Wayanad 'Blues'...Momentz to Cherish...

The return journey on Sunday was as eventful as d onward journey...But all of us were pretty tired...Each one had jus a single thought in mind 'Yaar kal firse office' :(...Datz d reality of life folks...We had a rocking weekend !!!...And frm tommorrow everyone of us wll get busy wid der professional life...But yes memoriez wll stay on as dis was one of the most memorable trips we have been to for a long long time...!! :)


Leaving u wid some of dose memorable momentz ...

Picasa Album

Note : Last few posts were my first attempt at a new form of writing where I have tried to narrate a story through discrete instances of dialogue ...Dont knw hw well dis goes wid the reader which s why I wud love a few critics here nd der !!! :)
So do rope in ur commentz...!!

Coming Up ...Goan Delight !!!

Wayanad 'Blues' ...Chapter 3 - Eddakkal 'N' The Leopard Sighting..

Saturday - 8:00 am (Breakfast Table - Wynberg)

Sid : 'Em luvin dis stuff...!!'
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Itz called Puttu...Typical Kerela dish !!' :)
Sam : 'Me too...And d concentrated grape juice as well !!' :)
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Glad dat u like d food ...How ws ur day yesterday ??...Wher all did u go ??'
Prutz : 'Soochipara, Kanthampara nd on our way back made a quick stop at Phantom Rock !!' :)
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Oh...U went to Phantom Rock as well...!!' :)
Sam : 'And hav taken some crazy pics der !!' :)
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Hmmm...Den wht abt today ??...Wher all are u plannin to go ??'
Sid : 'How far is Eddakkal from here ?'
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Datz very near...But if u want to go to d top of the hill den u wll need atleast half a day for d trek'
Sid : 'Ok...Den we shud get moving...We are planning to go to Muthanga in d evening if we hav time !!' :)
Mrs. Vanchy : 'D Open jeep safari at Muthanga starts at 3:30 in d evening and closes by 5 ...Make sure u reach der before 5:00 pm else u wont get entry !!'

Saturday - 11:30 am (Eddakkal Caves)
Sid : 'Man ...Dis s serious trekkin...!!'
Sam : 'Yup...R we goin up der for sure ??'
Prutz : ' Dude...We hav come so far...Bas aur thodi hi duur hai...Chal yaar !!'
Sam : 'Agree wid u dude but wht if it rains ??...Dese rocks have sand on dem nd dey wll get very slippery...We can't climb wid shoes on...And moreover agar fisal bhi gaye to kisiko pata bhi nahi chalega ki kahan gire ...Chaaron taraf gehri khayi hai !!'
Sid : 'Hmmm...Yes we will be in trouble gettin down too if it rains...D weather has been gud so far but jus cant trust our luck blindly...!!'
Debi : 'Guyz if a heavyweight like me cn make it...Y can't u ??'
Prutz : 'He has a point...Ek kaam karte hain ...We wll go till 100 mtrz frm d summit...Den we head back...Wat say ??'
Sid : 'Ok...'
Sam : 'Loved dat narrow opening on d way...The air was gushin thru d rocks :)...Fultoo chilled out place ...Shud hav stayed der a lil longer !!' :(
Prutz : 'Ya ...Dat place ws awesome...And refreshin too !!'
Sid : 'We will sit der fr a lil longer on our way back...D rope climb ws scary though !!'
Sam : 'Yep it ws...Btw we din't go to d caves...Shud make a stop der as well on our descend...'

Saturday - 1:15 pm (Base point - Eddakkal Caves)
Sid : 'Dis jeep ride s mindblowing...'
Sam : 'Ya I loved it on d way up...Y dont we switch places...U guyz take d back seats now...Dat s more fun !!' :P
Prutz : 'Ya rite...Der wll be a sudden spurt in ur metabolic activity !!'
Debi : 'Hehe..I wud luv dat after 2 glasses of chilled Lime Soda !!' :)

Saturday - 2:30 pm (Somewhere Near Sulthan Bathery)
Sid : 'Letz hav some fud guyz...Den we head for Muthanga...!!'
Debi : 'Same place...Same stuff...Aur kuch khane ko milta bhi nahi hai yahan...' :(
Prutz : ' Dude dis s Kerela...Most of d stuff s cooked in Cocunut Oil...It wll take time for ur palate to get adjusted !!' :P
Sam : 'Don't worry ...U will like it eventually !!' :P

