Chronicles from Wayanad Trip – Part III

2 of the 4 day trip had passed. We decided to make use of resort facilities at least on the following day which was Monday, 1st June 2009. After breakfast, I wanted to hit the pool. After all I had to make use of my newly learnt techniques from Nisha’s classes. Sachin took Vishnu into the kiddy pool. But Vishnu seemed perturbed by the attention he got from other in the pool and got out. So Sharan, Sachin and I headed to the other pool. The rest of them were lazing around the pool. The hammocks were put to good use and so were the novels and iPODs.

Gummi and others then wanted to go for a short trek (more of a nature walk). The guide who was also the Assistant Manager at the resort agreed to take us during his break at 12:30PM. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go – it was hot and also the path was full of Leeches (as warned by the guide). Moreover I had just swum for an hour. But seeing everyone’s enthu, I agreed. Sachin was well equipped as usual with Leech resistant spray and all of us used generous amounts of it all over our feet and even legs. The path turned out to be uphill all the way amidst thick trees sparing us from the Sun but not from the stress and strain. We kept taking breaks to get rid of the slimy leeches which Sharan and I used as breathers. The rest seemed unperturbed with the slope (60-75 degrees). Our guide had thoughtfully carried half kilogram of salt which we kept using. While all of us were cursing the leeches, he assured all of us that the walk would be worth it. And so it did – the view point (as our guide called it) was stunning overlooking greenery, hills and water bodies all over! After a good break, we got back to the resort for a very late lunch.

Tip: Leeches fall off if salt is sprinkled on them

With enough of outdoor activities for the day, we decided to just chill out for rest of the day. A good snooze and everyone was set for the night. We spent time at the “activity centre” celebrating Rafa’s shocking exit from 09 French Open and playing various games. Vishnu was insistent on playing too. But he had only 2 rules – he wouldn’t pick up the ping pong from the floor or play chess on the chess board. So everyone was reluctantly playing with him taking turns. Shruthi and Ramy played table tennis thinking it was a Hodhralli Tournament (their hometown) – only that they thought it was badminton played with TT racquets and at the TT table. I couldn’t play because of a strained back else even I would’ve got sniggered at. I refused to play carom as I am extremely bad at it as well. So Sharan reminded Gummi how bad she was at Carom during a once-off game. I am glad I found a match in Gummi. We both should play the great losers ever tournament to see who is worse. Sachin and Zo completely forgot to stay back till midnight to wish Shruthi for her birthday, ignoring our desperate pleas through different expressions and retired for the day around 11:00PM. The rest of us just about managed to stay awake with difficulty to wish Shruthi who was herself dozing off.

We were to return to Bangalore on 2nd. So after breakfast, everyone quickly packed up, settled the bill and left the resort. There was 1 group who wanted to visit the Banasura Sagar Dam as it is an earthen dam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banasura_Sagar_Dam). The other group wanted to shop for sarees, carpets, spices and what not! We agreed to split and meet in time for lunch before heading back to Bangalore. Sharan, Shruthi and I naturally chose the Dam over shopping. The drive was pretty winding but luckily Wayanad Roads are pretty good at least. It was a approximately 30 KMS from the Resort. When we finally reached, we had to park our car and walk towards the bridge after paying token entrance free (Rs.10/-). The view was exquisite especially with low hanging clouds above the dam. We stayed there for about 15 mins enjoying the scenery and trying various angles with the camera. We met the rest of the gang at a restaurant where we gorged on freshly cooked, aromatic Kerala Thalis.

Sachin suggested that we take an alternate route back to Bangalore which was through Kabini and apparently more scenic than the one we came by. It was then unanimously decided that it would be the route to take. But we all were in for a RUDE SHOCK. We reached the Rajiv Gandhi National Park (turned out to be Nagarahole) to see that roads were extremely bad – in fact I have never seen worse roads till date. The pot holes were more like craters – a foot deep at least. We struggled through this park as we couldn’t drive over 20 KMS per hour. The bad roads led to sharp pains in my lower back which was already strained from before. Half way through the park, I couldn’t take the pain anymore. We had to stop in the middle of the forest to rest it before we resumed our way. We finally reached Mysore late evening but decided to stop at Maddur Café Coffee Day for our break. A quick halt for bite and refreshing, and we were back on the Mysore-Bangalore Highway. We reached Bangalore around 11:00PM dead tired from the horrendous journey. But it didn’t dampen our spirits as we had an enjoyable and memorable holiday.

Here is a link to the complete the picasa album:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/sredir?uname=akshatakaranth&target=ALBUM&id=5347875628401692225&authkey=Gv1sRgCP2J-fjl5OKOwQE&authkey=Gv1sRgCP2J-fjl5OKOwQE&invite=CJDbqKMC&feat=email