Oxfam 2017

 

When I decided to do the Oxfam Trailwalker 100 kms walking challenge again, I knew what I was signing up for. It would not be easy and added to that, we had less than 1 month to prepare and only one practice walk of about 30 kms was the maximum that we had walked as a team. Though we all are neighbours and knew each other well, we did not know how each one of us would be during the walk.

But Chintan Singh, Neha Gupta, Rajani Durbha and I decided to take the plunge.

As the day of the walk came closer, I had butterflies in my stomach. I could not eat or sleep and had weird dreams of my legs sticking to the ground during the walk. On the flight to Bangalore, I was quite tense. I had not been doing any walking or running for 3 months and now I will be attempting 100 kms. It was not a pleasant feeling.

As a team we had decided to set ourselves a target of competing it within 35 hours. It was difficult but not impossible. We had planned and strategized and fixed how much time we should take to walk and how long our breaks should be. The planning was perfect. Now all we had to do was to execute the plan.

The first day things went as planned. Though we were battling injuries, pains, blisters and fatigue by the end of the day, we slept feeling fully satisfied as we had managed to complete 60 kms by then. Here Chintan's friend Neeraj helped us by motivating us through the last 12 kms. He made sure we completed the stretch on time....

The next day was when we lagged behind a little. We started late and the first stretch of 6 odd kms was feeling tough. We took much longer than expected to complete that stretch.

The next 10 kms was done at a decent speed and we completed it quite soon. It was a very picturesque trail and we stopped several times to take pictures…. and by the end of this stretch we had finished 75 kms. the next two stretches were smaller and comparatively easy. And finally we were left with the final stretch.

The final stretch is the most difficult one. You are so near the target. You want to finish it as soon as possible. And your legs are dragging by that time. We had already over shot our target time. We wanted to finish it at least in 37 hours. And we all walked like someone possessed. Each step was painful but somehow we kept going and finally after all the excitement, preparation, pain, tears, motivation, encouragement we finally reached the finish line. We had taken 36 hours 41 minutes to complete the 100 kms walk. We overshot our target time by 1 hour 41 minutes. But that did not keep the joy and satisfaction and pride away as we went on stage and were presented with the Medals. It was a great moment for all of us. We had finally done it.

But nothing can be achieved in isolation. We were doing the walking but we had the support of many without whom we could not have achieved this.

The running community at Pbel City, the ‘Peerumcheruvu Runners’, were always motivating and encouraging us. I doubt if we could ever have even dreamt of doing this without those guys supporting us.

Our girl gang, with some of whom I had done the walk last year, was the backbone of our planning and practise.

Our families, who supported us through crazy practice sessions and crazy practice timings, for understanding our need to do this and for being there whenever we needed them. A special mention of Rajani’s parents needs to be made here as they put up with all of us before and after the walk. And of course, the celebrations after with the wine was the icing on the cake.

A special mention of our support Chaitanya Burgupalli, Anshul Porwal and Anupama Karthik. They made sure we were always hydrated, our tummies were full and we stayed motivated. Whether it was the physiotherapy given by Chaitanya, fruits and juices being fed by Anshul or Anupama walking and singing along with us, it was absolutely fantastic having them along side us especially in the last stretch which was, personally for me, the most difficult. Every time we saw Chaitanya walk towards us we would be relieved to know the checkpoint was near. Anshul made sure I did not pause for a single moment in the last stretch and completed it in record time.

Oxfam 2016

 

For almost 3 months, my team and I were preparing for the 100 kms Oxfam Trailwalker challenge in which we were required to walk 100 kms within a time period of 48 hours. We steadily increased our walking capacity from 15kms to 20 kms to 27 kms to 42 kms.... the last we completed in 13 hours. We always knew that it was not going to be easy but all our preparations did not prepare us for the actual walk.

On the morning of 21st January, 2016, we set off from Hyderabad. My husband, Bala, drove us to Bangalore and was our support throughout the walk. 22nd January, we woke up at 2.30 am and reached the start point by 4.00 am. After completing the formalities, we waited with butterflies in our stomachs for the walk to be flagged off. Milind Soman, Model and Actor, flagged off the event.

