Vegetables in Kerala

I took this photo from Meppadi in Wayanad

Vegetables are cheap in Kerala province of India.  You can buy gourds of different kind just of one dollar.  Onions and bananas are also cheap.  Fruits are expensive by Indian standards, but pineapples, mangoes and oranges come very cheap.  Indians eat them all the time.  But apples are expensive as they come all the way from Himachal Pradesh.  Water melons and cucumbers are now very fashionable with health conscious Indians.  Potatoes are cheaper than rice in India but Indians prefer eating a lot more rice.  Potatoes are used ony for making liquid curry or snacks like spicy bondas. 

Kuruva Islands are not beautiful anymore

It is foolish to visit Kuruva Islands in Wayanad because the bamboo trees that created the beauty have all disappeared and water is in shortage in the innumerable rivulets that make Kuruva tourist destination.  But I visited the place in a family group with many kids around and could enjoy a little bit because of all the happy sounds created by the children including two  of my own kids.  There is no shortage of tourists either, they all come based upon old information when Kuruva was a beautiful place.  It is also oppressively hot and unpleasant. 

Boys Town village, Thalappuzha

When I reached Boys Town in Mananthavady I was thrilled by the remoteness of the place and the peculiar style of the T-shaped village. It is called a town but in reality it is not more than a village because there is only one tea shop in the whoe village and no other commercial establishments. But the Malayali person running the teashop provided me all the information about the village and surrounding places with finer details like kilometres and bus timings. He sells Kerala tea, hot parottas and meat dishes for the last 35 years in this remote location.

This village is also called "Forty-two" showing the distance from Kannur in miles.

Boys Town is a small village near Mananthavady in Wayanad, Kerala, india. The village is 15 km from Mananthavady. The village attracts many visitors because of the undulating tea plantations in this area. Most of the tourists are day trippers as there are no hotels here. They have one herbal garden and sericulture center here. A gene park is also established as an Indo-Danish project.

Wayanad Round Trip

Sultan Bathery is three hours by bus from Mysore. Kerala RTC operates a low floor non-AC all Wayanad round trip from Sultan Bathery. The bus starts by 7.00 am from Sultan Bathery and goes by Chulliyod, Ambala Vayal, Vaduvanchal, Meppadi, WIMS Hospital, Chundale and reaches Vythiri. The return trip is through the highway via Kalpetta, Meenangadi and finally reaches back at Sultan Bathery.


When you reach Vaduvanchal town by 8.00 am, you can get down and you can cross the Tamil Nadu border to visit scenic villages like Cherambadi, Mango-orange, Pandallur and Devala. Alternatively, you can get down at Meppadi town and spend the whole day trekking in the lush green village. Buses are available from Meppadi to Kalpetta and Sultan Bathery at any time of the day.


Meppadi is the most scenic village of the Wayanad District of the Malabar region in Kerala state, India. It has excellent opportunities for hiking and mountaineering. The main attraction of Meppadi are the undulating tea estates. Meppadi is an unspoilt and undiscovered tourist spot of Kerala. Not being a tourist trap, you can walk in the tea estates not being disturbed by touts and other visitors.

Meppadi is 12 km from Kalpetta town. The main attraction of Meppadi is the Chembra Peak. At 2,100 m the spectacular peak is the tallest summit in the region. Climbing this peak is a tiring, but a not too difficult 4 km walk. It is worth it; the view at the top is mind-blowing, and you get to see a heart-shaped lake on the way. Camping on the peak is an unforgettable experience. It takes about 5-6 hr to go up and down. There is camping available at the peak.

The cute campus of DMWIMS Medical College is also worth a visit. The five km road to the campus itself is a spiritual experience if you want to replace Nature for a god. There is nothing to see inside the spectacular hospital building, but their cafeteria on the mezzanine floor is worth a visit. Visitors are allowed inside if you have some excuse like inquiring about medical college admissions. Buses are available to and from the hospital from Meppadi town. The Supreme Court of India has recently issued a warning to the hospital for building in a environmentally sensitive area.

You can also visit Karapuzha Dam which is a relatively small dam, but located at a very scenic site. Mostly unknown and thus unspoilt by a horde of tourists, it is a perfect way to spend a quiet evening during sunset time. Another popular destinaton is the Meenmutty Waterfalls (Makkiyad Meenmutty Waterfalls) (12 km from Meppadi). Very nice and very good trekking. You need to be fit and carry something to eat. You have to pay the forest entry fee and secure a guide. This waterfall is in 3 steps. You can visit the second step (only in Dec- Apr). It involves a good trek through some difficult terrain, but the end result is breath-taking. Not only is the view of the waterfall amazing but you can get wet too. One has to trek inside the jungle for approx 1.5 km to get a view of waterfalls. It passes through coffee and tea plantation.

Inside the town itself you have the St. Joseph Shrine, Mooppanad (1 km). Built in 1954 this majestic church gives very good view of the hills around. There are trekking opportunities like the short Ambalakkunnu Walk. Walk upto Nellimunda busstop on Chooralmala route one km from Meppadi. Turn second right from the junction. Walk upto Ambalakkunnu Masjidh and Madhrassa. There is a Jaffer tea shop at the end of the hill. If you descend forwards, you will reach a little cute Srambia masjidh. Turn right and you will reach the post office road at Meppadi junction. The entire route is very scenic and takes around 40 minutes to walk.

Meppadi town is a trekker's paradise. The best views are on the post office road. The road to the Meenmutty Waterfall is also very scenic. You can also walk up the 3 km road to the Chembra peak.

Towns of Wayanad

* Kalpetta, 31,580 people. Capital of the district
* Mananthavady, 37,836 people
* Pulpally, 30,035 people
* Sultan Bathery, 27,473 people
* Padinharethara, 15,174 people
* Panamaram, 11,651 people

Meppadi Walks

Which is the most scenic walk in Meppadi? It is difficult to answer this question as the whole village of Meppadi is like paradise ideal for healthy strolls.  Tea estates are the typical landscape features of Meppadi and other kinds of vegetation is rare to find. 

Dargah on Ooty Road, Meppadi

You can walk from Meppadi town to DM.WIMS hospital.  The hospital is built in the middle of undulating tea estates and there is a cute temple on the way.  Visitors are allowed inside the hospital complex only between 4.00 pm and 7.30 pm.  Once you are inside the hospital building, you can take the lift down to the cafeteria.  If you want only coffee, there is a smaller coffee shop somewhere on the upper floors. 

The post office road is another suitable place to walk as traffic is minimum.  After walking for ten minutes, you reach Nalam Number junction with a cute Srambia or wooden mosque to greet you.  There are no shops in this area, but only small houses of estate workers.  Going left takes you down to Thazhe Kadoor and moving right takes you to Patham Number village.  The next place is called Mele Kadoor and the Elambileri resort road begins from here.  Another one kilometre takes you to Cholamala bridge with many tourists taking bath in the rocky river down.  Crossing the river, you can enter a tea estate without permission and finish your journey at the village junction marked by a trade union flag post. 

Another walk begins from Puliyampara Vaidhya Shala, Moopanad.  Turn left to reach Mukkil Peedika village where you can find a PDS or ration shop.  Turn right and walk through tapioca cultivations and you are back in Mukkil Peedika junction on Ooty road.