The mountain view from our hotel in Vagamon
We said our fond farewells to all the lovely staff who had looked after us so well during our four night stay at Spice Villa 😍. We knew we were in for a challenge as we got the same reaction from everyone we told we were heading to Vagamon 🫣. Our only hope was that, after four days rest, we were hopefully in slightly better shape to face whatever the hills had in store for us.
We made our way out of Puttady village to the usual waves and smiles and lots of "Happy Christmas" wishes. Before too long, the climbs began - some were tougher than others but all felt doable and it was good to tick them off and feel like we were making progress. There were a few steepish descents too and we stopped a few times early on while Max adjusted the brakes. I made sure to test out my emergency brake too - experience has taught us to ensure we have something in reserve 😉.
At first we passed through the cardomom plantations but after a while we noticed these had been superseded by coffee plantations - heavily laden with vibrant, red coffee beans.
After a while we passed through a scenic town with a large river running through it. We stopped on the bridge and I got off to take a photo, returning just a few moments later to find Max talking to a couple of friendly young lads on a motorbike who excitedly told us they were heading to a place called Kottayam for a rave 😄.
From there we joined a much bigger main road which Max noted was called the Mountain Highway 😳. It was pretty pleasant riding, not too hilly and great views of the tree plantations on either side. It wasn't long though before the route indicated a sharp right turn off this main road up what looked like a very steep hill! We stopped and debated for a while whether to stay on the main road but eventually (slightly reluctantly) decided to follow the route. We battled up that climb for as far as we could but it eventually got the better of us and we had to get off and push the last bit. I hoped it wasn't going to continue in this vein because by this point we were only halfway into the ride!
As we passed through a number of small villages the road got smaller and the surface became more challenging. We were routed down a narrow off road track which I was quite dubious about but everyone we asked seemed to confirm that this was indeed the way to Vagamon. We did see cars parked outside a number of houses which we found mildly reassuring.
At one point we stopped to ask a young lad sitting outside his home whether we were heading in the right direction. Two ladies then appeared and before we knew it we were invited into their home and given a lovely cup of tea. Max siezed the opportunity to offload a large bag of halwa he'd been persuaded to buy in a coffee shop in Puttady the day before 😂. All the family gathered to meet us and they were so warm and friendly; despite a language barrier we managed to converse with them all. One of the sisters, Bindu, took a particular shine to Max 😍. We learned that her brother, who lives in South Africa, plays cricket and must be very good because there was a cabinet in the room displaying his many trophies. After a few minutes we set off again with renewed enthusiasm, reflecting that off the beaten track is often where the best moments unfold.
The rest of the ride continued cross country in a similar vein; we didn't reach a main road until just outside Vagamon. We did get some fabulous mountain views across the tea plantations and we only had to dismount a few times, mainly due to poor terrain rather than the scale of any climb. As we descended into Vagamon we were treated to a great view across the valley.
A few minutes later we arrived at our hotel; I was dreading a huge final climb but thankfully we were spared on this occasion 😁.
Our hotel for the night was very nice, we didn't have the best view from our room but there were several balconies around the hotel, including the restaurant, from which to enjoy the sunset. We ate in the restaurant for both lunch and dinner and the food was very good. Their vegetarian menu was quite limited; undeterred we asked for some dhal which, although not listed on the menu, they willingly produced for us and it was particularly tasty 😋.
Having reached Vagamon, we'd completed the last big ascent of our trip. The next day it was downhill all the way to Kumarakom where we were spending two nights at a highly rated homestay, Mango Kerala Homes. Our ride began with the most awesome descent out of Vagamon, which lasted about an hour. The views were stunning all the way down, at times resembling some of the Mallorcan descents we've done before. The winding roads and switchbacks were quite busy - lots of cars and coaches in both directions, but Max handled it as brilliantly and fearlessly as ever 👏.
Once the descent was over, the first thing we noticed was the heat 🥵. After a couple of weeks with relatively mild temperatures in the mountains, we were going to have to reacclimatise to the hot weather again.
Back on a relatively flat route, we cycled through several small towns and, at times, it was quite busy. At one point, having been routed off the main road, we stopped to double-check this was correct. A man very helpfully stopped and got out of his car to help. He quickly advised us to return to the main road, and that's exactly what we did.
Max had found a nice vegetarian restaurant for our lunch stop, about 10 miles away from our accommodation, and by the time we arrived, we were definitely ready for a rest, a chance to cool down and, of course, eat 😉 😀. Another delicious gobi masala dosa for me and the lunchtime thali special for Max 😋. That pitstop kept us going for the rest of the journey, but we were glad to finally arrive at Mango Kerala Homes around 2pm.
We recieved another very warm welcome, this time from Divya and her husband and two delightful daughters. For the next couple of days it felt like we became part of their family. We ate dinner there both nights; delicious traditional home cooked Keralan cuisine. Over dinner and breakfast we chatted to a number of the other interesting guests - two German guys, an Italian couple from Milan and an Indian couple who have lived in Sydney for over 40 years but come back to Kerala to visit every year. Of course we inevitably all shared our travel experiences and tips but talked about all manner of things beyond that too. Divya's youngest daughter insisted on getting everyone to play Uno which was great fun. The accommodation was beautiful in every way and there was a fantastic terrace from where I was able to watch the most glorious sunsets I've seen yet on this trip 🤩🤩.
We booked a sunrise boatrip for our rest day and rolled out of bed around 6am to be picked up at 6.15am. The homestay overlooked the beautiful backwaters and the boat picked us up literally from the front door. The boat trip was awesome - not just because of the sunrise, stunning though that was, but also we saw so much wildlife - otters, water snakes, kingfishers aplenty, an eagle and lots of other birds - and water lilies/lotus flowers (I'm never entirely sure which is which) too. Later on in our trip we're planning to return to the backwaters of Alleppey for an overnight houseboat trip. Another chance to experience the calm tranquility and maybe catch a few more wildlife photos than I managed on this occasion.
All in all we had a wonderful stay at Mango Kerala Homes and felt re-energized for the next leg of the trip - the Keralan coast awaits us ⛱️.
I am glad you made it up those hills -I would need several rest days to carry on ! It’s great that people make you so welcome - Helen
ReplyDeleteWell I probably have to give Max extra credit for his extra tenacity and strength 😉.
DeleteIdeally I would have liked a few days rest after each climb but will settle for whatever I can get away with 🤣🤣
I love the picture of Max having a cuddle with his new gf. His face says it all.
DeleteHe says he was dripping with sweat when she ushered us in
Delete; so was desperately trying to spare her 🤣🤣.
Sounds like some really challenging cycling! Glad you survived 😃 No great views without the climbs though 🤣 And the sunrise cruise looks beautiful - peaceful and calm ☺️
ReplyDeleteThx Jane, you're absolutely right of course. It's been my mantra all the way 😂.
DeleteThe sunrise cruise was a definite highlight too 🤩.