Saturday - 4:30 pm (Inside Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary - Open Jeep Safari)
Guide (Shouting) : 'Leopard...Leopard...Leopard...!!!'
Sam : 'Where ??????????'
Guide : 'Dere sir...On dat branch...Take a photo sir ...Quick !!'
Sam (Standing on top of the jeep) : 'Let me get a clear sight first...'
Guide : 'Sir u ppl r really lucky...Ppl haven't sighted a Leopard fr years...Even d District Magistrate had come twice but gone back widout luck...!!'
Sid : 'Trust our luck now...No rains for d past few dayz...And now d rare sighting...Guyz we rock !!' :)
Guide : 'Sir I will give u a call when u reach Bangalore...We need dat pic for display...It wud be great if u cud send it across...!!'
Sam : 'Sure...No problemo...!!' :)

Saturday - 8:15 pm (Dinner - Wynberg Resorts)
Mr & Mrs.Vanchy : 'Heard u guyz had a leopard sighting ???'
Sid : 'Yes we did...At first we din't realize dat dis was such a rare event but ya itz beginning to sink in now !!' :)
Mr.Vanchy : 'Well show me d pic...Not a lot of ppl r fortunate like U !!'
Sam :' Here it is...Quitely perched on top of dat branch...Was very far though !!'
Prutz : 'On our way back frm Muthanga I guess we wud hav shown dis pic to more dan a dozen ppl !!'
Mr. Vanchy (Smiling) : 'Yes...Datz how rare d sightings are ...Send dis pic to my mail Id...I wll update it in d website...Wynberg needs more nature enthusiasts like U !!'
Sam : 'Sure sir...Wud luv to...Even d forest department wants d pic !!' :)
Mr.Vanchy : 'Yes itz a big thing for dem as well...As dis wll boost up der dwindling revenues as well...I guess U ppl r leaving tmrw afternoon rite ??'
Sid : 'Ya...We don't want to go anywhere tmrw...Spend some time at d resort in d morning and den head back to Bangalore at around 12 noon !!'
Mr. Vanchy : 'Ok...Gud luck guyz...God Bless U !!'

Coming Up ... Picasa Link

Wayanad 'Blues'...Chapter 2 - Off Rocks 'N' WaterFalls..

Friday - 12:45 am (Coffee Plantations - Near Wynberg Resorts)

Following the Resort Guy - 'Suresh'
Sid : 'God...What kinda roads r dese ??'
Sam : 'Inside dense forest...Amidst a coffee plantation...Wht did u expect ??'
Sid : 'Hmmm...Hope dis place s not vry far...Dese roads r not meant for small cars dude' :(
Prutz : 'Guyz ...Derz lightin dere...Datz our resort I guess...!!'
Debi : 'Finally ...!!!'

Friday - 8:30 am (Breakfast Table - Wynberg Resorts)
Mrs. Vanchy (Resort Owner's Wife) : 'Good Morning Guyz :)...How ws ur travel ?...Had any problems finding dis place ?'
Sid : 'We actually took a longer route and miscalculated d time...Shud hav reached here much earlier...Nywayz reached finally !!!' :)
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Yes datz wht I was thinkin too...What took u so long to reach here...It takes around 5 nd a half hours from Bangalore...U ppl shud hav been here before 10 pm...Nywayz hav u decided on which places to visit ??
Sam : 'We do hav certain places in mind but nothing fixed as such...Probably u can tell us which are d best places to check out...!!'
Mrs. Vanchy : 'Itz monsoon time nd unfortunately some of d places like Kuruva Dweep Islands r closed...If you hav time den u can go to Meenmutty Falls and Chembra Peak...Dese two places require quite a bit of trekking and u will need one full day for each of dem...!!'
Sid : 'We only hav 2 dayz...So probably would like to visit places which r nearby nd which cn be covered quickly !!'
Mrs. Vanchy : 'In dat case u cn visit Soochipara and Kanthampara Falls today...And tommorrow u cn go to Eddakkal Caves and Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary...If u hav time on Sunday morning den u cn go to Meenmutty Falls...I will give u d route maps to dese places'
Sid : 'Hmmm...Dat shud b fine !!:)'

Friday - 12:30 pm (On d way to 'Soochipara' Falls)
Debi : 'Awesome view guyz...Check dis out ...'
Prutz : 'Yep...Tea carpets all around...Abe ek foto session karte hain na yahan pe ??' :)
Sid : 'Hmmm...Not a bad idea...!!' :)
(After a few clickz...)
Sid : 'I guess we reached...'
Debi : 'Can u hear d sound of water gushin ??...Itz vry faint though !!'
Sam : 'Yep...Datz d falls fr sure...!!'
Sid : 'Ok..D parkin s here...I guess we need to trek a km or so to get to d falls !!'

