Very Long Trip Report, Part 6 - Periyar + Tiger Trail

kedgeman

Days 19 – 21: PERIYAR/KUMILY/THEKKADY & (TIGER TRAIL)

PHOTOS - HERE

So we’d sorted out the car and driver in Munnar and we were soon leaving the town behind. We did feel a little guilty travelling in this manner instead of our usual bus adventures. But we’d read that the scenery between Munnar and Periyar was spectacular, and we just knew we would want to stop and take photos.

It was only 8.45am, but already the mist was covering the hills. Possibly it was because of the rain in the evenings, that we’d had, coupled with the high humidity. Anyway it didn’t make for great photos, but did make the ghats look moody and mysterious. We were soon back into the tea plantations and hopping out the car to snap away before the mist completely obliterated the views. Did manage to get some shots of an old KSRTC bus chugging its way up the steep hills and thought normally that would have been us inside it. Next stop was the compulsory photos at the Lockhart Gap. But again it was misty and to be honest we’d seen better views in Nelliampathy. So we carried onward, passing waterfalls that were completely dry. However we did stop at one, 3km from the Periakanal Tea Estate that had a dribble of water running down. The driver wasn’t that impressed, but it looked like this was the best we were going to see. The next stop was overlooking the Idukki Dam, but sadly, again, it was very misty. From what we could see the water level looked pretty low and rain would be welcomed (but only after we’d finished our holiday thank you very much). Our driver asked if we’d like to have a look at a Spice Garden on our way, so we agreed and he turned off the main road and took us to the Chirackal Spice Gardens. We had to pay 100 rupees each to have a guided tour (maybe the driver got a little grease for dropping us here), but I have to admit it was quite interesting. The guide was very informative about all the spices and herbs and there wasn’t an ailment on this planet that couldn’t be cured with one of their remedies!! It was very pleasant wandering around for about half an hour and stretching our legs. They even had watch towers up in the trees where you could climb up and have a view across the gardens. They had even built a tree house near the entrance where you could stay for 1500 rupees a night. I was given a viewing and it was very clean, if not a little on the small side. Of course the tour ends up in the shop, but we had no need of anything (apart from maybe elephant repellent!! (See Nelliampathy report) and they weren’t too pushy

Then we were back into the car and on our way again. After this stop the scenery was very average and we didn’t spot anything worth stopping for. Also the driver seemed like he wanted to get to Periyar ASAP and still have time to return to Munnar before dinner. Don’t know if there is a back road system to Periyar, but he seemed to be taking a lot of smaller side roads off the main road. Obviously to avoid traffic jams!! So we plodded on through lots of small towns and eventually arrived at the sprawl of Kumily/ Thekkady.

We, as usual had done our forum research and had an idea of where we wanted to stay. The driver asked if we had booked and when we said no he dropped us off at The Wildernest. It looked very nice, but it was on the main road and also looked like it was beyond what we wanted to pay (a quick browse in the Rough Guide confirmed this). So we asked him to take us to The Green View Homestay, which is located on the bypass road. This had had good reviews both on the forums plus the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide books. The driver eventually found it and drew into the courtyard. The manager Suresh showed us to a room on the top floor, of the new block, which was really good. We negotiated a price of 1000 rupees a night including breakfast (down from 1400) and set about lugging our packs up 3 flights of stairs. It was just beginning to dawn on us that generally we were being shown the best rooms first. But this was fine by us. 1000 rupees a night was a rate we were happy to pay and if we got the best rooms, so much the better for all concerned. We had a lovely balcony with plush wooden furniture, overlooking the garden below and forest beyond. Suresh pointed out that he had built his homestay facing away from the road, which meant it was quieter and had better views. He wasn’t wrong – clever chap. All the properties on the other side of the road like El Paradiso just faced the road. Now at this point I would say that it isn’t really a Homestay, as such, it’s just two blocks of rooms, 3 stories high, so more like a hotel really.

Once we’d settled in, Suresh arrived with clean towels and sheets and asked what our plans were. We told him we were booked onto the 2 day Tiger Trail trek the next day, so were looking to stay this night, then overnight in the park and then come back again for one more night. He was fine with this and said we could just leave our packs with him, when were in the park. He said he would even sort out the Tiger Trail tickets for us. So we handed over 6,000 rupees (3,000 rupees each) and he told us he would sort everything. We were a little wary of handing over this much money and asked if he would send us a postcard from wherever he went on his holiday with our rupees!!

