Manjula goes blogging...

Ratnam and I had just completed a long night’s search for nesting turtles - we had walked several miles from the tip of Great Nicobar Island to the mouth of the Galathea river. It was 3 am and we were on the wrong side of the river. If it had been daytime, we would have waded/swum across, but at night it was too dangerous because of increased saltwater crocodile activity. Some of the locals had already warned us that the river was teeming with “all the crocodiles in the world.” So, our only choice was to cut through the mangroves that bordered the river to reach the bridge that would lead us across to camp. The tide was out, and this sounded like a relatively simple alternative, so off we went into the darkness of the mangroves quite aware that we were treading in prime crocodile habitat.

First, we were forced to enter the river and skirt the edge of the mangroves because the stands were too dense. Then the flashlight died on us and we had to feel our way with our hands and feet as we stumbled on the protruding roots in the soft, black mud. To top it all, we soon realized that we were hopelessly lost and disoriented. Finally, Ratnam said to me, “Madam, you wait here. I’ll try and find us a way out,” and disappeared into the darkness. Needless to say, ‘Madam’ did not feel very lighthearted about being left alone in the dark, especially without a flashlight to catch the glint of any approaching croc eyes. So, I found the tallest aerial root and climbed up on it and waited for Ratnam to return - I felt deceptively safer on my perch, which wasn’t even a meter off the ground! I am not sure how long I stood on the root, glancing nervously over my shoulder every now and then, and wondering how in the world Ratnam would ever locate me again….Eventually, I heard a faint voice call out ‘Madam?’ from somewhere. Ratnam had miraculously found a way to the bridge and found his way back to where I was and soon we were back at camp!