Escape to the hills

There is something about the hills that makes me fall in love with them instantly. The gentle slopes that seem to stretch endlessly, the cool mountain breeze that is so refreshing, the wild flowers that add colour to the most unexpected places — the hills bring out the best in me. To escape from the tourist crowds of Munnar, we headed to a lesser-known but equally serene hill station in Kerala ­­— Vagamon. Located about 100 km from Kochi, the three-hour drive through the winding roads did not seem like much of an ordeal. The breathtaking views of the valleys below forced us to pull over a couple of times, gurgling streams and miniature waterfalls against the lush green cover elevating our moods.

Further up, sprawling tea gardens, a sight characteristic of this terrain, started dominating the picture. It was interesting to see a clear demarcation between the old, darker leaves left behind by the tea pluckers and the fresh, tender, yellowish-green leaves that were yet to be plucked.

Simple fare

We reached our hotel right on time for a hearty Kerala-style lunch, which we had by enjoying the beautiful hills and the valleys below. We set out to explore Vagamon, which, unlike many other hill stations, promised more than just scenic views, a few of them being unique to this place. One such unique spot was Mutta Kannu, translating to ‘egg-shaped hills’ in Malayalam. These are a group of hillocks which are smooth, dome-shaped and devoid of large vegetation or rocks, giving them the appearance of an egg. They look bald except for the short grass growing on them, which, when fresh and green after the rains, gives Vagamon the nickname of ‘Scotland of Asia’.

Unfortunately, our visit coincided with the drier months, where the hills were brown instead of being lush green. Nevertheless, being easy to climb, we trekked for a short distance before stretching our legs and enjoying the cool breeze. The next day, we headed to the Suicide Point, the highest point in the hill station. Trekking our way up against the winds, with our hair blowing in all directions, was an awesome experience. The morning sun did not seem to tire us out. The trek was pleasant enough. The views at the top made up for our efforts. Misty clouds floating at the top of the peaks and deep valleys covered with thick vegetation were the sights to behold.

An added attraction here is the paragliding facility, which has become popular, being one of the few places in Kerala offering this activity. We learned from the trainers that this has been a crowd-puller, attracting tourists from many parts of the world. Not being a big fan of heights, I decided to test my spirit of adventure at another place in Vagamon.

Another popular place in Vagamon is the Pine Valley. It has acres of land covered with tall, graceful-appearing pine trees in-between which a walking trail has been created. Always happy to be amidst nature and trees, we had a delightful experience walking along the slender trees, the thin leaves of which formed a canopy above; the rays of the sun filtering in-between; and the clear blue skies playing peek-a-boo with us. Though the place has nothing much to boast of, apart from the tall pine, it offers calm and is a good place to relax with family.

The adventurer in me was a bit disappointed to have gotten jittery over paragliding. So, we headed out to Tea Lake Gardens in the heart of the town.

Located against the backdrop of tea gardens is the calm blue waters of the Vagamon Lake, making it an ideal spot for a host of adventure activities. Row boating, paddle boating, kayaking, zip-lining and zorbing were some of the fun things to do while absorbing the beauty of the pristine waters. We did zip-lining, screaming in excitement, which took us across the breadth of the lake. Zorbing proved to be more difficult than it seemed, with the ball hardly moving a few feet away from the lake bank. But, for a traveller like me, who can get restless with more than a day of doing nothing, the adventure activities were a great way to add another dimension to the hilly retreat.

Go fish!

On the last day of our stay in Vagamon, we decided to take it easy and unwind before getting back into the groove of city life. The best way to do nothing is to go for a round of fishing. We headed to a calm lake with deep green waters. A small climb down the hill and we were surrounded by chirping birds, creaking crickets and the stillness of nature, which brought a content smile on our faces. We cleared our way through the grass and shrubs to reach an oval body of water, hoping to catch a fish or two. To our surprise, the fish fell for our bait quicker than we thought. A quick round of pictures and we released them from the hooks. It was time for us to head back home. We shopped for cinnamon and pepper of export quality, which looked whole and unadulterated. Next item to go into our bags was, of course, fresh tea leaves from an outlet at one of the tea estates. Hoping that the whiff of spices and the brewed tea would take us back to the hilly slopes at our will, we bid adieu to Vagamon, this time, winding downwards, with our eyes glued to the scenic beauty.

Being a fan of Ruskin Bond and his writings on the hills with its pine cones, gurgling brooks and long nature walks, I was quite sure that it would not be too long before I planned another trip to this hilly region.