[swiftnfurious]

Planning for months without any results, finally it happened - and yes, this time without much planning. In fact we planned and booked the home stay in 15 mins.

14th Jan being a holiday, thoughts of a 3 day weekend was horrifying to me as I didn't have anything to do over the weekend with only "sleeping" present in my agenda. We always [same team like last year] wanted to do a second trip to Goa [Link:] to revive the memories of the first trip. But the confirmation of "no work" on 14th delayed our plans and then again I thought we will have to rush up thru the trip to Goa as 3 days are just not enough to enjoy and freak out.

So on 13th morning, we thought about hitting Wayanad. Just searched the net for some decent home stays within our small budget [2000/- per day] - called up 2 and got confirmation on the 3rd one !

And yes, all this happened in around 15 mins and we were all ready to roll the very next day - advantage of being bachelors!

So the plan was devised - plan???!!! Was there one in the first place?! NO ! The only plan we had was on the route to be taken and the time of start. Thought we will finalize the destinations to visit once we reach Wayanad.

Searched t-bhp, got some info from my colleague and it matched on the route to be followed.

Route taken:

Bangalore - Mysore - Nanjangud - Gundulpet - Bandipur - Wayanad - Kalpetta.

We decided to start @ 4 AM on Friday morning and reach Wayanad about 11-12 in the afternoon. Having said 4 AM, Haby had a sarcastic smile of his face complimented with that funny look - "Please give me a call once you start !" I stay at Bannerghatta road and Haby stays at Airport road which is a distance of 30 mins (21 kms) in non-peak hours and he said he will be ready by that time.

I said ok and left home - did some shopping for snacks and juices and some re-chargeable batteries for the cam.

The CAR !



Next day set the alarm for 3 AM and slept, got up on time and left home at 4 AM - Voila ! Sharp 4.30 AM, I pick Haby and we start rolling. Came back to Bannerghatta, took the NICE road and hit Mysore. Stopped at Cafe Coffee Day on the Mysore road and had a coffee at 6.30 AM. After a break of 15 mins, we hit the road back. Next stop was supposed to be at Jubilee Hotel, Sulthan Bathery. Food was quite decent. I had Kerala parotta and egg curry while Haby had appam and fish gravy. The bill was 110/-.

Pics time

Mysore Road - 6.30 AM



Mysore Palace



Morning Sun rays !





Roads inside Bandipur



Some of the few we could see in Bandipur



To be continued...

[coolclouds]

Good start and pics. Please provide some info about the stay/road conditions as well.

[swiftnfurious]

We pushed off from there in 30 mins and reached Kalpetta by 11.30 AM and there it happens ! While switching on A/C, I noticed some burning smell. I thought since I switched on the A/C, it would have taken air from outside and since the smell. The smell subsided in some time, but kept on coming intermittently. So i doubted clutch burn and stopped by the side to check. Opened the bonnet and could not notice any smoke / smell - neither was it inside the car near the clutch pedal. I cursed myself for not stopping at Indus MASS a couple of kilometers before. We started off and suddenly I realised hell lot of smoke coming from under the dash this time and was really scared - the burning smell was real pungent too ! This was inside a town and quickly parked the car to check !

GOSH - I could see sparks coming from the pedals under the dash and I didnt have a fire extinguisher - opened the bonnet and wanted to disconnect the battery, but didnt know how to do it. Then a young guy offered some help and I was searching for a spanner. A rick guy gave me a bunch of spanners and said asked me to use the one which fits ! By the time I returned to thear, there was a group of 10 already standing and trying their skills at all the nuts and botls in the bonnet. They were poking anything & everything they saw under the hood and one idiot did something and some sparks flew. This got me into nerves and I asked everyone to step back.

So the guy who offered help said there was an electircian near by and we could seek his help - He even accompanied me to his workshop. I was not very comfortable with an "electrician" working on my car - then I was left with no choice ! I went to the shop and was pleasantly surprised that the guy was indeed an "auto electrician" !

He came and sorted out the issue in 2 mins ans said some wire was getting dragged while pressing the clutch (He said it could be apm / subwoofer wire) and moved to the side. He said we could take the car to his shop (we had stopped some 300 meters away from his small shop). There he insulated it well and said nothing to worry and did some adjustment to make sure it doesnt foul with the clutch pedal. We resumed our journey after that and then we realised that we had crossed the place where we were actually supposed to be.

