Lost in the Wilderness of Surla

Goa feels so much like heaven when you compare her to the other places in India. It's essentially a 'pensioners paradise' for anyone who wants to spend the rest of his/her life in tranquility at a calm and peaceful place amidst the beautiful sandy beaches far away from the hustles and bustles of civilization. For the prejudiced, I'll say it's not just the beaches, churches, temples, our cultural heritage, lifestyle or the party life out here that has so become the trademark of this tiny state, but also the pristine natural beauty of the western ghats which livens up in the monsoons. Yes, I am talking about the forests and the wildlife of Goa. I got this opportunity recently to go trekking in the jungles of Surla with team MITRA and it's been such an overwhelming experience that I think I should put it down in words here. Being a trekking enthusiast, I can say this was one of the unique treks and learning experiences I have had during my trekking stint.

Getting up early at 5 am on a Sunday has never been my cup of tea really. But the sheer excitement of going on a monsoon trek in the western ghats woke me up alarmingly. I do all the morning chores, pack up all the essential stuff needed for the trek with a rain gear and set off to 'Temptations' to buy some chicken rolls for us to survive in the forest. I pick up my friend along the route and he seems excited about the day ahead. We ride along the Verna highway and take a shortcut to reach Ponda via Rassaim ferry. Traveling on a ferry boat after a long time feels so good. I like this part of travel in Goa, it gives you a feel of the rivers , true Goan style..err...with a small boat 'hodi' it would be truer, but then again you can't get in a car or a bike in the hodi. As we sail past the river Zuari to the other side, we seem to be lost in thoughts looking at an elderly person riding a small boat fishing in the waters. The calmness, serenity and a sense of satisfaction on his face makes me jealous. Our craving for the material world has pushed us to such limits that 'satisfaction' seems to have eroded our sensibilities for bad. By the time we reach the other side, the trail of thoughts is disrupted by the thrusting sound of the ferry engine and the ignitions of scooters and cars in the ferry. I hate the part of getting the car in/out of the ferry. 90% of the time you tend to brush the cars front/rear bumper with the deck below. So you see the 10% is quite a skill you can flaunt about at the ferry point while people watch you with curious eyes and the ferry driver helps you with some of his inputs. As always I bumped it again, nothing serious really. We ride across beautiful rice paddy fields and reach Ponda just in time to meet some of the guys at MITRA and others joining in for the trek. All checks and formalities done, we set off to Surla by bus for an exciting fun filled day ahead.

We reach the starting point of the trail and gather around in a circle for a formal introduction to each other. The guys at team MITRA introduce themselves and brief on the activities ahead. MITRA is a group started by a bunch of young individuals in Ponda while they were in school and they work in the field of nature and wildlife conservation trying to spread awareness about the natural heritage of Goa. They also have an active rescue cell to rescue snakes in Goa. Team MITRA is really doing a fantastic job for a noble cause, considering the fact that they look so committed to the cause in spite of all the hurdles on way. Quite a majority of the 25-30 odd individuals who had come for the trek were eminent Botanists, Wildlife photographers and Zoologists or someone related to the field of Wildlife/Nature. All briefings done and we set off on the 12Km trail across Surla- Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Mollem marked by spurts of rain.