The initial couple of stretches were a breeze and we completed it within the time frame we had planned. The third stretch was a difficult one but we kept moving. Bala met us at every checkpoint and kept us motivated.

Our feet had developed blisters so we taped them and kept going. The 4th and 5th stretches were again good. We had completed 46 kms by then. It was late night by then. We decided to sleep for a couple of hours. We got up at 2 am and started walking at 2.30 am. Atin, Anjali's brother, joined us for the 6th and 7th stretch. Having him walk with us gave us greater motivation.

Then came the 8th stretch which was a killer. While the first day was cloudy and comfortable, the 2nd day was hot and dry. The sun scorched down on us and we felt the heat especially in the 8th stretch. we completed 9 kms in 3 and 1/2 hours. We were so exhausted when we checked into the 8th Checkpoint. And then came the big surprise. We walked in to see our mentor and Anuradha's husband, Satish, sitting there. He had flown down from Hyderabad to walk the last stretch with us. All our pain was forgotten. After getting the required medical attention and physiotherapy done, we set off for the 9th stretch along with Satish. It was a breeze. We walked 9.5 kms in 2 hours.

After checking into the last checkpoint before the 100 kms mark, we got physiotherapy done and then set off for the final 6.5 kms stretch. It was 8 pm when we started.

The last stretch was the most difficult in terms of the terrain. We had to walk over some very steep inclines which were filled with loose sand and rocks of all shapes and sizes. With a lot of "ohs" and "aahs" we reached the 97 kms mark.

In the meanwhile, Chintan, another friend, was supporting us from Hyderabad. She was sending us motivational quotes. She got all our kids together and made videos of them cheering us on which she messaged us on WhatsApp. It was the icing on the cake. Seeing our kids cheer us made the last stretch the most memorable one.

 

The km between 97 and 98 was again very difficult with a climb down on a rock face. We did this stretch in 25 minutes. Then came the search for the 98th km mark which was not to be found. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, we finally located the 98th km mark. The next 2 kms seemed the longest. Finally, at 10:11 pm, we walking past the 100 kms mark.

It was the greatest moment of our lives.

Bala and Atin were waiting eagerly for us.

We had done it. After months of planning and preparation, we completed the 100 kms walk in 40 hours and 11 minutes.

For all of us it was the single greatest achievement of our lives so far.

We came back with mixed feeling and a great deal of learning.

We learned that the mind is more important than the body. If one makes up his or her mind, body does not matter. A strong mind can make the weakest body do wonders.

We also realised that we made a strong team. Though we were 5 of us, we thought as one and that became our strength.

When we got off the plane, we were greeted by our children who had come with a wonderful chart and lots of hugs and kisses and smiles.

We drove home and met up with Chintan. The team was finally complete. We had missed Chintan during our walk though she was there with us in spirit.

In the words of Anjali, "We can dust off the 100 kms walk from our shoulders."

Well, we can all say, "Been there... Done that"... until the next madness takes over.....;-)

Tanzania - Zebra

One of the most fascinating animals that I have ever seen is the Zebra. My first sighting of this magnificent animal was when we went to the Tarangire National Park. 

Zebras, with their black and white stripes, are very easy to spot. The stripes on them is much like the human finger print. Each one is unique. When a foal is born, it has reddish-brown stripes which eventually become darker and turn to black as they grow older. 

Ironically, it is these stripes that help them camouflage from predators like lion as lions are colour blind and only see a herd of Zebras as a big stretch of black and white and get confused. Btw, a group of Zebras is also called a Dazzle of Zebras. 

Many a times, the zebras can be observed in a huddle wherein one zebra can be seen resting its head on the back of another zebra while both are facing opposite directions. This is done for resting purposes. Also, facing opposite directions helps them keep a watch for predators from different directions. 

