The Land of Paddy Fields

It was almost there. We were doing the last minute purchases on Wednesday evening and one thing that we had to pick up was a cake for Bipin (it was his b’day the next day and we had decided to celebrate his b’day on the highway !!).

Thursday morning dawned and we were all at Doc’s place ready to hit the road. Two drivers were all set to set the street on fire with their machines (a silver grey Indica and an onyx blue Getz). Well, if you are still wondering what we were upto… Here you go.. We had planned to spend 4 full days in the forests of Waynad (one of the districts in Kerala famous for its greenery and loads of scenic locales).

Breakfast was at the usual adda, thatte idlis at Bidadi. After which, all the passengers got busy (now you have to guess.. busy doing what.. :)) and we went on and on. Reached Mysore, Gundulpet and entered the Kerala forests. I must admit the roads were awesome and a pleasure driving. It was around lunch by the time we reached the resort at Waynad (Hiliya resorts). After a sumptuous meal, we had the option of either hitting the bed or indulge in some outdoor activities and we decided to do the latter. There as a small stream that flowed through the resort and the walk to the stream was through plantations of coffee, vanilla, arcenut and elaichi (Killer Raj helped us in identifying each of these plants). The stream was not all that great and thanks to the rains, was not easy to get into the water. So the other options were cricket and badminton.

It was during cricket that we got to watch a great batsman in full flow (Kevin Pietersen aka Kumaran Neel). Well, his was the most stylish batting; it was a different story that none of the shots helped the team score runs and not to forget the neck to neck fight between Murali and Bipin. After cricket, was badminton and we not only had to play against the opponents but had stong winds as a major opponent.

Thursday evening, was mainly yummy snacks for the hard core non-veggies (the veggies had food cooked in coconut oil and green salad, the latter being a better choice), dance and come action from the T20 semis where South Africa yet again choked when they had to deliver.

At the crack of dawn on Friday, as planned set out to the all famous and not to be missed Kurva islands. There were a lot of mis-conceptions floating around that one had to cross seven streams to reach the island (thankfully was not seven seas .. :)) and there were seven islands, so on and so forth. We were accompanied by our tour guide, Aneesh who was not just a tour guide but a translator of sorts (none of us knew Malayalam and none of the locals knew anything other than Malayalam). Coming to Kurva, it was an island that could be reached by boat or by walking across the Kabini river. Due to monsoon and heavy currents, we took the boats and reached the island. It was indeed not a place to be missed. It was a typical forest where the sun rays failed to touch the earth in many places. Trees ranging from bamboo to teak to mahogany. Everything was there. Aneesh informed and showed us a tree , where the locals believed that ghosts resided in them. Interesting !!

After a fun filled time at the island, it was time to get back to the mainland and head back to the resort for lunch. Again, the quality of food exceeded our expectations and each of us ate like there was no tomorrow. And not to forget, a circle of banana peels created by Bipin.. :)

Evening, was time for some relaxation at the Pookkot lake. It was raining, inspite of that we, decided to do some boating.. in the rain. They were pedal boats and the first of the boats were steered by Bipin and Kumaran Neel and the second one by Malabar police (Mr Murali) and Killer Raj.. :). After boating, was time for some snacks and none of missed a chance to have an ice cream in the rain. What a combination, boating in the rain and ice creams immediately after, something you don’t get to do in Bangalore.

Next day, headed to another resort, Valley View avenue which was about 50 kms from Hiliya. The drive was again mind blowing, having to drive up the hills and through a thick mist cover. Even though we had a starter breakfast at Hilya (who can forget Vinaya gobbling up a whole idli) we were still longing for some snacks at Valley View after the fabulous drive. There were pooris for the second breakfast and I’m sure the care taker there was shocked by the amount of food we could consume.. :)

The whole day at Valley View was spent just lazing around and being a part of nature (the waterfalls, mist cover almost throughout the day, mountains and greenery). We did make a visit to the Kanthapura falls and not to forget Doc with his trademark umbrella where ever he went.. :)

Sunday morning and time to get back. It was hard to believe that we had spent 3 days in “The Land of Paddy Fields” (Wayanad comes from Vayal (paddy) and Naad (land)) and it seemed too short. End of it all, looks like even four full days was not enough for us to be completely satisfied, staying away from the mundane crowd at the Garden City.