Sunderbans slides

On my visit back to Australia, one of the things I brought back with me was my slide scanner. Although I only brought a few slides back with me to scan, I have a lot here to do - Morocco, Mali and Eastern Europe. I only have one box of Bangladesh ones, those from my Sunderbans trip last October. Here are a few to whet your appetite!

The first one here is of the boat we travelled on into the mangroves, which was also our home for 4 days. We were a group of 13, but the boat catered for 20 passengers so we had plenty space. It was very comfortable and we had great food. We travelled with a company called "Guide Tours" based here in Dhaka and this is one of three boats they own.

I remember taking this photograph but can't remember whether it is the sun going down or the moon coming up. I have a feeling it is the latter!!

There were lots of colourful butterflies.

Some woodcutters near the river mouth where we spent most of our time.

A river sunset

This boatmen we saw on the river, through the rain, on our journey down to the Sunderbans.

Maybe on my next post I'll put up a few photographs of Australia that I have scanned;just to whet you appetitite.

Muddling through the mangroves

Another way to explore the Sunderbans on foot was to go on a mud walk through the mangrove forest. After waiting for low tide in the early afternoon, we donned special shoes provided by the tour company, Guide Tours, that could get muddy. Socks were recommended to be worn as well. I put on the smallest shoes, a men's size 7 but they were still much too big for me so I laced them up tightly and hoped. We started near what used to be a resort until Sidr came to visit.
Here are the girls playing in the mud, and we haven't even left the beach yet!

The walk started walking along a boardwalk, then after a few metres along the concrete support (all that was left) it was down into the mud This first area was quite open but again the damage from the cyclone was very evident.

It was a challenge when squelching through the mud to remain upright and keep one's shoes on. Often it felt to me that mine were going to be sucked off, but the tight ankle laces kept them on. With the extra length of the shoes I managed to upset my balance twice - once I ended up sitting on the pneumatophores (the air roots of the mangrove trees that stick up in the mud) and the other time I managed to land on some branches. So at least I didn't end up sitting in the mud. But there are some creatures that call the mud home. There were tiny crabs with a single white or red pincer scuttling around on the beach and disappearing into the mud at our approach. There were also larger crabs about 10 cm across in the forest plus the molluscs shown in the photo below that could either be found in the mud or attached to the trunk of a tree, from where they were easily knocked off.

We then entered an area of thick mangroves, having to bend out head and hold branches to not get flicked in the face. There was deeper mud and we even had to follow a few water channels. the highlight here was seeing tiger scratch marks on the trunks of a couple of trees. These scratch marks were above my head height so perhaps it was lucky we didn't meet any! From the dense mangrove we headed back towards the shore where the signs of a rejuvenating forest could be seen. Soon this entire mud area would be under 1 then 2 metres of water

Further on another sign of rejuvenation - a small mangrove seedling growing in the sand.

Then we saw a water snake in a small pool of water and passed by the cottages that were once homes to visitors but our now slowly being restored after a 3 metres tidal surge went through and almost destroyed them during the cyclone. Even the jetty is being rebuilt. It is inspiring to see the rate can overcome the damage but I can also see why powerful cyclones in the future may also lead to the destruction of the Sunderbans.

Thru grasslands to the beach

Another way of exploring the Sunderbans is on foot. So after a short boat trip we got dropped off at what used to be a concrete jetty but is now a broken pile of concrete courtesy of cyclone Sidr.

As we arrived, we say a number of monkeys in the trees but they quickly disappeared as we landed. No time for a photo. Then we followed the trail through the grasslands, with grasses and ferns growing up to shoulder height. We were accompanied by the two armed guards from the forest centre theoretically to protect us. Whether they had bullets for their guns could be debatable. First stop was a lookout tower, with a few broken wooden steps that had to be avoided. From its top I took this photo of the trail in from the river.

At the foot of the tower was a small flowering plant that had yellow-green flowers that were tinged with pink. Actually they looked more like leaves, but they must have been sweet as the butterflies were flitting around. Landing, then taking off again, then coming back. This plant seemed to be the favourite of the very beautiful blue and black winged, Blue Tiger butterfly. It is shown in the photo below. But there were many other also flying around: a plain yellow one, one with a red body and pink, black and white wings - the Common Rose butterfly and its close relative the Crimson Rose. Butterfly spotting was a real highlight.

As we left the lookout tower, we meandered through shallow water and patches of mud bordered by the grasses including one with a white feathery head that resembled pampas grass. In the edge of the forest was a herd of deer who on our approach, quickly skipped off across the trail and into the grass. All that could be seen were their cute faces and their ears pointed upwards in alertness. A few of the males also had antlers. Then a wild boar also crossed the track and disappeared. Nobody wanted to be too close to it.