As we cross the narrow bridge over a gushing stream of crystal clear water and start with the dirt trail, we are greeted by lush green forest,  rickety sounds of insects and an aroma that's so typical of the forests that you seem to get lost alone in its wilderness even when you are surrounded by  people around. Time for some snaps and videos. One of the botanists who is working on his PhD seems to be busy collecting samples of fungi. I get a bit confused while trying to relate Fungi to the plant kingdom and Botany and ask him the reason for studying Fungi in Botany. He tells me about Mycology as a part of Botany, heterotrophs and the complexities of Fungal classification, but still I am not convinced and the confusions do remain to some extent. Well I presume its the dynamic nature of the knowledge in this discipline of science that has something to do with the classification. The forests of Surla being a part of Western ghats are so richly laden with flora and fauna that it's obvious for it to be declared as one of the 'World Biodiversity Hot spots' in the country and we really need to protect it under a close watch. The Botanists identified some medicinal plants as Sarpagandha(Rauwolfia Serpentina), Nirgundi(Vitex Nirgundi), Gloriosa Superba and some others which I fail to recollect for not having noted them down.All the while we were aching to see some never before seen fauna in the Wild as a slender loris or perhaps a leopard or tiger to be too optimistic, we spot a Bonnet Macaque which vanishes later in the thick forests. As we go deep into the trail, we hear sounds of birds and the photographer immediately recognizes them as an Orange headed Thrush and Malabar grey but alas no shot taken as we aren't able to spot them. There's a sudden commotion ahead followed by a hush hush and silence. We move ahead to check out why all have formed a circle and see that the guys have spotted a hump nosed baby pit viper perched on a scattering of dry leaves absolutely still.Time for some snaps again while Rohan gets curious to catch the baby. Damn the baby viper misses Rohan's right hand by a whisker as it scutters across to where I and Reji stood, pulses running high now when the poisonous 'baby' is just 15 cms from our feet knowing one bite can send us to our ancestors with no anti venom in sight. Having watched quite a number of snake documentaries[I love snakes, the reason being their amazing strong traits and the sense of authority they command on you, especially the 'Black Mamba' but never really caught any poisonous ones till date] by Romulus Whitaker, I get second thoughts but well I realise soon that there's a thin line between reality and fascination for any inquisitive fella.We jump to the other side in a frenzy and Rohan decides to let go the wild baby viper as we move ahead. That was quite a thrilling experience for some mins after a not so happening walk for sometime.

One can find a number of white water streams along the path with such crystal clear fresh water, crossing them while fighting the strong currents is fun. I bet there is definitely some kind of relation between the freshness of water and its temperature. The water streams are super cool and super fresh.In case you are afraid of getting lost in the jungles of Surla, rest assured there are visible markers all along the route on tree trunks and stones. At one point we identified quite a few beautiful butterflies namely the Common Crow(Euploea Core), Raven(Papilio Castor), Blue Mormon(Papilio Polymnester) and some oak shaded butterfly. Watching their beautiful patterns is a treat to the eyes as they fly here and there.Capturing them on camera is a daunting task as I noticed, requiring patience, time and perseverance trying to get that perfect shot. I loved the Blue Mormon shot taken by the photographer,  just beautiful.



Halfway into the trek we reach a spot called Barabhumi; this place is really scenic. White water gushing at speeds over a monolithic rock formation all around. This place looks good for rafting though the stream narrows down further. It's decided that we rest here for sometime and fill our stomachs. There's also a small temple complex in the vicinity with 2 neatly carved statues inside and some stone replicas arranged on a bench outside. No inputs on the history related to this and we start wondering who could have possibly carved and placed them in such a remote place.It's here that we also spot the Indian Bull frog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus). MITRA is also working towards "Save the Frogs" campaign trying to conserve the frog population in Goa as some of the frog species are facing threats of extinction while they are being hunted down and served as delicacies or 'Jumping Chicken' in some restaurants. I feel at least the educated ones who indulge in eating such delicacies should wisen up before your children are ready to face the retributions for your crimes against nature. For the rest of the lot, it's a tough ask educating them but the efforts are worth the fight for a  cause.

After having some fun in the white waters, a photo-video session, filling our stomachs, taking some rest and a small discussion, we set off again for the rest of the journey. No interesting spottings really except for the bull frog again, a pair of swallows, a poultry(surprised to see a poultry in a dense jungle) and a whole lot of fungi. The Fungi were never before seen(for me) and colourful specimens like the Clavaria(coral fungi) were intriguing ones.A noted botanist Dr. Bhat from Goa University gave insightful info into the fungi and some tips to identify the edible ones too. His humbleness ought to be respected , while he answered most of our questions even though they sounded a bit silly at times. The diversity here with respect to fungi is stunning.

Finally we come across a plateau in Surla and gather for a group photo. We also spot a Wild Bison on this plateau which disappears soon in the surrounding thick forests. Bisons are shy i guess!! A few kms on and we are officially done for the day. A bit disappointed considering the 12 kms stretch ended pretty soon(it appeared so) and having not been able to spot much of the fauna that I had heard of.But nevertheless an amazing learning experience, one of a kind.Would love to go back to Surla sometime in the future for an overnight stay may be and try some luck spotting the hidden treasures of this beautiful landscape.Thanks to MITRA for the wonderful experience. To know more about MITRA click here.