... They lied to me!

My last post was about Chembra ... but there's some inconsistency in the data. My GPS unit (which has been consistently showing correct readings) displayed 1850 meters on the peak, but Chembra is documented to be 2100 meters. Smell a fish?

I got back and did some research on the net and there's more people who have noticed this! And although it was misty at the peak, I do think I saw another peak taller than the one we were on! This is the explanation I believe ...

The real Chembra is in denser forest zone and the authorities want to keep people out of there ... which is why they sell the the relatively deforested Chembra to the outside world!!! This is where everyone goes, but is really about 250 meters less higher than the real Chembra!

Well ... that leaves another day for the real Chembra to be explored! Anyone interested?

... And I couldn't be unfair to Kerala, could I!!!?

The highest point in Kerala is Chembra peak, in Wayanad. It stands 2100 meters and is higher than both Kalsubai in Maharashtra (1640 meters), and Mullayangiri in Karnataka (1950 meters). Here's an account of our trip to Chembra. I got a guest writer this time ... Ujjwala Menon, who was good enough to pen her experience down for me.

Thanks Ujjwala ...

Wayanad : A trip to God’s Own country

Day 0: September 22, 2006
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Venue: Reception, The Senate, HCL Bangalore.

Well the moment of truth came and we all assembled there except for a few latecomers (Mr Manoop!!!) Our group comprised of a fair mix of South Indians with our trek leader (read Ajay) also being a mallu so the trip was smooth with no need for exercising our sign language capabilities.

The bus ride was fun but the luggage was overflowing due to the over planning of the enthusiastic first timers but it’s a known fact that we Indians adjust everywhere. So with rounds of intro and singing songs (all types!!!) we proceeded to Wayanad ...


Day 1: September 23, 2006
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Venue: PPS Holiday Home (Kalpetta)

All of us alighted half-slept yet full of excitement, and dumped our luggage in the rooms (which was a luxury according to the seniors) as the plans for camping had been cancelled due to reports of heavy rain, but thankfully the weather was just right. We had breakfast and proceeded towards Meppadi, the base of the Chembra peak where we got our lunch packed ...

Then through the winding roads and the amazing scenery around we proceeded towards the point where we had to start the trek (I don’t know the name) and so mission Chembra started. After a fun trek, we all managed to reach a height of 1650 meters above sea level. Our dear Manish had some teething troubles but he eventually made it under the able guidance of some of the co trekkers. The sights surrounding us were just amazing with the clouds coming on our faces. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the highlight of the trip was the heart shaped lake. It was very serene and these kind of sights make taking all the pains worthwhile.

We had our lunch there while the more enthusiastic chaps decided to get to the peak. It took them an hour to get to the peak (1835 meters) and back, by which time the rest of us had started the journey back. The path had become a little slippery after the slight drizzle and there was every possibility of finding leeches, but thankfully I encountered none. Later we had a grand dinner at the guest house with everybody hogging and the poor waiters running around all over the place to take our orders!!!


Day 2: September 24, 2006
Destination: Meenmutty Waterfalls.

Excited and stunned by the awesome trek of day 1 to the Chembra peak, all of us again braced ourselves for what seemed to be a light outing to see Meenmutty waterfalls.

We reached Vaduvanchal from where the vehicles could not go any further. The falls were a 1 km walk from here through coffee, cardamom and arecanut plantations, and we clicked a lot of photographs enjoying the pristine beauty of Kerala.

It had been raining the night before hence the path was a little slippery, and a local guide came in to take us till the falls. As we kept on walking the path started becoming narrower and winding but there was no sign of the falls!!! There was a deep valley on one side and we were walking on the other side. Then slowly the mud and grass gave way to rocks which were also slippery because of the rain. I was down on all fours and with ample help from my co-trekkers was able to climb down that stretch, there were times where the rocks were in an odd formation and you had to jump, or maybe slouch but it was very adventurous and slowly the sweet sound of water gushing was becoming louder. And then lo and behold there was an opening, and then we saw the virgin Meenmutty falls and the water gushing forth in abandoned joy.

The falls come down in 3 stages totalling a height of 300 meters. For the point we were at, we could only see the middle stage. More trekking needed to see the other stages of the falls, so we just decided to give it a pass :-)

We could not go near the water because the rocks were too slippery, we just stood there near the falls stunned by the beauty and everybody was overawed by the sight in front of us. We got wet simply by the shower sprayed when the water hits the rocks!!!

While going back it had started raining and the climb up the rocks was a little arduous. We reached our vehicle and then we all proceeded for an authentic lunch at a local restaurant in Vaduvanchal.

After lunch we proceeded to Kaduvakuzhi caves. The caves were discovered very recently and were named thus because of the leopard that inhabited the caves (Kaduva = Leopard, Kuzhi = hole in the ground). These are actually enormous underground caverns and the people we spoke to claimed that there were huge water bodies inside with fishes et al, but unfortunately we did not have the proper equipment and also we could not locate the cave mouths properly. Somewhere below us was the cavern we could not get to ... but the disappointment did not stop us from admiring the scenery and taking some very nice pictures. Finally, we left for Bangalore fulfilled after the awesome time we had.

