Wayanad Ways!

A long sweaty work-out, a brief musky smell, an innocent-looking cocktail that hits your insides … are some of those things that rush my adrenalin. I add an unplanned, jam-packed trip to that “high” list!

A casual email on a Friday afternoon from Nils (ex-gym buddy and ex- colleague) asking me to join along with my husband Mandar for an instant weekend getaway to Wayanad, a quick Google on Wayanad tourism, a phone reservation and we were set to go.



Wayanad district is at the north-east of Kerala bordering Karnataka. Kalpetta is the district capital with other 3 major talukas being Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, and Vythiri.

After a quick research, the accommodations that looked interesting were Jungle Retreat, Wynberg, Green Gates, Fringe Ford and Thirunelli Agraharam. Jungle Retreat, Vythiri, Fringe Ford were booked. Thirunelli Agraharam being 80 kms from the main city was ruled out. Since we were keen to sight-see as much in the limited time we decided to stay in the hub, - Kalpetta so our options further condensed to Green gates and Wynberb resorts. Wynberg had no vacancies so we were left with only Green Gates. We phone-booked two cottages at Green Gates resort finally at 10 in the night.

The plan was to drive to Wayanad at 4.00 am on Saturday from Bangalore, reach Kalpetta which is about 275 kms from Bangalore at around 11.00 am and return on Sunday by 12.00 pm since Nils’s husband had a flight to catch at 9.00 pm from Bangalore.

We left Indiranagar at the unstipulated time of 5.45 am. We took the Vittal Mallya road turned towards Corporation, took the right the SGS flyover and hit the SH17 Bangalore-Mysore highway. It was 7.30 in the morning when we halted at Kamat Lokruchi for breakfast. After a fascinating meal of tube-shaped idlis wrapped in banana leaf and kaapis, we headed to Mysore. From Mysore, we took the narrow and congested road to Gundlupet. A happy cry from all of us at the sight of a Café Coffee day at Gundlupet led to another 15 mins break. Mysore to Gundlupet is about 55 kms, and Gundlupet to Wayanad another 55 kms. The NH 212 from Gundlupet to Wayanad was a freshly tarred road and a smooth drive in the Hyundai i20. Just after the Wayanad check-post we got a sight of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Muthanga. We passed by Bathery from which Kalpetta is another 25 kms. Driving in Wayanad is a visual delight - coffee plantation, palm and eucalyptus trees fence the roads.

An impressive branding of Green Gates Resort en route made it easy to track the resort. The resort looked warm. After some negotiation we settled for cottages for Rs 3600 per couple for the night including breakfast and dinner. Earthy wooden stairs led us to our cottage called Ginger facing the pool area. The wooden interiors of the cottage blended with green exteriors. We had a quick but rather disappointing lunch at the hotel – the fare being multi-cuisine while our taste buds longed for local Malabar cuisine.

It was 2.30 in the noon. After consulting the travel desk, we decided to check out the lake of purple lilies – Pookote lake then head to Lakkidi and finish with dinner at Vythiri resorts.

Pookot Lake as Nils said reminded her of the lake in Nainital, only this one was far less crowded. There is nothing much to do there except pedal boat. So we set out to pedal in the lake with a lazy Mandar and Nils in the backseat of the 4 person boat. As we reached the far end of the lake, the rain god showered his blessings on us. The sight was picturesque though it did remind me of one of the scenes in an old Scarlet Johansson-Hugh Jackman movie where he takes her to the far end of the lake and tries to kills her. Completely drenched we regained our colour with a steaming cuppa of kappi at the lake stall. Nils also picked up a famous Kerala-boat souvenir there.

We headed to Lakkidi ghat next. The ghat reminds you of high up you are in Wayanad compared to Kozhikode. It is a superb feeling. One needs to be careful on the ghat though since drivers can get very rash. Lakkidi registers second highest rainfall in the world after Cherrapunji.

It was 6.00 in the evening. My friends who had been to Wayanad had been so enthralled with Vythiri resorts that we decided to do dinner there. Since the tourist attractions close by 5.00 pm in the evening we decided to go to Vythiri early and see if we can do some activity there before dinner.

The route to Vythiri resorts was an adventure in itself; never-ending, curly and difficult. A small mistake and you are down the hill. And the rains didn’t spare us. Our eyes never went off the road. Finally we saw some light – the pink came back to our cheeks. The sight of the resort caught our breath.. You have to see it to believe it. It couldn’t have got more natural and aesthetic. We had an hour and more to kill time before dinner. So we headed to the coffee shop and bar. Some garam-garam pakodas and steaming hot coffee cooled everyone’s senses except mine. The resort is fresh - the wine cellar, the rope bridge, the seating, the natural pool … you feel like Alice in Wonderland.

Around 8 we headed to the dinner hall. Another disappointing moment in our lives – the buffet was north-Indian. So we decided to chuck it and pick some booze and local food on our way back. We drove down the snake-like road, but this time it seemed easier and less dangerous. We reached safely in Kalpetta and stopped at the first Kerala restaurant in our sight. It was called New Hotel, Kalpetta. The sight of puttus caught our fancy. We ordered puttus and Kerala parathas and egg masala to go with it. Next stop was a superstore for paper plates and soft drinks followed by a stop at the bar of a city hotel.

