Early morning of Sunday five
of us started our ride from Arun’s house best part of this trip was we were
supposed to cover 2 falls and 1 cave. Drive was very smooth on the way we
stopped for a while Arun went to the nearby village initially I thought he went
to meet his relatives but when he returned his friend also joined our team for guide us.
After a short drive we parked our bikes and started our
trek through areca plantation. Under the canopy of trees so the sunlight didn’t
actually dry them so they were slippery beyond belief. At one point the trail
goes through narrow edge on top of the waterfalls.
To reach the cave we had to
follow a small stream flowing which led us to the bottom of the cave and
actually this stream created 2 stairs of waterfalls next to the cave, the
winding path to the right of thick vegetation leads to the base of the second
stage of the Bavali falls.
There is 30 feet high
waterfall, its bottom covered by a vast pool.
What an incredible sight. A stunning, tranquil Waterfall and cave hidden in a
bowl of craggy, jungle covered peak. In front of the waterfall grows a massive
and gnarled tree with beautiful red flowers. A colorful fresh water crab
skitters away from my foot, shocked at this unwanted intrusion.
This unique geographical
area has been eroded away over many years and is now full of narrow ledges
snaking out into the densely forested valley. Though the fall was a little
disappointing with very little water the place around was simply superb.
Later we stepped into the
cave, entrance of the Bavalakki cave is partially covered with a thick hanging
carpet of tropical vegetation. The view back out the cave entrance and
down the cascading stream is mysteriously beautiful. The view out the entrance
to the cave made me feel like I was in a tropical jungle, with the roar of the
waterfall and the thick green forest all around.
Just as I am about to crawl
deeper down a series of small tunnels I spot the gleaming eyes of several
spiders clinging to the moist rock walls. Each is the size of my hand and
proudly reigns over a thick cluster of web they appear to be some sort of
tarantula and do not look particularly friendly. We spend another hour
exploring the gorgeous limestone rock formations. In places we pass solid walls
of glittering crystal guarded by exquisite trunk like pillars.
Thousands of bats chirp
overhead as we penetrate deeper into the heart of the cave. Exploring the cave
in winter may wake the bats from their hibernation, causing them to use up
their fat reserves and placing them at risk of dying of starvation. Exploring the cave in summer may disturb
mother bats from nursing their young, who may fall to the cave floor and
die. Spring is the safest time to explore
a bat cave because there are plenty of insects for them to eat outside, and
they haven’t given birth to their young yet because without bats, all humans
would starve to death.
Our relationship with bats is as important and symbiotic as our
relationship with honey bees that pollinate all the crops that we eat, and that
we feed to our meat animals. Bats work
on the other side of the equation by eradicating crop pests like grasshoppers. The bat population of a single cave can
devour the equivalent of 18-wheeler truck full of insects in a single night. From just one cave’s bat population.
There’s not enough bug
poison in the world to deal with the kind of insect swarms we’d be dealing with
if the bats weren’t there to eat them.
Organic farming would impossible.
And the toxic sprays that would be necessary to keep pests off our crops
would pollute our waters, killing many other species, and causing untold human
health problems. So that’s why we should
care about bats. They’re not evil, they
don’t attack humans. So the long and short of it is that, without bats all
human life perishes. So don’t explore
this cave beyond its entrance. We noticed the very large water snakes on the stream
bed.
A winding downer path on
thick vegetation led us to the base of the second stage of the Waterfalls. We
romanced with cold water sprays. Everyone took bath and enjoyed some time in
this place, a wonderful soul stirring experience under a waterfall. It truly is
a breathtaking place. Best of all we have it all to ourselves very few travelers make it to this corner and although this is likely to change I feel very lucky
to be here.
We whole heartily thanked
Arun and his family members for the hospitality, soon after having our lunch we
back packed and started our ride back. In the end we were only left with loads
of memories to cherish.
