Backpacking through Kerala - Part II - Wayanad district

As you know from my recent blogs we had just been on a 5-day trip to Kerala. And frankly I just couldn't wait to get back there, or at least get out of Bangalore. So we decided on making a trip out to Wayanad, one of the northern districts in Kerala and quite close to Bangalore as well. So we took off on a Friday evening ie 26th May and this time too just booked the onward journey tickets.

Day 1: Arrival, hunt for lodging, sight seeing and getting tired
We reached Kalpetta at around 4am and were wondering what the hell to do. Called up all the local resorts and hotels and found that every good cottage or anything close to an inhabitable spot in the wilderness was booked out for the weekend. So we got into a jeep and headed out to the next nearest town Sultan Bethrey which was around 25kms away. The ride was horrendous considering that the driver was not in his senses at all and could fall asleep anytime. We reached there and checked out The Resort and Regency. The latter turned out to be better equipped and cleaner and so he took 2 rooms for ourselves at Rs660/24hrs. After getting ready we ate like vultures at the hotel's restaurant and had a stack of plates left on one side of the table once we were done. We had a jeep waiting to get us to all the tourist spots close by. He promised to show us most of the stuff by the end of the day. We started off with the Jain temple and the headed to Eddakal caves and finally at the Vythiri caves with some minor spots along the way. The trek up the hill/mountain to the caves was the most amazing part considering that it was pouring cats and dogs all the way and the three (Alok, Himanshu and myself) of us managed to make it nearly to the top of the mountain without too much trouble. But the sad part was that the could cover was so dense that we were unable to take any pics of the high spots and hence no substantial evidence to the claim that we made. Anyways it was a whole lot of fun. The waterfalls that we headed out to next was also equally great. Here the trek was downhill and the heavy rain had cause all of us to be wet and soggy at the toes. But the thunderous pour of the waterfalls was enough to rejuvenate us and Himanshu even made it out to the distant rocks to find his Heman sword :)

For lunch we halted at a local joined and hogged ourselves to some wonderful kerala paratha's, chappathis, ghee rice and curries. We were all stuffed and surprised to see the bill which was grand totalled at Rs62, and yes that was for the whole meal.

Later for dinner we revisited the Regency's restaurant and tried out their chicken and fish items which turned out to be really good. So again a lavish mean with dessert and the works. We went overboard with the milkshakes that we ordered to the room later though:)

Day2: To sleep or to visit the sanctuary?
Well the previous day was really tiring for us. But before going to bed we had called the jeep at 7am to take us out to the wild life sanctuary. At around 6.30am when we woke up, even though the alarm was for 5.50, we were in two minds as to whether we enjoy the sleep of peace in that blissful rainy weather or head out. After some talk we just decided to make the most of our trip by visiting the next place. So we had our breakfast and headed out the sanctuary. The ride was good this time and the rain had just heeded so it made the climate just perfect with little vehicular traffic around. The sanctuary turned out to be a damp squid. We saw a few elephants and tons of deer/bison around the place but no wild cats to satiate our appetite. We hung out on the sides of the jeep the whole time and enjoyed the bumpy ride in there along with large intakes of fresh air. Well maybe that was heavy breathing due to the apprehension that there might be a wild cat right behind us in mid-flight about to take a chunk out of one of our asses. Then in an impromptu decision we decided to head out to Kurva island which was around 50kms away. That too turned out to be a damp squid since river surrounding the island was overflowing and the way was blocked. So no Kurva island either. Just as an FYI it is supposed to be 6kms in circumference with just some tribal inhabitants.

And yes on our way we did stop at a small town for breakfast. There again we hogged ourselves silly. I had a liver plate as well and we nearly tried all the breakfast dishes in the restaurant. And oh the grand bill came up to Rs55 for that and yes for all the four of us.

So we got back to the hotel early. We made sure we packed everything up and were ready to leave at 4pm towards Mysore. We somehow squeesed ourselves onto the overcrowded KeralaSRTC bus and managed to make it to Mysore by 8pm. We had a sumptuous meal at Dasprakash (supposedly the creator of the dosai) and got onto the semi-luxury bus headed to Bangalore at around 10pm. We reached back to this god-forsaken place at and were in bed by nearly 1am.


Closure
And there ends another wonderful journey into Kerala. Wayanad is a wonderful place and supposedly has the second largest amount of rainfall in India after Cherapunji. The place is wonderful and has some tea plantations as well, though not as beautiful as Munnar. There are nice places to visit and I have heard that staying at one of the resorts in Vythiri is worth the 7-8k/night for a cottage.

