[GeneralJazz]

Prologue

It's been a while since our last team outing, and we were all eagerly waiting for the next one. With the hybrid work model and colleagues scattered across the country, it takes all the stars and planets to align correctly for the full team to be in the office at the same time. Finally, the time came and we promptly set the plan in motion. There were a few new members in the team, and it was an excellent opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and gel as a team. Huge thanks to everyone for making it such an awesome journey! In summary: take a train from Coimbatore to Calicut, drive to Wayanad, chill for 2 days, drive back to Calicut, and take a train back to Coimbatore.

A huge thanks to our team lead, Sreegesh, for organizing this outing. The entire trip was his idea, and he painstakingly made all the arrangements. This included booking the trains, arranging the vehicles, booking stays, and planning the routes.


Locations

We visited the following places on our trip:

1. En Ooru
2. Karapuzha Dam Park
3. Brahmagiri Trek
4. Chekady
5. Kozhikode Beach






The Team

Clockwise from the top:

Madhava, Chakkaravarthi, Sunil, Anu, Chirodipto, GeneralJazz, Manohar, Gowtham, Siva, Sharmela, Ananth, Kawin, Kaveena, Prasila, Mahesh, Lokesh, Gokul, Gokul P, Sreegesh & Ilakkiya.

A huge shout-out to everyone for making this such an awesome and memorable outing! Looking forward to more such trips with you guys!





The Stays

Wood Monks, Meppadi




Agraharam Resort, Thirunelli





The Rides

We had four cars for the trip: the Marazzo, Alto, Elite i20, and the Wagon R. Maintaining a convoy with such a mix of vehicles was fun. I took the lead in the Marazzo, and it was my first time driving it on a long journey. While it offered supreme comfort for passengers, the car felt terribly underpowered, and the significant turbo lag made navigating the ghat sections quite frustrating.

[GeneralJazz]

Wayanad

En Ooru, Pookode

En Ooru is a tribal village built and maintained by the Kerala Government. It's designed in the traditional style of tribal villages in Wayanad. Located just a few kilometers after the end of the Thamarassery ghat section, there is a car parking area and a ticket counter by the side of the road. From there, we took multiple jeeps to the top of the nearby hill where the village is situated.

The jeeps accommodate 7 people per trip, and tickets need to be booked in advance during peak seasons and weekends. We crammed ourselves into the jeeps and were driven to the top. The well-maintained roads made it a relatively smooth ride. Upon arrival at the main entrance, our tickets were checked, and we were allowed inside. The view from this vantage point was wonderful, giving us a glimpse of the lush greenery on the hills all around. If you zoom into the picture, you can spot a glass bridge under construction. Glass bridges seem to be the new attractions nowadays, with a new one recently opened in Wagamon as well.








It's a bit of a walk from the main entrance to the tribal huts. The entire place is well-maintained, and the path is lined with huts selling tribal artifacts and curios, along with locally harvested produce, including spices and coffee. There were also exhibits featuring photos of the local people and their everyday lives. Water coolers were conveniently placed throughout the area, a wise decision given the heat on the hilltop. We spent our time wandering around and exploring the place, occasionally coming across huts where locals played tribal instrumental music.

We thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful ambiance of the place. A quick late afternoon shower sent us hurrying for shelter, of which there was plenty. Additionally, there was a canteen where we had some tea and snacks before making our way back to the entrance.
















Wood Monks, Meppadi

After a late lunch somewhere on the way, we drove to our stay for the night. Wood Monks is a camp located in Meppadi, near the 900 Kandi Glass Bridge and viewpoint. It's situated several kilometers away from the main road, and the only way to reach there is by 4x4 jeeps. They have a parking area down the road where we parked our vehicles and waited for the jeep. Since only one vehicle was available, we had to take turns to reach the camp.

It was a 20-minute, bone-jarring ride through thickets, an extremely tough off-road journey with most sections being driven in 4L. The incredible machine, driven by an extremely talented driver, made it without sh*t going sideways, which was a miracle as we spent quite a lot of time sliding sideays through the mud and slush. We all had to hang on for dear life as we bounced, skidded, and slipped our way to the camp. The inky darkness did not help. A huge shoutout to the driver who made three separate trips to bring us all to the camp, and a separate shoutout to the incredible machine that made it through.

https://youtu.be/-otUN_x4f0c?si=0X4IPZ6pCHkbmiMS

It was a small camp with several elevated tents and a few cabins located by a small stream. The whole area was beautifully decorated, with a separate space for a campfire and a dedicated tent for games. While we changed into more comfortable clothes, the staff got the campfire going. With some loud music, we got the festivities started!

As the campfire started, we all got comfortable around it. GP seemed to take a great interest in the fire, trying out all sorts of camera settings and modes!





