Firstly here are some photos of yesterday...caves etc
Today started very badly. I got up at 5.15, waited in the dark outside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary , had to pay 500 rupees entrance fees and put up with moaning Israeli family. A 7 I was ordered into a jeep with a driver and 2 other random blokes who just chatted to each other in Malayalam and then driven at breakneck speed over very bumpy roads in what I presume was the sanctuary. The jeep screeched to a halt twice, once to show me a peacock and secondly, even more thrilling, to show me a wild hen!!! We did see some spotted deer too but it was hard to make them out as we whizzed by. Perhaps I'm being slightly unfair, the driver did point out a tiger track to me but all in all my 45 minutes were up very quickly.....The park is actually open between 7 and 10 in the mornings so why people are only given 45 minute slots is beyond me. I expect I have been spoiled by my safari and game park experience in Africa but even so I felt not only disappointed but also ripped off by the whole Muthanga experience and I'm not going to rush to another Indian wildlife sanctuary any time soon.
My disappointment spilled over into the other days activites and I felt a bitter the bitter irony when Kuruva Island was temporarily closed because an elephant had been spotted in the vicinity. I did make it over to the island eventually in some peculiar raft that was guided by men using overhead ropes but I was hot and underwhelmed by this point. Banasura dam was a similar story...too many people, too many stairs, too hot. The day was saved however by all of the people who insisted on talking to me, wanting to know where I was from, did I like Kerala etc and wanting their photo taken with me. I felt like a celebrity and it was hard to be grumpy with so much sweetness and friendliness around. I started reciprocating in the end and have pictures of me with random groups of Indian tourist filling up my memory card.
The trip ended at Pookode Lake which was my favourite place of the day, it was quiet, calm. peaceful and had a nice breeze. I also bumped into a lovely English couple from Cornwall who are planning to hit the beach near Kannur at the same time as me. So all in all not a total disaster.
I've planned my next week's accommodation and I'm going to spend a lazy day tomorrow in Sulthan Batherie, as well as getting an Ayurvedic massage.
My disappointment spilled over into the other days activites and I felt a bitter the bitter irony when Kuruva Island was temporarily closed because an elephant had been spotted in the vicinity. I did make it over to the island eventually in some peculiar raft that was guided by men using overhead ropes but I was hot and underwhelmed by this point. Banasura dam was a similar story...too many people, too many stairs, too hot. The day was saved however by all of the people who insisted on talking to me, wanting to know where I was from, did I like Kerala etc and wanting their photo taken with me. I felt like a celebrity and it was hard to be grumpy with so much sweetness and friendliness around. I started reciprocating in the end and have pictures of me with random groups of Indian tourist filling up my memory card.
The trip ended at Pookode Lake which was my favourite place of the day, it was quiet, calm. peaceful and had a nice breeze. I also bumped into a lovely English couple from Cornwall who are planning to hit the beach near Kannur at the same time as me. So all in all not a total disaster.
I've planned my next week's accommodation and I'm going to spend a lazy day tomorrow in Sulthan Batherie, as well as getting an Ayurvedic massage.
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