Eagerly awaiting the next trip ...

And then there is the real top ...

Mullayangiri peak (seen in the background with the house on top) is the highest point in Karnataka ...

The top of Karnataka - atleast effort wise!!!

Since I've already touched upon the top of Maharashtra, I should also talk about the top of Karnataka. It's not really the highest point, but for sheer effort required, Kumara Parvata tops anything else in Karnataka. Easily the most spectacular trek in Karnataka ...

I'm not going to waste too many words blogging this, because my good friend Madhavan already did! He's better at writing, and he's a pro at photography, so go right ahead and read about our 15-Dec-2006 trip to KP.

The top of Maharshtra

I'm not bound by the corporate work week anymore. So when I decide to trek upto Kalsubai, 14-Jan is as good a day for me as any other! And fortunately, because it's a Sunday, I get Kavi's company. Kavi was scheduled to pick me up from Kopar Khairane at 0600 hrs, and she was right on time. Not much to prepare since it was a day trip. We had all the necessary arrangements done on the previous evening, and once I was in the car, all we had to do was drive up to the base village.

At 1640 meters, Kalsubai is the tallest peak in Maharashtra. At the peak is a small temple to the goddess Kalsubai, and a spectacular view of the surrounding areas! The prominent peaks that can be seen from Kalsubai are Madangadh, Kulang, Alang, Ghanchakkar, and Ratangadh. Also visible are Arthur lake (Bhandardara dam) to the south and Belae lake to the north.

Although there are a lot of tracks to get to the peak, the main trekking route starts in the village of Bari. To get there, drive on along NH-3 through Igatpuri upto Ghoti (12 kms from Igatpuri), and take the diversion to Sinnar / Sangamner. Just past the Belae lake which is visible on the left side, the road to Sangamner takes off to the right. The surefire way to not miss this turn is to keep following the signboards to Bhandardara. Bari is about 30 kms from Ghoti along this road.

Negotiating the life-threatening traffic and frustrating traffic jams of NH-3, we reached Bari at around 1100 hours and were promptly hijacked by a local chap waiting to make some money! It's always a good idea to pay a local to look after your vehicle while you are gone, but be circumspect on who you pick for the job. Some of these guys will try to fleece you while generally imposing on you and being a pain in the ass! Anyway, assured that the car is safe, we carried on along the track as directed by the local chap.

A little way on into the trek is the first landmark, a small temple with a courtyard. A nice place to rest (although you would not be tired enough yet!) and get some limbu paani. It's important to stock up on drinking water around here. Once you get a little further up, there's no drinking water available.

The track continues from behind the temple and goes pretty much straight up the mountain. This could be classified as an easy trek, except for a few steep sections. Some portions of the track are also loose stones and gravel making the climb slightly tricky. To aid the climber in the 3 steepest sections are metal ladders that look quite rickety to the eye, but rest assured, can support a reasonable sized human.

Enterprising locals sell limbu paani along the way. We stopped at 2 places to rest and soak in the scenery while sipping on the refreshing juice! Though the locals claimed that it was possible to get to the peak in 2 hours and 30 minutes, it took us a full 3 hours to get there (thanks to Kavi's bad shoes). It's been a year since I've been telling her to get better shoes, and considering that the shoes are finally coming in next week, we should be making another trip to see if she fares any better (Not that I expect a hugely improved performance! As they say in Hindi "Nach na jaane, aangan tedha!" :-p).

Fifteen minutes from the peak is a plateau, pretty spread out, and there's a well here with very cool water. On this plateau is a huge block of basaltic rock which rises up to form the peak of Kalsubai. After splashing ourselves with some water, we moved on to cover the final bit. The block of rock would need some pretty smart climbing if it were not for the ladder installed, and getting to the top is really simple business. 1415 hours we were at the temple.

After checking out the temple and soaking in the scenery, we took out our lunch pack (that's just a loaf of bread, some mint chutney, and a couple of apples). Lunch done, Kavi rested and took in the breeze while I referred to my hand drawn map to try and spot all the landmarks around (I did spot most of the peaks mentioned earlier in the post ... which speaks well for my spotting, as well as my map drawing abilities! :-)).

We did not have too much time as we wanted to get back home for dinner, so we started our walk back at 1500 hours. With the slippery paths, it took us longer than required to get down, but in 2 hours we reached our first landmark of the day - the temple behind the village. Our limbu paani seller's house was right next to the temple and we decided to take his invite for tea. We were served the usual sweet concoction that passes for tea in most of Maharashtra's rural areas (always wondered why they drink that stuff!!!!!), and after a small chat with our friendly hosts, we left to get the car.

It took us a bit to vasool our 20 rupees change from the missing car watcher's father, and it was 1800 hours when we finally started on our way back to Bombay. The sun had already gone down behind Kalsubai and the first half hour's drive was like a dream in pleasant twilight. Dreams seldom last very long though, and we hit NH-3 within the hour!!!

It was 2200 hours when I finally got off the car at Airoli bridge and said goodbye to Kavi. A good day's trekking done, I took a bus back home while the blue swift headed off home towards Worli ...