Soon, everyone got into "spirited" celebrations with Mahesh, Sunil, and Lokesh leading the performance! It was a great experience for everyone to shed the office hierarchies and enjoy themselves to the maximum!

New to the team but not new to the scene, here's Madhava busting some sick moves!





The celebrations continued well into the night, briefly interrupted by a dinner break. With temperatures dropping, everyone huddled around the campfire, sharing stories. Slowly, the crowd dispersed, with some walking or being carried to their tents. As the music faded and the fire dimmed, we all retired to our tents for a few hours of sleep before an early morning trek the next day.

One of the staff had promised to take us on an early morning trek to a nearby waterfall. Although everyone was excited about it the previous night, not everyone managed to wake up in time due to the late-night partying. As Jeremy Clarkson said, we are not the US Marines; we leave a man behind.

As we had arrived quite late the previous day, we had no idea about the surroundings. Frankly, we were taken aback by the raw beauty! The entire area was covered by thick greenery, which looked surreal as the morning sun cast its rays upon it. Our guide led us on a nearly one-hour trek along the sides of a stream. At times, we had to wade through waist-high grass, and other times we had to climb over rocks while holding onto tree roots for support. By the way, did I mention the leeches? Oh my god, so many leeches! Despite wearing hiking boots, one of the bloodsuckers managed to find a gap between my socks and latch on. All of us were bitten, and a bottle of sanitizer suddenly became more valuable to us than oil to the US. Interestingly, our guide, a local, was burning the leeches away with a lighter!












Finally, we reached the waterfall, and the opportunity to catch our breath was a welcome relief. Despite its size, the isolation in the heart of the forest enhanced its beauty. We spent a substantial amount of time there, immersed in the scenic surroundings, while a couple of folks took a refreshing dip in the water. We lingered until our stomachs reminded us of the impending one-hour trek back to the camp, signaling it was time for breakfast!








Ever the cheerleader, here's Ilakkiya, cheering on the stream for some reason...





Pondy boy Siva was unimpressed by all this and kept bragging about how there's a better version of everything in Pondy.





Back at the camp, we found Lokesh deep in meditation, trying to get rid of the evil "spirits" of the previous night.

[GeneralJazz]

Karapuzha Dam Adventure Park

This is a small adventure park situated by the Karapuzha reservoir, featuring Kerala's longest zipline at over 600m. They had also recently introduced a giant swing. We parked nearby and purchased tickets for the zipline, while Sreegesh secretly obtained tickets for the giant swing without informing anyone. Once the tickets were secured, they geared us up and even provided a solid metal selfie stick onto which phones could be securely tightened with screws for safety. After getting ready, we were driven to the zipline launch point on the top of a small hillock nearby.

Anu striking a pose in front of the logo, while Mahesh and Ananth subtly try to blend into the foliage, hoping to escape being dangled hundreds of feet above the dam.





The launch point was situated on a small hillock, giving us a panoramic view of the dam and the adventure park below. The entire setup was meticulously managed, with the staff diligently checking and rechecking all the hooks, ropes, harnesses, and every other safety detail.





We had some time to spare while waiting for the others to arrive and took a few photos. Chiro made a futile attempt to psych himself up for the upcoming ride.





One by one, we all launched off the platform. It's safe to say this was quite an adrenaline rush. Dangling on the metal rope, clutching at the harness (as if that makes any difference), we zipped over the park. Once the initial shock wore off, the hawk-eye view of the area was fascinating as I made my way across to the other end. The staff at the platform helped me get down. What a thrill! It did take me a few seconds for my legs to stop shaking, though!





I was able to watch the rest of the team make it across. Gokul enjoyed the view, while Sharmela was terrified and kept her eyes tightly covered!





Just as we were recovering from the adrenaline rush and our legs were making the transition from jelly to solid, Sreegesh hits us with the giant swing bombshell! With no escape, we slowly shuffled our way to the queue. One by one, the team bravely hopped onto the swing and soared into the air, while the rest of us desperately tried not to catch a severe case of cold feet. Here, you can see Prasila questioning some of her life choices, and there's me, in my rapidly failing attempt to keep my nausea at bay.






Finally, it was my turn, and good lord, what a ride it was. The staff secured us onto the swing, and then we were pulled to the highest position. Once at the top, we had an awesome bird's eye view of the valley, but too bad we couldn't enjoy it as much as the fear of the impending launch was just too overpowering. After a tantalizingly long wait, we were finally launched! In the second pic, you can see my soul leaving my body, as we dropped several feet before the cable finally caught. My breakfast, lunch, tea, and yet-to-be-eaten dinner all came rushing into my mouth, and it was all I could do to not spray my teammates with some nasty tummy juice. High school physics lessons came crashing into my head as I tried to figure out how many swings before the giant pendulum comes to rest. After what seemed like forever, we finally came to a stop. Needless to say, I rushed to the bushes to puke my guts out.