Our host Pramod kep calling for status and when he knew we had some trouble, told me to call him for any help required. I said we are good and we went back to the junction where we were supposed to meet him. He then took us to the home stay and we indeed felt "at home" there.

Homestay at Wayanad [Kalpetta]:

As I said, we booked the home stay in around 15 mins taking clues from the net and seeing the pics. I spoke to Pramod and he was really warm on the phone as well doubling our confidence. More than that the rates were quite good and we confirmed the deal on 13th.

Homestay Name : Summer Villa
Website : Summer villa wayanad | stay in wayanad | tourism wayanad | Homestay in wayanad

We reached there and I was pretty tired because of the previous 15-20 minutes and didnt want to proceed anywhere on Friday. Told haby that I just wanna take some rest, have couple of gulps and and sleep - forget the last episode and get up fresh and do something.

Pramod said he will get the lunch ready in 30 mins or so and off went we, in search of the "universal medicine" for rejuvenating and clearing the bad memories!

We came back and the food was ready - delicious Kerala meals with Chicken fry & Chicken curry.

We decided to fill our stomachs till we cannot move and then hit the bed for a quick nap - Also it was decided we will not visit any places and will rather go for a movie in the evening and come back, finish the rest of the quota and call it a day !

Pics Time:

Bandipur continued...You might need to strain a bit to see the spotted deer !Our cam was just a normal digi cam !







@ the KA - KL Border.



Lunch



And here ends Day 1 pics ! We hit the bed after a good dinner hoping for a great day on Saturday ! Will we be lucky the same way on day 2 was the question in my mind !!

[swiftnfurious]

Home stay Pics and tariff details:

Summer Villa home stay in Kalpetta is a lovely place. The rate is 1500/- for a night for a room. I would highly recommend this place for any one looking for a decent budget accommodation. The place is neat and the host Pramod is highly helpful and courteous. Food was good too.

This provides a very homely and peaceful environment with lots and lots of greenery around and the air is so fresh. The mornings were quite cold and slightly foggy. There was so much of dew also.

But mind you, if you are looking for A/C, LCD TV, 5 course meals et al, this is not the place for you! A/C is not required at all at this place. Simply having the fan ON got me shivering in the nights.

We could not take the pics of the interiors as we were not in a mood in the first day - From second day onwards the room was messy and we didnt want to capture the room like that ! We had two balcony's in the top floor [yes, we stayed on top floor]. One balcony was a part of the room we stayed and the other one was a common one [there are two rooms on the top floor]. Since were were the only ones there, we ruled both the balconys and it was so nice to be sitting there in the nights chatting!


Pics Time.

View of morning.



That's Four Seasons Home Stay which belongs to a relative of Pramod.



Summer Villa



Breakfast

[swiftnfurious]

So we decided to visit 2 waterfalls - Kanthanpara and Soochipara waterfalls.

The drive was a breeze with beautiful roads and a lot of greenery on both sides of the road - especially coffee & tea estates. I was totally in love with the great roads and scenery and we never bothered to cross 50 kmph speed thru out those 25 kms.

Of these Soochipara is famous and is the attraction and its equally crowded ! Kanthanpara is a nice waterfall and is very peaceful since there are not much people who come there. There is one more waterfall there [which I dont remember] and all these 3 form a triangle with a gap of 3-4 kms within themselves.

So if you want to visit all 3, it should be easy if planned well - But 2 of them will have some good trekking to do. So be prepared if you are visiting those.

Kanthanpara falls was around 25 kms from Kalpetta and we chose to go there first as its supposed to be less crowded. Reached the place in around 45 mins or so and it was a nice feeling to be there. From the main highway, we needed to travel around 5 kms interior and the roads are pretty narrow with some good sharp curves. Because of this reason, buses dont come in and hence the less crowd.

Some of our captures en route:

Plantain trees.



Tea estate:






Cricket Mania - Probably our future Kochi IPL team players also were there !



Straight roads with tea estates on both sides.







Narrow road on the way to Kanthanpara falls.



Ripe Coffee Bean - this is collected and then dried in the sun before its sold.





