Very Long Trip Report, Part 4 - Palakkad & Nelliampathy

kedgeman

Days 12 - 14 PALAKKAD (almost) + NELLIAMPATHY

(Photos here HERE)

Yet again we had another early start, to catch the 05.45am train from Kannur. Hyacinth had arranged to wake us and have a rickshaw waiting. So there we were at 04.30 am in the dark, ready for the next adventure. Hyacinth said she was going to come with us to the station as she had heard that there was the possibility of some demonstrations/ rallies, linked to the upcoming elections and she didn’t want us getting caught up in them. What a special person to do that for us at that time of the morning. Luckily the drive was uneventful and we arrived in plenty of time for our train, which was waiting. The rickshaw cost 200 rupees (I suppose it was extra due to the time of the morning). So we said our goodbyes and set off to grab a seat in a second class compartment. Luckily the train was starting from Kannur, so we easily got a window seat and it wasn’t that full. That however would soon change.
As the train headed further south more and more people boarded and it soon became sardine time. We had to laugh when a man climbed up onto the overhead luggage rack and promptly went to sleep!. Well throughout our 6 hour trip, we never once saw the ticket inspector, so never had the opportunity of upgrading (as it was a local train, we aren’t even certain there was any other option but second class). But to be honest, as we had the window, we didn’t find it too much of a hardship travelling cattle class. Oh, that is until the little boy near us was sick on the floor and then the woman next to me spilt her drink over my trousers. We were now experiencing the real India!!

Our destination was Palakkad (as suggested by George), and even though our original plan was not to backtrack, we realised, that sometimes when plans change, you have no option. So there we were stopped at Ottapalam station again which we had only left 5 days before.
Anyway we arrived at Palakkad station and set about getting our bearings. We were in no rush and first priority was to get something to eat. So we lugged our packs out of the station and turned left down the road where there where a couple of local “Hotels”. Found one that served VEG and sat down, much to the surprise of the owner. Again no English. So we stuck to the “Thali” option. The wife tried her Malayalam written, “No Meat, No Fish, No Chilli” piece of paper that George had given her. However we realised that in some places the food is already prepared and you just have to get what you are given. It was still a bit spicy for her, but she managed and it meant more for me! The thali was plentiful and only 60 rupees for the two of us. Once we finished, the owner came up and asked if he could take our photo. Obviously word from Ottapalam had spread that there where a couple of strange white tourists about, and he didn’t want to be the only one not to have our picture on his wall!!
We then walked back up to the station compound, where all the rickshaws where, and set about getting some transport sorted. Now the plan (as suggested by George) was to grab a rickshaw and get him to take us to the KTDC hotel. Ask the rickshaw to wait and then get him to take us to the Dhoni Waterfall, were we could trek for a while, then, get him to take us to Malampuzha Dam. That would have been the day taken care of and the next day we would head off to Nelliampathy. It had all sounded so easy when we were sat at the beach talking it through with George. However the first problem we had, was that none of the rickshaw drivers had heard of Dhoni Waterfall! Maybe it was again the fact that they couldn’t read English, or our pronunciation was rubbish, but we drew a blank. So we opted to just go to the KTDC hotel and try and get someone there to give the driver directions. Negotiated 100 rupees for the 10kms (he said) and set off.
India, still had one last trick up its sleeve. We got to the KTDC hotel and were met by a building site. The driver had a word with some of the workers, and then sort of explained to us that it was closed for maintenance!! He said there was another hotel further down the road and he took us there, but they were also having work done and the only room they had was a suite for 2,000 rupees. No thanks, not paying that to stay on a building site. (Tip – if you are thinking of staying in out of the way destinations, ring ahead!! We had tried this but couldn’t get an answer)
So we had to decide what to do. We knew that there were some hotels back in town, but the only reason we were in Palakkad was to go trekking, so didn’t want to stay back in town. We quickly decided to scrap staying in Palakkad altogether, and simply move on to Nelliampathy. Again we rang the place we wanted to stay, and confirmed they had a room for us. Then we found out that, unlike taxis, which assume they will travel back empty and thus charge you for both ways, rickshaws must assume they will pick up another fare on the way back. We needed to get to the bus station and this was further out of town, so the driver wanted 240 rupees for the round trip. We were in no position to argue and just went for it.

