Wayanaad Trip

Traveling in 2^nd class was not what we ( Rahul and I) expected – it turned out to be better than we expected. The bathrooms stink – be it 2^nd, 3^rd AC so, why blame the poor 2^nd sleeper class? –

With the windows open and fresh air streaking in – u get the feel of the journey first hand – I somehow feel it is only a 2^nd hand experience when u commute in the AC cubicle and the worst part about the 3^rd AC would be the different and horrible smells of food that one has to endure – it really is gut wrenching.

Well, this trip I am talking about was during the pooja holidays – we left on 1^st October and reached Calicut on Gandhi Jayanthi day.

On the very next day – we packed up and left quite early in the morning to board a Mysore bus – going via Wayanad – “kalpetta” is the town where we were headed. It was not a smooth drive – because the roads were terribly potholed. The kerala drivers however are specially recruited to fly past every hurdle at the same speed (roughly 80 Kms per hour). The sights were picturesque and with the early morning sun not yet risen above the mountains of the western Ghats – the shadows and mist, wind and partially sunny spots – were a treat to the eyes.

We reached Kalpetta – a smallish town with rambling hills and thriving fish and fruit markets. Wayanad , as we all know is a coffee and tea plantation area. And at Kalpetta – we “home-stayed” with One Mr. Murali and Mrs. Lakshmy’s place. Mr. Sundaram (Mr.Murali’s brother) was kind enough to drive us home in his ATV ( Jeep).Well, to put it simply – they live atop a hill. But to get there is not so simple. From the main road their house is located at about 7 kms distance and the hill climb alone would be a good ½ km. The beauty was that just like how we manoeuvred the 9 hairpin bends to reach Wayanaad ( kalpetta – after Vythri) – this little hill also had 3 twisting hairpin bends – with each bend the  inclination got steeper – the last one I would assume was at 65 degrees ! The surprise that awaited us was a totally flat hilltop on which stood two magnificent identical cottages. There is a huge car-shed between the two houses and a small tool room with an attic too. This room is for servants and drivers of guests/visitors. Mr. Sundaram and his youngest brother Mr. Murali have their abodes atop this hill.  The cottages looked like- they were out of a fairy tale – identical and beautiful with sloping roofs and a very beautifully maintained garden all around. Well, the houses had aesthetically designed interiors and exteriors. Special credit is due to the hostess Mrs. Lakshmy – a very creative person, who has done-up her house beautifully – a mixture of antique and contemporary art adorned the house. Of note were her hand embroidery, paintings and crochet work and not to forget her fabulous cooking !

We received a warm welcome and were shown our room upstairs – a large bedroom with a large bathroom ( 8’ x 8’) – spacious and very stylishly done with designer tiles and jaguar fittings ! The best part was the HUGE balcony next to the bedroom. This was more like a spacious hall with a high ceiling and instead of French windows, a parapet wall that ran on all 3 sides. This balcony had a nice cosy looking cot too. There were beautiful rolled-up, hand-woven mats that we could roll down when the sun streaks in the west ( in the evening) and can be rolled up to let in the gentle mountain breeze and a million dollar view of the endless stretch of greenery and silhouettes of gentle sloping hills in different shades of blue at the farthest end. The best view, of course was that of the meticulously maintained garden and green lawns below.

The hill atop which we were housed, is actually a coffee plantation. The entire hill is layered with coffee plantation. They say some of the coffee plants are 100 years old !  At the foot of the hill – there are plain grounds – with banana plantation, coconut groves, betel-nut tree groves, cardamom is an important crop. In addition – there are innumerable medicinal and herbal trees and plants – including betel leaves. As we climb down the slope, the vegetation grows thicker and thicker as we near a small patch of sandy bank –that is when we  come across small rivulet that flows at the bottom of the foothill. It originates at the Western Ghats and flows east – joins Kabinni river at some point. This is a perennial stream. It was about 15 feet wide. During rainy season this rivulet is known to swell up and submerge a good part of the flat lands at the foothills. Trees don’t get affected much, but other plants – decay and die.    The family members tend to the vegetable garden ( which is about as large as half a football ground) which is just behind the house – they grow ginger, arrowroot, some plant called the insulin plant, yam, beans, ladies finger, chow-chow, pumpkin, ash gourd, and lots more – I really cannot recollect. They have a garden shed with a nursery of coffee saplings to be planted during fall. The front garden landscaping is done very aesthetically with tiled driveways interspersed with carpet grass lawns, potted plants with beautiful flowers and rose shrubs galore.