We actually reach the top of the falls [some distance before the falls start] and its a beautiful sight to watch the stream flowing effortless. From there, we now have forest guards to guide you to the falls which is 5 mins walk thru thick bushes. Looks like there were some accidents in the near future because of which the guards are put in place. Its a nice falls and i was told that the rocks cant been seen during monsoons where water spreads all over the rocks. We were also told that we could go down and take bath if you wish. I basically like to keep a distance with mother nature will all respect and I chose to be no different and Haby was of the same opinion! So we clicked some pics and then pushed off to our next destination, Soochipara falls which was another 10-15 kms.

Route to Kanthanpara :

Kalpetta to Meppadi and then 3-4 kms after the town, take a right deviation to the falls. There are enough sigh boards and you cant go wrong. Incase you still need a confirmation, stop the vehicle and ask for directions. The people are quite friendly there !

Kanthanpara Falls:

The top of the falls - water flows for some more distance before it forms a water fall.



We could not capture the depth of this fall with the ordinary cam we had. Its easily 30-40 feet high.

[swiftnfurious]

Some more pics while coming back in the same route and on the way to Soochipara falls.













After a drive of around 30 minutes we reached Soochipara falls. We had to pay 20/- for parking, 25/- for still camera and for tickets there.

We had to trek down a distance of 1 km to reach the falls from there. By the time I reached there, I was tired and didnt want to go near the falls. So we stayed at some altitude and clicked pictures. And there again the mess, the batteries were not charged to full extent and it went dead ! Cursing Haby all the way, he pulled his mobile and started clicking pics. So we have only one pic shot with a proper cam and am posting it here!

[coolclouds]

Beautiful photos. Which is that route going through tea estate?

[ampere]

Did you check out the dam and the caves? Dam should have been all glory after monsoon.
The idlis like inviting! When I see such food, taking snaps is the last thing in my mind. First instinct is to "ATTACK" !

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Beautiful photos. Which is that route going through tea estate?

Thanx Coolclouds - That is the route to Kanthanpara / Soochipara falls from Kalpetta. Its a national highway close to the place called Meppadi. Let me tell you, driving in this road at 9 AM was way too romantic, but I missed a girl friend that time. If you really want to impress your better half especially after a small fight, you simply should take her in this route with some slow melodies at the back ground!

Originally Posted by ampere

Did you check out the dam and the caves? Dam should have been all glory after monsoon.
The idlis like inviting! When I see such food, taking snaps is the last thing in my mind. First instinct is to "ATTACK" !

Which dam are you referring to? We didnt visit any dams. And the caves were under renovation, so could not check it out as well ! I was pretty much in "attack" mode, these are all Haby's click while I was getting all set to attack!

[shishir_bn]

@ampere, When I went in Dec midweek the Karapuza dam was not in its full glory. Some pics attached
@Swift, was the Edakkal caves open to public now?? Did you visit the Phantom rocks, that Island??

[ampere]

@Swift, I meant the same one which Shishir mentioned. But I do like the back waters. They are very nice.
I think there is also one more: Banasura Sagar.
Banasura Sagar Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I did not know caves are under renovation.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by shishir_bn

@ampere, When I went in Dec midweek the Karapuza dam was not in its full glory. Some pics attached
@Swift, was the Edakkal caves open to public now?? Did you visit the Phantom rocks, that Island??

Originally Posted by ampere

@Swift, I meant the same one which Shishir mentioned. But I do like the back waters. They are very nice.
I think there is also one more: Banasura Sagar.
Banasura Sagar Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I did not know caves are under renovation.

Hey..since I had some trouble while reaching Wayanad, the bad luck kept following us and nothing went according to our plan. Though I saw all these sign boards, I could not go to most of these places due to some or the other reasons. I am planning for one more session and that will be a better one and will cover more places which I missed this time.

The caves will be open for visitors in a month's time is what I am told. So I had to strike it out of our schedule - not sure I would have done that also.

@shishir, now you make me feel like a loser - I feel real bad to have missed this dam and backwaters - 'DAM'N !

[shishir_bn]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

@shishir, now you make me feel like a loser - I feel real bad to have missed this dam and backwaters - 'DAM'N !

