Celebrating our special days in a unique way has always been a priority for me and Ishan. For our first anniversary, we chose adventure with a fun-filled trip to Thailand. For the next, we opted for luxury, staying at Taj Bekal, where everything was dreamy and filled with comfort. This time, we wanted something different. One Sunday afternoon, while searching for places to stay near Bangalore, we landed on the Airbnb site. Under the “unique stays” category, we found something unreal, something surreal.

We found a homestay near a river, about 20 km from Kochi, called Jhula River Villa. We were thrilled to have finally decided on a place to stay for our anniversary. We were content too because a river was something we had never explored as travelers. We immediately booked train tickets to Kochi from Bangalore because trains are always full these days, and I don’t find booking tatkal tickets very legit as they are expensive.

As the days were approaching our anniversary we were hell-like excited because we’ve seen mountains and the sea, but we haven’t explored a river yet. I call Ishan a river person because he always seems to be flowing, always seeking new things in life and never stopping. He feels like a fresh stream to me, with an aura of newness. He used to say he was a beach person, but nah, the truth is he’s a river person.

Finally, the day came, the 30th of June. We started packing in the evening; our train was at 8:30 PM from KSR Railway Station, Bengaluru. All packed and very excited for the trip, we boarded the train and slept early to wake up fresh the next morning. Ishan is an immediate sleeper and lucky enough to sleep anywhere, unlike me, who struggles to sleep. As usual, I struggled that night as well. Half awake, half asleep, I managed to pass the night. The next morning, we woke up, had tea on the train, and our station came. It was Tripunithura (a station in Kochi) where we got down. I had so much difficulty getting down the train because of my ligament tear, but my travel bug makes me take all the pain just to travel!

At the station, Ishan had one more black coffee as he never gets tired of it. We booked an Uber cab to Jhula River Stay, a 19.5 km journey from the station, costing us Rs 700, which was quite cheaper than we thought. Initially, the plan was to book a Zoom car in Kerala to get to the river villa stay, but I suggested to Ishan that Zoom car was unnecessary. We were going on a staycation, staying in a villa, and wouldn’t go out much, so a car would be an unnecessary addition. We could move freely with cabs/taxis. It took us around 40 minutes to reach Jhula River Stay. We passed through Kochi city to get there. It was drizzling, and the weather was as good as expected.

As we reached the riverside, I was bursting with excitement to enter the villa. We got down the car, and the first thing that was loud and clear was the loud chirping of crickets. It felt like we had entered a rainforest. The cab driver dropped us on the road, and we went inside a small street. Going ahead, on the left side was the villa. As I saw the river, I was amazed. The Airbnb owner had informed us that the previous guests would check out by 11, and the villa would take an hour to clean. We agreed to put our luggage inside and have tea and breakfast in the meantime.

We put our luggage in the villa and went searching for breakfast. It was a small village named Rammangalam, where our villa was located. There was a temple nearby and a cute panchayat office. Near the office, we found a small food place, so small that at first, it didn’t look like a restaurant. We went inside to try our luck, and the lady running the restaurant served us Kadala Curry (Black Chana Curry) and Appam (similar to dosa, white and without any oil or ghee). I am more particular about food than Ishan. Ishan can eat anything, irrespective of the taste, for any number of days. But I need variety, taste, and spiciness. To my surprise, the curry and appam were good and edible enough to feed us till the afternoon.

After breakfast, we roamed around the place to get a sense of what was available in the village for dinner and breakfast. There were grocery stores, medical shops, bakeries, and everything we needed.

By 11:30, we thought to check if the villa was clean. As we reached, I saw a wide river flowing silently in front of a dreamy villa. It was a moment to believe. Ishan and I sat in the veranda of the villa, and the view was crazy. Something we never imagined.

Ishan started scrolling his phone, and I took a tour of the place, putting our luggage in the almirahs. Picture this: in front of the river, there’s a garden. Beside it, a veranda with sofa chairs, a table, and a dining table. As you enter the house, there’s a small kitchen equipped with a mixer, all spices, a water tank, a fridge, and utensils. It was perfect for someone who likes to cook during vacations. When I showed the villa to my mother, she was most interested in the kitchen because she likes to make her tea even while traveling. She was amazed that the kitchen had a direct view of the flowing river, which was very picturesque.

