own to me... atleast till Saturday last... It's a place that's often been in the news and mostly for the wrong reasons. The issue (at Muthanga) between the tribal populace and the government had taken such an ugly turn that it shook the very base of the ruling Govt. at that point in time. There were also lots of people visiting the place. The mountains and the natural settings of the place offered many people time in peace away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It also offered the adventurous a chance to stretch their legs and go on energy-sapping treks and rock-climbing expeditions. But all this was still only hearsay to me... and I'd daresay to most of our gang that chose Wayanad as the place to go for a trip together, before we went our ways. Most of them had got fabulous opportunities to pursue their higher education in some of the better universities abroad/here. Some had got opportunities to work on-site for their firms. Some of us like me had nothing happening, but this was a chance to spend some quality time with all these fellas who had become very close friends.
We, i.e. the 12 of us, left Bangalore on the night of Friday, 25 May. We had booked for a Tempo Traveler (TT) and that was a decision that offered us a lot of convenience and time. The journey was fun - unlimited. Atleast till everyone decided to put up their legs and close their eyes. It all started at Kids Kemp on MG Road, the first pick up point, where most of us assembled. Then we picked up the rest of the gang on the way to Mysore Road. And then started the journey. We stopped first at a temple on the way to Mysore, people offering prayers to ensure a safe trip and then we got on our way again.
The first pit-stop came at the magnificent Mysore Palace. We must be the rare ones who chose to visit it at 1 a.m. The palace with all the lighting and the golden shimmer looked beautiful. We stopped, admired the beauty of the place snapped up a few moments. Then we went on. Away from Mysore. Via Gundalpet, Bandipur and then the historic Sultan Bathery. By the time we'd gone past Gundalpet, most of our boys had decided to shut shop. All were preparing mentally for the treks that lay ahead, I believe :-). Bandipur didn't throw up any of the resources it holds to our waiting eyes, apart from a herd of deer... That itself was a scene remarkably beautiful. Their grace and movement... Aaah... Simply regal!!!
The night went with one more stop for tea in some cold place. The name I can't recollect. But the hot tea, I can't forget. By around 6, we'd reached Kalpetta... The driver, though, suggested that we go another 10 - 15 kms ahead... he talked about a view-point. He had a glint in his eye as he talked about it. We knew we simply had to go there. Now getting off the TT at 6.30 a.m. and looking down from those heights... Whattay sight!!! It was like we had landed straight into paradise... first thing in the morning. From then we all had a positivity about us. We knew this trip would be special.
The place has a remarkable beauty to it. Be it the stunning waterfalls or the beautiful peaks; the curving roads or the opulent tea gardens; the place has beauty that is natural and, like with most of nature's creations, mesmerizing. We tried capturing the beauty of the sight on our cameras. But the pictures will never tell the whole story. You must have imagination and use it to imagine a sight that is a gazillion times more magical than what the images convey. From here, having seen this beauty of a sight, we set off, back towards Kalpetta town. PPS Tourist home, where we had booked rooms, awaited us. As we reached the town, people guided us to the place and we were there, in no time. As we checked in, we realized we didn't have all the rooms we booked for. We'd asked for 4. We had only 2. That proved a blessing in disguise. We needed the rooms only to sleep in. And 4 beds in a room were good enough to house 6.
I hadn't slept all night. The journey was beautiful. Night journeys always are. The enveloping darkness fondles you in her arms and cajoles so much distress away, light finds you a changed man. This journey through the night was no different. But at times no sleep can leave you weary. But the bath in ice-cold water was such a lifter. Everyone was getting ready and by about 10 we left the place to find ourselves some breakfast. After a decent meal, and having made inquiries and a plan, we left to our first destination - Soochippara falls.
Every one was in high spirits. We were all looking forward
to the trek and the waterfall at the end of it. We reached the vehicle park at around 12, I think. The curving roads, the high mountains, the clouds and the tea-estate all made for a fabulous sight. The journey to Soochippara was close to 25 kms from Kalpetta town, I think. But the sights around made it an absolute pleasure. We reached the place at around 12 noon, I think. From the vehicle park, it is a 1.5 - 2 k.m. walk down to the actual falls. The path though is neatly covered with stone slabs that makes it a lot easier for more people to make it to the falls with less risk. A few snaps of the road and some attempts at heroism later, we were 
making the walk down to the falls. It was not too difficult and we reached the falls in about 20 minutes. The sight that greeted us was beautiful again. Water falling from a great height always is a pleasure to see. This was no different.The slightly more adventurous chose to venture in to the water. At places it was really slippery with all the water making the rocks soft and the algal growth not helping our cause either. A few really brave ones got under the water fall. And from their reactions, I could gather that it was an experience. They enjoyed their time under the sun... water rather. I tried capturing a video of them in there, shouting at the to
p of their voices. Slightly less adventurous people [ ;-) ] chose to wet their feet in the cold water and return. We took as many photos as we could, shot a few videos and then decided to bit adieu to the place. Nothing worse than saying goodbye to places as beautiful as these. But our journey had to go on. And so it did. Packing our bags, we embarked on the long trek upwards. Now this was no piece of cake. Going up is always a strain on the knees and back, atleast mine. And after a while, it started hurting. I kept going (not that I had a choice :-), but still) and after a while the climb eased out. I still was at the rear end of the team. That though was good. I stopped by the side for some minted lime juice. Two glasses later, i was fresh again. Now there was not much left back to where our TT was. So once we made it there, it was time to get into the comfort of the TT and onto our next stop. Meenmutty falls. Now atleast to the onlooker like me, Soochippara was a walk in the park. Meenmutty is where it all began.(to be contd....)
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