As I have mentioned the food is cheap and tasty as well. The people are friendly but very few of them know English or Hindi. So it seems that it is not a spot visited by outsiders as a tourist destination. So it makes it all the more appealing since the crowds are pretty low where ever you go. But don't be surprised if all that changes pretty soon. The total expenses for the trip turned out to be Rs.2000/head for the four of us which was per budget.

All in all Wayanad is a wonderful place and I suggest you take a day to just eat, sleep and relax while the wonderful torrential-like rain hits the rooftop.


link to the pics of the trip at yahoo photos

Quota Facts

The past few weeks have probably seen the largest single movement in India's post-independence history. Students from various disciplines and institutions combined with their alumni have stood up for their rights and prayed that common sense prevail in this mayhem of quota politics bought about by the corrupt Arjun Singh. There have been protests all through the country and this has mobilised the student population against the Congress party and its tactics of using the caste system as an agenda to gain votes.

As I said before this is a sweet sorrow for me. On one hand we have seen that students and the public in general have become fed up with the corruption and under-handed tactics of our octogenarian politicians and are ready to take a stand together. On the other hand we have seen that just this is not enough. There needs to be a mass mobilisation of citizens to overthrow, literally, these morons who claim to guard our Constitution and our Constitutional Rights, while most of them don't have the brain-power to draft a 2-page memo.

On one of the talk-shows of "Headlines Today" (another of the long list of new NEWS channels here) the ex-director of IIT-Madras was present and he provided some interesting facts and analogys which I wanted to list here. Some other facts from other sources are added in too.
*** The IIT's have the standard 24odd% reservation for SC/ST/OBC currently but these seats are filled on a reduced merit level. So the candidates of these communities have to give the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). So if there are 3000 available seats the IIT's take the 6000th ranked student's marks and a percentage of that is used as the cut-off for the reserved students. Yet a handful of these seats are utilised each year. Moreover if any of these students are found to need some sort of educational coaching the IITs provide a 1-year course for them to prepare themselves and get into these institutes. And even then these seats lie vacant.
*** By fact it has been recorded that the average family income of the students entering the IIM-A based on reservation is greater than that of the students entering it in the general/non-reserved category.
*** A perfect analogy presented by another member in the audience, an AIIMS alumni was based on India's polio problems and the various initiatives lead by the government. He said something along these lines "We can eradicate polio by having vaccines available to children at birth and gift them a happy and normal life. In a similar way we can give equal opportunity to oppressed classes by providing them with the right and access to basic education. However what the government is currently suggesting with the quota system is similar to saying that they don't want to provide the vaccines but instead they will give free crutches to the kids who have polio once they turn 21"
*** To provide the promised increase in general category seats are promised by the government it would take 8,000cr and minimum of 3-5 years for it to be effective. This was from a report given in by a committee appointed by the government itself.
*** IIT Bombay release figures that it would take it nearly 325cr and 3-5 years to increase its capacity and get the resources to accommodate these new seats.

Some more facts
*** The women's reservation bill has been flying around the Parliament for decades now. There has been no action taken on it at all. I doubt if they would be able to find the original draft if asked for.
*** There is no such reservation in Parliament for OBCs
*** Arjun Singh is a crappy old corrupt maniac who can't stand or walk by himself and with no strand of common sense in a 1km radius around him

Jago India Jago

DaVinci Code Controversy

There seems to be some sort of an unholy concoction brewing out here with some priests protesting against the release of the DaVinci Code movie being released in India. It seems really suprising that the Catholic community here, which I am a part of, has chosen to protest the movie in such a way. Usually we are a much more docile and if I may say so, a very lazy community at times. But these protests seem to be the work of some priests who have just had a dash too much of the bubbly at mass. Did they not notice that the Vatican itself has decided not to grant too much weight to this issue with Dan Brown because speaking about it is just going to get people listening and getting the damn thing more publicity. But no our Indian priests seem to have been offended a bit too much by this. Well its a movie afterall so chill:)

Anyways did they protest the book or they numerous other literatures out there that have various consipiracy theories. Anyways its alteast good to know that the Indian Christian/Catholic community is awake for a change.

Lacking the common medium of communication

While noticing these protests by the various sections of the student community I was on one hand thrilled to see the massive protests against the corrupt Arjun Singh and his meaningless actions, while on the other hand very much stunned by the way in which these very students were treated by the police. Though student protesters worldwide have always lead radical changes and sometimes revolutions in their countries there is one thing that separates us from all the other countries - A common medium or language of communication.

The range of languages and cultures in India is so large that is feels almost impossible to have a vociferous and motivating leader who can move the masses from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. The communication barriers are so high that it would be a mind blowing task to motivate the masses and pass on a common message to all of them without being lost in translation etc. It is such a daunting task to even dream about.

