Kannur - Wayanad. The One Happy Trip

March 31, 2017

Kannur - Wayanad. The One Happy Trip

Once in a while, things have to go perfectly right and that's exactly what happened on the second last week of March. We successfully planned and executed a trip that was so neat that it didn't go out of budget or time and kept us all on the peak of our energy levels even after we came back to Bangalore. That's the reason why I decided to write this post before we all got out from the hangover of this trip and before that excitement died down. On a personal perspective, this trip is so special to me because I was finally able to fulfill this dream of taking my friends home (whoever missed out, your loss :p).

It was a typical day when our madam Anshu created a WhatsApp group asking us to plan for a trip and it had been quite some time since the last trip where we all went together. Discussions went on from deciding the dates to places and who all would come. As usual, the initial numbers were so big that we had to consider taking three cars but I was optimistic (pessimistic on a grammatical point of view) that it would definitely come down to a number less than ten by the time the trip would finally happen (this is based on the previous experiences and I am sure anyone reading this would totally understand). However, there was still a confusion about the destination and it was at this point I thought about taking them to my hometown, the beautiful Kannur ;) . This was partly because of the fact that I could easily include Wayanad in the plan.

Everyone agreed to the idea and there was plenty of time (more than a month) for me to plan everything. The goal was to keep it as cheap as possible without losing the essence of the trip and making any compromises on the things we had to do on the trip. Initial plan was for a three days trip considering two days for Wayanad and one day for Kannur. However, we had to drop this plan and cut it down to just two days since it was not possible for everyone to take leave on Friday. This was a bit of a challenge for me since the places of interest in Wayanad were all at a considerable distance from each other. The major challenge was that people wanted to go to Chembra peak for trekking and typically a day must be kept aisde just for that (considering all the travel and the trek itself). Anyway I decided to call the forest department, Wayanad, to ask for details on getting the permission and the first shocker came when the officer informed me that all the hills are shut down in Wayanad, for tourists, due to the extreme summer. Summer rain was scarce in Wayanad and this had contributed to a wild fire that destroyed everything that was beautiful in Chembra and nearby hills.

My job would've been very easy if Chembra was open because that is one of the most hyped up (the one that lives up to it also, as much as I know) treks in Wayanad. Without much time to lose, I started my research on places to be included in the itinerary and after some web surfing and phone calls with friends who were in Wayanad, I shortlisted around 5 tourist spots and finalised 3 places that would fall on a single route (so that we could save travel time). To be honest, I felt good to do this 'Monica Geller' thing of planning everything and now I understand how better life is when things are pretty much sorted out.

DAY 1

We had decided to make sure that we all leave Bangalore before 4 AM, Saturday, just to get lucky to spot some wildlife in Muthanga forests. I might have forgotten to mention that none of our trips start without some confusion and chaos (if you have read about the Goa trip, you will remember that we had a 70 Km extra drive to go and get the RC book of one car, that too a photocopy, just before we started . Oh wait a minute, I haven't written about the Goa trip yet!!!! Wtf. I think it is high time I wrote about it because it has been almost two years since that happened :o :p ). Coming back to the point of chaos and confusion, this time it was about Anshu doing the typical 'Anshu' thing. Yeah, she managed to lose her fifth phone 10 minutes before the supposed start time. Obviously the trip was delayed by an hour or so but that wasn't a major problem and we set out for Wayanad by 4:50 AM with 9 people on board (Vanessa ditched us on that morning :p).

We crossed Muthanga by around 9 and it was bit too late for spotting animals. However, we saw a small elephant just before crossing the forest and that was all about the forest 'safari' we had.

Edakkal Caves

Edakkal caves was our first stop for the day and we managed to reach there on time despite having left Bangalore late. We were able to finish the cave visit before crowd started flowing in. I am sure it wouldn't have been much fun on top, with the kind of crowd we saw while coming back. The prehistoric cave with carvings and images on its walls that date back to 6000 BC is definitely worth a one time visit for its historical significance. Such carvings are not known to be found in other parts of South India and I will suggest this as a must see if you are going to Wayanad.

For me, that was my third visit and whatever excitement was left was almost killed by my amazing friends who had to be motivated every five minutes to take two steps forward. The cave is located on top of the hill at a height of 3900 ft. and is quite a climb for the weak hearted :p. The tourism department has done a great job with proper pathways to the top but it will still be a difficult job for people who are old or sick to climb all the way up. The view from the top is totally rewarding and the cave itself is amazing.

Clayhut Restaurant

Before you start wondering, let me make it clear that this is not a tourist attraction or anything. This is just a normal restaurant I happened to spot on 'Trip Advisor' and I decided to stop here for lunch. This restaurant is located in the center of Kalpetta town and is a slight detour from our original route. I had seen all good reviews on the internet and honestly I was happy to realise that most of it was true. First of all, it is located on a small hill with a good view of Kalpetta town. Constructed in a retro style with mud walls, wooden tables and roof covered with palm leaves, the restaurant is definitely a perfect place for relaxation after the first half of the day. We had ordered meals as the waiter said other items will take slightly longer time for preparation (I had also read reviews that serving takes time).