Beside the kitchen was a small bedroom, and near the bedroom was a bathroom. The highlight of the stay was the beautiful Kerala architecture-inspired veranda and the river in front.

I asked Ishan to tour the villa, and before he could spoil anything, we did a video tour. What a visual treat it was! It was raining, and the droplets in the river looked so beautiful. One thing I realized staying in that villa is that nobody can sit inside the bedroom or kitchen for too long. There’s a constant urge to go outside, look at the river, and sit near it. Sitting inside felt like wasting money, as if I was missing something. It was very humid, so the air conditioner was calling, but the river was more appealing. In this race, the river won because I realized I could sit in AC in Bangalore as well, but I wouldn’t get a river view there.

Soon after the shoot, we posted a story of our villa tour on Instagram and received many inquiries about the location. It filled us with joy that people liked our choice of stay.

After some time, we had black coffee, sitting in front of the river, and then decided to get ready for the day. I wore a floral dress, and Ishan complimented me with a dark navy blue t-shirt. We took amazing shots for our content game. Suddenly, the wind started blowing heavily, adding to the overall atmosphere. The humidity adjusted, and we got used to the temperature.

Ishan ordered lunch from a nearby restaurant via Swiggy. In half an hour, lunch arrived, and it was already 4 PM. We had lunch on the dining table in the veranda, chatted, and had one more coffee. It was serene and peaceful, with only the sound of crickets. The river had no sound of flowing water; it was very calm (or at least it looked calm).

After some time, the owner came to give us an emergency torch and mosquito repellant. She was a fun person to talk to, having retired from a government job and then moving to the village to look after the Airbnb. She lived behind the stay. She told us the village people weren’t fans of eating out, so there weren’t many food places. The village starts at 6 AM and closes down early. She suggested some food joints and mentioned that the river was quite deep and had a heavy flow, even though it looked calm. That’s why nobody bathed in it. She also shared a fun fact: the river changes colors. When it drizzles, it looks like coffee; when it rains heavily, it looks like strong tea; and sometimes it looks transparent when the weather is clear. Observing nature so closely was fascinating, and it was good to talk to a local. To me, the river looked like sugarcane juice 😛.

Later, we went outside for a walk and bought Maggie for the evening. As it turned dark, the river disappeared in the darkness. We lit some lights in our veranda and talked about everything. Ishan and I never run out of topics. We have so much to talk about, and this is the best part of our relationship—the never-ending conversations. Without these conversations, staycations would be boring. There’s not much to do on staycations; one can only feel the silence and enjoy the solitude. Thankfully, I had Ishan to talk to because I can’t be silent for too long.

The insects tried to bother us, but we didn’t care. We watched a movie sitting in front of the river. After that, Ishan (the Maggie Specialist) cooked Maggie, and we ate it to our heart’s content. We slept early because it had become a habit and we couldn’t help it.

The next day, 2nd July, was our anniversary—the day we got married. Life has been so much fun since then. We had black coffee again in front of the river. By now, Jhula River was a best friend, sharing all our moments with it. Then the anniversary wishes started coming in through phone calls. We were very happy, reimagining all our beautiful memories from the past three years.

After that, I decided to do some stretching because my anniversary could wait, but my leg couldn’t. I didn’t want it to get stiff again, so I decided to exercise while traveling. After my exercise, we went outside for breakfast at the same place near the panchayat office. We thought the breakfast would be the same and manageable, but it was something weird, and I didn’t like it. I gave my plate to Ishan to finish. As mentioned earlier, he can eat anything, no matter how miserable it is. He finished it, and we went ahead on the main road to find another place to eat. There was one Soni hotel, where I ate aloo sabzi and appam—another weird combination but edible.

Then we started hunting for a cake and found that cake was not available. We had to celebrate one more special day without a cake (the previous special day was my birthday, where in the whole of Gokarna, there was not a single bakery).