Friday - 1:15 pm ('Soochipara' Falls)
Sam : 'D last time I came here...Water ws scarce...So we had gone till d foot nd took bath...I guess early monsoons call for a different story...D mist s gettin inside my lens !!'
Sid : 'D rocks r slippery too...Watch ur step guyz...Dis place s a beauty !!' :)
Debi : 'Absolutely fantastic...Heaven on earth !!' (Looking Up N Widening Arms)
Sam : 'Meenmutty s supposed to b d best of d lot...But reachin der wud require a lot of time...Den comes Soochipara...Der s one more on d way to Nagarhole called Irupu Falls...Datz also a gud one I hav heard !!'
Prutz : 'Oye baad mein decide karna best kaunsa hai...Abhi foto khincho meri Titanic pose wali' :)
Sid : 'Ruk ruk...Main bhi aata hun...!!'
Sam : 'Waah kya jodi hai...!!' :)

Friday - 2:30 pm (On d way to 'Kanthampara' Falls)
Sid : 'Guyz ...Em starvin...Do we need to go to dis place or shud we head back to Sulthan Bathery and hav some food ??'
Sam : 'We hav come dis far...Letz chk it out na...Don't wry dat Lime Soda u had at Soochipara wll keep u goin !!'
Debi : 'Haan yaar...Itni duur aa gaye hain...Letz chk it out...But d road doesnt seem to get better' :(

Friday - 3:15 pm ('Kanthampara' Falls)
Sid : 'Dis isnt much gr8...Soochipara was far better !!'
Sam : 'Dis s d younger sister of Soochipara...Nd d elder sister is much more scenic...!!' :)
Prutz : 'U cant get to d water here...Jus d view !!' :)
Sam : 'Wait lemme try nd get a better view frm down dere...' (Rushes down 50 meters)
Sam (Shouting) : 'Guyz...Dis view s awesome...Cm nd chk it out...!!'

Friday - 4:15 pm (Lunch Table - Jubilee Restaurant - Sulthan Bathery)
Sid : 'Thak gaya yaar drive karke...Der s lot of mud cover on both front nd rear wheels...D road to Kanthampara ws a real bender...Need to wash d car badly'
Sam : 'To fir aaj aur kahin nahi ja payenge ??' :(
Sid : 'Yaar datz a compromise we got to take...Need d car in gud condition for d return journey as well rite ??'
Sam : 'Ok...Letz c if we can get dis done somewhere nearby...Btw saw a signboard for Phantom Rock somewhere on d way...Shud b nearby...If we hav time we can go der before it getz dark !!'
Sid : 'Hmm...Thik hai...!!'

Friday - 6:00 pm ('Phantom Rock')
Phantom Rock - A huge Rock delicately hanging from d top of a Hill...
Debi : 'Dis place demands creative photography ...Wht do u say guyz ??'
Sam : 'Hmm...Nice place though...!!'
Sid : 'And vry quiet...Gr8 place fr real mushy mushy stuff !!!' :)
Prutz : 'Guyz...Howz my 'Jai Veer Hanuman' pose ???' :)
Sam : 'Ok...Freeze rite der...Let me get dat shot !!' :)
Debi : 'I want d Smokey Dokey shot too !!'
Sam : ' Yup ...Got dat too !!' :)
Sid : 'Are you takin a video...?? '
Sam : 'Yup...And dis s 'Sid'...And introducin Mr.Hanuman aka 'Prutz'...Abe koi to gana gao yaar !!'
(Prutz starts singing d trip anthem 'Dhinka Marina' and even dances to d tune) :)

Friday - 8:30 pm (On d Way back to Resort)
Sid : 'Shud we pack some food or ask Mrs.Vanchy to prepare dinner for us ??'
Debi : 'Letz pack something yaar...!!'
Sam : 'Yep...Nywayz itz late to inform her now...So letz pack food from d same place we had our lunch ...Wht do u say Prutz ??'
Prutz : 'Yep...No issues...Em starting to like d Kerela cuisine a lil bit !!' :)

To Be Continued ...

Wayanad 'Blues'...Chapter 1 - The Bumpy Ride..

Thursday - 3:20 pm (Sidz Place)

Sam : 'Sorry guyz...Got caught up !!...Chalo letz move...We r already running late'
Sid : 'Hmmm...Called up Debi...Hez takin a cert xam of sorts...Wll b free by 4 pm...We r gonna b late nywayz...!!' :(
Prutz : 'Yaar...Letz go to Debiz ofc...Wll wait fr him der....Derz no oder option !!'
Sid : 'K..Letz move den !!'