This adventure was to be the most expensive part of our trip, but when you know that the money is (hopefully) going towards the upkeep and preservation of the park, it takes some of the pain away! Anyway, after we’d had open wallet surgery, we still had the afternoon free and set about exploring our new town.
Suresh had suggested we may like to eat lunch at a restaurant further down the road, called the Spice Garden (or something like that), so we trotted off to take a look. We were never going to miss this place, as it had about 6 men hanging around outside, all trying to usher you into the restaurant. We asked to see a menu and they took us down to the main seating area. The menu arrived and we noticed that the prices were about 3 times what we were used to paying. So we made our excuses and left. It looked a great place to eat, but not for us. So we headed down the bypass road and onto the main road, turning right. We soon began to realise that we were now in a real tourist hotspot. All the shops were selling tourist items –clothes, souvenirs etc, and all the owners were trying to cajole us into their establishment. This was not what we were into. I understand that tourist numbers were down and it was sort of low season, but constant pestering does not do it for us. We would be much more inclined to look in shops if they left you on your own, but were present if you asked for help. Maybe it’s just a British thing.

Anyway we walked for about 20 minutes, all the way back along Thekkady Road and up into the main town, where there were a few more local shops and restaurants. We found a local veg “Hotel” and went in for a meal. Afterwards we had a wander around the main street, stocking up on Pepsi and snacks from a bakery. Then we plodded our way back, braving the hawkers on our return. We passed the end of the Bypass Road and carried on further down the main road, which after another 15 minutes of being pestered by shopkeepers, led to the gates of the Tiger Sanctuary. It appeared we had seen all the wonders the main roads could provide, so we decided to return to the Green View. The main town, infact the whole of Periyar/ Kumily town wasn’t much to write home about and the majority of the shops are only there as a parasite on the back of the Tiger Park.

Once we were back onto the Bypass Road, things were a little saner and we stood and watched the women at the rear of the Cardamom Auction Centre sifting through heaped leaf shaped trays of seeds. The smell was intoxicating, but what a laborious task.
It had been a hot and sticky afternoon for us, and we were surprised at how soon we had got used to the cooler temperatures of Nelliampathy and Munnar. So we were pleased to get back to the peace and quiet of the Green View, and to just sit on our balcony, taking in the view across the trees towards the hills. There were however some really small black flies that constantly flew into your ears or eyes and were a bit of a nuisance the whole time we were in the Periyar area.
What to do next (we can’t sit still for long). We knew there was more out there, as Suresh had given us a leaflet with all the local attractions listed. It had been some time since we had attended a festival and we were starting to get drum withdrawal syndrome! We had noticed that there were two centres where you could view Kalaripayattu (Keralan Martial Arts) and this was something we hadn’t seen up to now. We knew it was simply a display for tourists, but if we wanted to see what it was like, it was this or nothing. The wife went and had a word with Suresh (and to check he wasn’t packing his bags!!) as to which the better place was and he recommended the centre on the left hand side on the way back into town (the other one is on the left going towards the Tiger Sanctuary, near the Coffee Inn). We chilled out for a bit longer and then set off again; ignoring all the store holders’ assurances that looking was free. Arriving just before 6.00pm, we had time to buy our tickets (250 rupees each), before we were ushered into the centre. This was a large building comprising a gallery area with tiered seating (on plastic chairs), surrounding a bare earth pit. At the far end of the pit was a variety of evil looking weaponry. The auditorium started to fill up and just as the sun began to set, the four warriors entered the arena. To try and describe the performance would not do it justice. Best just to say it was a mixture of prayer, choreographed fighting and acrobatics. There was a running commentary in English, but it was either a poor sound system or the announcer’s accent, as we couldn’t understand a word of it. However the spectacle was quite enjoyable and ended with them jumping through hoops of fire. Overall it lasted almost an hour and was worth the visit.
Once it was over, we walked back into the main town centre and had a meal with the locals at another veg hotel, which did meals from all over India. As usual, there weren’t any other white tourists in the place. Do most of them eat in their hotels? Anyway we walked back yet again past the shopkeepers, who insisted we could visit them tomorrow for some real bargains!
That night we found it strange having to pack up our rucksacks before we had even stayed one night. But we had to vacate our room, just in case someone else came, whilst we were in the park. So alarms set, we went to bed, ready for the Tiger Trail the next day.

