I romanced with nature in Wayanad in the monsoons and lived in Asia's highest tree house located at 88ft above the ground. I’m a very romantic person, and yes that’s a secret to all. I romance with myself, red wine, cinnamon lemon tea, cheese cakes, music, dance, badminton and nature. Aren’t these the things one should really be in love with? I’m in the best of my moods when I’m out into the wild, closest to nature, closest to purity, closest to God.
I had an intimate affair with the monsoons during my visit to “God’s own country”. The original plan was to hike to the heart-shaped lake and Chembra peak. But nature had different plans for me.
An impulsive plan took hold of me one day and the next the day I landed at Kozhikode airport at mid night. I had no plans for the night or for the travel to Wayanad. I decided not to travel alone in the dark and I planned to wait for the daylight at the airport itself. I met one lady at the airport who was waiting for her husband who was travelling to Kozhikode from Dubai. They both had plans to go to Wayanad too. She was one of the very few women I loved talking to and it turned out to be very interesting night with great conversations. When her husband arrived, she introduced me to him and realized we didn’t know eachother’s names till then. They were a very caring couple and offered me a lift with them.
I wanted to stay at one of the coffee estates in the rain forests of Wayanad. The owner had told me that it would be very difficult for me to find the place and he would send someone to pick me up from the main road. From a rustic looking jeep, I heard a voice “Ma’am, Coffee estates, coffee estates”. I turned around and he looked scary with his unkempt look and lungi. With big smile he offered to put my bag in the jeep. I had these scary thoughts in my mind “God! Where am I? Am I doing the right thing by travelling alone to this place?” But the beauty of the place made all these unwanted thoughts vanish within 5 minutes.
The driver was a very cheerful guy and had a smiling face always. He made me comfortable by introducing me to this part of the land, in his broken customized English + Malayam.
I had an intimate affair with the monsoons during my visit to “God’s own country”. The original plan was to hike to the heart-shaped lake and Chembra peak. But nature had different plans for me.
An impulsive plan took hold of me one day and the next the day I landed at Kozhikode airport at mid night. I had no plans for the night or for the travel to Wayanad. I decided not to travel alone in the dark and I planned to wait for the daylight at the airport itself. I met one lady at the airport who was waiting for her husband who was travelling to Kozhikode from Dubai. They both had plans to go to Wayanad too. She was one of the very few women I loved talking to and it turned out to be very interesting night with great conversations. When her husband arrived, she introduced me to him and realized we didn’t know eachother’s names till then. They were a very caring couple and offered me a lift with them.
I wanted to stay at one of the coffee estates in the rain forests of Wayanad. The owner had told me that it would be very difficult for me to find the place and he would send someone to pick me up from the main road. From a rustic looking jeep, I heard a voice “Ma’am, Coffee estates, coffee estates”. I turned around and he looked scary with his unkempt look and lungi. With big smile he offered to put my bag in the jeep. I had these scary thoughts in my mind “God! Where am I? Am I doing the right thing by travelling alone to this place?” But the beauty of the place made all these unwanted thoughts vanish within 5 minutes.
The driver was a very cheerful guy and had a smiling face always. He made me comfortable by introducing me to this part of the land, in his broken customized English + Malayam.
The driver with lungi in Wayanad
I saw these cute little things walking on the highway with the attitude that they too have the rights on the road.
Cute geese walking on the highway in Wayanad
My beautiful cottage amongst coffee, pepper, bamboo and silver oak plantations.
My cottage amongst coffee plantations in Wayanad
The only sound I could hear was that of the waterfall flowing next to my cottage and the rain. And the only aroma I could breathe was that of the coffee beans wafting in the pure air.
 Waterfalls in Wayanad |  Coffee beans in Wayanad |
I had beautiful refreshing mornings in these natural pools. It feels great to swim in fresh water and not in the chlorinated water.
Natural swimming pool in Wayanad
I stayed at the highest tree house in Asia, elevated at 88ft above the ground. I was eyeing this since 2 years and it turned out to be better than my expectations. The serenity of the location added on to the delight.
Tallest tree house in Asia
This tree has a manually operated lift to reach the house. It takes around 3-4 minutes to reach up, but I didn't complain about the unique experience.
 Manually operated lift in the tree house |  Manually operated lift in the tree house |
A lavish spread of Kerala cuisine for lunch at the balcony of the tree house. And a walk by the white water stream and the waterfall in the jungle.
Kerala lunch spread
And a walk by the white water stream and the waterfall in the jungle.
Waterfalls in Wayanad
No, I wasn’t alone in the tree house. 2 squirrels kept jumping on me and didn’t let me sleep alone. Even the open air bath in the tree house didn't let me keep away from nature.
My room in the tree house
Open air bath in the tree house
I soon realised, I did not miss going to the heart-shaped lake and Chembra peak.
My heart was stuck right here, in the middle of nowhere!
The weather tempted me to further explore the forests of Bandipur National Park and I set out on an unplanned road trip. The same time, a dear friend of mine was headed to Kodaikanal and invited me to meet her there. Few of the Kodaikanal Hotels are located in the wilderness which were the best pick to spend quality time with her, catching up on old times before I set back to return to my regular life.
For booking houseboats and other attractions in Kerala, visit - www.ekeralatourism.net
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