All of us ordered meals and that was pretty decent. I wouldn't say the food was exceptional but whatever magic was missing in taste was made up for by the ambience. I wouldn't suggest you to go here if you are a vegetarian because whatever we loved was the non-veg flavour. Also, parking space is a small turn off since only two vehicles can be parked here comfortably.

Karlad Lake

When it comes to travel, the lesser known the places are always my favourite and I was really happy that I included Karlad lake on my itinerary. This lake is located on the Kalpetta - Padinjarathara route and is 10 Kms before the famous 'Banasurasagar Dam'. I chose this place primarily to do zip-lining and that was totally worth every single rupee we paid for it. The zip-lining is rather a short one that's probably 250-300 meters long but is definitely capable of pumping up your adrenaline a bit. The way Nino screamed will underline my statement.

It will cost you 320 rupees to do zip-lining including the 30 rupees entry fee. As I read on the internet, there is usually a huge crowd lined up for the activity and it might have a one hour waiting time for your turn to come but 9 of us were able to finish everything within an hour as there was no one in the line before we reached. There are other activities as well to do in the lake such as kayaking, pedal boating, horse ride etc. and in case if there is a long queue for zip-lining, it is better for you to take the ticket for this activity and finish other activities by the time your turn comes. This is a perfect place to chill out with ample space around the lake that can handle a significantly big crowd.

Banasurasagar Dam

Our next and final destination for the day was India's largest and Asia's second largest earth dam - Banasurasagar. I must say this place is a beauty despite being over crowded and that was the only reason why we enjoyed being here despite not being able to do the speed boat ride. Even though the speed boating closes only by 5 PM, the tickets were all sold out by the time we reached the dam. Amal tried his best to negotiate with the operator and he agreed to take us for a ride if he was able to finish the other rides that was already booked, before it was too late. However, the scheduled trips itself didn't get over even by 5:30 and we understood that there was no point in waiting for it. It is better that you reach here before 3 PM if you need to take the boat ride.

We were sitting by the slope of the dam while waiting for confirmation on boat ride and we totally enjoyed watching the drivers perform stunts on the speed boats during this time. Even though it was a great experience that we missed out, the time we spent by the reservoir area totally made up for everything. There is no way you wouldn't love looking at the calm waters of the reservoir with magnificent Banasura hills in its back drop, enjoying the gentle breeze on your face. You just got to sit on the dam top admiring the brilliant colours created on the dancing waters by the setting sun. It is a spectacle to watch the sun go behind the hill as the clouds tear the sunlight into tiny beautiful streaks. You will know what is hapiness when you experience this.

Boystown - none of a kind

One of the important demands by my friends was to come to my favourite chilling spot at hometown- the Boystown pass - and enjoy 'Pazhampori and Chaya' here. We couldn't make it to Boystown before sunset but we did stop for Tea and Pazhampori before heading to my home which is another 15 Kms from this place. I was a little sad that I couldn't show them the beauty of the view from here which they have known only through Instagram and Facebook photos. Maybe some other time.

Homeee

Day one was conluded with us reaching my home by 8 PM and my friends having a happy, surprising realisation that my house has a small swimming pool. They were curious to know why I kept it as a secret from them for so long and was a little mad at me about it. The fact is that I never even thought about the need for telling them about it. Like, what the hell, should I go around telling people - 'hey, you know what? My house has a swimming poollll'. The pool was built primarily as an irrigation solution for our agricultural needs to store water and my dad thought it would be cool if the tank could serve two purposes. Whatever, without much delay all of us jumped into the pool with the exception of Anshu and the Harshita. Deepak and Jince were proving their skills in water while Fabid was trying to not drown in waist high water :p. Nino was peacefully minding her own business when Akshay decided to challenge everyone to see who could stay under water for the longest time. So, she decided to be the referee and the boys tried their hand at holding the breath. Akshay lost miserably in all rounds of the competition while Deepak made us all think about whether he was dead or not.

Day one concluded with some yummy dinner by mummy darling and some rounds of uno. I spent some time with mom showing her photos and videos before going to bed.

DAY 2

Paalukaachi Hills

Yeah I know you must be like 'what the hell, is that even a place, is it there on maps?'. But I will tell you to hold on before jumping into conclusions beacuse this is just one among the numerous treasures of my hometown that is not well-known to the outside world and my friends and the pictures will confirm this statement for you. Paalukaachi hills is a range of three adjacent hills that looks like a stone stove from a distance and plays a very significant role in both Hindu mythology and the local culture of my hometown. It is believed that, these hills formed the stone stove on which Sati Devi boiled milk while going to attend Dakshayaga in the nearby temple of Kottiyoor. Place names in my hometown are all based on the voyage of Sati Devi and my hometown 'Kelakam' means the place where she recieved an Ox for her travel (or the place where she tied her ox, I am not 100% sure about which version is exact). I am not going to discuss history here and let me tell you about the most thrilling trek that I have done in my life (I believe my friends too would share the same opinion)