At the same time think of Hitler who through effective communication of his party's and indirectly his agenda managed to motivate the whole of Germany into various criminal acts, while beating the drums of nationalism and the Aryan bloodline. All this he achieved by effectively communicating his thoughts through Mein Kemf. Would that ever be possible here? Because that is what we need right now ie a full fledged revolt against the corrupt politicians and their families and weed them out of the fabric of new India. The students have risen and I hope all of us stand with them soon.

Anti-Reservation protests intensify

The anti-reservation protests by medical students, supported by various sections of the medical fraternity, has intensify with the All India Medical Association calling in a nation-wide stir to protest the Quota bill to be delivered to the Cabinet and the wrongful and lawless behaviour of the Delhi and Mumbai police, which have lathi charged peacefully protesting students. The lathi charges have been repeatedly shown live on various news channels and caused a lot of unrest in the educated classes.

Throughout the world in various key protests which have gained nation-wide momentum the student protesters have played a key and significant role in getting the masses involved. Be it the Tianneman Square protests in China or the Anti-War protests against the Vietnam War in the USA. student protesters have been at the forefront of it all. There is a similarity out here as well. We are seeing the masses rallying behind these students and demanding that there be a meaningful dialogue between the blood-sucking and vote-hungry septuagenarian Arjun Singh and the representatives of the student bodies.

With reservations for the OBC classes being proposed for nearly 50+ and more it seems that the Government of India is keen on getting India back to the stone ages. I totally agree with providing a level playing field for the underprivileged and deprives sections of Indian society by providing them with opportunities at the primary and secondary level of education and possibly at various government colleges and government jobs as well. At the same time I feel that the opportunities being given to these classes is being misused in many cases by people faking caste certificates and gaining entry into prestigious institutions on the basis caste rather than true merit. This is totally unacceptable. Like I pointed out in one of my previous postings I would totally support a low-interest or even a 0% interest loan for eduction of any such meritious students from these sections of our society but vanilla reservation without any regard for merit is totally uncalled for. We already have a 25%+ reservation system in many of the educational institutes and this is definitely sufficient. Moreover the government should be able to guarantee that this fake OBC/SC/ST certificate menace is put to an end.

Basic Investment Tip

Desi Fun(da) ... and more.

Investing is always a pain in the ass. But for the regular anand (desi version of regular joe) there is nothing better than a fixed deposit to save up all the hard earned rupees. While I was in state college I got into the habit of saving up and converting parts of my savings account into CD's ie Certificates of Deposit ie fixed deposits, which invariably have a decent rate of return. Thanks to Abby at PNC Bank who really helped me out with all this. They have this simple advice on how to maximize your returns in a FD scheme. Look at the
PNC Bank- Building a Ladder of Savings Certificates for their solid advice.

Backpacking through Kerala

Desi Fun(da) ...

I just got back from a 5 day backpacking trip through God's own country - Kerala with a couple of my friends. It was a wonderful trip with just nothing negative to say about the entire trip through the wonderful southwestern Indian state of Kerala.

Day1: Bus departs at 5.30
We packed off on an evening bus towards Kanyakumari with the intention of spending a few hours there and visiting the Vivekananda Rock to attain some self realisation and stuff. All packed and ready we boarded a regular KPN bus which suprisingly provided a larger legroom than Kingfisher airlines or any Volvo bus. We had our dinner at some place in TamilNadu which would be better left untold.

Day2: Plans change. On to Kovallam
A good sleep later we wake up to be told that the bus is running real late and instead of reaching Kanyakumari at 8am it would be there by 11-12noon. So we weigh the options and decide on skipping Kanyakumari in favor of having a day to spare to visit another location within Kerala. So we get down at Nagarcole and  get a connecting bus to Trivandrum. The bus reaches us to Trivandrum from where we move on to the East Fort bus stand to catch our bus to Kovallam beach. It is around 15kms from Trivandrum and the mini bus takes us 30mins to get there. As soon as we step out with out bags some locals rush to us to ask if we needed some rooms and heck we did. We followed them to the other side of the beach and after checking the alternatives decide on picking up a small cottage a straw throw away (yeah stone's throw is too cliche) from the beach. We tried to bargain but the guy wouldn't budge from Rs500/night and well that was a bargain in itself. The sun was blazing by now and the three of us drop down after a cold shower.

