Helene got the sleeper train from Thiruvananthapurum (Trivandrum) to Kozhikode (Calicut). She arrived about 6.30am. I went to the station to meet her. After freshening up, we ordered a taxi for the 2.5 hour journey to Wayanad. We’d booked to stay in this traditional guesthouse, Aranyakum Homestay.
During the car journey, we had a few sightseeing stops as the road wound itself up nine hairpin bends.
The guesthouse is set in paradise! They have so many fruit and spices growing. From our balcony, we could see orange, melon, chikoo, coffee, mango and papaya trees.
Even though we were too late for lunch, they gave us some fruit. During lunch, we were shown fresh cardamom and cinnamon. We tasted it and it was delicious! The cinnamon was the bark of the tree not the stick you use when cooking. When we smelt it, it smelt familiar but didn’t look familiar!
After lunch, given the early start, we had a nap then did a short walk down to the lake. We returned back up and sat in one of the tree huts with stunning views.
Dinner was a feast. There were five courses!