The next morning we ventured downstairs to try and find Suresh, who hopefully had our tickets and also to see where we were to have breakfast. Luckily Suresh had our tickets and told us he had arranged a rickshaw (40 rupees) to take us to the Tiger Trail reception area and had also bought our Park entrance tickets (another 150 rupees each). We said we could easily walk to the park and didn’t need a rickshaw. But he pointed out that what we thought was the reception area, (where we had walked the day before), was in fact just the forest checkpost, and the reception area, was a lot further into the park. So we accepted the rickshaw ride!
Breakfast was sadly just toast with butter and jam, plus tea or coffee. No choice and no Indian option. But heh ho. So we were off for our next adventure. All we had in our day sacks, apart from water and cameras, was a change of clothes (just in case), waterproof coat, binoculars (most important) and toothbrush.

The rickshaw ride was indeed necessary, as it was a long way into the park before he dropped us at the ranger station where we were met by our guides. We sat around waiting for whoever was to join us. First up was a couple from Holland and Serbia, whom we had met during our visit to John’s Homestay in Munnar!! We knew they were coming but didn’t know it would be on the same trip as us. Next were two German students who were staying at the Green View! Was everyone following us!! So that was it. The guidebooks etc say the trips are limited to 5 people, but we were 6. Five is such an odd number, as I would imagine most people want to go in couples. Anyway, we all sat there and had to fill in forms signing our lives away and abolishing all claims should we be eaten by Tigers or trampled by elephants (oh no, not the elephant nightmare again). On with our snazzy leech socks, which one of the students had trouble with, as he had only brought sandals, and we were off.

We headed off behind the ranger station and were almost immediately shown a grove of sandalwood trees, which had to be protected at night. There was a small tarpaulin slung between some trees where the guards said they stayed, keeping a lookout. Onwards through the forest with the guide and guard pointing out various plants and trees, which was quite interesting. We then came to a large tree trunk crossing a deep trench, which had been excavated (by hand) to keep the elephants in the park. After 15 minutes of trekking. The guide stopped us and pointed towards some trees. Not that interesting really. That was until he pointed out the small herd of Samber deer in amongst them!! Stupid boy - thinking it was just trees he was showing us! It was amazing how he spotted them. It’s his job I suppose. We slowly crept up on them and managed to get a few snaps, before they decided we’d got close enough and off they went.
It seemed like we only moved on about 30 paces and we were looking up into the trees, where a Malabar Giant Squirrel was gazing down at us. Then it was the turn of a hornbill which flew onto some nearby branches. Trying to get photos of them was really difficult amongst all the foliage. Who put all these damn trees in the way!! After we’d all played at David Attenborough, we moved on until we reached some quite large trees, one of which had a hollow centre which you could walk into. Once I was inside, the guide pointed up to the top of the hollow tree and said there were bats. I believed him, even though I couldn’t see them. All this time we were only about 100 - 200 meters from the main road which runs through the park.
They explained how the parasitic climbers (which they pronounced Klimbbers [really cute we thought] – well that’s how it’s spelt and who am I to comment when all I knew in Malayalam was Hello!!) take over the host tree and eventually kill it. It was very interesting to listen to them and they obviously knew a lot about the environment we were in.
Soon we were leaving the seclusion of the trees and came out onto the banks of the lake, or more correctly what would have been the banks had there been any water!! The lake, which we could see in the distance, was very low and where the water should have been, there were grazing water buffalo. Skirting along the edge of the forest we came across a grove of Guava bushes, were the guides plucked some fruit for us. After about 2 hours of walking, we came to the edge of the lake and what I assume is normally the landing stage area. Here we stopped and were given a bottle of water each and a sleeping bag to carry. Good job we’d left some room in our day sacks for these. Whilst we were sorting ourselves out, some of the tour boats arrived and spilled their cargo of tourists onto dry land (of which there was more than normal). I don’t know how much of the lake they had seen, but the boats seemed to be struggling in the shallow water.

