Trip to HighWavy's Megamalai

The trip to megamalai happened after very little deliberation. We just decided and then took off. Two's company and that' what it was. Arun and myself. We have made trips as twosomes in the past and this was no different. We had a nice rest house to stay overlooking the manalar dam, with a sitting area with comfy cane chairs with a glass wall allowing an 180 degree view of the tea estate ravished mountains outside.

First View of the tea Plantation

 We had a chatterbox of an attendant but the next day he had a fall, sprained an ankle and was unable even to see us off!!

 We rose to a morning tweet of the malabar whistling thrush, and wondered if it will be the only one. But nature had its own plan for us. Through out the entire day (Two days) we were accompanied by whistling thrushes and we were even able to spot one by the roadside. We had come upon afresh pug mark of the mother and cub panther, and there was a lot of wild dog - dhole pug mark presence strolling in the estate road, very close to the Thekkady border.

Lone Gaur - Bos Gaurus - at vattapaarai, Upper Manalar

We were up and ready at 6.00 am for our birdwatch-naturewatch you can call it anything. and back only by 11am. breakfast was had at the Murugan Hotel, a misnomer, as the hotel was actually a kitchen and store  run by a family. nevertheless, the food was good.

Orchids !!

Then a short nap and discussions about what-not topics and then ready to go out by 3 pm. Vattapaarai in the Upper manalar beat had a lone gaur waiting. and Lo! he fled on hearing the camera shutter. Later that evening there was a new learning. When the gaur turned and fled, he had his ears, flapped open and focussed on us. He was wanting to know if we were on his trail.

Pug mark near the Thekkady border - Upper Manalar

We return about 6.30 with a few good shots and then onto dinner and a good nights sleep. faraway from the maddening crowds, loud cell phones, and people. It was a trip into the lap of nature and a memory to stay for a long time to come.

We spent two full days with only two square or rather round or rectangular meals a day and we were very content with ourselves.

Sunset at the HighWavys

The road on the return trip  was bad, exactly as bad as it was when we had gone, but we didn't complain as finally at the end of the road, we had a nice memorable trip.