Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar
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We had been pretty busy during the days before our leaving. That meant we had done little planning before we hit the road. Infact it was so bad, we were actually struggling with the guidebook and try to figure out where to go! All we knew was that we were heading to Kerala, but had no idea about where in Kerala! We left the city pretty late – around 4 in the evening and decided to get to Kalpetta and spend the night.
We must have reached Gundlupet around 9pm. We stopped here for a while before continuing on the road to Kalpetta that passed through Bandipur National Park. This section of the drive was something I looked forward to.
For more information on Bandipur National Park, including what to do and where to stay, see my earlier report on visit to Bandipur.
Driving through the National Park’s forest in a moonlit night is an overwhelming experience. The road slits through thick treeline, forming silhouttes in the soft light. The silence of the forest is broken only by the gentle friction between the tyres and the road, and occasioanlly disturbed by a bird of animal somewhere in the trees. The forest absorbs you from all the sides, overpowering and awing the senses. Occasional gentle breeze and swaying of the trees induces a soothing feeling as we drive through. Our indulgence with the surroundings was enhanced by two tuskers that were enjoying a moonlit dinner of fine grass by the roadside. Mother nature was unfolding its magic to us in the widlerness. I slowed down for a second look but did not stop, keeping our safety and eventually their safety in mind. As we moved ahead, we saw a few more animals including sambars. We slowed down at some point to feel and enjoy the silence, only to accelerate quickly, warned by a trumpeting pachyderm.
The drive lasted for more than an hour before the stretch of the wilderness ended. We drove on for another hour before we reached Kalpetta, checked into a hotel to end our day.
To be continued..
Bandipur -> Wayanad -> Kozhikode -> Guruvayur -> Cochin -> Periyar
Next: Driving past Bandipur
Ten days ago, I spent a week travelling around Kerala, much referred to as the God’s own country for travelers. We started from Bangalore, drove through the thick forest of Bandipur National Park and entered North Kerala at Wayanad. We headed down to the coast from Wayanad and spent an evening at the beach side near Kozhikode. Further, we drove to Cohin and wandered around the beautiful island of Fort Kochi and tasted some exotic and expensive delicacies. We indulged in the famed attractions of Kerala – the Ayurvedic massages and a backwater experience. Next, we headed back to the hills to South India’s most well known wildlife sanctuary – Periyar Tiger reserve. It was back to Bangalore from here.
It was a quick and short driving trip without taking too much time or indulging in anything in detail. Except for Wayanad, most of Kerala was new to me, and the trip helped me understand the geography, tourist destination and travel attractions, and to some extent, demographics of Kerala. Hopefully this will serve me as a good beginning for further explorations of this beautiful place. With this post, I am starting a short series on Kerala. Unlike earlier writings in this travel blog, the Kerala series will not remain as a narration of personal experiences, but will also include lot of information about places, things to do, places to see, and my general observation of the state that has been attracting tourists in drones.
To be continued..
+For more information and places to see in Coorg, see my comrehensive post on travel to Coorg.
As we drove up the hills beyond Kushalnagar early in the morning, the ubiquitous fog announced the arrival of the town of Madikeri. On a wet, cold and foggy Saturday morning, with visibility reduced to near nothingness and no soul seen on the roads, we arrived at Madikeri on our way to Kakkabe in Coorg. I first drove to Raja Seat – a garden where the king of Kodagu once used to sit and relax against a picturesque valley, but was predictably rebuffed by endless fog blocking the views, and the incessant drizzle of the cold morning. Despite the fog and the drizzle, it was beautiful, comforting and elating. A plate of steaming Idlis and hot coffee later, we were quickly on our way to Kakkabe.
More about Coorg on paintedstork.com
* Hiking up the Brahmagiri
* Driving to Coorg
On the few occasions when the rains did not lash the car‘s windscreen, a constant drizzle still kept the wipers busy. Every inch of the road was wet and every bit of earth was green. Distant hills were covered with clouds indicating many more rainy sessions ahead in the day. We were on our way to climbing Thadiyandamol, the tallest peak in Kodagu or its more popular anglicized name – Coorg.
Views of the distant hills from the place where we stayed
We reached Kakkabe village at the base of Thadiyandamol at around nine in the morning. One look at the cold and cloudy weather and we decided against climbing the mountain and check-in to the cozy and comfortable home-stay resort run by Poovannas on the way. To tell you the truth, even when we started from Bangalore, I secretly dreamt of sitting and relaxing in the lobby of a warm Coorgi house, though I put up a brave face and made claims of climbing up Thadiyandamol. To my delight, I realized that my fellow travellers were no different and had the same thing in mind! And the fact that I had already climbed up Thadiyandamol twice earlier helped making the decisions. But end of the day, that‘s just an excuse, and we were just being lazy and looking forward to indulge in good things that came with the rains!