We crossed the end of the lake and headed left up towards a new patch of forest. Just before we entered we all stopped and sat on some rocks, but before we could park our bums, we had to wait for a colony of small frogs to vacate the area for us. Once they had moved on, the guide produced some oranges and bananas for us. Snack time. Hope the frogs liked orange peel! After about 15 minutes break we set off again. It was slightly overcast and cloudy, which we were thankful for, as it may have been unbearable trekking in full sunshine, as it was now getting on for midday. We had only walked for another 5 minutes and the guide spotted a Nilgiri Langur monkey in the trees up ahead. They do have really long tails. Anyway, onwards along a path skirting the forest edge, which, after another 15 minutes, brought us to another part of the lake. In the distance, my wife spotted some wild boar, and the guide didn’t see them, so well done wifey.
Whilst we were walking along the forest path, the guide up front suddenly motioned for us all to stay still and not make a noise. He looked towards the forest where he had heard something. We then heard some branches cracking further in the trees. The guard motioned for us to keep low and quickly move away from the forest edge towards the lake. Memories of Nelliampathy came flooding back and we didn’t need telling twice. Once we were a safe distance away, we all crouched low and watched the guide, who actually went into the forest. The guard meanwhile was patrolling between us and the trees, with his rifle at the ready, keeping an eye on the forest for any movement. Finally the guide emerged and had a talk with the guard and they told us to follow them. We knew we had again had a close elephant encounter. But to our surprise, instead of leading us away, they told us to enter the forest. It was then it dawned on me that instead of retreating, we were actually going to try and trek the elephants. Glad we had the armed guard. We all followed quickly and quietly as they led us deeper into the trees. Suddenly they stopped us and pointed. Off in the distance we could just make out 2 adults and a baby. No chance of photos due to the density of the forest, but great to see. But soon the elephants decided to move off and so did we. The guard was swiftly on their trail and we all had to run to try and keep up. It was amazing how much ground the elephants covered and how quick they were, just walking. If that elephant in Nelliampathy had come after us, there would be no way I would be here to type this. I assume that the elephants didn’t know we were there and that we were downwind of them, as we desperately tried to keep up with them. We were having a brisk jog and they were just leisurely plodding. They soon came onto a wide track and we managed to get a couple of photos (but only of their backsides!!). Didn’t manage to photo the baby though. The guide explained that the adults stayed back and let the baby go first, so they could protect it. Sadly the elephants proved far too swift for us and we couldn’t keep up. The guide took us to the left and tried to guess where they were headed. We emerged from the trees and stood watching a clump of bushes away off. We could hear the occasional snort and could see the bushes moving and being pulled up. But that was the last we were to see of the elephants themselves. Still , it had been a great experience to actually see wild elephants that close up.

Returning to the path, our guide contacted the campsite to let them know we were on the way ( for your information, both the guard and guide have radios) and we resumed our trek towards our overnight accommodation, which soon came into view. We could see a large blue tarpaulin on top of a raised mound on the edge of the lake. We all wondered if that was to be our communal tent for the night! Arriving at the site, we had to climb up the mound and then cross a small wooden plank bridge over the elephant trench. This trench completely encloses the campsite area, and is too deep to allow elephants to cross. Elephant presence was confirmed by the sight of footprints on the outside of the trench. So they do get close at times. Once into camp, we were welcomed by about 3 other guides and a cook. All of whom were busy preparing lunch for us. We mentioned to some of the other guides that we had spotted and followed the elephants. They told us we were really lucky, as nobody trekking had seen any for a number of weeks now. But I’m not too sure if they say this to all who have spotted them?!
We were shown a large mat to sit on and were served vegetable soup to start with followed by a yellow spiced crushed potato dish with raita and popadams. All the food here is vegetarian, so no worries for the wife. As it was almost 2.00pm we were ravenous and the food was great. The trekking hadn’t been difficult, but it had made is appreciate a rest and a hot meal. Tea was provided, again with sugar already added, but you know what, it was quite welcome and soon went the way of the food. Another welcoming sight was the guides erecting three small green two man tents, at the rear of the mound. So it wasn’t communal snoring after all!! The big blue tarpaulin area was were the guides, guards and cook slept and prepared the food. Also here there is a water filtration system, so you can refill your water bottles. Also all the food and washing up is done with this water. So no problems with cleanliness.

