Hiking to 900 Kandi had been a longtime wish of mine. I had heard about its untouched beauty, but I had no idea about the trail, its distance, or any details. So, I decided to Google the route, look at images, and gather tips. Everything seemed good, and I decided to visit the place. When I mentioned my plan, my friend Rashid offered to join me on the trip.
I packed light, taking only a bottle of water and a jacket. Leaving home around 6:30 am, I caught a bus from Manjeri and reached Rashid's place at 8:00 am. After a quick call, he arrived with his bike. Kicking off the journey, he rode at a fair speed.
900 Kandi is a forest situated in the Wayanad district of Kerala. The route was enjoyable, offering an abundance of scenic beauty, breathtaking surroundings, and calm weather. We crossed 'Wayanad Churam' around 9:30 am and stopped at a small tea shop in Vythiri for breakfast. The shopkeeper kindly helped us find the route, and we geared up to reach Meppadi.
After less than half an hour of riding, we crossed Meppadi and entered the road leading to 'Soochipara Waterfalls.' We knew we were very close to the mysterious beauty awaiting us.
We had no choice. We stepped down and flashed camera at this fascinating hills.As we go further, the road became narrow and tough. We realized that we were entering the forest. The sounds of crickets were irritating. The road was terrible than we expected, but we continued the Journey with a strong mind. It was a different off-road adventure. As time gone, we saw a resort far from us, not that far. Here we set foot on '900 Kandi'.
Those were the greeting scenes; trees grew on Stillwater. It was time to explore the wild. We were already stunned. As we went further, we heard the sound of a waterfall in the distance. Walking towards the direction of the sound, we exclaimed, 'Hurray, we found it!'
I have no words to describe the illusion of '900 Kandi.' We just rode a little further. The surroundings rapidly shifted between dark and light. I was getting disoriented and confused. Somehow, I managed to bring myself back to reality. We had wandered inside the forest and found something interesting—a Jeep, labeled '900 Kandi' at the back. I captured its portraits
I thought there were people who came with this buddy. I was right; some people were enjoying down at the pool. There was a way down towards the pool. We went down there and waited until those guys were gone. I took off my clothes and went into the pool. Oh God, it was so cold, freezing my body. I spent some time over there and observed the surroundings. When I came back from the pool, I saw something at my leg—a bloody leech. I managed to get rid of it with a hard effort.
At noon, we left '900 Kandi' without any interest. It was one of my best journey experiences. '900 Kandi' is a psychedelic and mysterious place like those from wizard stories. I found new dimensions of my life through every journey I have made, but this one was different. I wanted to get lost in the magical place forever and live alone in the wilderness.