George had told us that we needed first to go to Nemmara , where we could pick up a connecting bus to Nelliampathy, and with the help of the locals at the bus station, we were soon speeding on our way. One hour later the conductor told us we were in Nemmara and we got off the bus to the usual surprise of the locals. They were very kind and showed where to catch the bus to Nelliampathy, which was just across the main road outside a small drinks shack. So we stood and waited. After about only 10 minutes a bus stopped with the conductor shouting “Nemmara, Nemmara, Nemmara”, so we thrust our backpacks up the stairs and squeezed ourselves on. The bus was completely full and we weren’t looking forward to having to stand for the next hour or so, as George had told us the road started to get very bendy. But after 1 minute the bus pulled up to the next stop and most of the people got off. So we had a choice of seats. Then the bus turned around and went back to where we had just been picked up, the remaining passengers and driver got off and all went into the drinks shack for a 10 minute pit stop!
Eventually everyone was refreshed and we set off again, passing fields and the glimpse of mountains in the distance. The bus went past the Pothundi reservoir, but we couldn’t see it due to the earth mound. However, once we reached the forest check post, the road started to climb and we were soon high above looking down on the parched reservoir. We could now understand why there were power cuts each evening, as there was very little water in the catchment area. (Sit on the left for the best views). The road starts twisting and turning and I started to wonder ,if, when they were building it, the workers had been threatened with death if they made a straight stretch longer than 100 metres!!! However the views where fantastic and we were now climbing the mountains we had seen from below. After about an hour of gear wrenching, somehow the bus made it up the steep road and pulled to a stop at the crossroads of Kaikatty/ Nelliampathy. As we got off we were approached by a jeep driver who asked where we were heading. George had recommended the Ciscillia Heritage and told us it was about 80 rupees for the jeep. This was exactly what the driver asked for, so it was refreshing to be given the correct price for once. Rucksacks and us in the back and we bumped and banged our way up through a beautiful tea plantation area, up to the accommodation, which was even signposted. Surprisingly Nelliampathy is covered in the Rough Guide to Kerala and even Ciscillias’ is listed.
We had been travelling all day and were quite tired and looking forward to a shower and some food. One of the first things we noticed was the difference in temperature here. It was a lot cooler and there were blankets provided on the bed. The rooms are not as described in the Rough Guide, which states they are “quaint wooden huts, overlooking tea gardens, with teak linings and solar powered hot water”. The rooms are actually in a brick built block, have corrugated tin ceilings and overlook the flowers gardens. But for 750 rupees including breakfast, we weren’t complaining, they were clean and spacious and had an attached bathroom. The sheets however were a bit damp and again we had to ask for top sheets. We did at first struggle to get hot water, but after repeated requests, we realised that the water comes from a heater in the restaurant block and you have to run it for ages until it arrives at your room. Once we cleaned up, we went to the restaurant, where we had “food”, which they put together for us, and then went to bed.

The following morning, we were the only people staying and we went to get our breakfast. We sat in the restaurant overlooking the beautiful flower garden (and sadly satellite dish) and tried to chat to the young man Apoo, who seemed to be in charge. Unfortunately, whilst he was very kind and helpful, he didn’t speak much English, and Joe the owner (who did speak English) had gone to Thrissur for the week. As soon as we finished breakfast and the dishes were cleared, Apoo asked if we wanted lunch. This is where we found out there wasn’t a menu. He simply said there was “Meals” or “Chapatti”. We asked what the “Chapatti” came with, to which he replied “OK you want Chapatti”. “No.. what is the Chappati?” He then said “No problem, you have “Chapatti”. We gave up with the Chapatti questions and tried “What is meals?”. But we got the “OK, you have meals”. We never did get to know what was on offer. But somedays we would have Chapattis, which was 3 chapattis and a couple of sauces. The rest of the time we had “Meals”, which comprised rice and a variety of dishes and sauces. All of it was quite tasty, and completely vegetarian. So basically if you thought you would be hungry, you ordered “Meals” and if you just wanted a light meal, you ordered “Chapattis”..., easy! You simply told him what time you wanted it. Oh, and also what time you wanted hot water.

Now the guidebook seems to suggest that Nelliampathy is the sort of place that doesn’t really have any wildlife or conventional tourist sights, but is more of a destination for trekking and for taking in the scenery. So that is what we intended to do. We had brought our trekking boots and it was time to give them a work out. We had no idea where to go but decided to head left from the restaurant and up to the viewpoint, as we had seen a sign pointing this way. After walking for about 10 minutes we came to an electrified wire fence, which was presumably the boundary of Ciscillias’. It didn’t look like it would deter any large animals, and in fact I doubt whether it was ever switched on. So we climbed through it and continued uphill. We heard a loud bird noise from one of the nearby trees and then saw a Giant Hornbill fly past and perch on a branch of another tree in the distance. It was an amazing sight. We also thought that the colours of some of the trees were very pretty.
The path continued uphill for quite a way and it eventually brought us out onto a wide open expanse of grassland. Dotted around this area were patches of elephant dung. Although it appeared quite old, it did show that there had been elephants present at some point. The views from the hillside were spectacular, it was just a shame that it was so hazy/misty in the far distance. We finally got to the top and decided to have a quick look into a small patch of trees on our left. As we approached the trees, we heard a slight noise and stopped. I then heard something make a rustling sound and shouted for the wife to run for it. We weren’t taking any chances. We had read that wild bison could be dangerous and we weren’t hanging around to find out if that was true. So, we both ran away and climbed, panting, onto a large rock and looked back. Nothing to be seen!. Upon reflection, I think it was most likely a deer running away from us. But who knows! Anyway, the rock proved to be a great spot to take some photos, so all was not lost. We slowly made our way back down, admiring the view and watching butterflies float past. Arriving back about 12.30, we had our lunch and ordered “Meals” for our dinner, later on.