Once everyone had finished we chose our tent and unpacked. The tents are fairly basic, you have your sleeping bag, which you can now get rid of, and there is a thin foam sheet on the floor to lie on, and a pillow is provided. Then it was time to relax and take in the amazing view we had from the campsite. It really is a beautiful setting. But you have to appreciate and accept that it is very basic, with no facilities. For instance, the Serbian lady asked where the toilet was, and was shown the forest behind the tents. Off she went and came back to report, that that was infact the toilet. The whole of the forest! So be aware it’s open air relieving!
After about an hour, at about 3.00pm or so, we noticed that the clouds were beginning to build and the guides confirmed that there were showers in the afternoons during March. Fortunately we had discussed this with Suresh, back at the Green View and he had told us that whilst the town could miss the rain, the park usually got it. As we had our own waterproof coats, he recommended we take them, so we had. Great advice, because just as we were preparing for the afternoon trek, it started to rain. Now raincoats are provided by the park, but they only had 4, and there were 6 of us! Some of the staff said we could have theirs, but we told them we had our own, so we were OK. Again great advise from Suresh, because, whilst the provided coats are three quarter length, they are only made of plastic. So they make you sweat a lot and of course the temperature is really hot. So the others ended up just as wet as if they hadn’t worn the coats! We did wonder if the rain would bring out the dreaded leeches, but we needn't have worried as nobody caught any. Just as well, as the Dutch chap (a great bloke) had had trouble with his boots and spent the rest of the trip wearing his Serbian girlfriends fluorescent pink Crocs – (don’t ask)!!

So off we set in the pouring rain for the afternoon exploration. We hadn’t walked very far, when the guide pointed out some Bison off to the side. They didn’t seem very bothered by us and seemed just as curious as we were. On we went, in the rain showers. They were intermittent, but enough to make us glad of our breathable coats, as it was so humid. We did get to see some colourful birds, but they were camera shy. We ventured slightly uphill in some really tall grass towards a track at the top, and again the guide stopped us. We stood still and along the top track a complete herd of Bison went thundering past, it must have taken about 5 minutes for them all to pass. Reminded me of a cowboy film cattle stampede. Anyway once they had passed they settled down in a nearby grove and gave us their best “What are you looking at?” stare!! Bison was definitely the animal of the afternoon, as we ended up seeing a lot more during our trek. We also got too see more wild pigs, which to us looked like wart hogs or boar, but they call them pigs. On the way back we stopped off at one of the temporary campsites for the locals. Apparently the local fishermen are allowed into the park but can only stay one night and can only fish from rudimentary rafts. They had caught some fish, but they were only tiny. Just before we got back to camp, the rain stopped and one of the guides picked up a large piece of wood to take back to the camp. You will have to look at the photos, to see how he carried it!!

Arriving back to camp at around 5.15pm the rain came back and we all huddled into the communal area under the large blue tarpaulin, smelling like rather damp dogs. Ah, true India at last. The rain kept playing games with. It allowed us to get out and take some moody sunset pictures, but decided we would have to eat our dinner under blue plastic. It was great how the staff managed to prepare the food in these conditions, and they did get wet. It was dark by the time food was ready and they brought us hurricane lamps to try and see what we were eating. Some of them even held torches over our heads. Can’t say what the food was, but boy did it taste great. My compliments to the chef.
Eventually the rain stopped and the campfire had been lit, and we all clustered around trying to dry our boots and wet gear. The two German students were wearing denim jeans, which aren’t the best when wet, and as you are going to be sleeping in your clothes, not a pleasant thought!! Luckily, we are a bit older and had proper walking clothes that dry out really quickly, so didn’t have soggy bottoms. It was very pleasant sitting around the fire gossiping, , but at about 9.00pm, it was starting to get cooler. So after wandering out of camp a bit and brushing our teeth in the dark (not that easy, holding a torch), it was time for the tent. There was just enough room for the two of us plus our bags and it was surprisingly not too uncomfortable laying on the foam sheet, which provided some warmth, as did the sleeping bag, but the pillow was just a little too thin. But what the heck, here we were in the midst of a Tiger Park in India, what more could you expect.

We awoke quite early, the next day, at about 6.30am, as the sun was up and shining in. It must have gone much colder in the night, as the inside of the tent was covered in condensation. We poked our heads out and the chef had the fire going and we could see that chai was on the go. We were the first up, and the tea was welcome. We even got given biscuits to dunk!. The view across the lake was fantastic, it was eerily covered in mist and you could just make out the tree stumps through it, but as we stood there, it slowly started to lift, like a curtain being raised. As each minute passed the view just got better. Within 30 minutes it had completely disappeared and you would never know it had been there. Well worth getting up that bit earlier.
Back up the hill and time for another cup of chai, by the campfire, after hanging our coats and day sacks to dry in the early morning sunshine. We chatted to the chef and told him of our elephant encounter in Nelliampathy. He confirmed that we had been really lucky, as one of his friends had been killed at the age of 35 by a wild elephant. It had chased him, knocked him over with its trunk and then stepped on him. Gulp!