Thursday - 3:45 pm (Accenture - Bang 4)
Sid (On Call) : 'Dude...We r waitin outside ur ofc...Aur kitna late karega ??'
Debi (On Call) : 'Bas yaar...Nikal raha hun...Almost done wid d xam...Giv me 5 min !!' (Hang Up)

Thursday - 6:15 pm (Somewhere on Mysore Road)
('Du Hast' playin ...)
Sid : 'Phew...Hell of a ride guyz...Hav been drivin at 120kz/h ...Em lovin it !!' :)
Prutz : 'Yeah ...Wanted a break badly...Em lovin it too !!...Btw Debi seems to b lost somewher ??'
Debi : 'Dudez...I thnk I flunkd d test !!'
Sam : 'Whaaaat ??'
Debi : 'Yep...A frnd hd called...I dint make it...Nywayz big deal...Dey wont kick me out...!!':)
Sid : 'Guyz...Datz Debi...Yo dude...Lov dat attitude !!

Thursday - 7:45 pm (Cafe Coffee Day - Near Gundulpet)
Sid : 'Yaar aur kitni duur hai...??'
Sam : 'Shudnt be much far frm here...But shud b fun frm here on...Bandipur s rite next !!' :)
Sid : 'Whoaa...Hav never driven thru a jungle at nite...Saala bhagwaan bachaaye'
Sam : 'Yep...Jus dont forget to switch off ur engine nd lights whn u c some wild beast on d road...Nd ya dont honk too !!...Dey kinda take it personally' :)
Sid : 'Ya rite ...Wll remember dat...Of all ppl I was d one pushin to leave early...Aab tak pahunch gaye hote !'
Prutz : 'Hmmm...Datz true !!...Chalo no point wandering around here...D road ahead doesnt seem much convincin either...Letz move !!'

Thursday - 9:30 pm (Somewhere inside Bandipur forest)
Sid (Turns off d lite music playin) : 'Dis s scary boss...Guyz dint bargain fr dis...Itz pitch dark, visibility almost zero and thick forest on both sides...And itz chilly outside too...!!'
Sam : 'Ohhh Shit...Ws dat a leopard...???'
Prutz : 'OMG...I saw it too...Shit man...Jus crossed d road...Cud clearly c d spots !!'
Debi : 'By d luks of it...Seemed like a kiddo...!'
Sid : 'Kiddo may b...But a leaopard alrite...Letz get d hell outta here man...!!'

Thursday - 10:15 pm (Bandipur - Mudumalai Near Karnataka/TN Border)
(After a few more sightings of Bison/Elephants)
Sid : 'R we thru wid d forest ??'
Sam : 'Bas thoda aur...Fir we hit d Calicut road enroute to Sultan Bathery !!' :)
Sid (In conversation with the forest official) : 'How far s Sultan Bathery frm here??'
(Forest Ranger seems unfazed and murmurs something in Tamil)
Sam : 'I guess he says itz nt far off...We shud c some sign board on d Calicut road !!'
Sid : 'Ya rite...Hope we make it to our resort today !!'

Thursday - 10:45 pm (Calicut road - Near Sultan Bathery)
Prutz : 'I guess we took a wrong turn and came via d road to Ooty...Shud hav taken a diversion at Gundulpet I guess...Messed it up !!' :(
Sid : 'U mean we cud have skipped d forest ??'
Prutz : 'Nope...Bandipur - Mudumalai - Muthanga ...All r parts of the same forest area spread across 3 states...We took d longer route via Bandipur...Shud hav taken d by-pass via Muthanga...!!'
Sid : 'Ya rite...Datz y d resort owner was sayin dat we wll make it in 5 nd half hours frm Bang...Ofcourse we took d wrong turn...!!' :(
Sam : 'Leopard sighting already nd we havent reached yet...Luk at d brighter picture guyz...Shudnt be far frm here...!!' :)

Thursday - 11:30 pm (Sultan Bathery)
Sid (Asking a passer by) : 'How far s Meenangudi frm here ?'
Passerby : 'Straaaiit road...(in typical Mallu accent)'
Sam : 'We r in Kerela alrite!!' :)
Sid : 'Ok...Shud c some signboard somewhere...Seems to b a big town !!'
Sam : 'It is...Call up Vanchy (resort owner) and tell him dat we r on our way to Meenangudi.. Will call again once we reach Vazzavetta...!!'
Sid : 'Yup...Em doing dat!!.. The route map says we take a left at Golden Bakery in Meenangudi for Vazzavetta'
Sam : 'Yep...D resortz 3 kms frm Vazzavetta'

Friday - 12:15 am (Vazzavetta - Near Wynberg Resort)
Sid : 'D resort guy asked to wait here...Itz inside a coffee plantation..he wll guide us to d place !!'
Sam : 'Itz late...Shud hav been lazin away at d resort by now!' :(
Prutz : 'Guyz em dead tired !'
Sid : 'Ya..U temme...I em d one drivin here !!' :(
Debi : 'Chill Guyz...We r all gonna hit d sack once we reach d resort...Atleast we made it till here !!' :)

To Be Continued ...