The first sight of the beach is just breathtaking. The ocean appears from within the dense coconut trees surrounding the beach and then the clear light greenish water with its striking white waves just hits your eyes with cold refreshment. The beach is well maintained and has a decent sprinkling of lifeguards to keep watch. The afternoon usually is the time for the foreigners to turn up for their suntan in the blistering heat:)

In a few minutes we get hungry and decide on checking out the hang outs along the beach front. After walking the stretch we decide on sitting down at a place called Beatles (well more so because of a hot blonde who was there and left as soon as I entered). The beer we ordered turned out to be just chilled perfection for use weary travellers and we were back to normalcy after a couple of gulps. Later we decided on just chilling on the beach played some football and hit the sack for a few hours again. We then decided on giving our hosts a try and checked out one dish on their dinner menu. This made us return out to Beatles were we stuffed ourselves with fish and some amazing lassi:)

While taking an early morning walk I reached the other side of the beach and saw the local fishermen pulling in a huge net caste out really far off from the beach. I ran back got my camera and woke the guys and came back for some pics. It seems that this is how they did the fishing and the catch used to be quite good and sufficient. However with the larger boats and fishing vessels coming in the catch by this traditional method has been deteriorating and there is not much that these poor fishermen can do to compete with the big pockets.

Day3: Let's get to the backwaters of Kumarkom
So at around 10 we packed up again and headed towards our next destination, the backwaters of Kerala. The much talked about and anticipated part of our trip was nearing. We went back to Trivandrum and headed towards the bus station. On the way we had our breakfast at this amazing architectural marvel of a place called the Indian Coffee House, right next to the bus stand. We decided on making the trip to Kollam and then Kottayam to try the government conducted backwater ride from Kollam to Allepey. We took the bus to Kollam but on reaching there were informed that the ride starts at 10.30 in the morning and takes nearly 8 hours to complete. The KSTDC guy there was informative enough to tell us that there was a train leaving for Kottayam in the next few minutes and we could catch the same instead of a tiring and longer bus ride. We made it in time and had a wonderful 4 hour train ride to Kottayam. We reached there at around 5 in the evening and enquired at Kumarkom from the local restaurant where we had our tea. He was also informative enough to dig up a number of his friend who rents out places in Kottayam. We spoke to him and he quoted Rs1000/night so we decided to take our chances by making the trip there. We reached Kumarkom by bus, a 45min ride, and there too were greeted by locals who were trying to scout out people wanting rooms for the night. We saw the KTDC rooms, Rs600/night, and those rented out by another local guy, Rs500/night.

At this time we got into a conversation with a local motorboat owner cum guide, Thambi, who took to us and at the end of a rather short conversation offered us his a room in his house for the evening and that too at no cost. We decided on Rs300/night but paid him Rs400 the next day. He also promised to make us the best fish we had ever tasted so on we went to the local fisher monger from whom we got 4 fresh fish of 3 varieties for just Rs110 and vegetables for avvial for Rs50. Off we went to his house.

A typical southern house covered in red tiles he offered us any room in the house that we wanted and ordered:) his wife to cook all that stuff for us. The four of us then had some freshly plucked mangoes and went off for a walk soon realising that we were entering one of the poshest resorts in Kumarkom ie Coconut Lagoon. Though we did not enter into their private premises we got a pretty good view of the area their room and cottages, massage and yoga areas, their compost and vermiculture cultivation tubs, their rainwater harvesting and waste recycling etc etc.

Then sitting in the dark surrounded by the backwaters and India's largest lake on one side and paddy fields on the other we enjoyed some fireworks in the distance and a tingling conversation with a local security guard. We returned an hour later to find a hot meal ready to be relished. The fish was simply superb especially the lake fish Polliere I think it is called. And the final part was the avvial which was even better. Now all we needed was a good bath and what better way to do that then take a dip in the backwaters itself. Thambi after being threatened by his father decided against letting us in but got us knee deep and poured buckets of water on us. What an amazing way to end the day.

Day4: The backwaters beckon
We were rearing to go and get into a traditional boat. So we had spoken to Thambi's friend and cohort and booked his row boat for the morning. He came in sharply at 8 while we were eating MrsThambi's delicious rice steam cakes. We said our goodbyes and got into the boat.

In the traditional black boat we too picked up the oars and started pitching in. We got into the bird sanctuary area and saw a few birds. I don't remember any one other than the snake bird and Siberian storks that were around and well of course I saw a real life kingfisher bird as well. We rowed around for the next two hours and the blistering heat was taking its toll. So we got out at the closest bund and walked to the bus stop and boarded the bus back to Kottayam. Now we were on our way to Munnar.

The bus ride to Munnar was really hectic. Getting one of the hardest seats amongst all the buses during the trip the behinds were cursing us. We finally made it to Munnar at around 9pm only to find that all the rooms in a 20kms radius were booked. So off we went to Adimali which was 30kms down (and where we wanted to get off in the first place). Anyways we got a room out there Rs400/night and dozed off after a light dinner of veg rice and curry.