Once everyone was up and about, we were asked if we would like to do a trek before breakfast. Most agreed and down the mound we went. It was only 8.15am, but the sun was getting warmer and the Brown Kites and Kingfishers had already staked their place on the tree stumps in the lake. The guard and guide pulled one of the bamboo rafts over and we all climbed on board, to be leisurely paddled over to the other side. Disembarking, we were led into the forest and the guide again pointed out various plants and flowers. Over the top of the hill and the wild pigs were out and about foraging for their breakfast. We wandered around by the edge of the lake and the guide was obviously looking for something. Then he points to the ground and shows us a Tiger footprint in the soft mud. He said it was quite recent and who am I to argue. I did get the impression that they were always trying to find something new to show you and occasionally would show us porcupine quills. Being a sceptic, at times, I wondered if they just had them in their pocket and dropped them. But later on I spotted some quills, so that quashed my theory.
Then it was back into the forest were we spotted some really colourful birds, which, this time, I managed to get a photo of. Sadly this was to be the last exciting wildlife we saw on this trek and after about 1 and half hours we headed back to the raft and back to camp for breakfast. The chef had been hard at it and we had a lovely meal with freshly fried puris. It was then sadly time to pack up and get ready for leaving. That is apart from the Dutch and Serbian couple, who were staying for 2 nights.

We had to pack our kit up and looked at the temperature gauge we had with us (on a clock) and it was already 38 degrees inside the tent! There would be no way you could stay inside during the day, unless you wanted know how a chicken feels in the oven.
Desperately we tried to drag our stay out as long as we could by wandering down to the waters edge, but eventually we were called to leave. I wondered if we would do any exploring on the way back. But when we noticed the guard was staying, it was obvious that we weren’t. So about 11.00am we sadly said our goodbyes and set off. We had wondered about doing the 2 night trail, but to be honest I don’t know if it would have been much more than we’d done. As the couple staying behind had the rest of the day at leisure around the camp and would do a trek in the afternoon. So all they would get extra is that trek and another breakfast one. OK they did get another night as well, plus the great food. But I’m not too convinced it would have been worth the extra cost of 2,000 rupees each.
Anyway, we were on our way back and to be honest it was more of a route march than a trek. We had a guide in front and one behind. But nothing was pointed out and they weren’t looking for anything. They were just there to ensure we got back safely, and at 12.00 (after a brief rest halt) we were back at the ferry point and the start of the road. So when it’s advertised as a 1night/2 day trek, it’s really just one day and a morning. But please don’t get me wrong, we had had a fabulous time and seen lots of wildlife and had really enjoyed our stay. Just would have liked it to go on a bit longer, that day!!
We said goodbye to the guides, (who I think were looking for a tip, but sadly neither us nor the German students had taken any money) and went up to the road. Now the German students had hired an Ambassador to take them and 2 others around Kerala, and their driver was waiting. As we were all staying at the Green View, they offered us a lift. Even walking down the road to the car park, we spotted a Langur Monkey and a Malabar Giant Squirrel. The park is just teeming with wildlife.

(One thing I would say about the Tiger Trail is that it isn’t strenuous trekking. The brochure says the maximum age for the Trail is 65, but if you are in normal health and can cope with walking, then, if you are over this age I would suggest you tell them you are 64, as nobody checks).

Once we got back to the Green View, we said goodbye to the German students, who were moving on, but we were staying another night before we left. So we retrieved our backpacks and asked about our room. But somebody else had taken it. However Suresh did show us to the top floor of the older block where he had a room. Same price, but a little older. But it had a better view from the balcony as it was higher than the new block and we could see across the tree tops to the hills beyond. It also had a wicker hammock type chair hanging from the roof over the balcony., which was good. We took the room and chatted about the trek with Suresh. We also picked his brains about catching the bus the following day, to Kottayam. Now we still had the afternoon to fill and it was a toss up between going on another hike or playing “catch me if you can” with the store keepers. Guess what we opted for.... a hike. In the Rough Guide to Kerala, we had spotted a half day walk going to Kurusamalai which it says is a 90 minute trek. It says Kurusamalai is a prominent peak whose summit is crowned with a large Holy Cross. It does give basic directions, but also says that the owner of the Green View Homestay gives out photocopies of a rough map. Who did we have on our balcony - the owner of the Green View!! So we asked about his map. He said the directions in the guide book were out of date as the path had been closed, but he had found another route up and wrote us directions in English and Malayalam.

