Fringe Ford Wayanad

... to find elephant an our first safari and were on our way back when suddenly the other naturalist got really animated and made the driver reverse. He pulled out his binoculars and spotted a leopard sitting in a tree! We were all excited to have found one and stayed there for a while watching it sit on the branch. Other jeeps would ride by and our naturalists would proudly show where to find the leopard. Everyone was smiling, and we continued on our way back ...

... end up back at their pad for Chats that went way into the early hours............For Me and Jen having spent so much time together without meeting a single white person for probably 3 weeks previously, this social interaction was like heaven.


Our other main story to mention ......and probably the most significant is that our team is now no longer 2 but 3!!! Mother is in India!!!
A two week holiday say Mumsie land at Kochin airport...........we ...

... a tusker in the wild is an entirely different experience. We also saw a bison and lots of deer.

Thirunelli is a small blip on the grand map that is India. It is famous for showcasing a 1000 year old temple. What is incredible is that this temple still remains as it did in another era. for Hindus this temple is of great importance as it is the ultimate place for the final rites of departed souls (at least next to Varanasi). We were travelling for some unfinished business with ...

... was sneaking in jokes each one completely cracking us up. This time around it was little billy and the blondes who made their mark. The elephant trunk graft joke is now legendary....

Evening started with 100 pipers, JW and brandy for me. We asked Ganesh and family to go ahead and complete their dinner and sleep. It amazed us on how confident they were to have strangers in their house and sleep with peace. The compound area of the homestay is huge ( for coffee ...) we got ...

... and fish is sourced locally.

Hiliya has a real focus on being self sufficient and environmentally friendly. To this end they grow their own food and apply many energy saving techniques to their facilities. They even provide organic soaps!

Although I visited in the height of the rainy season there was still plenty to do, including onsite badminton, when rain didn’t stop play. I also found the cosy and homely atmosphere a great place to curl up and read a book.

Contrary to my expections, i woke up early to the chirping sound of birds....our body clock is such that it gets accustomed to a routine and the ashram routine was still working in here.
First thing what i did was to open the bamboo windows and have a look outside....

and, lo behold!.........

It was truely Nature at its Best!!....what a spectacular view!.....just fell in love with the place. The atmosphere intoxicated me ...

... facial features. Everybody on the bus smelled like humanity crush. The elderly tribesman had feet that looked exactly like a gorilla's feet and this is probably because he has been outside his whole life with no shoes. One of the ladies had stretched ear lobes with circular gold disks inserted into the giant holes, another one had a gold chain dangling from her nose piercing. I shared my mixed green and purple grapes with them. At present, some of the Wayanad area is occupied ...

... brits and two venezuelan sisters. We were all here hoping to spot wildlife. The first night we did a jeep tour just on the outskirts of the sanctuary. We spotted bison and red-spotted deer, which was nice but not as satisfying as the 'big game' we were hoping to see. The next morning the two of us and the sisters went on a jeep safari inside the sanctuary boundary lines. It looked promising from the beginning when we caught sight of two red ...

... till the layout. The house was nice with 2 bedrooms and all the amenities including play area etc. huh I was satisfied. Journey was a little tiring and we decided to take some rest for the rest of the day in this lovely house and start site seeing from next day. February 16th sharp 9 Am myself and nick where ready to hit our first tourist spot at Soochippara waterfalls. Soochipara is located in a small town named meppaddi. We reached there around 10 Am amidst tea gardens and mountains ...

... today as we were booked on the narrow gauge train to take us down the mountain en route to Kerala. The train ride was everything we had romantically hoped an Indian train journey would be, right down to the steam engine. The views of tea plantations clinging to the hill sides and mist-shrouded waterfalls cutting through the valleys was magical. Our trip to Ooty was worth it for the train ride alone. Caroline and Mark