We (Vipin and Me) were waiting at the Kochi airport to receive our guests, few students who are on a cultural exchange program with Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India. The group (Students: Ebony, Magill, Beverly, Annabelle, Nigel; Chaperones: Ms. Anitra & Mr. Alok Maiti) arrived at Kerala after having been to a few places in the Northern India as a part of their winter vacations. We were welcomed at the hotel by Vishal along with a scrumptious buffet. Everyone carefully listened as Hari; the tour leader briefed the group on the agenda and safety precautions to be followed for the next few days of their stay with us. By then it was time for a good sleep as we need to be prepared for an eventful week ahead.
Day 1:
We left Kochi and drove to our first campsite at Suryanelli a little past noon, located a few kilometers away from Munnar. It is enriched with the scenic Western Ghats and a spectacular view of the beautiful Anaerangal Lake. After lunch, we went for a walk around the village and visited the Muduvan tribal settlement in there. It was during Pongal (harvest festival) and there were celebrations going on. The local people extended their warmth by inviting us to dance along with them. It was real nice to see the students dance with the villagers to the tribal tunes. We went back to the camp and enjoyed a delicious dinner around the campfire.
Day 2:
After breakfast, we set off for Anaerangal Dam, the starting point of our trek. Annabelle was not joining us today for the trek as she was down with a migraine. Team Kalypso, engaged the group with a little bit of warm up activity before the trek.
We started our trek through the tea gardens and stopped by a local petty shop for a break where the students went crazy buying a whole lot of orange candies, the 25p ones (I used to love them as a kid). We walked through the Cardamom plantations and stopped for picnic lunch en route at a planter’s dry house. After sufficient rest we continued to trek through the spice plantations to reach the next campsite, Shanthanpara. We spent the evening playing story cubes and Mafia (involves a lot of story telling, rather making up stories) and these kids were really creative. We had an appetizing dinner around the campfire before we could head to our tents for a much needed rest.
Day 3:
We started the day with team building games which added upon to their synergy levels during this trip. Today Annabelle was feeling better and was ready to join us for the trek as it was the last day we would be hiking. Although the trek was tougher than yesterday with steeper climbs, the serene view of the hills around, and the songs we sang along the way helped us make through it easier (Especially the claps for Travis McCoy’s: “we are young, we run free, stay up late, we don’t sleep……..”). The view from the summit was spectacular with the plains of Tamil Nadu on one side and the tropical jungles of Kerala on the other side. When we reached the summit, students were taught by our guides how to make and use a Rope Harness. We had a picnic lunch en-route and resumed our trek to reach the camp. At the camp, the students got to see and learn “How to make Parathas” illustrated by our very own little chef Mr. Regi. We spent ample time around the campfire and enjoyed a tasty dinner.
Day 4:
We were done with our trekking phase and moved towards the plains at Thattekkad. We drove a few hours to reach the Hornbill camp, located on the banks of River Periyar overlooking the world famous Salim Ali bird sanctuary. After lunch and a little rest we all were ready to go rafting. We had an amazing time as we also got to swim in the placid waters, with the ‘Life Jackets’ on. We were back on raft and while Ebony and Magill chose to swim back to the camp.
At evening, we went on a nature walk along with our naturalist Mr. Peter and he explained to us about the flora and fauna around this region.
Day 5:
Today we visited the Elephant rescue camp at Kodanad and sacred grove. We spent ample time at the rescue camp watching the elephants being given a bath and other activities of their rehabilitation program. We soon went back to the camp for lunch and were to ready to go cycling while Mr. Maiti was in love with the view of the river from the camp and hence chose to do kayaking for the evening. It was a great time cycling across the Boothathankettu dam, but stopped soon after we knew Ebony is unwell with her breathing getting harder. Eldo, our safety man was there immediately with the first aid kit for her rescue. We then relaxed for a while but decided to head back to the camp as a matter of precaution. We rested at the camp for the night.
Day 6:
We left Hornbill camp after breakfast and headed for Alleppey, a three hour long drive. Alleppey, picturesque with its backwaters and canals is also known as the “Venice of the East”. We started our journey at the boat jetty where we boarded the rice boat for a day cruise. We were served some yummy lunch with every dish bearing the taste of coconut oil. It was one of the best lunches we had in this trip, I must say. We spent most of the time watching the lovely waterways, the paddy fields and local people engaged at work. By evening we reached at the Lake Haven resort where we were to spend the night.
There was a lot of energy left in us after a relaxed day cruise which we sweated out in the evening playing badminton/ basketball at the resort. We watched the sun go down across the backwaters as we sipped on fresh juice at the resort. After dinner, I and Mr. Maiti sat outside by the backwaters discussing about his musical journey as we watch the girls (Family) squeezing to fit in one hammock to prove their oneness ;-) While there were only two more days left for the trip to end, it was getting more and more interesting and exciting as everyone were getting to know each other.
Day 7:
We were are all ready and waiting to head for our next destination as Mr. Unni; our kayaking guide got there with the accompanying boat. After a quick round of introduction with the group, Unni did a live demonstration of the capsize drill and also explained the safety precautions to be followed while kayaking. We soon started paddling through the mesmerizing backwaters. Nigel and Maiti were enjoying on their single kayaks. Ebony and Magill took it easier (Ebony’s rowing classes at school did show up here). Initially it was tough for Bev and Anna as they did not synchronize. We then changed kayaks as Anna found it easier on a single kayak. It was fun filled as we were splashing water at each other and racing for the chocolates thrown from the safety boat while Beverly also learned to paddle the right way. It was then a cake walk for her without straining her arms, before we could stop for a break en-route after 3 hours of kayaking.
We visited St. Mary’s Forane church one of the oldest Christian churches in India and the Statue making gallery. We then continued to kayak a few more kilometers to reach the destination, a heritage home stay called Akkarakalam Memoirs. The ambience of this home stay will take you back in time. There were happy smiley faces amongst the group as they saw a huge hammock that could accommodate the entire family. We enjoyed yet another amazing lunch and rested for a while. In the evening we went on a sunset cruise. We all gathered at the dining hall, it was such like a family dinner where everyone took a turn to share about their best experiences during this trip.
Day 8:
It was the last day of our tour program. We left Alleppey after breakfast and arrived at Ernakulam Town station from where they were to depart. We bid farewell with warm hugs and pleasant thoughts. It was time that we part ways and but the trek over the past few days, MAFIA, songs during the trek, fun while kayaking, shopping for candies at the petty store in Alleppey, poker games, not to forget the “Whaaaats and Wheeeeres” (the way Ebony and Beverly would say it) and much more... I’m just left with an incredible feeling!