Zebras belong to the family of horses and donkeys and are herbivores. They can fall asleep standing up as they have locking joints, they don’t have to worry about falling over, and it ensures they can escape quickly if predators are about. They do need to lie down to enjoy a deep sleep. 

Another interesting fact about Zebras is that when a baby is born, it can stand up after 6 minutes of being born.

Tanzania - Wildebeest

Greetings from Tanzania. We are having a fantastic time here. 

We are in the middle of the Wildebeest Migration which happens annually. Millions and millions of Wildebeests migrate from the Serengeti to Masai Mara in search of greener pastures and better climate. 

This wildebeest migration process is an amazing feature of nature.  They are as far as you can see. 

The zebras and wildebeest  are partners in the migration process. 

All the dark objects, as far as you can see,  are them.

The Zebras are the Security team.

They sense predators and take appropriate action,  which is followed by the wildebeest.

The wildebeest have a sense for detecting weather and nourishment.  So they provide the direction in that regard.  Lead towards food and favourable climates. 

So they move together.

Literally millions and millions of wildebeest.  As far as you can see,  and they are constantly grazing and moving. 

From where we are staying, a tented camp in the middle of Serengeti, we can hear them all night.

Tanzania - Ostrich

This was the first time that we were seeing Ostriches in the wild. I knew they were big birds but was not prepared for the massive built that we saw. Ostriches are the fastest bipedal runners in the world with speeds reaching as high as 45 miles per hour, about twice what the fastest human can achieve. And using their powerful legs to escape predators. What's more, an ostrich can maintain this speed for up to half an hour. But they cannot fly. 

The eyes of the ostrich are the size of pool balls. An ostrich's brain is actually smaller than either of its eyeballs because of how much space the eyes occupy in the skull. Because of this, despite its amazing running speed, the ostrich may not be very good at avoiding predators. They keep running in circles. 

Male ostriches are polygamous, but they tend the nest with a single favored mate. This hen lays about a half-dozen eggs in a shallow depression in the sand, which takes her about two weeks. Other hens then add their own eggs to the nest, and once they are finished, the favored mate chases them off. The nest owners then incubate all the eggs: The female sits on them during the day, and the male takes a turn at night.

The ostrich is the largest living bird in the world. An ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month until it is seven or eight months old. Adult ostrich roosters are six to ten feet in height and can weigh as much as 340 pounds. Because of their prodigious size, ostriches were occasionally used for riding or pulling chariots in ancient Egypt; the practice never really took off, because the ostrich has a nasty temper.

Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living land animal, with each egg weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kg). They have adapted to hot, arid environments by being able to withstand high temperatures and conserve water. They have specialized nasal passages that reduce water loss, and they can go without water for several days, obtaining moisture from the plants they eat.

Tanzania - Lions

Our first sighting of the Majestic African Lion was on day 1. As we were entering the Tarangire National Park, we saw two lionesses sleeping on a high branch of a tree. This is the first time that we became aware of the fact that lions can climb trees. 

I learnt later that evolutionarily, lions are not adapted to climb trees and sit on the branches. In fact, this phenomenon is so rare that there are only two documented populations of tree climbing lions on the planet have been noted. On researching this, I came to know that one such population of tree climbing lions can be found in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Ishasha, Western Uganda and the other in the parks of Tanzania (Tarangire, Serengeti and Lake Manyara). 

The reason why lions have taken to climbing trees in these parts is attributed, by experts, to avoiding constant irritation from insect bites while resting under a tree. One such insect commonly found in the parks of Africa is the Tsetse fly. The bites can cause several diseases some of which can be fatal. 

Another reason for the lions to climb trees could be to escape the heat conditions of the ground. 

I also think that lions have learnt to climb trees in the Savanah areas to look out for prey. They have a vantage point and can see any animal that is walking around before the animal sees the lion, making their search and hunt for food easier. 

What is amazing is that not only have the lions mastered this unique tree climbing skills, they have also taught their young ones and hence have passed on this skill to the subsequent generations. This is a great example of learned behaviour as opposed to natural instincts. 