As the sound of the waves got louder and the beach nearer we entered a forest area, an apocalyptic forest that had been decimated by cyclone Sidr. Broken and fallen down trees were everywhere. Those trees still standing were mostly a single stick trunk, many devoid of leaves. Rounding one corner and trying to avoid sinking too deep in the mud, there was a splash of bright orange, then lots of patched of bright orange. These were the opportunistic bracket fungi shown in the photograph below. Parasitic, they live on the wood from the dead trees gradually breaking it down.

Finally the waves roared and we reached the beach, the Bay of Bengal. Here are some of our group braving the warm waters, and warm they were as I found when I went for a paddle. The water was a very murky brown due to all the sediment running in from the rivers plus it was not very salty due to the large amount of fresh water entering. It was a long, wide beach and totally deserted. What a surprise!

Then we had the long hot walk back to the river to get the boat back to our "cruise ship". It was a fun walk though and gave a very different perspective on the Sunderbans.

Early morning cruises

Each morning we went on an early for morning cruise at 6 am into the creeks and tributaries. With only a paddle, we appreciated the silence, the sounds of nature and spent our time trying to spot wildlife, with some success. We saw lots of birds. Here is a kingfisher . . . .

. . a Bengal Monitor . . .

. . a macaque . .
and plants were not forgotten. Although most we saw were mangroves or palms, the most unusual was sea holly, a reminder of that Christmas decoration.

Sunderbans Highlights

The river

Except for the bus trip to Khulna and back (about 8 hours to do 320 kilometres), the Sunderbans trip was so relaxing. Once we had reached Khulna, it was then a 12 hour boat trip to the southern end of the Sunderbans, on the Bay of Bengal. We then spent 3 nights and 2 days anchored at the river mouth on the ebbing and flowing brown water, masses of mangroves on either side. When the tide got low, deer and birds such as herons and storks wander the mudflats looking for food. The occasional illegal fishing boat passes by.

Spotted deer making their escape

The boat was a 24-berth boat for 14 of us, which means there is plenty of space. There is a dining area in front of the cabins with a sheltered area in front on the bow. On top is a sun deck with seating and some shading. Down below is the crew area. There is 11 crew, including a guide and 2 trainee guides, for the 14 of us. Plus we had to pick up 2 armed park guards when we entered the national park.

Our home - the cruise boat

We certainly were well looked after. The food was fantastic with breakfast including an egg dish, toast or pancakes plus bananas and even local Sunderban honey. We had hot meals for both lunch and dinner plus desert, which was usually fruit but also included curd and creme caramel. Snacks were also provided both in the morning and afternoon, while on returning from a walking trip the staff were waiting with a tray of cold drinks - coconut milk on one day and lemon with sugar around the top of the glass on another.

Our final lunch

Off on a Bangladesh adventure

Today I am at the start of a 1 week holiday and I certainly feel like I need the break. This evening I leave on a 4 day, 4 night adventure into the wilds of Bangladesh along with some other people from work. Tonight we take an overnight bus trip to Khulna, down south. Then we spend the next 4 days and 3 nights on a boat cruising and exploring the World Heritage listed Sunderabans regions.
Here is a map of Bangladesh showing where Dhaka, Khulna and the Sunderbans are.

The Sunderbans are a huge mangrove area that is also home to the Bengal Tiger, not that i expect to see one. It is believed by many that in five years the Sunderbans will no longer exist due to rising sea levels and the increased frequency of monsoons. Here is a link to the Sunderbans National Park website.

From the website- http://sunderbansnationalpark.com/#sunderbans :

Sunderbans National Park

Where the land meets the sea at the southern tip of West Bengal lies the Indian Sunderbans, a stretch of impenetrable mangrove forest of great size and bio-diversity. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sunderbans is a vast area covering 4264 square km in India alone. The Indian Sunderbans forms the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park in India. A paradise for birdwatchers, the list includes such rarities as the Masked Finfoot, Mangrove Pitta and the Mangrove Whistler.

The Sunderbans are a part of the world's largest delta formed by the mighty rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Situated on the lower end of the Gangetic West Bengal, it is also the world’s largest estuarine forest. The Sunderbans is criss-crossed by hundreds of creeks and tributaries. It is one of the most attractive and alluring places remaining on earth, a truly undiscovered paradise.

Wildlife of Sunderbans

The Sunderbans forest is home to more than 250 tigers. The Bengal Tigers have adapted themselves very well to the saline and aqua environs and are extremely good swimmers. As you enter the adventurous wild land of the Sunderbans you'll be thrilled to see the chital deer and rhesus monkey. The aqua fauna of Sunderbans include a variety of fishes, red fiddler crabs and hermit crabs.There are crocodiles, which can be often seen along the mud banks. Sunderbans National Park is also noted for its conservation of the Ridley Sea Turtle. There is an incredible variety of reptiles also found in Sundarbans, which includes king cobra, rock python and water monitor. The endangered river Terrapin, Batagur baska is found on the Mechua Beach, while the Barking Deer is found only in Holiday Island in Sunderbans.

Here is what I hope to see:

Next week I will write about some of the highlights and include some photos. Stay tuned.