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 Discovering beauty off the beaten path

True to its word, Wayanad didn't miss to mesmerise me. The day began with thick fog, with visibility at some places at two to three hundred metres. After the morning ritual of having kattan, I headed out towards Periya churam. This definitely won my heart and is my favourite churam of Wayanad. The mist kept me company all the way until Mananthavady. I joined the Malayora highway here until Boys Town. From there, I deviated towards Periya.

The winding roads are newly laid out. A few stretches are still in progress, though. It is a joy to ride on these curves. A few places reminded me of the Kudremukha National Park near the SK border. Both areas are around the same altitude, and the foliage must be similar, given the weather and height. There is hardly any traffic on this route. Reminiscing the earlier drive through these roads, I had planned to have breakfast from a home-run restaurant by a lady we'd had lunch last time. Well, the plan remained plan as the place was not open. I headed to the next town, Kolayad and satiated my Appam, Egg curry craving.

From here, the interior road through the rubber estate reaches a town called Peravoor. This part of Kerala, with spectacular winding roads, is begging to be explored. I'm definitely planning a trip to this part after the rains. From Peravoor, it is a straightforward route to Kottiyoor Temple and then up the Palchuram to Boys Town. It's a quaint little temple but the more interesting thing to do is to take a dip in the river across the road. There are two temples on either side of the river called Akkare Kottiyoor and Ikkare Kottiyoor and collectively called Kottiyoor Shiva Temple.