Why Vagamon Isn’t Just Another Trip To The Hills

       

While we still had trips that were long postponed and plans that were half failures by now, the first week of January 2020, unfolded with a car ride to Vagamon in Idukki district. Not that we wanted to start the year with travelling but somehow the holidaying mood of year end lingered on us. We had reached home in Alleppey that morning itself. I could have easily avoided this trip but much whimsically, said YES to it.  As happens in case of trips that are neither planned well nor taken too seriously, we started late in the morning from our home in Alleppey with a rough itinerary in mind.

My husband, Sree,  was the driver on board as our newly bought car was on it’s maiden drive to hills.  We picked Jijomon, Sree’s buddy, from near his house in Thakazhi which, in itself, is a picturesque landscape with water and fields. I and Manu were the occupants in the backseats while Jijo gave our “driver” company in the front. Since introducing the characters is too much for a travel blog, I would make do with tit bits of information about them. Sree calls himself an analyst by profession and otherwise. Jijo says on his Whatsup status that he is “a man of contradictions”. So I would just let that be. By the way, he is a professor at IIT. Manu works primarily with “force” … Physical Force…and (predictably perhaps) he is employed in the Armed Force.

The lushness on both sides of the roads gave way to the traffic in Thiruvalla. Later, we struggled on the stingy roads towards Pala. While the heat was rising outside, inside we were much at ease with our aimless discussions. It was a ride sans music as our talking didn’t let us realize it. In some time, we were riding amongst the shades of the trees and the terrain changed to hilly.

For lunch, we stepped into a restaurant and gobbled the local delicacies. In this part of the world, you are in for a treat of beef and sea food. Since I was a bit saturated with non veg those days, I opted for a light veg meal. Resuming our ride to the hills, we began navigating to the destination – Pine forest in Vagamon. Vagamon is a cluster of tourist attractions with hills, meadows and forest. Thekkady was another attraction on our list but time made us put it off for another day.

 Picture Courtsey: ekeralatourism.net

The meadows came our way before the forest. As we made our way to the spot, fellow visitors were basking in the cool moist breeze of the hills. Though there was chattering of groups around us, the place was mostly tranquil just as you would like a hill top to be. While exploring the meadows, we were delighted to see a small water body at the foot. It was an algae-green irregularly long pond. On another side, there was a taller summit with a house like structure surrounded by tea plantation. The much regular forms of the meadows were egg-like bulges and we knew why they were vernacularly named “Egg Hills”. When we were done with our selfies and groupfies, we simply sat down to enjoy the blissfully cool breeze, the kind that you can enjoy only on meadows like these.

Towards the exit, we rewarded ourselves with a refreshing tea and Chilly Bhajjis. The kiosks were full of local spices, chocolates and toys which barely called for our attention. We decided to head for the Pine forest before it became dark. In another two kilometers, we saw the place change again with glimpses of pine trees here and there. 

Before entering the forest zone, we could not resist the sight of a state owned cattle grazing field. It reminded me of few pictures I had seen of Scotland (Pardon this outrageous comparison). Though we saw from a distance, the lushness of the grass was a joyful sight. May be because the grass was just watered, there was  visible dampness to the fields which made us spend few moments in admiration. 

Next, we entered the forest zone taking stony steps down to the cool shade of the Pines. It was a poser’s heaven (not to overstate). I looked up and was enthralled by the stubbornly tall Pines that would just let the sunrays pass scantily between it’s frugal leaves. On my last trip to Ooty, I had missed out on seeing the Pine Forest. I was delightfully compensated for it in Vagamon.

Climbing the way up was tougher than what it seemed to be. I could just manage to put up a brave face climbing up the stony trail. The series of kiosks made me peep into the spices and chocolates. Then, I bought a box of sugar-coated Indian gooseberries. Sourness and sweet is an irresistible combination and it became evident as we relished the berries. The box was empty even before we got back in the car. Not that I had doubts while buying.

The ride back was rather unpredictable. We had decided to take the Kottayam route for the ease of driving and also as a suggestion for a familiar restaurant came from Jijo. However, a small goof up between a slope and a climb landed us on the roads less taken (much literally). It was an unmanned road with very few signs of human habitation and Google map turned out to be the only savior but not without fluctuations. Before we got back on track, we found ourselves at a cliff end of the road and we couldn’t resist to behold the view from atop. Acrophobic as I am, I just peeped down and sprung back telling myself- “this is not for you girl.” The slightly foggy sky with the hues of the dusk was too tempting to resume the ride again. But…

The roads wound against the rocks. Just when we wondered where we were heading to, the sight of a small church came as a respite. Soon, we were back on the track that was our way up.

Once in the town, my eyes unintentionally drifted to restaurants. However, Sree said that a good trip could only be completed with great food and so the pre-decided restaurant only would be our next halt. I am sure he regretted this statement later.

So, the suggested restaurant, Vembanad Resort, was about 10 Kms off route. As it was evening by then, we pretty much hassled our way searing through the traffic at Pala. By now, each one of us had their tummies talking.  

Vembanad Resort, Kottayam 

However, the restaurant turned out quite refreshing against the stuffy feeling I had started experiencing inside the car. This time, the menu was insensitive to vegetarians. I had to go for Parotta and Chicken while the other three gorged on Parotta and varieties of Beef. To complete, there was Beer for the men (except 'driver' of course). 

Thereafter, not much of a guess, the drive turned extremely sleepy in the backseats. By the time it was Jijo’s Thakazhi, I had dowsed off few times. I uttered a sleepy “good night” to him as he was dropped off near his house. We reached home by 10.30 in the night. The next thing I remember is my bed.

Though this was a rushed up trip to the hills, I felt rewarded with the memory of serene hills and the shady coolness of Pine trees. Vagamon feels like Vagamon…… just as it is.