We reached Green Gates at 10.00 at night, had a quick shower, and were set for a round table dinner in our room. The egg masala had channa gravy – a preparation new to my palate. The puttu was yummy – a right mix of idli powder and grated coconut. A hearty dinner, some rum and coke and we called it a day.

After some resistance to let go of the cozy morning in bed, we checked out the hotel with sandwiches, and headed for the Muthanga wildlife safari around 7.30. The safari is open only from 7.00 to 9.30 and 4.00 to 6.00 in the evening. A jeep safari takes you through the jungle. It was a disappointing ride – except for peacocks and deer we couldn’t catch sight of any other animals though the sanctuary claim to have bison, elephants and tigers My only relief was my first time sight of sandalwood trees.

Our next stop was the Edakkal caves which we managed to touch at 10. We took the jeep up the caves due to the limited time on our hands though I would have preferred to trek up 2 kms. The jeep gets you 600 m away from the site. It was thrilling to trek up the stone stairs and the many twists and turns to reach the cave. . I did read about the prehistoric etchings on the cave being an archaeologist’s delight. The caves did not really fascinate a layman like me – it was the trek that made it fun. I did manage to spot an adivasi’s etching and some floral and fish patters on the walls.

It was 11.45 when we made our return journey to Bangalore. Inspite of stops at the Café Coffee Days at Gundlupet and Mysore road, we reached just in time at 7 at the BIAL bus-stop at Majestic for Bijoy to catch his Volvo to the airport. It was a non-breather trip. Our next trip to Wayanad has already taken shape – one night at a tree-house in a jungle resort and another night trekking the Chembra peak and camping by the Kuruva island.

Life Beyond TGDC

The verdict is out. So are we.

Was it disappointing? Yup. Was it unexpected? Hmmm. Maybe not.

No excuses really. As much as we would have liked to be in the Top 100, we probably did not go that extra mile. The votes did come in, but were not enough. And starting the campaign late did not help either.

The selection criteria, as published on the TGDC blog, included 9 different parameters to assess the applications - votes, testimonials, profile quality, pitch power, travel experience, travel plan, driving experience, web savvyness and photography. In the end, the crucial lesson learnt was about pitch power, and the ability to capture and sustain the imagination of the vox populi. Nevertheless, TGDC served as a wonderful opportunity to continue from where we had snoozed off for a while.

Will we be back at TGDC next year? I don't know. Will we be driving to unseen places, capturing unlived moments and sharing those unknown experiences online? You can bet on that.

Till then, this badge will remind us of the fond memories of our tryst with TGDC.

Yokoso Harima!

Dejected was how we felt that Saturday. We fished for tickets of the movie Hangover in every multiplex in Bangalore with rotten luck. Rather eat then sulk we agreed. My partner is new to Bangalore so I took him to one of the old places - Casa Del Sol off Residency Road. Just as we were entering, we chanced upon an inconspicuous board of Harima. I remembered faintly that it was a Japanese restaurant I had read about in one of the food reviews. Never having tried Japanese cuisine, it was an easy choice.

Harima had a look of Zen - quiet yet appealing, niche yet evolved. And the wooden setting added to the aura of the place.

The waiter guided us to a corner table. We refreshed ourselves with perfumed face towels. There were no second thoughts about ordering sake to drink. Sake, which is wine fortified with rice, can be had warm or cold. We asked for cold. The sake served in shot glasses was smooth and strong. Our eyes shut every time we sipped it.

As we stared at the menu with wonder and the urge to try everything that sounded new (which was almost everything, except the word Sushi), an earnest head-waiter came to our rescue. He educated us about the different kinds of sushi; the fact that sushi, which is any dish made with vinegared rice, is often confused with sashimi which is a dish that uses raw fish as the main ingredient. So sushi can contain raw fish, cooked fish or no seafood at all.

After rounds of contemplation, we started with inarizushi and makizushi. Inarizushi is a pocket sushi dish stuffed with flavoured rice while makizushi is rolled sushi stuffed with sushi rice, egg and shrimp, and covered with seaweed. The waiter demonstrated to us the art of eating a sushi. We tasted a bit of the wasabi paste which passed right through our nasal passages, followed it with the sushi dipped in soy sauce and ended with sweet garlic pickle. The experience was fascinating. Being seafood and meat lovers the maki appealed to our palate more than the inari which was too plain.

For the main course, we ordered chicken teppanyaki with egg and chicken noodles. Teppan means iron plate and yaki means grilled, broiled or pan-fried - the chicken was pan-fried and succulent. The noodles were very regular nevertheless went well with the chicken.

We were still sipping our sake, so consumed by the sheer exotic experience of the food, that we let go of dessert. Harima, which gets its name from an old Japanese province, mesmerised us.

The Great Driving Challenge

A bit late in the race, but nevertheless, we have decided to run! And we need your support if there's any semblance of hope of making it.

We are participating in the Mitsubishi Cedia Sports The Great Driving Challenge. It is an unique marketing initiative that encourages couples to register online for a driving cum blogging cum photography contest. The shortlisted couples would then drive away on an all expenses paid challenge across their selected route in India for 12 days. The driving challenge is neither a race nor a rally, but the couple posting the best experiences, and garnering maximum public votes in the process, would take home a cool million bucks! Not to mention the experience of a lifetime!

You can visit our application page by clicking here. If you like our application, please cast your vote in our favor, and, maybe even drop a small testimonial for us.

Pssst...the ticker on the right isn't ticking fast enough, but the time is!!

So long! And thank you for all the votes!