View From Our Balcony
We found a lovely place to stay close to Jafar’s sister’s house. We were in the middle of a coffee estate, fourth generation family run business – not just coffee but pepper, coconuts, mangoes, cardamom, papaya. We had a little tour with the owner Raj and a lovely bowl of fruit from his wife Seeta. We found out later this place is listed in the lonely planet tour guide book.
Catherine Asks A Local For Directions
Wayanad is located at the top of a mountain pass. There was a scenic lake/rest stop at Pookat lake. We needed a rest after a startling ride up the mountain around several hairpin turns with little change in the volume and intensity of driving. The lake was full of beautiful lotus flowers expanding in the sunshine. We all went for a walk around the lake and took big breaths. We saw our first monkeys here at the lake and along the roadside.
Our Trusty Toyota
Our original plan was to travel from Calicut to Bangalore by train but we waited too long to buy tickets and the trains were sold out. Our friend Ashraf agreed to drive us to Bangalore & Jafar’s brother in law Rauf also joined us to show us some sights along the way and to keep Ashraf company on the trip home.
The total distance was only about 500km but the roads are narrow and heavily traveled, so our average speed was about 50 km/h.
Our journey took us up into the mountains climbing several switchbacks along the way.
Wally & Jafar Say Goodbye in Calicut
We left Calicut on Thursday morning after several days of touring and visiting arrived in Bangalore late this afternoon. Our original plan was to take the train to Bangalore but it was sold out so Ashraf and Rauf agreed to drive us there.
We have a lot of catching up to do with many stories & photos.
Our visit to Calicut and the time we spent with our friends Jafar and Kabeer and their families will remain the highlight of our trip to India.
Now that we have left Calicut our access to the Internet for uploading updates and photos may diminish. We will try to put something on line at least once a day.
Gathering Before Dinner At Kabeer’s Home
The past two nights we have had the honour of being dinner guests at the homes of my friends Kabeer and Jafar. I met Kabeer and Jafar through my assignments in Kuwait. We were all working on the same project and fast became friends. My assignment may have only lasted a few months but I hope these friendships will last a lifetime.
On Tuesday night we had a wonderful meal at Kabeer’s home and we had the pleasure of meeting his family, parents and relatives. Tonight we dined at Jafar’s home and met his family, parents and relatives and family friends.
These evenings and the kindness and hospitality that my friends have shared with Catherine and me is so very special and will most certainly be the highlight of our trip to India. And, while saying that, I still must tell you about the food!
An amazing banquet both nights. I was afraid I would embarrass myself – it was so delicious – I just wanted to have many plates. Now I think I will have to go shopping for some bigger pants!