We saw at least three dozen lions during our safaris in Tarangire, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. We saw lions hunting, and eating. We saw a pregnant lioness. We saw cubs playing. We were also lucky enough to see a mating pair of lions. The best sighting of course was the this one lion standing on top of a huge rock which reminded us of Mufasa from Lion King.

Tanzania - Leopard

Leopards are highly elusive animals and when you do get to see one, it is a rare sighting. We were fortunate to spot this beautiful animal in Serengeti, almost at the end of our safari. We watched him for almost 45 minutes. He gave us several photo opportunities and then decided to get itself a meal. Very gracefully, it climbed down from the tree where it was perched and started stalking a small group of Zebras that were grazing nearby. 

We noticed that there was a baby zebra in the group and realised that the leopard was targeting the baby. After a few minutes the zebras realised that there was a leopard nearby and started walking away. They crossed the path in front of our jeep and went to the other side. After following them for a few minutes, the leopard sat down. Soon, it got up again and walked in the opposite direction. 

The fur of the leopard ranges from pale yellow to dark golden and is covered with dark spots. These spots are called ‘rosettes’ since they closely resemble the shape of the rose. Babies are born with barely visible spots and these gradually become darker as the leopard becomes older. Sometimes, the spots are grouped very closely together and become indistinguishable. They give the impression that the leopard is black. Black leopards are called ‘panthers’ which is not a different species but simply a black leopard. 

Leopards are the smallest in the big cat family and love to lounge around on top of trees. They are very strong and agile climbers, with retractable claws, and are known to drag their prey and stash them on top of the trees. They do this to protect their food from other predators like lions and hyenas and enjoy their food over days. 

Leopards are found in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China. They can live in a varied habitat, from rainforests to deserts, woodlands and forests. The fact that they can eat almost anything to survive helps them in areas where other large cats find it difficult to survive. 

Leopards can run at a speed of 36 miles per hour, and leap 20 feet in a single bound. They can also jump 10 feet straight up in the air. Leopards are solitary creatures and spend their time alone. Male and female come together only for mating purposes and the male plays no role in taking care of the cubs. Leopards are nocturnal hunters who can see seven times better in the dark than humans. They are silent stalkers of their prey.

Tanzania - Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus, or Hippo as it is commonly called are another fascinating animal that we got to see in Tanzania. They are semi aquatic mammals that are native to the sub-Saharan African region. They are really huge and are the third largest land animals after elephant and white rhinos. In spite of their size, hippos can run at a rate of 30 km/h.  

Hippos spent most of their time in water bodies like rivers, lakes or mangroves. Although Hippos have extremely thick skin, they are sensitive and can easily burn or dry out in the extreme African sun. So, they spend most of their day in the water or mud to keep cool, wet, and protect their delicate skin.

Hippos are also called ‘river horse’ as they can hold their breath for 5 minutes and spend this time walking around the riverbeds and lakebeds. Usually after sunset, hippos come out of the water or mud and graze on the grasslands. Hippos and herbivores animals and get their nourishment from plants. It is estimated that on an average, hippos eat around 80 pounds of grass each night.

Hippos live in sub-Saharan Africa, where the sun’s UV rays are incredibly strong. Hippos have adapted an ability to produce a red, oily liquid which acts as a natural sunblock. 

The gestation period for a hippo is around 8 months. When the time comes for her to give birth, the female withdraws from the group for one or two weeks in order to give birth and form a bond with her child. She feels at ease giving birth either on land or in the water. The mother must force the newborn to the surface so it may breathe if it is born underwater.

Fun fact - Hippos can differentiate between friend or foe by smelling the poop or dung. Hippos can sniff the outdoor areas where they poop and find out who’s been there and if they’re considered friends. Another interesting fact about hippos is that their enormous size facilitates the creation of micro habitats for small organisms.

Tanzania - Hadzabe Tribe

We had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Hadzabe tribe of Tanzania. We went hunting with them, shared a Marijuana joint (Most male above the age of 5 smoke Marijuana in the afternoons), was privy to their dance and music routines and learnt a bit of archery from them. 

