The Wayanad: Unfortunate Events Amidst Noise and Nature

Kalpetta, the headquarters for the Wayanad District, was my last stop in Kerala. After a grueling 9 hour bus ride from Ernakulam that dropped me off at 9:30pm, I had a hard time finding a hotel. Still, in the dark of night, I succeeded, only to find out the next morning that my grandmother had died, only about 2 weeks before I was planning to visit Gujarat. This, of course, spoiled my whole day, as I contemplated what the world had lost. That afternoon, I visited the government's tourism center (the DTPC) and arranged an uninspired jeep tour for the next day, leaving at 8am, taking me to Edakkal Cave and Muthanga Wildlife Reserve, and costing me a total of 1700 Rs. That night, I talked with Sejal, and mentioned how I was worried from drinking the "pink tea," but I felt alright (read the next post). The next morning, not wanting to pay 1700 Rs when probably a riksha could take me everywhere more cheaply, I told the driver that I was sick.

And then I was. I think it was the combination of the "pink tea" and my grandmother's death that caused my stomach to turn for the first time in over two months. Luckily, only diarrhea. Unluckily, I had to use a squat communal toilet. My Belgian friend Sam tried to encourage me, particularly to eat. That night, I had a third of a dosa, and then gave the rest to a homeless woman. Still, the worst was having to use the bathroom at night, which required me to walk outside in the cold (we were in the mountains), around the building, to a small, stinky room with no light. Yeah, it sucked.

The next day, I felt alright enough to eat a bite for lunch. Then Sam and I ventured down to Pookote Lake. He decided to take a nap, and told me to wake him within an hour. As I walked away, I noticed a dirt trail leading into the forest. Of course, I took it. I climbed through the dense forest to a ridge that overlooked the lake. A view, away from the crowds and paddleboats, is what I had really wanted. And I got it, and it's shown above. Eventually, before the hour finished, I went down to wake Sam. He had left. The park. I searched for him until 6:30pm, then finally left. Out Austrian friend Martin had told us to walk one kilometer down the road to the main road, then catch a bus back to Kalpetta. I think I went the wrong way. I walked at least 3 kilometers in the complete dark, with my stomach threatening to cause serious problems. Finally, in frustration, and a bit of worry, I caught a riksha back. It turns out that Sam thought that stomach had caused so many problems, that I had left early. So, he left. Whoops.

The next day, I visited the other main city, Sultanbathery (known locally as Bathery). I walked and searched and tromped around to find an old Jain Temple, which, for some reason, no one in Bathery knew about. After eating a little lunch, I resumed my search. After having walked at least 4 kilometers in the midday heat, I found a riksha driver to take me there. It wasn't worth it. The statue of Lord Mahavir didn't even exist anymore! My driver, a young, married guy who invited me to his house for dinner (I think...he didn't speak any English), then took me to Edakkal Caves. The 1.5 kilometer hike to the top was fun, though for some reason, my riksha driver accompanied me and complained the whole time that we should have taken one of the 3 Rs. jeeps. But walking is good exercise. Though, when you're trying to get over a stomach sickness, steep hiking in midday isn't the smartest move. Still, the caves were cool, with Stone Age carvings that confuse archaeologists to this day. After all the walking during the day, I was more than willing to head back to my place.

Wayanad presented me with some opportunities. I saw the Lake and the Cave. I never saw the waterfalls or the wildlife reserves. I got stomach sick for the first time, and lost my grandmother. Highs and lows. Oh, and my hotel was right next to a nation highway, and my room was INCREDIBLY loud, even in the middle of the night. Sigh...Still, Wayanad had some of the most beautiful scenery I had seen thus far on my trip. That is, when I got to enjoy it.