FOOTLOOSE
Rustic hideout
AKBER AYUB
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Experience the unique charm of the monsoon in Kerala at an unhurried pace at Annapara…
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Photo: Akber Ayub
Far from the crowds: Annapara beckons.
I don’t know if it is the icy water or the pummelling force of the falls that makes you gasp for air when you first ease yourself under the frothy, raging cascade. The 20-feet-high fall had gorged after the monsoon had settled over Wayanad and
the swollen stream carried a mighty punch that whacked your back for all it was worth. If you’ve ever let the dexterous hands of the famed Ayurvedic masseurs of Kerala work on your muscles, you realise this is equally effective, but far more forceful and vigorous.
I am at Annapara, so named for the striking resemblance of the surrounding hills to the back of an elephant, located 3.5 km into the hills from Vythiri on the Mysore-Kozhikode highway. Plantations of tea and coffee cover the surrounding hills in quilted carpets of green in varying hues. Pepper creepers wind around trunks of silver oak that dot the hills, regulating sunlight on the bushes. I am in a ‘boutique’ guesthouse perched on a hillock that offers a commanding view of mist-clad hilltops, grassy expanses on hillsides and swaying trees soaring into the sky. Velari peak, the highest in Wayanad, is visible on a clear day but shrouded in mist during winter or cloaked in pregnant monsoon clouds that scud across from the Arabian Sea and slam into the hills of the Western Ghats standing like ramparts and stretching for nearly a thousand km down the southern peninsula. Torrential rains lash the region in unabated fury for nearly half the year from June to November.
Monsoon in Kerala has a charm all its own and the Annapara guesthouse lets you savour that at an unhurried, gentle pace. Indeed, you realise that the sheer rusticity of the place lets you relax and unwind anytime of the year. To begin with, there’s no electricity here save for a small generator that lights up the place from 6.30 to 10.30 p.m. Of course, there is no TV or newspaper. Your cell phone would be your only link to humanity. There’s no habitation for miles around save for a tea factory and the attached staff dormitories located a good distance away on a cleared terrace on a hillside. This isolation is a winning feature. You wake up to birdcalls in the morning and listen to the rhythmic creaking of the cicadas as dusk approaches. Fireflies glow in the darkness and barking deer, screeching simians and howling winds punctuate the stillness of the night. Though elephants, deer, porcupines and hares are only occasionally sighted, birds of varied hues and shapes are everywhere.
Bare necessities
The rooms here provide basic comforts and have an adequate bath with running hot water supplied from a wood-burning boiler. An open verandah in front lets you soak in the outdoors or catch up on your reading reclining on rustic chairs. Food, served under a tiled structure open on the sides, is ethnic Kerala and is finger-licking good. A gazebo on a raised platform sports more reclining chairs and log benches and forms a cosy spot to relax in with the rain drumming on the roof tiles. Nearby, gusting winds spin a small windmill furiously — that generates enough electricity to charge a bank of batteries that provide back-up power should the generator conk out or when extra power is needed during the day. Lanterns strung around the sloping roof of the gazebo swing in the breeze and throw a golden glow that adds to the atmosphere while guests socialise over drinks prior to dinner. A bonfire is lit up most nights during winter or shifted to the gazebo during the monsoon.
Outdoor activities include treks along picturesque trails winding around the plantations that are reminiscent of Munnar. For the more adventurous, a trek into the surrounding forests, or camping out on a nearby peak at night would be more engaging. Sleeping bags, tents and food are all arranged. However, the easy trek to the waterfall is an all-time favourite, and the adjoining natural pool is ideal for a swim. Visits to the nearby tourist attractions are also popular with visitors. There is the Pookote Lake, Edakkal Caves, Banasura Sagar Dam, Soochipara Falls, Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary, Kuruva Island and the ancient Jain temples at Sulthan Bathery.
Perfect setting
At 2100 metres above MSL, the climate is salubrious during summer and chilly in the winter months. And, when the rains arrive, the landscape transforms into brilliant shades of green; foliage is renewed, as nature appears to rejoice at the drenching.
Vythiri is 145 km from Mysore on NH-212, and guests arriving by bus are picked up from here and those driving down are escorted to the guesthouse. Accommodation for a couple per night with full board will set you back by Rs. 3500 (30 per cent more from October 1, 2008).
For more info: http://annaparawayanadkerala.wordpress.
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