Kerelan Mountains Part 2: Pooppara and Thekkady

Another stunning landscape

We left Planet Munnar as prepared as we could be for our next mountain challenge. It was another short ride but from a quick glance at the scenery it was obvious we would face a fair bit of climbing to reach our next destination.

We started on a high as we were treated to about 10km descent with the most gorgeous views through the tree plantations. After that it was a few miles of gently rolling lanes, with lush greenery and pretty flowers everywhere. 

Then came the hefty climb up - I knew this was coming as we were essentially doubling back on ourselves to get back up to the main road. On the positive, the trees provided us with ample shade and the constant sound of the waterfalls had a soothing (almost cooling) effect.  Nonetheless it was a tough climb and by the time we reached the top our legs were shouting at us 😂. That was the first tough climb done, just one more to go (or so we thought 😂). 

Once out on the main road, we enjoyed a nice long stretch of easy riding. The views were still very beautiful - being in the mountains the scenery had moved to another level and it was absolutely stunning 🤩. 

We picked up quite a bit of speed at times, I was feeling much more confident as we were on a very wide and open stretch of road and it wasn't very busy. At one point we overtook a moped which I think was a small victory for Max 😂

Max had forewarned me that we had another tough climb at the end of the ride, up to the Windy Mist Resort. He assured me that it wasn't going to be as bad as the climb up to Planet Munnar but we'd probably have to push the bike for the last bit as it looked too steep to cycle. The stunning views we were anticipating certainly don't come easily but hopefully it'd be worth all the effort. 

We reached a fork in the road where, according to the Kamoot route, we needed to take the left fork - heading off the main road and through another beautiful tea plantation. On reaching a small village we took a right turn with just a few miles to go and the inevitable climb fast approaching. I remember commenting that a sign for our accommodation would have been reassuring at this point. If only I'd trusted my instinct at that moment 🤔.

We took another left turn straight into a short sharp climb which we just about managed. An old man on a moped who had noticed us, waited at the top and watched us sweat it out 😅. He did at least give us a nod of respect when we reached him. We stopped and had a brief chat with him - although a tad tricky given the language barrier. He seemed to recognise where we were heading though and, as he rode off, he pointed to the next right hand turn indicating this was the way we should go.  We took one look and instantly knew we weren't going to make it on the bike, so quickly dismounted. 

The track got narrower, steeper and, to make matters worse, we had the sun beating down on us. We battled to push the bike uphill, stopping every few metres just to catch our breath. It was almost impossible and Max questioned how on earth our hotel would get their supplies etc up such a steep, narrow path! Almost simultaneously, I'd decided to look at google maps to see how much further we had to climb. To my absolute dismay, I realised we were climbing the wrong path - we must have taken a wrong turn off the main road because our hotel now looked quite a distance away 🫣🫣.

Almost broken we had no choice but to turn round and retrace our steps. All the way back down the hill, we got back on as soon as we could and at least enjoyed a nice descent pretty much all the way back to the main road. From there it was a short, gradual climb until we reached the correct turning where this time, I duly noted, there was indeed a sign for our hotel 🤭. That was a valuable lesson all too painfully learnt!! 

So now we faced our final steep climb with about a mile to go. Max was keen to have a go at the hill and so we gave it our best shot and peddled for as long as we could. I think without the previous false start we would probably have managed more, but in any event we'd never have been able to cycle all the way up. 

With about 500 metres to go, a car pulled up alongside us, and a young man hopped out from the back offering to help us. It was such a kind gesture and we thanked them profusely but declined all the same. That kindness, which we've experienced so much of in South India, was enough to carry us over the finish line and we finally limped into the Windy Mist Resort a few minutes later. Broken but not beaten 😂.

We were warmly welcomed by Mrs Rajasree and her staff which instantly made it all worthwhile. Windy Mist was another beautiful resort and it was clear we'd landed on our feet again. We spent the rest of the day settling in, relaxing and of course sampling their menu which got an instant thumbs up from both of us 👍.  We had a lovely balcony from which to view the sunsets and sunrises across the glorious mountain views. Mrs Rajasree gave us a guided tour of the property - including the newly built swimming pool and her organic vegetable garden. The whole property was beautifully maintained with lots of lovely flowers and plants everywhere. The xmas decorations were going up just as we arrived too and it looked so pretty all lit up at night 🤩. 

Whilst r&r was top of our agenda for our two day stay, we decided to do a spot of sightseeing the next day. Mrs Rajasree, arranged a tuk tuk driver to take us and off we went.  It was just a quick whistle-stop tour around a couple of local sites - viewing points which included a local dam and a brief drive around one of the local tea plantations. All very beautiful and enough to give us a quick feel for the locality. Apart from this brief trip out we were happy to stay put, relax and enjoy the food and company. We chatted to some of the other guests - one family from Kochi in particular were very friendly and gave us their contact details to get in touch when we visit there at the end of our trip. 

After a luxurious two night stay at the Windy Mist resort, we set off for the next leg of our mountain challenge. We were heading towards Thekkady, away from the tea plantations and towards the cardomom spice plantations instead. 