We had a sumptuous breakfast – dosa with white chutney and poori with masala. We then engaged a cab to take us round some of the tourist spots. While we waited for the cab, we got to know the other family members – Lakshmy’s and Murali’s sons – Arjun – doing 12^th and Aravind – doing 8^th. Both children were extremely well mannered, friendly and courteous. We met Murali’s mother – a majestic and gracefully aging lady with intelligent eyes and a jolly nature. Then there were Obama and Sweety – two Labradors. All three of us ( jairam, Rahul and myself) crowded around the huge kennel – petting them. They are kept in the kennel and not let out much, as the dogs had a tendency to run away to other localities ( meaning other nearby hills with coffee plantations) to meet their doggy-friends.

The cab arrived – we drove a distance of 20 odd kms to reach “Banasura” dam. We need to climb up the Dam’s high and steep embankment to get to the reservoir. We chose to walk up a well trodden path and take a steep stairway that would eventually lead to the top. It was tiring due to the sun that shone brightly and we were sweating by the time we got to the top. There we walked across – a skimpy garden with lots of dry twigs and red mud. We bought tickets for the boat ride – a 15 minute motor boat ride. That was a “one of a kind” experience. I have once before been on a speed boat ride while we holidayed at Andamans – the choppy waters of the sea – its deep and foreboding dark waters and the never ending expanse of the sea added to it, the boatman’s fun at seeing my frightfully distressed squeals – all had made me decide that once and for all – I am done with boats and water. But, this was a calming and tranquil experience – the boat was fast, the waters were calm. The water was dotted by the wake of the boat, as we sailed further and further – at one point in the middle of this reservoir or lake – the waters, were for some reason, absolutely glassy – not one ripple. That gave me a queasy feeling – the blue skies, mountains, the trees everything was reflected indistinguishably – where the real thing merged with the reflection – we could not tell.  The whole thing was so surreal that it was unsettling, at least to me. Jairam and Rahul were having the time of their lives. ( They probably don’t think of death by drowning in the way I do! J)

Well, that done, we headed straight to another lake called the “pookode” lake. On the way we halted at the “lookout point” of the valleys below. It was a fantastic view.

By 12 noon we had reached Pookode lake. The beauty of this place was that the lake would be about a kilometre in circumference. The lake appears to be in a valley –its a naturally formed lake that is surrounded by a hills all around. They have laid a walk-way ( a cobbled pathway) all around the lake. This pathway is strewn with round pebbles and some concrete benches.  On one side of the walkway is a steep incline with thickets – lots of bamboo shoots … leading towards the lake and on the other side - steep incline – upwards leading up to the surrounding hills with very thick outgrowth of trees, including bamboo. You can hardly see the sky as the trees are just inches apart.  Rahul and I walked the perimeter – as we walked we saw colourful “ caterpillars “ and rare insects.  At the other side – the lake was just a few inches lower than the walkway – we saw schools of fish swimming happily in the clear water– unmindful of our prying eyes and camera flashes. One startling feature was, all through our walk around the lake, there was an incessant, vociferous and cacophonic chirp or creak or what ever it is that insect sounds are called. Rahul and I strained our ears to identify the source – but it was coming from all around. The peculiar thing was that the sounds would reach a crescendo and then all of a sudden absolute silence would prevail for just about 30 seconds and then, it would all begin again. Such noisy insects – they almost sounded like an orchestra – predominantly percussionists.

