Getting to Wayanad can be an experience in
itself. The first hour or so of the journey from Kozhikode is relatively
unremarkable. Just the endless games of chicken, that are the new normal on
roads in Kerala, by an assortment of vehicles. And to spice things up, the odd
carcass or two of vehicles that have lost a game of chicken.
Where things start to get really interesting
is at the base of the Thamarassery churam, or Thamarassery mountain pass, through the Western Ghats. Here, the narrow
road to Wayanad starts snaking up, often doubling back on itself. The traffic can be
pretty crazy here too, but then there’s always the view to focus on, which is mostly
appealing and often breathtaking.
You will, like me, probably be a little short
of breath when you scramble up to the entrance to the Edakkal caves, about
1,200 feet above sea level. At a moderate pace, it takes about 40 minutes to
walk from the base of the hill to the caves. They’re not quite what comes to
mind when you think of a cave, but the engravings on the inner walls of these
stone structures take you back across the centuries — all the way back to the
Stone Age. And if you go very early in the morning, just when the caves open for
the day and there aren’t too many other visitors around, you can, for a fleeting
second or two, feel a tenuous connection to the early humans who sought shelter
there.
There are more reminders of the inhabitants —
early, but also more recent — of the
region in the Wayanad Heritage Museum in Ambalavayal. It’s a useful
introduction to the area’s history and culture, including that of its large tribal
population.
There is, of course, much more to experience
in Wayanad. But for me, the caves and the museum were a tasting menu, just about
enough to take in on my first visit. More fetching was the prospect of heading
back to the wonderful Pepper Trail — cocooned in a coffee and spice plantation
— with its 140-year-old bungalow and soothing views, all cloaked in solitude
embellished by birdsong.
And that’s just what I did; luxuriate in silence serenaded
by the call of a hornbill.