We started the ride with a very steep descent out of the resort. It was so steep I had to use the safety brake in addition. It's no wonder we couldn't cycle up it 😳. We enjoyed the most stunning view of the tea plantations and, once back on the main road, this continued. We saw loads of workers in the fields many carrying the huge baskets full of tea on their heads.  

Sometime later, we found ourselves on a country lane with trees and undergrowth on either side. We crossed a number of bridges over streams and small waterfalls and then started the first climb of the day. It was tough, not least because we lost the shade we'd initially enjoyed, and the sun was beating down on us 😅. When we reached the top Max announced we'd completed climb one of eight for the day! That was intended to motivate me; it might actually have had the opposite effect though 😂. We continued along country lanes and a series of undulations - reminding me of Cornwall or Devon. We tried to use the momentum generated from the descent to get us up the next climb but the sheer weight of the bike limits us. Max never misses an opportunity to point out how much luggage we're carrying but I'm not budging on that 😂.

We met the first group of cyclists on our trip so far that day. Four guys from Varkala (which is on the southern coast of Kerala and is a place we're heading to in early January). They were on a four day trip round Kerala and, much to our envy, were travelling very light indeed. Max was keen to ride with them, which we did very briefly, but after a short while we stopped for an early lunch in a small town which marked the halfway point of our ride.  We were greeted by a friendly waiter who gently guided us towards paneer butter masala with rice (for Max) and parotta (for me). It was quite tasty actually and we were also treated to some really delicious fresh juice - pineapple for Max, grape for me. It was enough to re-energize us both without filling us up too much given the fair amount of climbing which still lay ahead of us. 

The beautiful scenery continued in much the same vein for the rest of the ride but the climbing was tough. Nonetheless, we finally arrived at our accommodation for the night - a homestay within a small plantation.  Our room for the night was a treehouse which, with a huge tree as the centrepiece to our room, and the washbasin situated outside on the balcony overlooking the plantation, promised to be an interesting experience 😄. 

After a good night's sleep and a takeaway breakfast that was delivered to our door, we set off again. We were spending the next few days over Christmas in another (hopefully abit more luxurious) treehouse in a small village called Puttady. It was a place called the Spice Villa, nestled in one of the cardomom plantations and situated a few miles north of the Periyar National Park. It was only about 10 miles yet still promised a reasonable degree of elevation 😅. Still, the thought of our xmas break at the Spice Villa in Thekkady would power us on! 

It was a picturesque route all the way, country lanes lined with trees and lots of wild flowers and shrubs everywhere. We passed through several small villages and started to see some very nice villas. I got the distinct impression we were heading into a wealthier area - perhaps because of the cardamom plantations. We've already learnt that it's one of the most expensive spices and is almost uniquely grown in Kerala 🤷‍♀️. The climbing was tough and, although still really enjoying the experience, we were definitely a little jaded and in need of a few days break. We arrived at The Spice Villa around 1pm, slightly ahead of official check-in time but they still welcomed us in and showed us to our treehouse. It seemed a very peaceful and relaxing setting; after a shower and a fabulous lunch it was clear we were in for another fabulous stay. 

Visiting the National Park was at the top of our "things to do list" and we signed up for an all day trek. Our hosts arranged everything for us, all we had to do was wake up and turn up on time.  Max was winding everyone up about how many tigers we'd spot; but since there are reputedly only 40 or so spread across over a 190km radius I figured it was unlikely to say the least! 

We arrived at the edge of the reserve to meet the rest of our group (seven of us in total) and three park rangers who would be looking after us. We instantly spotted the ranger who was getting his gun out. I felt both nervous (that a gun might actually be needed) and reassured that we were clearly in the hands of experienced guides. Max just wanted to quiz him on how many tigers we could expect to see 😂. He explained that the gun was essentially an air rifle, only intended to act as a deterrent in the (hopefully unlikely) event one was needed. We were reliably informed that the bear is actually the most dangerous animal we would potentially encounter.  Once all the group had arrived, we were handed out leech socks, obligatory to wear and very fetching, and a rucksack with our breakfast and lunch for the day. 

Right from the word go the rangers were brilliant - pointing out so many interesting things - flora and fauna - tiger tracks, humungous spiders 🕷,  leaves that tribes use as makeup etc etc They were so eagle eyed and tuned in to the sounds of the forest too - spotting a deer within minutes. I felt sure that, if there was anything for us to see, they would surely find it for us 🤩.

We quickly bonded as a group, a really nice guy from Amsterdam and four Indian guys. One of them, Riyas, took the most amazing photos and videos and shared them with the group afafterwards. To begin with we trekked through the forest and enjoyed the shade. The scenery was beautiful but of course the best views involve climbing - no pain no gain/reward 😂. After a fair while of climbing, I looked ahead and saw a steep peak. One of the rangers was suggesting I take the path round instead while another ranger took the guys up to the top. Well, much as the climb looked strenous, that was a bit of a red rag to a bull 😳.  I declined the opt out and pressed ahead with the others. It wasn't too bad tbh and the climb took us round the other side of the mountain. From there, within a moment, the ranger we were with spotted a herd of elephants near a watering hole down below. With the use of his binoculars, we were all treated to the most fabulous view and even one of the baby elephants came into sight. If I hadn't pressed on with the climb, then I would surely have kicked myself when they all returned afterwards 😉. Little did we all know what was going to happen next....