Jairam was not keen on this walk and so he waited for us at the park just inside the entrance. Some monkeys entertained him. It was 2 p.m. and we had to go to the town ”Kalpetta” for lunch. After lunch we had just enough time to visit another Dam called the “Karapuzha Dam”. Here we got a close view of the huge metal barrier that held the waters of the reservoir. It was sunset time and there were spongy clouds across the sky . The sunlight poured in as though through a sieve and it had a dramatic heavenly appearance. We headed back home. It was dark by 7 p.m. and driving up the sharp curves of the hill to the cottage was scary.

We bathed and relaxed. Dinner was served. Our host – Mrs. Lakshmy not only cooked fabulously but also arranged the eats on the table so attractively. We had “thenga sevai and Nimbu sevai with chutney” followed by buttermilk for dinner. As soon as we had arrived, I had had my eyes on the cosy cot on the balcony so, soon after dinner – I was eagerly anticipating the experience of sleeping in the open balcony with the chill mists rolling in and breathing in pure and fresh mountain air– Of course, I had a warm blanket. I somehow convinced jairam and Rahul that I would not die of frostbite and that I would be back inside the bedroom in half an hour… so saying I stretched out. Next thing I knew, Jairam was waking me up as we had summoned the cab -7.30 that morning ! Mrs. Lakshmy won our hearts with a special breakfast of “ puttu and kadalai” and “verum arishi adai with a special buttermilk chutney”. After a hearty breakfast we started on the day’s tour.

This day we had planned to go to the famous “Edakkal caves”. Edakkal means – a rock in between. It was some 40 kms away so, it took us about an hour and a half to get there. We were there by 9.a.m. I chose not to do the climb as I had a premonition about my legs cramping. I sat under a coffee plant – I was surprised to see that it spread out like an umbrella and it was absolutely comfortable to lean against its stump and listen to my iPod. Jairam and Rahul braved it in the scorching sun. They later reported that it was the wisest decision I had ever made – in not being my hyper-self and trying to be in two places at the same time. The climb, apparently was not only hazardous but absolutely nightmarish.  The first half was a winding and steep –clobbered pathway. Then began the “no-path” region. You just had to choose which rock you like and cling to it and hoist yourself up till you reach the top of the hill. Unwittingly ladies clad in sarees could not decide what to do – having climbed half way – and one does not have the luxury to change her/his mind once you have begun the ascent on the rocky path as it is wide enough to allow only one to pass at a time. Once they reached the top – they had to move in loops around rocks and small openings between rocks that finally led to the one huge rock that had somehow, mysteriously fallen between two rocks and this rock stayed wedged in between. Its scary to walk underneath it as you get the sickening feeling that it could get dislodged any minute and you will be history! Beyond that there is a huge cavern that has etchings or carvings done by some ancient tribe. These carvings reach up to the top of the caves – how could they have reached so high and done the stone carving – is a question yet to be answered. Yet another unique sight is that of an evenly spaced out crevasse – a bottomless pit – most likely formed when an enormous boulder must have cracked into two.

My men came back worn and tired yet with a sparkle in their eyes. Well, it had been a good 2 hours by the time they came back. It was now time to head to the one place I had been dreaming about – all along – the “soojiparra falls”. I was a bundle of energy while Jairam and Rahul were exhausted. It took as a good one hour’s drive to reach the waterfalls. I being the nosy parker that I have always been, interviewed a family that was returning after their sojourn at the waterfalls – I asked them “how was the trek ?” – they just smiled mysteriously and handed me a stump, a 3 foot long (stick) and told me only that will help me combat the ascend and descend. I did not realise the wisdom behind their smile and the stick till after the experience.

