The tiger didn't eat me!

Date: June 30, 2009
Location: Chandana Residency, Marayoor
Accomplishments: We cycled from Udamalpet up into the mountains 45 kilometers to Marayoor.

Leaving Udamalpet, the smog and hustle and bustle of a town disappears within a mile of cycling. The road narrows. At first we glide easily through dry cactis, desert terrain. Rice paddies crackle. They are parched and dehydrated. It makes me sad. Here, Honduras, Nicaragua, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, all over the world we see climate change affecting the amount of rainfall. It begins to cause food shortage in poverty areas. I wonder, will it cause world wide water and food shortage in the future?

Soon, our narrow road winds gently into the hills.

"Annamadai Tiger Reserve," A sign reads.

Curve after cactus, no towns, no people.

"Steve, what if a tiger comes out and eats me?" I ask, suddenly a bit frightened now that all the towns have disappeared.

"Tamil is famous for its tigers," Steve teases me.

I pedal faster, as fast as I can until the mountain traps me in first gear, sweat dripping into my eye.

A road sign announces some strange character symbol and 4.
I eagerly pedal four kilometers to reach the unknown destination. I am illiterate, but at least the numbers are universal. The brush on the left side of the road rustles and breaks open. I cringe, bracing myself for a tiger to pounce. A peacock with bright blue and green feathers flutters across the road. After a four kilometer climb, we read a forest check point with a forest office/cafeteria building. We stop for a cup of chai tea. The ranger welcomes us to the state of Kerala/leaving the state of Tamil Nadu.

For a moment, I rejoice that I have survived the tiger reserve. Then a sign welcomes us to "Chinnar Wildlife Reserve," and reads, "Be cautious of elephants-- Drive Slow."
The ascends seem endless. Every time a tree moves, I now wait for a large elephant to thrust itself into my path and grab me bicycle and all with its enormous trunk.
A man rests on the roadside, gazing into the valley.

"Hi!" I greet him as I crawl up the hill.

"Bla...blaaa..blaa...blaaaa..elephant!" he says, pointing into the valley below the road. We stop and are so excited to spot a wild elephant eating grass down in the valley.

Needless to say, I survived half the mountain ride to Munnar without being devoured by a tiger or elephant. Now it is my time to devour a very spicy, chilly gobi with Parota (doughy bread) to celebrate my survival.