Time Out
A perfect place
SHONAR JOSHI
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A luxury homestay in Wayanad in the midst of coffee and vanilla plantations redefines tranquillity.
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NATURE'S BOUNTY: The view from one of the trails
IT is five in the morning, barely light, and hardly dark. I have sunk so deep in my king-sized single that it is an effort to wiggle my toe, let alone heave myself out as planned the previous night... Who's brainwave was it to go for a walk at dawn? Although almost a sacrilege to disturb the level of comfort, I roll out of bed, with my feet landing on the cool floor. Within seconds the lethargy has gone, to be replaced by a sense of impatience to begin the day, for, there was so much to do.
Where am I, you ask?
In Kerala. In the heart of Wayanad district. In the midst of a coffee and vanilla plantation. In a luxury homestay that would rival the poshest of hotels and win hands down. I am quite blissfully in the Tranquil Plantation Resort and wish I could be here all my life, but alas, either my life has to end in two days or else I will just have to return another time.
Plenty of trails
I grab a light jacket and the slick map put in each of the eight rooms for the guests and with one last look at my still-cozy bed, I enter a silvery world outside. The air is cool, the sounds almost non-existent. I let out a low whistle and choosing one of many walking sticks lying in the veranda, I begin to move out of the range of the house and into the thick of the plantation. The whistle, mind you, was meant for Pepsi, the resident German Shepherd who takes it upon himself to be your escort on all such excursions. Speaking of which, yes, there are many trails in the offing here, 12 to be precise. Each one has been christened according to what one is likely to find along the way (Areca nut walk, Vanilla walk, The long walk!) and the map, one of the most innovative specimens I've seen in a long time, has all the other details as well — the approximate time it would take, directions with landmarks, distances, gradient levels and possible birds that one may sight along the way with coloured pictures.
The main building.
I have taken it upon myself to explore each of these trails before I leave and that's near impossible given that I am here only for two days. If it was only the walks that one had on the agenda, perhaps I may have succeeded, but what with the dogs to wrestle with, the elaborate meals that can only end with a befitting slumber in a heavenly tree house, quick games of table tennis during which every member of the resident planters family is sure to win, swimming at just the right moment in the oh-so blue pool... and the time that one spends doing absolutely nothing, clutching iced cocktails and swinging giddily from hammocks. No sir... 12 hikes in two days was a mission impossible.
But for the moment, that is not on my mind. Instead, I am standing at the crossroads, so to speak, where many different coloured boards are pointing in all possible directions, and after a few seconds, I opt to follow the green board, denoting the coffee walk. Since it's still early, the dew happily soaks into my clothes and shoes. Fortunately though, for once, there are no leaches gunning for me through this lush undergrowth. I pass all kinds of foliage — vanilla vines, coffee shrubs, and many unknowns. The colours and smells change rapidly.
Swimming pool.
Streak of blue
Suddenly there's a flash of blue and as I crane my neck skywards, I see the purple sunbird making its way to the topmost branch of a tree. The air is now quite full of "good mornings" being exchanged generously by all the birds. I see something slither on my right and while my mind knows it's a snake, I choose to turn a blind eye, continuing past rows of stately areca nuts. Having walked downhill to the bottom of the estate and then uphill once again, I am most decidedly ravenous to say the least and after a lovely hot water shower in a spankingly clean bathroom which, incidentally, is almost as large as the room itself, I join the family and tuck into a gargantuan breakfast of sausages, eggs, dosas, fresh jams and jellies, cornflakes and fruits, wrapping it up with the most delicious freshly ground coffee that I have ever had. Straight out of the films isn't it?
Through the rest of the day, I do all that is expected of me and with every available opportunity, I sprint off to make my mission possible. By the evening of the second day, I begin the trio — Braveheart, Terminator and Cliffhanger. They couldn't have been labelled more appropriately. The good thing about these intense cardio walks is the view which one gets: the entire Wayanad valley sprawling like a sea of green beneath as you go higher and higher. I managed scrambling up to the highest point in Cliffhanger, but coming down turned out to be a real challenge and I know just how friend Stallone must have felt dangling aimlessly. The sun set just as I came to what is called the Breakfast Point, a most inspiring place where my host the previous evening had organised an impromptu tea with onion pakoras and tarts, only this time, one endured a most bone-jangling drive in a jeep, on top of which I had the privilege of providing my lap to Pepsi to sit on. On this second visit, suddenly the sky seemed to be lashed end to end by unbelievable colours. I knew it was risky to linger too long, for, I hadn't brought a flashlight along, but the temptation only intensified with the early rising of the moon — almost surreal to see that milky white ball (lucky for me, it was a full moon) appearing out of the flaming sky. When people ask where is God, I think it would be best to send them to Breakfast Point.
Almost done
With that came the end of 11 trails. Over a dinner of delicious mustard fish, I confessed my disappointment in not having done the Indiana Jones walk, to which my hosts promptly replied that it was in vain for it was not a well maintained route and thus quite missable! Yea... that definitely called for an extra helping of pudding! One last game of scrabble in the tree house under a perfect moon wound up my last evening. Already my mind was planning on the next trip and this I knew was wise or else the withdrawals would have been painful. Forget the luxury; it is well worth it to come back here, for the tranquillity and the beauty.
Quick facts
Getting there: 265 km by road from Bangalore via Mysore, Nanjangud, Gundiupet and Sultan's Battery or by train to Mysore and then 124 km by road.
Tariff: Single, Rs, 4,000 inclusive of all meals and taxes; Double, Rs. 5,500.
Reservations: Tranquil, Kuppamudi Coffee Estate, Kolagapara P.O. 67359l, Sultan's Battery, Wayanad, Kerala.
Tel: 04936-220244;
Fax: 04936-222358;
E-mail: homestay@vsnl.com
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