Day5: Back to Munnar and taking the room with a million dollar view
We got up late and went off to the bus stand. Had some tea and got into the bus to Munnar. On the way up we saw this amazing hotel perched over the valley with a view to die for and kissing the constantly flowing mist all around. It seemed like it was fairyland.

Anyways we got there at around 12 and and then started room hunting. Again the local auto rickshaw guy helped by showing us some of the cheaper (within our budget) accommodation. But I guess we couldn't get the hotel we just saw out of our heads. So off we went to Copper Castle. The place was as good as it looked. A friendly manager even struck a good deal for us within the fixed price room Rs2970/night and we were finally satisfied.

We took the same rickshaw guy, Subramani, to show us the local spots. And just FYI do not order fish at a hill station:) Anyways it seems there are three different tours possible in Munaar, because of 3 different routes to that place. Since half of the day was done we picked the shortest one and got the cameras out. We made it to the picture point, echo point, a couple of dams, the Indo-Swiss project and stopped at all the scenic spots in between for pictures. We took 10 times the pics we did at the other two destinations we had been to. Munnar is essentially a tea growing location and you will see tons of tea plants all over the hills making it look like a green carpet with black lines.

Subramani left us at the market and luckily for him we paid him Rs600 instead of Rs500 that we had agreed on because of someone's ageing memory:) We then headed to the spice shops and picked up some fresh tea, spices and oils before calling it a day, sans dinner, and retreating to our shahi accommodation.

Day6: Leaving God's own country
We had planned an early start to the day but the weather turned out to keep us in bed a bit longer. After getting up at around 8 we went out to explore the nearby area. The mist had cleared off from in front of our hotel and the valley was visible in all its wonderful green glory. The view was awesome and camera went on clicking. The breakfast served by the hotel was fresh and healthy and kept us going for the rest of the day.

And of course while there I made sure I got an Ayurvedic full body massage. It was really good with a seasoned professional and traditional masseur who got the oils into all my pores and made sure that my body loosened up along the massage. An amazing experience and a must do. It took nearly 45 minutes and cost around Rs600 + a healthy tip. Thanks to Paul Martin at Copper Castle for that massage.

We checked out of the hotel at exactly 12noon ie the checkout time and then moved towards the bus stand. On learning that the next bus for Udmalpet was 2hrs away we decided to hunt for some toddy ie kalll (in malayalam). The local shop turned out to be closed so we headed to a nearby village Annachal which was around 15kms away. We reached there only to get some 4-5hr old toddy so we just stuck to a glass of it and moved back to the bus stand.

The trip to Udmalpet was wonderful. Barely any cars taking this route because the roads are narrow and well you are moving to TamilNadu. The best part is that the route takes you through the Chinnar Conservation Park (Kerala) followed by the Indira Gandhi National Park (TamilNadu). A good 4hr ride later we took a bus to Coimbatore from Udmalpet which took us 2hrs. Luckily we managed to get a regular KSRTC bus from Coimbatore to Bangalore which started at nearly 12midnight and reached Bangalore at 8.30am in the morning the next day.

I was back at work today and well its dull to be back here in the city. I enjoyed Kerala, the people, the places, the climate and the food. I was really disappointed because I did not get to see or meet any traditional Malayale girls who seem just so perfect:) Maybe they were informed of my whereabouts and planned their days accordingly:(

Suggestions to Travellers
+ Plan Well
+ Take 10 days and see the entire state if possible
+ Rent a car if possible
+ If travelling by state buses be ready to hear your behinds crying on some occasion
+ Travel lite
+ Have a ayurvedic massage
+ Visit the back waters
+ Talk in English when asking for directions
+ Eat the fish at the Beatles in Kovallam
+ Try some toddy

Suggestions to Kerala Government
+ Wake up
+ Get CNG/LNG buses to save God's own country
+ Start working on the roads connecting these amazing locations


All in All
We touched all bases in Kerala - the beach, the backwaters and a beautiful hill station, all in 5 days and we made it back here to Bangalore, all that in a measly budget of less than Rs5000 per person. There is nothing to complain about in Kerala. Kerala is full of different types of churches all over the place. Built lavishly and in great love towards Christ. The number of coconut trees out here are mind boggling and make a pretty picture any time of the year. Everything seems to in place. Picture perfect scenery, really great food, marvelous locales and exceptionally friendly people. God's own country is a title befitting not only the land but also the people of Kerala.







link to yahoo photos for the pics