Thekkady – Come Closer To Nature

One reason I took up the profession of an Environmental Planner is to be able to be closer to Nature. So it was obvious that when I got my next project at Cochin, my happiness was incomparable.

My aunt’s constant prattling about how Kerala is God’s own land used to sometimes irk me but deep within, I had developed the urge to visit the place. And when I told her about it, she just went berserk and said she would immediately contact her friend Sriram, there in Cochin. I knew my job was done.

For the very next day I received a phone call, an email and an SMS as to how I could reach Kochi or Cochin all from my aunt! So the official purpose got sidelined and soon I was equally excited to visit Kochi for I knew finally it was Thekkady calling.

Yes, this is why I was excited about the Cochin Project. And guess what my aunt did? She came with me! And she had the resources to have found out my flight details and was booked in the same. Talk of ingenuity.

So me in Business Class and she in Economy soon we reached Cochin airport. Dinner at Sriram’s place and over a meal of Avial, Sambhar and the best payasam, all Kerala delicacies, I discussed with Sriram how to go to Thekkady. He said my aunt had already spoken to him and he had already made arrangements. “We would drive down” he said. Wow!

The next day, I had to report at office and having finished all the formalities, I was set for the week in Thekkady. The lovely evening saw us leave with Aunt, Sriram, his wife and me in tow and a young Kunjumon, the neighbour’s child. Cochin to Kottayam is around 2 hours. Kottayam to Thekkady is around 4 hours. We decided to halt at Kottayam for the night and proceed the next morning. Sriram had arranged for a stay overnight. The driver said he

could drive us through at night, but the roads aren’t too safe as they are very hilly. There is a drive with tea plantations on either side which is dense and pitch dark at night. So we decided against this and felt it is better to enjoy the scenery around and go during daytime.

We stayed over at Kottayam in a lodge. Aunt said I had to thank Sriram as normally accommodations are not easily available and there have been tourists who have been totally disgruntled about not having been treated properly by hotel receptionists etc. However we didn’t have to face all that as Sriram knew his way around here. We slept well and rested and were ready for the next morning.

The next morning completely refreshed we drove up the road, and saw beautiful vistas and a vast stretch of tea estate which seemed to nod in happiness. The early morning fog made the scene look really beautiful. Finally we reached Kumily, which is the main town to Thekkady. At Kumily we were at the edge of the Periyar Reserve and the Coffee Shop there provided us with just exactly what we needed – a steaming cup of tea with some typical Kerala snacks.

Sriram told me “ All the three are the same – Periyar Tiger Reserve, which is the forest area, Thekkady which is the place inside the forest area – a park with amusement rides etc, and Kumily which is the main town.”  Kumily’s main USP was that it was the nearest town to the most famous wildlife reserve in the Southern Part of India.

Aunt screamed, “Shonu! Look!” I looked upwards, and saw a pair of drongos black in colour, a white bellied treepie. The car moved forward and Kunjumon said “Ada, Kando, adu Lake Aana.” I looked quizzically at him and Sriram said “He speaks only Malayalam, he means to say see there, that’s the lake. I smiled at Kunjumon and saw that we were catching small patches of the lake as we drove. The Periyar Lake! Oh my! I had only seen it in pictures. Finally we reached Thekkady and were greeted by the Periyar Lake.

Periyar Lake is a magnificent artificial lake with hills surrounding its vulnerable beauty. I could also see some dead trees in the middle of the lake, some boats in the jetty. Boats! “I want to go for a boat-ride.!” I yelled and then suddenly reddened as I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore to show so much excitement. “Never mind, Shonu!” said Sriram, “it happens with all of us. Boat rides here are really exciting. I don’t blame you. I have already got the tickets, but we need to wait.” I mumbled a silent “ oh how nice of you” still recovering from the embarrassment. We walked around Thekkady.