Based mainly in Baray, an administrative ward within Karatu District in southwest Arusha Region, the Hadza, also known as Hadzabe (Wahadzabe in Swahili), are a protected hunter-gatherer Tanzanian indigenous ethnic group. They are found on the surrounding Serengeti Plateau as well as the Lake Eyasi basin in the central Rift Valley. They most likely occupied their current location for thousands of years, with relatively little change to their basic way of life until the previous century, as descendants of Tanzania's aboriginal, pre-Bantu expansion hunter-gatherer population.They are thought to speak an isolated language and have no known close genetic relatives. 

Hadza society is egalitarian and non-hierarchical, with members typically living in bands or "camps" of twenty to thirty. Traditionally, their main source of nutrition has been foraging; they eat predominantly fruit, honey, tubers, and meat during the dry season. In Tanzania, there were between 1,200 and 1,300 Hadza people as of 2015. Approximately one-third of the Hadza population still relies solely on traditional foraging for their survival.

The Hadza language (Hadzane), once categorized as one of the Khoisan languages mainly because it had clicks, is now considered an isolate, distinct from all other languages. Hadzane is a language spoken only orally.

Tanzania - Giraffe

Meet the Alien of Tanzania - The Masai Giraffe. With its super long neck, a strange tongue and two horns which are not really horns, giraffes resemble more like man’s imagination of aliens than an animal. We had a wonderful sighting of this elegant creature in Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. We saw several journeys / towers of giraffes. Did you know a group of giraffes is called a journey of giraffes or a tower of giraffes? 

They are 4 species of Giraffes in Africa. 

1. The Masai

2. Southern

3. Northern

5. Reticulated giraffes

What we saw were The Masai. The different species can be differentiated by the pattern on their coats. The Masai giraffe is darker with brown lines between its patches.

The tallest land mammal on Earth is the giraffe. Giraffes are between 4.3 and 5.7 meters tall when fully grown. That is more towering than three men stacked on top of one another! Although they may appear small in comparison to their mothers, newborn giraffes are as tall as the typical man. 

The long necks of giraffes aid in their ability to detect potential predators. Because their eyes are higher up, they can see any approaching predators on the expansive, open grasslands more clearly. 

Giraffes eat for the most part of the day—they can consume up to 45 kg of leaves and twigs every day! They nibble on grass and fruit as well.

Because their necks are too long for them to reach the ground, giraffes must awkwardly stretch their legs or bend down to get to the water. It is a relief that they don't need to drink much because they make easy prey for predators when they are kneeling down to drink water. Giraffes don't need to drink much because they obtain the majority of their water from their green diet. 

In order to determine who is stronger, male giraffes, often known as bulls, swing their long necks and butt heads. It's called "necking," and most giraffes don't get injured while doing it. One male will eventually give up and go, most likely to get something to eat.

Giraffes prove that you can be super tall and super fast! They reach speeds of up to 60km/h over short distances. Giraffe kicks are powerful and their hooves are the size of dinner plates.

With their big eyes, long eyelashes and two tufty little horns, giraffe faces are pretty funny looking. Both male and female giraffes have two ossicones. These look like giraffe horns but are actually cartilage covered with skin.

Guess the colour of a giraffe tongue? It’s dark blue! Giraffes stick their tongues out so much when they’re grazing that a pink tongue would get sunburnt. Darker colours offer better protection in the harsh African sun.

A giraffe’s tongue is 45-50 cm long and “prehensile”, which means it can twist and grip things. This is very useful if you’re trying to pick delicious leaves out from thorns. Giraffes also have mouth armour! Their mouth is covered in hard, finger-like papillae to protect it from sharp thorns.

A giraffe heart weighs around 11 kilograms and is the biggest heart of any land animal! It needs to be extra powerful to pump 60 litres of blood around the giraffe’s body and all the way up that long neck.

