Chembra - Trek Notes
Clicked in November 2005 / Chembra Trek (*album) / the team - Vasu, Sudu, Venky & Satz
The trek to Chembra was in the pipeline for a very long time. Haunting me in my dreams, it seemed mystical and exotic. Nestled in Wayanad (Kerala - God’s own country) Chembra is the highest peak in Wayanad, standing tall at 2100m above sea level.
Note: Tourist Information Office
District Promotion Council ( DPC ), Kalpetta; Tel: 091 - 493 - 202134, Department of Tourism (Kerala)
The weeks before the trek saw a flurry of emails containing details of the location, preview of the scenes as clicked by others, and probable challenges one may face out there. I took care of booking the tickets and Sudu circulated an Excel sheet of things to carry, and this put most minds at ease. The first timers were unsure of what to expect but actively contributed to the planning and the work was divided/ shared. On the day we were to depart, the necessary shopping was complete and renting the material, like rucksacks, mats and sleeping bags (as required) had been collectively taken care of. Since I had been unable to recover my rucksack from a friend to whom I had loaned it, I had to make do with a smaller rented one at the very last minute. Thankfully Sudu spared me the trouble of traveling the distance to Jayanagar and rented one for me.
On the night of departure I stuffed everything, including the tent, in a carry bag and headed off to Sudu’s place and packed my rucksack there. Venky also arrived and we made our way to Majestic bus stand in his Maruti Gypsy. It was drizzling when we reached Majestic and I murmured to myself wishing for more favorable weather in Kerala. In recent weeks Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had seen torrential rains due to the cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, which was why I thought a trek in Kerala was the perfect getaway.
Soon, Satz and Vasu arrived and some materials were re-distributed (I did not share the load of food items as I carried the tent and the medical kit). With the exchange of chit-chat and some last minute buys at the bus stand, we located our bus. Most of us dumped the rucksacks in the luggage compartment of the bus, and noticed that there did not seem be a lock for the door. Venky stepped up with his ‘not to worry’ smile, magically produced a number coded lock from his bag, and safely locked the baggage compartment.
At 2200 hrs. we settled into our seats, while Sudu lightened up the space with his jovial conversation with the bus conductor. The bus conductor answered our queries in similar ishtyle and form. Vasu and I chatted along till late night and kept many on the bus awake (and a few groaning!) Apparently Sudu woke up intermittently when the bus hit a bump or a ditch and heard pieces of our conversations. He later recalled a much more interesting and completely different version of our discussion.
At 0400 hrs we reached Kalpatta and realized our folly; we had arrived too early. As we got down from the bus, a young chap who had also been on the bus approached us and asked us if were from Bangalore Shutter Bugs. He seemed to recognize me and Vasu; all this was unexpected and surprising. He told me that he was Krishna Kumar (aka KK) and was a member of the online BSB group. Apparently our online activities had been conspicuous enough for this gentleman to have taken notice and recognize us despite never having met us. Now those are some keen eyes he’s got there!!!
Luckily, I also recalled looking at his photo escapades online and we headed of into a conversation. He was kind enough to direct us to decent and inexpensive lodging nearby, as we had time to kill waiting for the DPC to open. Five of us in one double- bedded room was a little cramped, but we managed. Sudu put his sleeping mat on the floor, took his sleeping bag out and went off to ZZZZ land. Vasu switched on the TV and watched it for a while… and I took the liberty to head off to sleep myself. I think Venky and Satz hit the sack too after a while.
We woke up around 0830 hrs, washed up and divided ourselves into two teams. Venky and I headed out to checkout the DPC, while Sudu, Vasu and Satz took over booking the tickets for our return trip. They joined us at the DPC once the booking was done. At the DPC the person in charge gave us a detailed talk on Wayanad and all the places that are worth checking out. He also informed us that getting permission to camp there was no longer allowed by the forest authorities. While we worked on possible alternatives, a guide was contacted and called down to meet us. Once the guide arrived, Sudu and Vasu managed to pull some strings, and secured unofficial permission from the authorities (through the guide) to camp there. With that taken care of, we headed out to have some grub and check out the local cuisine. We ended up eating puttu, some idiappam and parothas.
The negotiation of rates and guide charges happened over breakfast and coffee. I managed to take a few clicks in Kalpatta as we waited for the jeep we hired (also setup through the guide). B/W film and a 300mm lens on a bright day in the streets were put to good use. The few minutes I got felt like seconds and left me desiring for more.
The above picture is one such click:
apsara matthu avala neralu (celestial damsel & her shadow)
[This billboard sized stick figurine hung on the wall of a building at Kalpatta, Kerala]