To the right of the restaurant was a large expanse of jungle, and we asked if it was possible to trek through it. Apoo seemed to say it was Ok, so that was the afternoon trek sorted. We went round the rear of Ciscillias’ and met one of the ladies who was working in the garden. She gestured to us to follow her and she took us to some of the fruit trees, where she picked some fruits and gave them to us. We didn’t know what they were, but the ripe ones were yellowish green and inside was pink flesh. They were really nice and we later on found out they were most probably guava. Anyway, we carried on and found a small track up, into the jungle. This came out above Ciscillias’ on the side of a hill which had an outcrop of really tall bamboo plants, rustling in the most welcome breeze. Part of this hillside and the adjoining one had been badly burnt and we realised why the national parks like Wayanad and Chinoor had closed down. Due to the fire, the path had been destroyed, so we just judged what we thought was the best way back down into the jungle. Now I say jungle, but it was most probably more like dense tropical forest. We didn’t require a machete to hack our way through. We walked onwards listening to the birds and it was so peaceful. Then up ahead I spotted what looked like monkeys in the trees, Out with the binoculars and we could see that it was a whole troop of black monkeys. We watched them for quite a while until they moved off and we moved on, again not really knowing where we were going. But generally trying to head down and to the right where Ciscillias’ was. Then suddenly, we looked up at a noise overhead and there was the troop of black monkeys, sitting in the branches, looking down at us. We just stood still and watched them feeding and playing. We must have observed them for about 30 minutes until they got bored with us and moved off again. Wow, were we having a great time or what. However after trekking on for another 15 minutes or so, we began to realise that we didn’t really know if we had gone way past Ciscillias’ or not. We could just end up walking for hours in the undergrowth. The wife convinced me it was time to head back and retrace our steps up the hill. At least we knew we could get back that way. So, that’s what we did and got back mid afternoon, for a cup of tea and a welcome sit down.
But after a recharge, we thought there was just enough time for an early evening stroll. After all the hot water hadn’t been ordered until 6.00pm! On our way up to the viewpoint earlier on, we had spotted a track going off to the right, before the electric fence, so thought we would explore. This again took us to another part of the fence and again we climbed through. The track led us slightly downhill and past some trees where I was convinced we would again see the Giant Hornbill. There were other birds, and trees with huge fruits (jackfruit, breadfruit?), but we never again saw the hornbill.
The track eventually came to a sharp left hand bend, where it rose sharply uphill. We could tell that if we attempted the ascent of this almost shear path, it would lead us back towards the viewpoint. But it was either that or turn back. Most sensible people would have turned around and gone back, but as you can guess by now, that’s not always what we do. We should have gone back, but instead we headed up and hoped we could manage it without the need of ropes. Ok it wasn’t that steep, but it was one hell of a way to get your shirt all sweaty. So up we went. Not only did we climb up this hill, but then we carried on and climbed all the way back up to the top of the viewpoint again. Just to see if the haze had cleared at all. Which it had, a bit. We plonked ourselves down on a rock, to rest our weary legs and take in the view. I just happened to glance down and there in front of us was a snake quietly slithering through the grass. It wasn’t very big, but it was long. On our way back down we stopped to sit on some rocks overlooking the tea plantations and forest area. The sun was starting to get lower and the colours were becoming richer. Then to top off the day, in the distance we heard an elephant trumpeting three times. They were out there somewhere. So much for there not being much wildlife around the area. We had seen so much already and it was only our first day!!