Giraffes give birth standing up and the giraffe baby falls nearly 2 metres to the ground. It’s ossicones lie flat against its head at birth to avoid hurting the mother. The calf stays with its mother for 1½ years.

Sadly, their numbers have dropped by 30% over the last 30 years. The remaining herds face terrible threats from hunting and habitat loss. Their homes are turned into farms and the trees they eat are chopped down.

Tanzania - Datoga Tribe

We were fortunate to meet with the Datoga tribe, another ancient tribe from the Tanzania region. 

We were taken to one of their houses where we met 3 women. These 3 were the wives of the same man. In this tribe, a man is expected to have several wives and the funny part is that he has to pay a bride price to the wives family in order to get married. We were shown how corn is grinded and made into powder and then how porridge is made from the powdered corn. This porridge is called Ugali. We also ate some ugali. We also did a bit of grinding. 

We were then taken to the men’s corner of the area where men make different things from melted metal. They gather bits and pieces of metal items (taps, keys, rods, etc.) and using an ancient system of bellow and fire, they melt these items and make other items of their need. These include arrow tips, spears, bangles, rings, etc. we tried our hand at the bellows. A brass tap went into the fire and what came out was a long brass rod which would be further processed to make brass bangles. We also tried our hands at this and realised this is a good workout. 

A Nilotic ethnic people group from Tanzania, the Datooga (Wamang'ati in Swahili) are presently based in the Karatu District of the Arusha Region and were formerly distributed throughout the northern Singida Region and the southwest Manyara Region. It was projected that there were 87,978 people living in Datooga in 2000. 

They speak two languages: Swahili and Datooga. African Traditional Religion and Christianity are the two religions practiced. The Datoga tribe's practice of circumcising both men and women is another fascinating feature. Nevertheless, female circumcision is now mostly prohibited. The most valuable domestic animal in Datoga country is cattle. In addition, they rear chickens and herd sheep, goats, and donkeys. They consume meat, cow dung, hide fat, milk, horns, blood, and tendons for ceremonial or utilitarian purposes.

Tanzania - Cheetah

The cheetah actually gets its name from the Hindi word “chita”, which means “spotted one”. Ironically, the Cheetahs are extinct in India. Over the last 50 years, this beautiful animal has gone extinct in 13 countries around the world. They are now found in a few countries in Africa including Tanzania. 

We had the great privilege of seeing a female Cheetah with her two cubs in Serengeti. They were hidden in some shrubs. We watched them for some time. They came out of the shrubs. The mother walked with her two cubs for a short distance and hid in another set of shrubs some distance away. 

Cheetahs are the fastest land animal in the world. They can run at a speed of 75 miles per hour. They can also accelerate at a very fast pace, with the speed going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3 seconds. To enable them to run at this high speed, their hinds legs are shorter. 

Their habitat is mostly the Savanah grasslands. Their coat is covered with spots. They have upto 2000 spots on their body which form unique patterns. Each cheetah can be identified by the way their spots have formed the pattern. These spots also help the cheetah hide among the grasses as their pattern is camouflaged by the colour of the grass. 

While the females are known to be solitary, unless she has her cubs, the males are known to be social with 3 to 4 male cheetahs forming a coalition. 

Cheetahs can give birth to 2 to 8 cubs at a time. Unfortunately, they have a high mortality rate, both in the wild and in captivity. Added to this, cheetah cubs are easy prey to predators like the lions. Though the mother can run fast to save herself, the cubs cannot. 

Cheetahs don’t roar but meow. They are also know to growl, hiss or let out a yelp depending on their situation. 

In addition to being excellent runners, cheetahs also have excellent eyesight which allows them to spot a prey from 3 miles away. They have a black tear mark called malar stripes that runs from their eyes to the sides of their face. This feature takes the glare away from the sunlight and prevents the same from obstructing their vision. 

Other interesting facts about Cheetah are that they hunt during the day. They live upto 10 years in the wild. They can go upto 10 days without water. They are not natural climbers as their body is built to run but not climb trees.