Canada at Parambikulam and Anamalai Tiger Reserve. The university is situated in Quebec province, with a predominantly French-speaking population. The students are presently on an assignment in South India, as part of their Human Sciences curriculum. As feature of the program, they live individually with Indian families, getting to understand and observe our cultural norms and practices.
The trip was planned by professor Nisard Aroquiaraj and his wife Sandhya, who hail from Karaikal and Coimbatore respectively. They wanted to give their students an opportunity to experience and explore the Indian jungles while their stay in India.
The day started with a trek into Kariyanshola, amidst the untrodden depths of the wilderness, to explore the best of Western Ghats and its extremely rich bio-diversity. A group of 30 students were divided into two teams of 15 each, with a forest guard and a naturalist from Thadam, designated to accompany and guide each team.
The enchanting natural world and beautiful evergreen forests with a mosaic of numerous endangered medicinal plants and orchids, the Kariyanshola trail is an opportunity to experience nature at its pristine best. Despite the absence of animal sighting, the trek provided opportunity for the students to identify some birds, butterflies, frogs and insects – the equally important but lesser appreciated species in the forests.
At thadam, we aim at providing our guests a wholesome wildlife experience. We believe, wildlife tourism is not merely restricted to sighting big cats and elephants, it’s about inspiring people to appreciate the bio-diversity as a whole.
The students also learnt few facts about identification of pug marks, tiger scats, elephant dung and bear droppings, while majestic trees like this amidst the Shola forests were really a treat to the eyes and soul.
After a tiring trek in the scorching heat, we sat for lunch when the heavens opened up for us, with heavy rains, loud thunders and lightning – a much needed respite after a hot summer morning.
It was pouring cats and dogs while we arrived at the Kannimara teak (known to be the world’s largest teak tree). The rains didn’t stop us from getting down the van, hugging the tree and posing for pictures.
With slashing rains and strong winds, we knew our opportunity to sight animals is close to impossible so we hurried back towards Topslip for a safari to Kozhikamuthi, a camp for captive Elephants. We arrived at Kozhikamuthi and the rains have stopped by then, leaving behind a wonderful landscape with hues of green and blue.
With misty clouds hovering above the forests, it was heavenly to see Elephants in the lush green scape.
With the luck running out inside the jungle, to sight wild Elephants, Kozhikamuthi Elephant camp enthralled the students as it was their only chance to witness and spend time amidst the gentle giants, while in India.
This baby elephant calf, almost a year old, was the centre of attraction when it came running out of its shed, as it was time for feeding. Our hearts melted collectively, when the mahout narrated the rescue story. The calf was rescued in Sathyamangalam forests, abandoned by its herd while it was still a new-born baby. Today, the calf has found a safe haven in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, where Arumugam and his team, take good care of her.
It was time for us to leave and we reluctantly boarded the van and proceeded back. Upon reaching Topslip, the students exchanged hugs and bid goodbye to each other for another week before they meet up in Kochi, for the submission of their assignments.
TAKE AWAY FOR THE DAY:
Half the fun in travelling comes when you stretch out your legs and leave the tourist zone, where you stride on paths that are unexplored, stumble upon excitement while in pursuit of happiness, meeting new people, interacting with different cultures, eventually understanding more about yourself.
So, we at THADAM invite you to travel the extra mile with us. Because as said earlier, “A journey is best measured in experiences, rather than miles”
So if you have a story to tell or an experience to share about your travel in / around Pollachi, write to us at pollachipapyrus@gmail.com
Until we share our next experience, it’s Au revoir from Team Thadam.
