River of dreams

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep...

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To the river so deep...

(Billy Joel - River of Dreams)

Last weekend, on a trip to Masinagudi, this song played in my head when we went on a night safari in the middle of the night, through mountains and valleys to a small stream in the jungle. This was the first time I went on a night safari and unfortunately I wasn't bestowed with any beginner's luck and I didn't catch a glimpse of a tiger/leopard or any such animal that we all hope to see in a safari. In spite of that, it was a very memorable experience for me.

As we set off, I wondered how we would spot anything in the darkness. We had the driver switch off the jeep lights in the middle of the jungle for a moment and then we saw (or didn't see!) what they really mean by 'pitch dark'! As the noisy jeep went through the quiet jungle, we had a lot of irate onlookers! They glared at us from among the bushes...and as we drew closer, they scampered away, quickly deciding that it wasn't worth confronting us for encroaching their territory and creating noise pollution. Their orange, yellow or reddish eyes actually glowed as if they were LEDs. How brightly they must have glowed to allow us to be able to differentiate between the orange, yellow and red light reflecting from their eyes!

The most memorable part of the safari was the stop by the stream. For a few minutes none of us got out of the jeep..maybe for fear of being mauled by the tiger striding to the stream for a drink! Wishful thinking! Then we all stepped out of the jeep and quietly just stood by the jeep, scanning the banks of the stream down below and ears alert for any rustle or growl. Since we were in clearing, the area wasn't pitch dark. The stream looked soothing...flowing almost noiselessly under the clear star studded sky in the chill of the night. The only noises were those of crickets and owls. After a while of waiting, we heard a growl and rustle. It probably came from someone we would have loved to see from a distance! But we weren't lucky enough. We just drove back with memories of the stream of dreams.