 “What you don’t know can’t hurt you” has always been Jairam’s motto and true to his nature, he led me and Rahul saying it is a small walk towards the falls. The small walk soon turned out to be a never ending clobbered path that went on and on. Just as we heard the whooshing sound of the water falls – I was elated imagining the waterfalls was just round the corner – badly mistaken I was ! Then began the steep steps – well, it was ok as there were just about a 100 of them – and finally began the steep descent – no steps – just rock faces cut to appear like steps – you just clung to anything , or any person nearby and moved as the gravity took you. Finally after this tribulation, I forgot all the leg pain when I saw the water falls. Of course, there were at least a 100 people around – but I had my eyes only for the waterfalls. Jariam, being the good Samaritan offered to take care of my handbag, clothes, towels, camera, chappals and of course “the stick” - he sat on the rocky shore and took in the sights.

Rahul and I did not bother changing into our swim ware as (a) everyone was in their best suit and (b) there was nowhere one could change. So, Rahul, clad in “killer Jeans” jumped in the water and was at a loss of words. Taking that to be an expression of joy, I too jumped in – only to be rendered speechless myself as my teeth were clattering so fast with cold and I could hardly get a word out edgeways ! Well, after the first wave of shock – it was pure joy ! Surprisingly the rocks were moss free and so not at all slippery. We walked from the edge to the centre and people already in the water, strangers, helped us with a hand or footing to hold on to. After exploring the different points of depth – we decided to relax – I found a beautiful spot – a wedge wide enough to hold me – between two rocks – the water flowed with great pressure, but by lying down with my arms around the two rocks – as if sitting on a sofa, the water literally lifted me and I remained floating in the ice cold water for nearly half an hour. The sad part was that no other woman went into the water – like me. It was only men and boys. I was the only exception – the brave lady ! Jairam waited for nearly an hour and then he barked out commands for us to get out “At once” – as, only that works when all else fails . The woeful part of this entire trip, I must admit was the gruesome climb upwards. Jairam went up in a jiffy. Rahul – the sweet child that he is, stuck with me through thick and thin and helped me climb. I was in tears after the steps portion got over. I was acutely aware of people staring at me – I must have looked like a cross between a golden retriever (with my hair hanging around my face)– and a duck .. ( I just could not bend my knees, so I took to walking stiff legged with unbent knees). So, my ungainly, wobbly pendulum like gait was an eyesore for Jairam who just fled the scene –( if anyone had asked him then, if he knew me- he most certainly would have resorted to stout denial –  “ never seen this woman in my life” ). Poor Rahul – he would probably have told ( if asked, whether he was related… “well, she is a distant – deranged relative”) he he he J !

Well, we got back home by dusk. I would have given anything to have been able to un-plug or disconnect my legs – and hang them in a closet till they stopped aching.  Well, Jairam wanted me to accompany him on a tour of the coffee estate – by foot ! ( so the prospect of hanging them in a was tossed down the chute). I went and enjoyed myself – in spite of the pain. I could see from Jairam’s expression that he was imagining himself tinkering in a garden of his own, nurturing the plants in his garden and all else that goes with being the son of soil. Well, his dreamy looks soon shattered and realised how absolutely impractical it would all be…. after he caught sight of me – the hilly-billy that I would make !!! J

That night Mrs. Lakshmy and her family ensured we would NEVER forget our stay at their place by serving us tasty “ Malabar Parota with Paneer Butter Masala and Rotis with daal and buttermilk.” Mrs. Lakshmy seems to have magic in her hands – the dinner was “out of this world”. Rahul ate ravenously especially given the fact that “paneer butter masala” is his all time favourite.

We slept like logs and next morning after piping hot coffee – we bid our goodbyes. It felt as if we were parting close relatives. Such was the hospitality of the Muralis. I shall long remember this trip and the fun we had.

We reached Calicut and my MIL was both amused and sad at my new walking style like a new species of  a Duck that has swallowed a pendulum !!  QUACK QUACK: – which in duck language means – So long . Till we meet again after my next trip – to wherever jairam takes us. :)