Now Thekkady is a small tourist spot with the regular comforts like a forest department office, a coffee shop, a small restaurant etc and some Government hotels etc. I read some tourist signs which told us our limits and rules. We weren’t supposed to drink alcohol inside Thekkady. Soon it was time for the boat ride.

With a noisy start, the boat started moving forward with a hundred people like us in tow. Soon we were in the middle of the hills and the lake with its serene, crystal clear water of the lake. The lake looks green and the sky was overcast and it looked as if we were in God’s own Country literally. With lovely storks with black necks and a herd of wild buffaloes grazing in the greenery I was amazed to see the ease at which an egret was visible and also a lovely huge tortoise.

With the rain that had started falling, pattering on my face, we returned to Kumily and rested for the night after a nice light dinner.

Next morning, we decided to trek up the 3 kms stretch. Aunt and Kunjumon stayed back. And wasn’t the walk up fruitful. Sambar deers, Chitals, some more egrets and our trek was indeed a fulfilling one. There was a full day trek which covers undulating land at a height of 1300 meters. One could see the sloth bear, elephants, gaur etc in this trek. But I canceled the idea.

We then decided to go to Periyar National Park. As it was open till 7 in the evening, we returned from our trek, and were in time for the boat trip inside the park at 11.30 in the morning. We lazed through the boat trip looking for the sight of wild elephants here and also for some more species of birds. We found some grazing and that was our luck and when we came back after the two hour ride, it was really welcoming for us to see ourselves headed to eat something for lunch.

After lunch, we decided to go for the nature trail. Starting at 2 in the afternoon it was for 3 hours. The four of us went trekking again this time assisted by a guide from the tribal area. This is a tour which gives us a chance to see lovely butterflies, the wildlife beauties and the swampy marshlands. The guide showed us the amazing fauna here and to see actually the butterflies and so many of them, really set my heart racing and I was glad I was here.

We came back more refreshed, and more educated about the birds and the butterflies and even happier to munch into some local Kerala food and listen to the music being played on the transistor in the tea stall near our hotel.

The next day we decided to go river rafting. We were there on time at 8 in the morning, and we got into rafts made of bamboo. Aunt did not come as she took care of Kunjumon. We saw the rich diversity of the forests by way of the giant squirrel and the langur from Nilgiri. This three hour rafting gave us the best view of the beautiful forests capping the hills and the lake showing this entire scene like a mirror. We were lucky to spot the Sambar once more but couldn’t see the gaur however. There were 4 armed guards to protect us and the guides kept showing us and giving us vital information and details about the region.

The next day we decided to go for the Tiger Trail. This was fun. This was a one night two day affair. We went all prepared and were ready to see the Tiger ! The trek was due the next morning at 8. We were there on time, and didn’t have much to worry about food, as they provided us meals. The trail started and we passed hills and valleys trekking up the undulating land. The guide told us, “This is the Nilgiri Langur,” . As we walked up, Aunt was getting so excited to see the lovely variety of tropical plants and the vast expanse of wide open spaces. I was longing for the camping at night when tents would be pitched. We weren’t worried or scared of spending the night at the forest as the forest guards ensured that we were always taken care of and had all the equipment for an emergency. This is the reason the trail is restricted only for 10 tourists.

I remember how the guide had verified our ages and asked if we truly were ready to forego a lot of comforts as the trail was only for those who wanted to be closer to Nature. We pitched tents at night, and enjoyed the local songs sung by the guides.

Next morning we continued the tiger trail looking for the tiger, but all we saw is herds of wild elephants. Disappointed that we couldn’t see the tiger but happy that we had an eventful trek up, we returned in the evening and back to Kumily at the lodge.

The car vroomed back to Cochin and I was sluggish to join work. People at work saw me and asked if I was unwell. I said yes, “ I am in love. In love with Thekkady.” Everyone just let out a huge overwhelming “Oh yeah! We understand.! We have been victims too.”

Parting thought – If you want to live life kingsize start with Thekkady.