The estate of Poovannas is at a picturesque location
We settled down to the warm hospitality of Poovannas and hot fresh coffee made from homegrown beans. We did not need much to do beyond sitting on the lobby and relax with a book or a cup of coffee while we watched the raindrops come down. In fact when I called the Poovannas previous evening telling that we shall be arriving tomorrow, the lady of the house said – “It‘s raining heavily here, are you sure you want to come?” And we had smiled, since it is the rain that we wanted to experience.
There is water and greenery where-ever you see
After we settled down, Prasad, the younger one of the Poovannas directed us to a waterfall close by. It turned out that the fiercely roaring waterfall was just five minutes walk behind the house and right inside their coffee estate.
Waterfall at the estate
I wonder how does it feel to live in a coffee estate with plenty of greenery and a private waterfall at your expense! We definitely relished the experience as we walked into the stream that flowed with full vigour. We stood in front of the fall, with its droplets lashing us as the wind blew into us, making us all wet, but completely amused. But for the cold weather, it was tempting to walk right into the falling water and get a back-massage from the pouring water – something I always look forward to when I am at a waterfall.
The stream is beautiful and was full of water when we were there
When we were not visiting the waterfall, watching the heavens bless the earth with raindrops or not indulging in the coffee, we spend our time talking to the Poovannas. By their own admission, they seemed to live a happy life with little to worry about. They spent a good part of their time looking after the coffee estate or setting little things right, like fixing the small leak in the roof or worrying about the slippery ground on the rainy days.
Coffee estate
But not everything was that simple. Being a little far from town, they had a hard time trying to get a mechanic to come all the way to where they live and see what‘s wrong with their new Maruti Omni. And then they spoke about all the good time they had entertaining eccentric foreign guests like the one who loved climbing tree after tree or the one who walked and walked and ate coconuts and nothing else!
The estate is a quiet place to relax and rejuvenate
Wind, rain and good views were always there
Another thing that we looked up to was food. The good thing that comes with a home stay is sharing the meal with the family and enjoying good local food cooked with love. You don‘t need bother to tackle professional waiters with a fake smile sticking on their face or run through obscure menus only to find nothing worth eating. Instead, sit with the hosts in the dining hall and serve yourself with all the delicious home cooked food piled on to you over an interesting conversation. Kodava food is delicious and especially worth remembering is the Kadambuttu with great chutney, ghee and honey to go with!
The Nalknad palace
View of the hills from the palace
The next morning we walked down to Nalknad palace that is just five minutes walk from the estate. The palace, built nearly 250 years ago was a retreat of then king of Kodagu – Doddaveera Rajendra. It looks hardly palatial but is pretty and is an ideal retreat. Anand, the resident in-charge who was looking after the palace showed us around and explained us of the courtyards, darbar hall, living room, escape routes for the king etc. It is built using plenty of teak pillars with carvings of designs and pictures of reptiles. Some faded paintings of animals and images of king‘s court on the wall are now being restored.
Darbar hall of the palace
Courtyard of the palace
After returning from the palace, I decided to sit quietly and listen to the sounds of the forest. Having missed my usual bird-watching sessions due to incessant rains, I decided to listen to them instead. The most raucous of the forest dwellers are the cicadas that never seem to get tired. Occasionally a bird or two was heard close to us somewhere in the bushes of the estate or in the forest near the waterfall. A pair of magpie robins and a few red whiskered bulbuls that I spotted moving around were the most prominent. Sunbirds and flower peckers came and went occasionally. Not to be seen, but heard often were woodpeckers and an army of malabar parakeets. The loudest of the lot was the unmistakable call of greater coucals. There was so much life in the estate and the surrounding forest, but it needed some careful listening to realize them. Unlike us human beings who always look for a shelter, they seem to go on with their life, come rain or come shine!
Along with coffee, they grow many other things in
the palace, including oranges
As the sun moved up(which we never actually got to see, thanks for the ever-present cloud cover) it was time for us to move on. We thanked the Poovannas for their wonderful hospitality and the great time they gave us. It was a pleasant journey back on the curved and inclined roads of Kodagu that gave way to the plains of Mysore and then Bangalore, with Dr.Rajkumar‘s melodies running on the tape. And as I write this, it is raining outside and I am still thinking of delicious Kadambuttu, the non-stop rains and the call of the cicadas.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The home-stay resort of Poovannas, called Palace Estate is located in the village of Kakkabe, around 40km from Madikeri and approximately 250km from Bangalore. The trek to Coorg‘s tallest peak Thadiyandamol starts from here. Other nearby attraction includes the Nalknad palace, which is just 5 minutes walk from the estate, a seasonal waterfall within the estate and the well-known Iguthappa temple that is a 10-minute drive.
To reach Palace Estate from Bangalore, drive on the Mysore road. Turn right 2km after Srirangapatna and continue till Madikeri. From Madikeri, take Bhagamandala road and ask for directions to Kakkabe. Once you are in Kakkabe village, it is another 10 minutes drive to Palace Estate. There are also state government buses to Madikeri and Virajpet from Bangalore, and Kakkabe is well connected by buses from both the towns.
For more on things to do and places to see, see my comprehensive story on travel to Coorg.