The Sunderbans

Oh, my, have I ever been busy recently!  I hate to think that I have gone so long withoug blogging, but I simply have not had the time.  In the past few weeks, I have watched a variety of movies, participated in two sleepovers, attended classes, visited a museum, and more.  Most importantly, last weekend was the much anticipated CSB/SJU group excursion to the Sunderbans, the largest delta region in the world.  I had been looking forward to the trip since before coming to India, and reading Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide increased my excitement.  Fortunately, the experience did not disappoint.

The biggest draw for tourists to the Sunderbans is the nature.  We failed to see a Royal Bengal Tiger, but we saw deer, monkeys, and many birds.  More importantly, we saw the unbelievable six meter difference it water level between high tide (pictured above) and low tide.  Entire boats sat on mud during low tide that were easily in water during high tide.  This variation of water levels required that only trees able to be deep in saltwater could survive.  We sat awestruck during boatrides past impressive mangrove trees.  I also loved the sunrise and sunsets that we watched from the boat.  I took many photos but doubt they can come close to equalling the remarkable beauty of the views themeslves.

I also enjoyed the opportunity to learn just a bit about life in villages in the Sunderbans.  We watched a jatra (traditional dramatic performance) of the story of Bono Bibi, a goddess who protects villagers in the Sunderbans.  Oddly enough, Bono Bibi's story originates in Islam, and many of her worshipers are Muslim.  This worship deviates noticeably from the monotheistic expectations of Islam.  We also walked through a village to see villagers' homes and rice farms.  Homes unquestionably fail to meet my standards of preferred living, but the happy children we met do not seem to mind.  Some people bought gamchas (like towels) in the market, and we drank fresh coconut water before riding in rickshaw-trucks (think a motorcycle with a flat wooden rectangle on wheels behind it) back to the jungle camp.

In all, I had a wonderful, relaxing experience in the Sunderbans.  The food was delicious, supplemented by quite a bit of masala chai (tea).  We enjoyed great conversations while on the boat watching beautiful scenery.  Some members of our group even fell asleep on the boat, aided by the warm temperatures.  After living for a while in a busy and tiring city, I was happy to experience a break for a few days.  No travelling to class or museums and ending up exhausted by early afternoon.  Just enjoying ourselves and recouperating for another two months in India.