19/09/2019
A DAY IN THE WILD
“Amme, I could not sleep properly… I had a terrible sleep… please let me sleep some more time…”
Today morning, when I went to wake-up my son to get him ready for school, he begged for a few more hours of sleep. Last night he had a disturbed sleep and he sounded very tired. We adults have the leverage of taking a day off in such situations; whereas for kids it is not so easy to get a leave with the excuse of a disturbed sleep. He sounded very genuine to me. My husband (Aneesh) said that it is perfectly okay to take a day off in case he was really tired.
I had already taken a compensatory off today for one of my working holidays. Aneesh also did not have anything urgent or important in his schedule for the day. So, the morning extended up to 10 am today. All the four (including our dog Tito) slept for long hours. This happens rarely on a week day.
By the time we had breakfast it was 11.15 am. It was during the breakfast, this idea of utilizing the day to the maximum crept into our mind. The best option is a short trip. We did not have a plan or a clear location. Just typed ‘Pooyamkutty’ in google map and we sat in the car exactly at 11.30 am. A two hours drive took us to Thattekkadu. We had been to Thattekkadu bird sanctuary earlier and so thought not to go there. Instead, we stopped near the Thattekkadu river, under the bridge and walked to vast green banks of the river. Thattekkadu river was muddy, deep and furious. She reminded us of the raging flood we witnessed a couple of months ago. The river and the bridge still wore signs of the flood- logs and branches of trees still stuck to the concrete beam tops on which the road is made. The river bank extended as a small valley with thick lush green forest on both sides. Far away, below the rainy clouds, the huge mountain tops of Western Ghats stood with magnanimity. Countless birds were chirping and singing in the forest. The orchestra was supported by the rhythmic flow of river and occasional high pitch notations of cicadas. It was then, an unexpected encounter occurred with Budhamayoori, (banded peacock butterfly) which is the state butterfly of Kerala. She was a feast for our eyes- a mix of vibrant green, blue and grey with orange and black dots and marks in between... what a beautiful creation of nature! We had no clue how much time we spet there.
Finally we decided to move on. We took the Kuttambuzha route. It is absolute fun to travel without any particular destination in mind. Spontaneous decisions kept the suspense alive. Kuttampuzha route is rich with scenery. Nature offeres a feast for eyes. Kuttambuzha river was clearer and bluer. The cold water, when touched the feet, it washed away all thoughts about everything else. We were just trapped there in that moment. It was a mesmerizing experience. There was a ‘kadavu’ or bathing steps that leads to the river. Near the Kadavu, on the banks of the river there was a huge tree with some winged visitors- hornbills, mynahs, cuckoos and some unknown birds. Cormorants were diving in the fast-flowing river waters. There was absolute peace and solace everywhere.
After spending some time (we really didn’t bother how much time!), we pushed off towards Pooyamkutti. On the way there was another river and a narrow bridge across it. The sign board read Vellaramkuthu and Manikandanchal. Google map showed a tribal settlement on the border of the forest. There was nothing more to think. We just took the diversion and crossed the river in to the wilderness. A few of kilometers through the forest road, we reached Vellaramkuthu. It was a tiny village with very few houses ad shops. On the junction, there were some shops and some people. When we went further towards the forest, the road became quite deserted. Finally, we reached at the end of the road. There was a small hut with a couple of people and their pet dogs- the rest was just forest, all around.
There was a beautiful, small waterfall on the road side. The wild streams rushing down from here and there together formed this waterfall. Crystal clear cool water left no opportunity for a denial. We couldn’t resist the temptation to take a dip in that splashing stream. We must have spent an hour or more in that stream. It was getting dark and we had to go back home. With a half mind, we went back to our car, drove through the drizzles… back to our home…
