Photo: Behind the Bullocks

Tourists travel to the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, India in hopes of seeing exotic wildlife. While there, we were offered quite a different opportunity: to travel by bullock cart through a nearby valley, a program conducted by a community of reformed sandalwood smugglers. With smiles, nods, and pointing fingers as the primary tools of communication, we were treated to tastes of tamarinds, the smell of jasmine, and evolving scenes of village life that will remain as memorable as any elusive game sighting.