In my honest opinion this is the most scenic and thrilling treks in North Kerala and this is a perfect example of what trekking should be. Unfortunately access to this place is now denied to common mass by forest department and I was shocked to see the sign board that said it is a criminal offence to go beyond that point. Till then I didn't know that it was a violation to do it and for the same reason I am going to ask, if you are considering to go here, you to wait until the forest department considers opening this place to tourists. However, I decided to proceed with the trek because I was sure that we had no plans of harming the forest or doing something wrong that prompted the department to keep that board up there. Also, the officers in Kerala are sensible enough to understand while we explain things to them and I was confident that they wouldn't treat us like we committed a crime even if we had an encounter with them. Fortunately there was no need for all that and we completed the entire trek without any trouble.

The trek is almost a 1.5 Km long climb through the dense Kottiyoor evergreen forest and it is the steep climb that will make you tired. It gives you a Hollywood movie like feel to walk through the thickets with streaks of sunlight coming through the branches and leaves and I guarantee you that this walk is totally exciting. I am sure that this is something that you will otherwise see only in movies. The forest patch opens to a grassland on the top of the hill and a walk of another 100 metres will take you to the summit. The view from here is just spectacular and the clouds that brush through the nearby hills is something that can compete the view from Chikmagalur hills. There wasn't much of a breeze which is quite unusual but overall the weather was pleasant. We headed to Amal's house for breakfast after spending some quality time here. Amal's parents had made awesome breakfast for us with so many items that I can't even remember all of them now.

Paalukaachi hills are located at around 5-8 Kms from the main road and is easily accessible from the nearby village of Shantigiri. We had hired a jeep to take us to the end of the road because there was no point in walking the rest of the road since the actual trek starts at the beginning of the area owned by forest department. The roads till the point where jeep goes is not that difficult and I do think that it is possible to climb it on a bike too. It can be difficult with a car due to the ground clearance problems though.

Lighthouse & Cliff Walkway Payyambalam

Our next target was Payyambalam beach to visit the lighthouse and adjacent cliff walkway. We reached here by noon and it was too peaceful for a tourist attraction that's located so close to a city. The fee for lighthouse is pretty cheap and it includes a well maintained museum that tells you about the history of lighthouse operations. The view from the top of the lighthouse is something that you shouldn't miss.

Cliff walkway is right next to the lighthouse but requires you to take a separate ticket since it is maintained by a different department. However, this is totally worth as the ticket costs only ten bucks. The cliff is high enough to give a pleasant view of the sea and the shore and has a step that goes down to a place closer to the water. However, please be extremely careful and do not go down to the rocks that are almost on level with sea water since the waves can be totally unpredictable.

Muzhappilangad Drive-In Beach

This was our last stop for the entire trip and this was the one place everyone was waiting for. For those who don't know, Muzhappilangad is India's largest and Asia's second largest drivable beach that spans at a length of 5+ Kms. This was probably the happiest time spent during the trip with Nino's tribal music DJing, homemade snacks from mommy darling, a bit of dancing around and playing football and finally the drift stunts on the Swift and the Baleno. Everyone had a good time here with Akshay and Nino getting to drive around the beach, Harshita enjoying her legs in water and and an exciting ride on the beach, Deepak getting some cool shots for his video etc. We left for Bangalore from here after the sunset.

Shushu's Birthday

The events wouldn't conclude just yet because it was Anshu's birthday the next day and we had planned a cake cutting for her. My initial plan was to reach Rasta by midnight and have Rion and Sonakshi too for the cake cutting. But that became impossible because we left from Kannur really late and wouldn't make it to Rasta by midnight. So, we decided to cut the cake at Mysore at 12 am. Even though it wasn't very exciting, she was happy that she got to cut cake on the highway.

Conclusion

The trip was just too good and I was so glad that everyone came back to Bangalore with so much hapiness. This trip was something where no one was left out and everyone enjoyed everything. I am sure as hell that Fabid and Jince had the drive of their life with amazing Ghatt roads of Wayanad and Kannur, Nino definitely enjoyed the new gang of people and a trip which she was going to go alone otherwise, Harshita took her weekend travels to the next level with this one (yeah she travels on most weekends to places like HAL museum, Lal Bhag etc. :p Honestly she has seen more of Bangalore in one year than I have seen in 5 years), Akshay finally patched up with me after five long years and got to drive Fabi's Baleno in the beach, Anshu got to come to my house finally and can now strike off Kannur and Wayanad from her bucket list and also got to cut her birthday cake on the highway (sure she couldn't be happier), Deepak got to see more of Kannur and got to put his SJCAM And Canon to good use on this trip, the new gang of friendship and their company must be what made Amal so happy (also Nino, it took only hours for Nino and Akshay to become chuddy-buddies :p), and for me, the happiness of finally being able to take these buggers home is something I can't define in words, I was just experiencing that feeling all throughout the trip, I was just counting the blessings, I was just feeling so grateful, happy people just expanded, family just expanded, Life is indeed too good :) . To more such trips.

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