Nothing like that brother. Anyhow next time when you go there visit those places. Phantom rock(Amazing view), Kuruva Island(nice place-Make sure you visit here before 3pm, as it is closed after 5pm),Karapuza dam(Nice back waters), National Museum (good heritage items can be seen here), Edakkal caves, Jain temple(very calm and clean place),Mutunga wild life(nothing can be seen here.Safari is a waste. You will lose 400/-. But early morning go to this pace to see the scenery)

[swiftnfurious]

Call it BAD LUCK, we had 3 pairs of rechargeable batteries and all of them failed to work at the same time. I was planning to visit the Wayanad ghat section after the Soochipara falls visit and wanted to go to Pookote lake on the way - but the thoughts of no photos forced me to cancel all the trips and go back home. What are these trips with good pics to rewind the memories ! Add to it 1 KM of solid steep / bad climb back from the falls [going was easy as you go down to see the falls] underlined my decision to cancel the rest of the trips for the day. We started back from the falls at 12.30 PM and reached the top by 1.30 PM!

While driving back, we started looking into the Wayanad tourism map and started to look out for places to visit and didnt strike anything good. Came back to Kalpetta and just before we entered the town, we saw a good hotel "Chembra resorts" or something and stopped there for lunch. We were the only people in the restaurant at 2 PM and they said they had fish curry meals and fish fry ! We settled for it and "Awesome" is the word we can use to describe the food. Charge was 75/- for meals + 80/- for some fish fry. Was a very good rate for the quality and quantity.

Now a new idea struck us - what about another movie?! And we knew "Traffic" is a good movie and wanted to watch it desperately. We looked in to the news paper and found it was being screened in a theatre at "Mananthavady" - 30 kms from Kalpetta. We kept a time of 1 hour for the journey and started at 3.30 PM from the hotel for the 5.30 PM show. We drove slow as the lunch was super heavy and I feel very happy when I have such homely Kerala meals ! The roads were once again nice and a small patch of 5 kms or so was bad. After driving for around 20 mins from Kalpetta and stopped the car to ask for directions. "6 kms from here" was the first answer - Haby & I looked face to face with eye brows bent like question marks ! What ?! 25 kms in 20 mins? "Da- pani thannenna thonnunne" [Da, looks like a fix to me] was my comment ! And we pushed off, stopped with half a km to check again. "4 kms from here" was the answer - So its confirmed. We were so wonder struck that the roads are so beautiful with lean traffic that we reached so early. And we found the theatre in no time and it was just 4.10 PM - So decided to fool around till its time.

Went to next chai shop and ordered for coffee and banana fry [I go crazy about that] and had it. May be because I was wearing a sun glass or we looked like aliens, the guys there struck conversation and it was a nice time. I remembered that there is a "Pazhassi Tomb" [Pazhassi Raja] somewhere in Mananthavady and thought we will pay a visit if its nearby - after all we had another 1 hour to kill before the movie started. So asked them and they said it was just .5 kms from the place.

So we went there, found it and visited the place. Nothing great about this place, but felt good to spend around 20 minutes looking thru the history and clicked some pics.

Pazhassi Tomb - Mananthavady:









From there we went back to the cinema, paid 30/- each for a dts enabled movie and came back happily as the movie was "terrific bang for the buck" - Call that Indian mentality, I have started looking VFM proportions in everything. Came back home - had a nice dinner [again fish fry] and hit the bed with the agenda to get up 4 AM and hit the road by 5.30 AM to go to Muthanga wild life safari.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by shishir_bn

Nothing like that brother. Anyhow next time when you go there visit those places. Phantom rock(Amazing view), Kuruva Island(nice place-Make sure you visit here before 3pm, as it is closed after 5pm),Karapuza dam(Nice back waters), National Museum (good heritage items can be seen here), Edakkal caves, Jain temple(very calm and clean place),Mutunga wild life(nothing can be seen here.Safari is a waste. You will lose 400/-. But early morning go to this pace to see the scenery)

Hey..please dont feel bad - that was just a funny statement from my side - but the pics are so beautiful and I love backwaters so much ! Next time , the trip is going to be properly planned and I will ensure that we visit all the places mentioned. Haby is a bit heavy and he has problems with walking long distances and is scared of deep water as well - So we decided to play safe as well. It was Haby's insistance that prevented us from getting into Muthanga as well - looks like we saved some good amount in that way.