My bout of vomiting seemed to have set off a few others, and we all needed some time to have our innards rearranged back into the position the Lord above meant them to be in. It took me a while to regain my composure, and for the world to stop spinning in front of me.


There was a watchtower nearby, from where, we enjoyed a splendid view of the reservoir and the park. This was as close to a drone shot as we could get!










Thirunelli

Late at night, after refreshing ourselves and having a quick dinner, we embarked on a drive along the Thirunelli-Tholpetty road. The resort arranged a few vehicles for the night drive. This isn't a private or reserved area, so we were free to drive along here. I heard that the Tholpetty route is one of the few Wayanad-Mysore routes that remain open at night. We were told we might be able to spot some wildlife along the way, and we weren't disappointed. From gaurs to spotted deer, and even multiple herds of elephants! We even spotted several rabbits and a small barking deer.
























Early the next morning, we split into two groups. Most of the group went for the Brahmagiri hike, while a few of us stayed behind to explore the surroundings. A short walk from the resort, we came across this beautiful stream running by a grain field. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk down to the stream, taking in the beautiful array of colors all around us. We found a rocky section that was shallow enough for us to walk across. Even though it was starting to get quite hot, the cool water flowing over our feet was refreshing and cooled us down.

[GeneralJazz]

Brahmagiri Peak Trekking

The trek to Brahmagiri hills is among the popular routes in Wayanad. Starting from a forest department camp close to Thirunelli, which was conveniently near our resort, we had to buy tickets for specific time slots. It is about 10kms long, and takes closed to 4 hours each way. A guide was assigned to accompany us to the peak. The team reached well before time and started the trek at the allocated time slot. The happy energetic smiles wasn't going to last long though!










After a tough, draining 4-hour trek, the team finally made it to the peak. It was a leech fest all the way, and no one was spared. The endeavor was worth it though, as the view from the peak was magnificent!







Prasila and Madhava put up brave faces, while Manohar couldn't muster up the 10 muscles needed for a smile!





Chekadi

Chekadi, a charming little agricultural border village hugging the Kabini river, is a short distance away from Kuruva island. It has become quite famous recently on social media due to the beautiful sunsets over the farm land. Interestingly, it's only about 25 km from Chekadi to JLR Kabini. Perhaps next time!

We spent close to 2 hours here, watching the sunset and walking along the Kabini riverbank. We also found an isolated spot where we could take a dip to cool off from the intense morning trek. As the sun bid adieu, we reluctantly departed, making our way back to Calicut.

Calicut

It was well past midnight when we finally reached Calicut. Sreegesh took us to a halwa shop, and everyone purchased the famous "Koikkoden haluva." Is it really that good, though? As a Thalassery native, I've always found Calicut halwa to be mediocre!


Calicut Beach


We still had a couple of hours to kill before our train arrived, so we drove straight to the beach. Even though it was close to 2 AM, Calicut Beach was still quite crowded! The area is very well-lit and maintained impeccably. Surprisingly, there were even plenty of women at this time! We walked leisurely for quite some time, with a few guys even dipping their toes in the water! What was surprising was that even at this hour, the whole place was quite lively! There were groups of guys singing, some playing a guitar, a few people dancing around a Bluetooth speaker, and even a few roadside vendors still had their wares out. There were a few people passed out/sleeping here and there, but the cops on patrol were shooing them away. We thoroughly enjoyed our midnight stroll at Calicut Beach.

Conclusion

Finally, after over 2 days of exploration, trekking, and adventure, we returned to Coimbatore. As we bid farewell on the platform, each of us heading in different directions across the city, thoughts of our next excursion already lingered in our minds. This journey has truly strengthened the bonds within the team, much better than any of the company-mandated "Fun in the office" sessions. Once again, a heartfelt shoutout to everyone for making this trip remarkable, and I really look forward to the next one, which I'm confident will be on the horizon soon!





This is GeneralJazz, signing off.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[megazoid]

Enjoyed your trip vicariously. I am from Calicut but never knew the beach had activity even at 2am. Nice choice of places for a short escape from coimbatore. Nothing like a train journey and some outdoor activity! Lively group too.

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by megazoid

Enjoyed your trip vicariously. I am from Calicut but never knew the beach had activity even at 2am. Nice choice of places for a short escape from coimbatore. Nothing like a train journey and some outdoor activity! Lively group too.

Thank you so much for the kind words megazoid! Means a lot coming from a travel legend like you!