Filling our day sacks with water and biscuits, we went up the Bypass Road the other way, passing Mickey Villa and Chrissies (thus avoiding the pestering from the shops), looking for a rickshaw. One stopped and we showed him our directions and we agreed 60 rupees. We were first heading for Amaravathy School, were we would get out and trek uphill looking for Ottathalamedu. The rickshaw driver had to ask other drivers a few times where the school was, but eventually found it. He was amazed we were going to walk up the hill. He offered to take us for 50 rupees and said all we would be doing was walking uphill in the hot sun (he was right about this). We thanked him and said we would walk, and off we went. Leaving behind a driver who had had his thoughts about English tourists being slightly mad in the head, confirmed!

Yes he was right the hill was really very steep and it was very hot. But we did find some shade and stopped regularly to replenish the water we were quickly losing via our skin. But we were back to doing what we do. We were away from the tourist areas and in amongst the locals, who came out to look at the mad people, and wave. Onwards and upwards we went, wondering if the hill would ever end or would we see snow!! Finally we came to a junction with a stone track to the left. A girl in a nearby house pointed along this track and off we went. At least it wasn’t as steep, even though we were still climbing. Children would hear us panting and come running out shouting and waving. After about 1 and a half hours of uphill toil, we spotted a small track off to the left which we took, and there we were at the large white cross. We were slightly sweaty, so were glad of the breeze blowing up here and the views across the hills were great. We sat by the cross and munched the snacks we’d packed, whilst recovering and soaking up the panorama. We could see, what looked like the main road to Kottayam below us, but couldn’t see any way of getting down the hill this way. It was either back the way we had come, or try another way. I convinced the wife we’d try another way, so back to the stone road and turned left. At least this time it was down hill. Onwards we walked, past small houses and vegetable areas. The wife was slightly worried when this road petered out and became a small grass track, but at least we were heading downhill and I was sure at some point it would veer left towards the main road below. But you may have guessed, it didn’t!! We walked for about 45 minutes, with the path getting smaller and smaller, until we ended up in front of somebody’s house. I think they got a bit of a shock when we rolled up. Two slightly damp English people! They kind of told us if we carried on this path, in two days we would be in Cochin!! The only way was back the way we had come. Aaaargh (again). The wife gave me one of those “I told you so” looks that only women can do, and we started off back. But of course it was now back uphill again. What were we doing to our poor legs and bodies. Anyway we struggled back and at least by the time we reached the tarmac road we knew it was all downhill from here.
One really good part of this downhill stretch was the people. They again waved and shouted hello and at one house a little girl, of about 4 years old, came out and gave my wife a rose!! How lovely is that! We stopped and tried chatting to her and her family and they seemed delighted.

Back down at the bottom of the hill, we looked for a rickshaw to take us into town, but the few that were there, wanted 100 rupees. We don’t mind paying a reasonable fare, but when drivers take the micky because we are white, it puts our backs up. So, even though we were pretty exhausted, we decided to walk along the main road and maybe jump a bus. This gave us the opportunity to visit a small roadside shop were we were shown to some chairs and sat munching on the biscuits we had bought. They were so good we bought a lot more and replenished our water supplies. Back onto the road and carried on walking. At one point a man crossed the road and made a beeline to my wife. He introduced himself and shook her hand and asked where we were from. I started to wonder what his sales pitch was going to be. However he just said how nice it was to see us and then walked off again. All he had wanted was to say hello!! This was yet again another great local experience and a show of how warm and friendly the Keralan people are.
Five minutes later a rickshaw stopped and said a more sensible 40 rupees (so the saving had paid for the provisions we’d just bought). The rickshaw dropped us off at the Green View and Suresh came over to see how the walk had gone. He then said he knew we were leaving tomorrow for Kottayam, by bus. However he had a driver staying with him who was due to leave that evening, and he was going through Kottayam. If we wanted, the driver would stay overnight and leave early in the morning, at 7.00am. All he wanted was 500 rupees to pay his fuel.
Now we liked being independent and even travelling with the locals by bus, but Periyar to Kottayam for 500 rupees, seemed too good a deal to pass up. Plus it meant we could catch an earlier ferry to Alleppey and therefore have longer there. So we gratefully accepted. Seemed like a win win for both us and the driver.