Just as we approached the top of the peak to admire the view, we heard a really loud noise from down below. It sounded like an animal fighting with something. We looked down and our ranger quickly explained/pointed out what was happening. A black bear had appeared and spotted the two rangers who were waiting for us down below (thankfully the one with the gun was one of them) and was not at all happy. Perhaps it was a female bear protecting her cubs that were nearby, we didn't really get to the bottom of why, but the next couple of minutes were quite scary as we watched the situation unfold. Eventually, the ranger was forced to shoot into the air to force the bear to retreat away from the path - that being the route we all needed to follow next. Wow, it was certainly a heart-stopping experience and made me fully appreciate the enormity of the moment. It also demonstrated the experience of the rangers who were looking after us.

We didn't get to see any tigers but we did also get a great sighting of a huge antlered deer running across the path in front of us at one point 🤩. All in all it was a brilliant trip and by the time we returned to base camp around 4.30pm we were all absolutely shattered 😲.  

Our hosts gave us a couple of other great recommendations, the first of which was to visit a local Spice Park which was literally on our doorstep. We wandered down one morning having been told there is a cardomom auction there every day at 10am but not knowing quite what to expect. It wasn't at all obvious where everything was but after a bit of a mooch around we found the auction hall. It was empty though, presumably closed for xmas. Just as we were coming to the conclusion there was nothing to see we bumped into a security guard who took us back to the reception area. Within a few minutes a young guy appeared from nowhere and became our private guide for the next hour and a half. He brought the whole scene to life, explaining that this site was set up by the Spice Board of India to help improve the quality, productivity and marketability of spices. He gave us the most interesting and informative tour of the entire site starting with a tour of the plantation - pointing out the various cardomom, pepper, tea and chilli plants all being grown there. We saw the nursery where some of the plants are initially cultivated and also some of the plant machinery used for the cleaning, drying and grading/sorting of the spices (until fairly recently this was all done by hand - so clearly a very labour intensive process). It was an absolutely fascinating tour, not least because our guide delivered it with such enthusiasm and expert knowledge, answering all our random questions without hesitation. What I found most interesting was learning that, whereas tea is grown in many different areas/countries, cardomom is almost exclusively grown in Kerala. Guatemala is the only other country currently growing it but apparently the quality isn't as good.  

We noted that a trip to the Kohda Cultural Village in Thekkady got very good reviews. There were a few different shows to choose from and when Binu at Spice Villa recommended the martial arts performance we happily took his advice. Well it didn't disappoint - the show was absolutely mind blowing from beginning to end. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more daring it did. Dancing with fire turned into jumping through ever decreasing hoops of fire🔥. The atmosphere was electric and the entire crowd (including us) absolutely loved loved it. The loudest cheer of the night came when the only female performer did an incredible self defence tackle against her male opponent and won 🏆.  Girl power at it's most impressive I thought. 

Our four days at Spice Villa passed all too quickly. We had a wonderful time and were extremely well looked after. We had plenty of time to relax but also managed to experience enough of what the area had to offer. We still had one last leg of the mountains left - next stop being Vagamon. Time would tell if the rest would pay dividends on the climbs that lay ahead of us 😉. 

We passed these workers twice when we took the wrong climb up to Windy Mist 🫣

Pushing the bike up the wrong track - it was much steeper and tougher than it looks 😅

Lush tea plantations

Pretty flowers everywhere

My favourite truck yet 😍

Hard at work in the tea plantations

Windy Mist resort

Wonderful vistas from all the balconies

Sunrise at Windy Mist

Our warm host, Mrs Rajasree

The dam near Windy Mist

Another stunning view from Windy Mist

And another one....

Another viewpoint near the dam at Pooppara

Our delightful treehouse balcony at Spice Villa

Deepa at Spice Villa kept us very well fed 😋

This was the closest thing to a tiger we saw at Periyar National Park 😂

Max looking like a park ranger 😂

Our trek group in the Periyar Park

One of our very knowledgeable guides

Stunning views of Tamil Nadu across the border

Angry bear

Breathtaking views everywhere

With one of our fellow trekkers

A full leech check was done after this photo was taken - and several were found 🫣🫣

One of the many up market villas near Puttady

Another rather grand Catholic church

Loggers at work on the way to Puttady

Another rather impressive looking villa

Fresh Nutmeg

The nursery at the Spice Park

Beautiful illustrations of the tradional farming methods

Introducing us to the cardomom plants

Outside Spice Villa

A delicious lunch at Spice Villa

Martial Arts Show

I love this photo Max took 😍