The following day, our legs had recovered from all the uphill walking and we decided we would head off downhill, through the tea plantation area, in the direction the jeep had brought us. This was a beautiful trek, through the countryside, walking alongside the tea bushes. We met some men who were spaying the plants with “Urea”, which is fertilizer. They were very happy to have a chat with us and explain the growing and picking process. Down the hill and we came to a right hand path, the road bent left, but we decided to wander off into the tea plantation. There were a group of Tamil ladies having a break in the shade of a large tree and they all smiled and waved as we walked past. They asked where we were going and we said that we weren’t really sure, just walking. Next we headed in the direction of a small wooded plantation up ahead and trekked though until we found a path. Part of this area had been cleared and cardamom plants were everywhere. It was quite pleasant to be walking in the shade, again with nobody about. Once we cleared the trees we were back into the tea plantation and we had the whole area to ourselves. Stopping by a small pool of water, we decided to have a rest and sit in the shade. We spotted a colourful bird on a post, and simply took in the peacefulness of our surroundings. We had just set off again, when the wife pointed over to the tea bushes and there was a small brown deer, making its way along the edge. It hadn’t spotted us and we could watch it for a few minutes until it disappeared into the bushes again. We felt we had been really lucky, in the few days we had been here, spotting wildlife.
We followed the path and it brought us to a road which we took. Up ahead we heard some noise and saw a troop of brown monkeys swinging their way between the branches and over the road. We tried to follow them, but they weren’t for hanging around whilst we got our cameras out. That’s nature for you!
This road eventually brought us back, luckily, onto the main road and we turned right, again heading towards the crossroads at Kaikatty. We had simply done a large circular trek and were now close to the tea pickers lodging quarters. As we walked through this area, the ladies were leaving, after their lunch break, and they followed us down the road. We looked like the Pied Piper, with everyone behind us! But as always, they were all extremely friendly, and had no objections to us taking photos. We pressed on down the road, and after about another 30 minutes, decided we had gone far enough in the direction of the crossroads and would slowly head back. Turning left off the road, we went up hill through the tea bushes. We could see power cables and posts at the top of the hill and reasoned there should be a track. Surprisingly there were cows grazing in amongst these bushes, but we were later told they don’t really destroy much of the crop.
At the top, there was indeed a track and a few houses. Right led down to a large tea factory, but left was the direction back to Ciscillias. As we were stood there, taking in the view, the locals from the houses spotted us and came out to wave and shout hello. One little girl came running up and gave us some of the guava fruits and then ran off giggling, back to her parents. We waved and shouted Nanni (which we pronounced, nunknee), and were yet again bowled over by their friendliness.

We were now walking down the track and came to a junction, at the top of a patch of jungle. The path left, skirted round the tea bushes, whilst the path straight on seemed wider, greater used and a more direct route leading through the trees. So that is the one we took. As we set off down this path, we again noticed dollops of elephant dung, some old and some fairly new. This again confirmed that elephants were indeed somewhere in the Nelliampathy area. The path slowly descended downhill and we came upon a pair of concrete pillars with a chain across which had been pushed over. We reckoned only elephants could have done this. Sure enough, further on, we spotted a few branches on the trees either side of the track, which had been snapped. It was a very pleasant stroll downhill and was very peaceful. Then I thought I heard a noise. So we stopped and listened. Suddenly there was a tremendous crashing of branches from the jungle on our left followed by an ear splitting bellow of an elephant trumpeting. It could only have been about 10 meters away from us!!!! We ran and ran for our lives, glancing over our shoulders, expecting to see a charging elephant. Back up the hill, we ran, until we couldn’t physically go any further. We will never know if the elephant ever did come out of the jungle, but weren’t hanging around to find out. Looking back on it, the most sensible thing would have been to run down hill, as it would have been easier. But our natural instincts were to run back the way we had come, and, as we are still alive whilst I write this, it can only have been the correct thing to do. It was one of the most frightening experiences of our lives, that elephant did not sound happy. It most probably only wanted to frighten us, and it certainly achieved its objective!!
Once we both regained our breath and our legs stopped shaking, we retraced our steps back up the hill and took the other path alongside the tea bushes. This however soon turned right and started to lead us downhill, with the edge of the jungle on our right. We walked like we were stepping on eggshells, stopping every now and again to listen. We were petrified. There were noises coming from the jungle, which could have been elephants moving around, but didn’t seem that close. So we chanced it and carried on down this path. It eventually brought us out back down into the tea plantation area where the pickers were working. I felt like rushing up to them and telling them what had happened, but I didn’t.
The walk back was quite tranquil compared to what had happened. Took a photo of a bug, that looked as dangerous as the elephants, and got back to Ciscillias for mid afternoon. The day wasn’t over yet and we still had time to plod our way back up to the viewpoint for our last look out over the surrounding countryside, as the sun sank lower. Then it was back down again for our last meal of “don’t know what” and pack up ready for our departure the following morning.
The next day was going to be a toughie, as we were heading to Munnar and back onto the tourist trail.