T-I-G-G-E-R (Grrrrr)

So, as mentioned on our previous blog we have just returned from a lovely 5 day cruise in the Sundarbans, which is an area in the South of the country where lots of rivers connect and feed into to the Bay of Bengal.

Our trip started on Monday 8th December with a short internal flight to Jessore (only 35 mins) in the evening and then a minibus transfer to Kulna town, where we boarded our boat.

The boat slept 12 people but there were only 7 of us on board, which worked out well for us. The boat was a lovely steel ship with an engine room and crew area downstairs, the passenger sleeping area on the next level of the boat and then a dining area, outdoor bit and steering cabin on the next level.

Once we had found our cabin we had an evening meal on board and got to know our fellow passengers a bit whilst cruising a short distance to a quiter spot where we anchored for the night.

The following day we started cruising at about 8. At about 11 we stopped at a village where we had to pick up some passes from the Forestry Commission in order to enter the forest areas of the Sundarbans. This gave us the opportunity to have a wander around the village and see the final part of the Eid sacrificing, which was interesting.

The rest of the day was spent cruising, reading and sunbathing - it's a hard life!

The following day we got up early (5.30am!) for a cruise into one of the creeks adjoinging the main river on a wooden river boat - very similar to the gondolas you see in Venice. We were hoping to see the Royal Bengal Tiger but I think he must have been very shy because even after the 3rd morning of these early morning cruises the closest we got was a roar on the first morning! However, we were privileged to see all sorts of amazing wildlife - crocodiles, dolphins, snakes, lizards, beautiful kingfishers, eagles, egrets, herons, monkeys, kites, woodpeckers.

After our morning cruise we had breakfast and then we went over to an island for a stroll around the beach, a mud bath and a swim in the water (see the video for some footage of Andy really embracing the whole mud bath thing in style)!

In the afternoon after some lunch and a bit more cruising we went for a walk around the Mangrove forests. Mangroves are trees that are able to grow in salty conditions and the roots stick up out of the ground, pointing towards the sky, to allow oxygen intake. This was also really fascinating because we were able to see the devastating affects of the cyclone that struck at the start of the year, which swept everything from trees to houses up in it's path.

During our walk we were also on Tiger watch and managed to see some footprints and poo but no sightings of the actual tiger (some of the more sceptical amongst us were convinced that the tour guide were going ahead of us imprinting the paw marks into the ground to keep us tourists happy!)

We also saw the areas where the Brits manufactured salt by extracting it from the sea water and then sold it to the Indians, so not only did we have wildlife but we had history as well!

The following day after another early morning cruise we went for a walk through the lush green areas of the Sundarbans to a beautiful unspoilt beach. The walk was lovely, very pictoresque and we saw some beautiful butterflies dancing in the air, a gorgeous baby otter and some not-so-beautiful wild boar (although beautiful in their own special way I suppose).

On the beach we went for a swim, played footie and strolled around on the lovely cool sand - ummm, total bliss!

In the afternoon we headed back for Kulna, via a few pretty creeks and such things.

On our final morning we went for another tiger spotting creek trip and this time we saw a lot of local fisherman out catching shrimp and crabs. This was really interesting as well because they live on the tiny river boats for about a month at a time, sometimes with their young apprentice sons, during the good fishing season and then return back to their village. A very different way of life!

So, in the afternoon we arrived back at Kulna where we took a car ride to the airport and then had a short flight back to Dhaka.

All in all a great trip with wonderful food, good company and amazing scenery; so great to see the different ways in which God's hand is at work and how creative he was in forming His creation.

We now feel very well rested and have even got a bit of a sun tan - not bad for a 5 day trip.