Nelliyaampathy

Well.....A much awaited reunion.... after a long two years of rigorous and monotonous work,  there could  be no  better place to meet than the calm, cozy erstwhile coffee and cardamom estates along our very own western Ghats.

Ever heard of Nelliyampathy? ... For those who have not....let me take the pleasure and pride of introducing you to this serene lush green ghats, a relatively untouched part of God's own country, Kerala. Once carpeted with tea, coffee and cardamom plantations, most parts of Neliyampathy are now being taken back by the government after the lease period.

Despite having been to this place more than a couple of times, Nelliyampathy still lures me  with its absolute tranquility. This time, I had an equally amazing company of my old colleagues and we all looked forward to spending a quiet, simple weekend, away from the city hassles.

We commenced our journey from Thrissur (which is approximately a 2 hour drive from Nelliyampathy), the only annoyance being the never-ending road works along the way, which we chose to smartly ignore.

Before the climb up the hills begins, one has to pass a forest check point at the base. (Do make sure you cross this before 1900hrs). One of the oldest dams in India, the Pothundi dam stands just before this check point as guard to the this place.

The drive along the mountain roads greets you with typical grace of western ghats. It was hard to imagine that this route alone had witnessed nearly 40 landslides during the lashing rains of 2017, which resulted in its isolation from the rest of Kerala for a full 15 days. One has to look carefully along the way to really see the scars of the calamity.

Numerous view points along the way will give you plenty of photographic opportunities; one can also see a spectacular panoramic view of the Pothundi dam from above.

A 50 minute slow drive up the ghat and we reached Nooradi. The road further to the hilltop was a challenging one, speckled with several collapsed bridges en route. We, thus decided to park our vehicle at Nooradi and continue the journey  in  the four-wheel drive off-roaders upto the forest guest house. (Be ready to shell out Rs 1400 as rental chargers for the off roaders)

Collapsed bridges on the way

4WD offroarders traversing the stream around one of the several collapsed bridges.

A government guest-house run by the Kerala Forest Department Corporation was our choice of stay. As a part of the many ecotourist projects run by KFDC*, this particular one was in "Pakuthi Paalam" , a 50 minutes rough and spine jerking drive through the forest from Nooradi)

True beauty lies in simplicity! The accommodation provided was a silent evidence to this proverb. A clean stay, right in middle of the coffee plantations. A perfect place to for us exhausted souls to unwind!

Ever since the Govt. has taken over the land, the forest has expanded ; and we were told, this has led to an increase in wild animal sightings. The guest house perimeter is guarded by an electric fence. Once up there, the whole place seemed quite small. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. The stay also included a short hike around the area followed by a drive deeper into the forest, accompanied by the forest guards.

A small place indeed, with a voter population of 8!!!!. (4 males and 4 females)

We went for a short hike in the early evening, around the guest house. There were frequent sightings of the mountain squirrel and the lion tailed macaque. 

As told to us, the wild life sightings have increased over the past couple of years. 

We were not among the lucky ones to spot many,though.The leeches gave us plenty company!!😀

Picking leeches along the way

 

Scars of the calamity: Landslides

5.45 am! Yes, that's how early we we woke up the next day  to start out jeep safari into the woods. The route took us  deeper into forest along old abandoned estates of coffee . The guard who accompanied us showed us the tell-tale signs of elephant activities. 

Abandoned houses of old estate workers. The wall here is broken by elephants

After a relaxed safari through the forest, we returned to our cozy nest for tea and breakfast. The food was awesome throughout, cooked specially to suite our tastes, and I must emphasize, all the workers were simply brilliant in their hospitality! Having worked in these estates once upon a time, these people knew in and out of this place.

Their experiences of life in the jungle amidst the wildlife are simply captivating! They also vividly recollect the tough times they had during the floods and landslides and fear the climate changes will make these a routine. For people who lived their life in the lap of nature, who possess an incredible sense of respect and awe for it, if you ask me, it has been truly unfair. They bear the brunt of the ill-effects of our actions of deforestation and 'modernization'. Despite their discontent, they welcome us with a wide smile and take in all their hardships as a blessing.

Recharged by this rejuvinating weekend getaway, we slid back into our mundane routines.  



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"Let us each do our minimum best to nurture the nature and preserve our future"

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*KFDC guest houses can be booked directly from their official website (https://www.kfdcecotourism.com/). The service includes one night stay, food and the jeep safari.