Every day, as they come to adopt local practices and try to communicate in Kannada, the local language they come a step closer to the community. The enchantment of the Western Ghats helps. To many this is a welcome respite from their mundane surroundings. Some spare their weekends, some just staff the Bangalore office for a few hours a day. People from various parts of the country spend a week or two of vacations at the base camp and assist in projects there.
International volunteers spend six months to a year.
Honnemardu's popularity has spread to the rest of the nation and far corners of the globe as much as to the villages tucked in the hills. Open-hearted villagers who make the pilgrimage to experience a ride in a raft or just to see this much talked about place add to the charm. Later when the volunteers fan out into the Ghats they will enjoy the hospitality of these villagers. Getting to know him and those who come with him has changed the way we look at these forests and its wealth. Now I think differently about city people, too.