We just had enough energy to climb up the 3 flights of steps to our room and plonked onto the balcony to chill. This was a great end to the day. We sat sipping rum and cokes, reading our books and then watched the ever changing colours of the clouds, as the sun set slowly over the hills.
That evening we decided we would try and find somewhere to the left of the Bypass road, to eat. So we walked down and headed back towards the park entrance. But there just weren’t any places to eat. Gave this up as a bad job and to avoid our friends in the shops, we jumped a rickshaw back up into the main town. He asked where we wanted to go and we said a local veg restaurant. When he pulled into the large car park of the Ayur, we were worried, as it looked really smart. We said no, we wanted a local place with local prices. He assured us this was local, cheap and good but would take us elsewhere if we wanted. We said no we would take him at his word and went in. Pleasantly, he was correct and it was local and cheap and we had a lovely meal. We definitely met both good and bad rickshaw drivers during our trip. Some were really honest and some where out to skin you.
We thought it would be impolite not to say goodbye to all the friends we had not made in the shops along the road, so walked back and almost enjoyed their banter. Maybe it was because we knew we were leaving the next day.

Back to the Green View and packed up again ready for the early start and wondered what delights Kottayam and Alleppey held in store for us.

snonymous

I liked this one the best:
http://s571.photobucket.com/albums/s...DSC_2971. jpg

Most enjoyable read.

__________________
Some of My Tall Tales at http://www.travelpod.com/members/indianature
My Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/snonymous/

drgrudge

I'm a big fan of your very-long-trip-reports. Well written and good for people looking for more information on these places.

I think you should travel extensively in India and write these reports or maybe publish a book too.

lathish

Thats long one but fun reading it Are you travel writer/blogger ...

sharan_travelcrazy

A superb detailed trip account!

BTW drgrudge, what happened to your Periyar plans?

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Munnar | Wayanad | Thekkady

Indizen

Nice account.
If the photos could somehow be kept along-side the text, this can be moved to the Article section.

drgrudge

I'm here in this place earlier than I intended. Monsoon season has started and raining. What's the point in visiting Periyar now?

sharan_travelcrazy

I told you But dint expect it to be this early!

snonymous

Is it raining in Periyar now? Last year the rains started in Kerala the day we left, 31 May 2008.

drgrudge

^^
Dunno about Periyar but just guessing it's raining. I'm here in Kanyakumari district and it started raining from May 24 (IMD had predicted 26th). Last Sunday, we're in Varkala and it rained there. Yesterday went to Tiruchendur, Tirunelveli and it had rained there too. Monsoon has set in the whole of South Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

pundabee

Not only does the South West monsoon not affect Tamil Nadu, i.e. the monsoon is not set in the whole of Tamil Nadu, also the monsoon onset in Kerala is questionable. It looks like it was a false start. In 2008 the monsoon didn't even get to Periyar, read: there was no rain whatsoever in Periyar (we were only saved by two weeks of rain later in the year caused by some depression in the Bay of Bengal).

People make a lot of assumptions about the monsoon and its impact, but if you are not in the location you are talking about for a prolonged period of time, it is virtually impossible to safely comment on weather conditions. It changes all the time.

drgrudge

Please read what I posted properly. I said "south Kerala and TN" not south india. I'm in Kuzhithurai (33 Kms from T'puram and 30 kms from Nagercoil). It isn't raining today but it did rain in the last 4-5 days. The monsoon date was predicted my IMD, not me.

But you may be correct that it isn't raining in Periyar. I had also said that I'm guessing based on the fact it was raining in KK, TVM district and IMD prediction.

kedgeman

Sponsership deals are welcome

Alleppey should be posted this week

kedgeman

Nope, just someone with obviously too much time on my hands!!

santos_g15

Brings back good old memories.i had done a 2 day tiger trail.highlight of the tour was , at around 00:30 am on first night ,elephants had come to our tent.Group of them and were trumpeting aloud.i went out of my tent to see them with a tiny torch in my hand.(knew they wouldnt be able to cross the trench ).what an experienced to be woken up by trumpeting of elephants as near as 10 meters away.sent shivers down the spine.

attaching one of the images where i got to see herds of elephant from boat.



One more thing i would like all of you to be aware is there is 10% commisson for touts who boooks tickets on behalf of customers.so here the guy gets 600 and i dont think i bought the entrance ticket separetly(not sure though).

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