wayanad, Kerala

Most of the people who know me, would expect this to be either an exciting bike ride or a drive story.... so sorry to disappoint all those. This one was done in a Jaded Looking Tempo Traveller driven by a chimp :-) (NO it is not the guy who is trying to sit at the wheel!!!)

The destination? Wayanad. A small hill station tucked near the Karnataka -Kerala border. A very sleepy and quiet town... away from all the noise and especially away from the "networks" which have of late become the bane of modern civilization. Thankfully most cellphones did not work. So we were left with only one reliance phone which was our link to the world at large.

They say that always the journey is more exciting than the destination. And in this case, it holds so very true, ofcourse in a slightly modified sort of way. Here the run-up to the journey itself, was full of excitement, ups and downs, some flared tempers, some high voltage suggestions and so on. A collosal 75 emails were exchanged among us (a group of 10 people) which thrashed out the travel plans inside out. Truly, an amazing display of communication skills, prevelant in the IT industry on this day.

The journey started, as planned, on Friday way past midnight. It was actually saturday 2:30 am when the Tempo Traveller, began its trudge, wishfully expecting that its occupants would be tired from the day's work and would doze off in the night. But the driver was aghast to witness quite the opposite. He soon realized that it was a pack of devils that had boarded his TT and were screaming away to glory in the middle of the night. "Antakshari" was the order of the day (rather midnight).
And with most of the occupants drunk, enthusiasm was never an issue. And the songs flowed just like wine...smooth and easy.
I think it was around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning when finally the soiree broke and everyone tried to catch a few winks in the bus. I remember waking up around 6:00 am and noticed that we were just passing the Bandipur reserve forest. Am amazing visual treat for nature lovers, I'd say. Just one look at it made me decide that sometime a trip needs to be planned here.
And finally we reached the RTO checkpost after crossing the Karnataka-Kerala Border. There was a toll to be paid (INR 1000.00 - Dont know how much for private vehicles). And then we trundled towards our destination, which was now only about 40-50 kms away.

At around 8:30 in the morning we finally reached our destination... Stream Valley Cottages.
Totally Exhausted from the nights drive and looking forward to stretch out atleast for an hour before we could get out and explore the place. This resort is tucked away between the hills and is infact very peaceful and has a heavy green blanket, which is infact hugely refreshing for us shehri types.
All retired to their cottages (which were thankfully booked in advance, by yours truly :-p ) with the plan to re-asseble for breakfast in about an hour. But that was not to happen due to the tiredness and general lethargy of all ;-)

The rooms were mostly elevated on pillars or stilts and had heavy wood usage in their decor. Lots of Bamboo added to the rural look of these cottages. Neither too big nor too small.. Just right for a relaxing holiday in the hills.

The very humorous aspect of the room which I got was that we had a 100 channel TV with a 52 channel Cable connection. The only problem was that our TV, when switched on, tried to show all 52 channels at the same time. It just wouldnt stop scrolling through the channels. Irritating...to say the least. But then, hey we didnt come all the way to the hills to watch the damn idiot box.. did we??

At around 10:00 breakfast was ready, which we ordered to one of the cottages where all got together. Breakfast was hardcore mallu stuff. But the saving grace was the poori and aalo sabzi. And ofcourse we had strictly instructed the resort wallahs that "no coconut oil" at all! This, they took care to good measure.

The plan for the day was to finish breakfast and then get ready to visit the places. Ironically, only we (anshu and I) were ready and the rest took their own sweet time. So by the time all were ready and out to leave it was close to noon. Disappointed, but definitely not put off, we carried on with the plan. Which was to see the view point (the highest road point in wayanad) and then come backwards to Pookote lake and then to see the Soochipara water falls. If time permitted we also had plans to see the Edekkal Caves.

But then plans are plans, and the reality is usually far from it. This time we managed to go to the view point and shoot some good pictures. ANd then made it to the lake, where we enjoyed some boating. That was a nice romantic experience. I had sat in a boat after a mightly long time. I dont even remember the last time I went boating. I think it was sometime wayback in school (class 12th).

Now the unthinkable happened! We were all hungry and wanted to break out at the nearest restaurant. It was suggested by The resort manager that Woodlands is a very good place to eat. And we were all hoping to do so because it was a known name. Hence some quality was expected.

But a note of caution to all those who have stopped by to read this travelogue:
Beware of Woodlands Resturant/Hotel in Wayanad, Kerala.

It has the WORST possible quality of Service as well as food that you probably ever had the misfortune of tasting in your lifetime!!

Their attitude is even worse than the shoddy service that they provide.
We had to wait for more than 2 hours (which eventually ruined our plans for the rest of the day) before the food arrived and it was cold!
\
So steer clear of this place at all costs. We finaly returned back to the resort at around 5 in the eveneing without seeing the waterfalls......

To be continued.....(watch this space).