We came back to our stay. Unlike the previous day, it was hellishly hot and humid. I missed the previous day’s weather—rain, wind. Sadly, it was nothing like that. We got ready, did some shooting, and got tired very early because of the weather. In the afternoon, it was hard to sit outside, and that’s when, between AC and the river, AC won for an hour. After an hour, we came back outside, had lunch ordered from Swiggy, and sat by the river. It was coffee-colored that day, and aunty was right.

As it began to turn dark, we set up a romantic vibe. We lit candles (brought from Bangalore, planning huh!). It was beautiful, like a scene from a movie. A river, a garden, a villa, and candles lit up inside, with two people putting all their effort into making their DIY anniversary special for each other.

It was truly a special day. Ishan and I later talked about the things we like about each other and how we uplift each other in different ways. The conversation was beautiful, not just about complimenting each other but sharing what we adore in each other.

Being in solitude gives you a different perspective. It wasn’t a celebration among loved ones, friends, and family. It was just us, trying every day to make each other happy. Celebrating an anniversary can’t get better than this.

The next day, we woke up very early, probably because it was our last day and we wanted to make the most of it. We had black coffee, talked about how the river would miss us and our conversations. Then we packed our bags to be free for the rest of the time. We went outside for breakfast, came back, and it started raining again. I wondered why it had to be hot and humid on our anniversary day. It rained on the first and third days but not on the second, testing our patience to enjoy the humid weather.

It was a working day for both of us, so we decided to start work by 10 to finish early. The Airbnb owner also told us we could check out by 2:30, and my reaction was priceless because I was in no mood to leave the property. It felt amazing to sit by the river and work.

After some time, we had lunch and then it was 2:30, time to leave. I am always sad during checkouts, but this was the hardest one. I went around the property, feeling all our conversations and our 2.5 days spent there. I stood in front of the river, my eyes filled with tears. I truly became friends with Jhula River. I filled my eyes with its memory and bid goodbye, very sad.

From there, we went to Fort Kochi. The plan was to sit in a cafe and work till the evening, as our train was at 8:30 PM. Believe it or not, there wasn’t a single cafe in Fort Kochi with AC, and it was hard to sit anywhere without AC. Our last resort was going to Starbucks and working from there.

By 7:30, we reached Ernakulam Railway Station, had dinner there, and waited for our train. Our hearts were filled with love and good memories, and smiles gleamed on our faces. Jhula River Villa made our special day very special. I would highly recommend this place to couples looking for a chill spot to spend quality time together, listen to crickets, and talk!

At last, happy 3rd anniversary, Ishan! <3

Airbnb Details

Estimated Spend details for 2 People

There comes an age when you realize you haven’t traveled with your parents much. With you growing old, you realize they are also growing old. So one fine day you decide to take them on a trip with you and see the world through their eyes. My mother came to visit me first time in Bangalore after my wedding and I wanted to make this trip memorable for her. All thanks to the long weekend which gave us a chance, all three of us decided (Ishan, Mumma, and Me) to go on a road trip together to Wayanad district of Kerala which has its own beauty secrets in the form of cascading waterfalls, pristine rivers, misty mountains, splendid forests, and widespread tea plantations. Trust me, it was a real fun trip. After this trip, I realized I have two pretty good entertaining travel partners, my mother and my husband except for the fact they both like to sleep a lot and very early in the evening :p

Day 1 – 12.08.2022

It was a Friday, we left for Mysore in the morning so that we can spend the whole day there and give ourselves a bit of relaxation. If we go straight it’s a 6 hours journey from Bangalore to Wayanad. Also, Mysore is our routine pit stop because it’s my Nani’s (Grand-Parents) home there. Most of the tourist places from Bangalore have a route where Mysore comes in between so we get a chance to meet our relatives there as well as refuel ourselves with the great food that we get at Nani’s place. 

A quick recommendation I would like to give here to all of you is to give a try to Mysore’s very famous Mylari Dosa at Hotel Original Vinayaka Mylari. The Benne Dosa is quite different here from the dosa that we eat usually in Bangalore and places nearby. It’s soft and smooth and melts in the mouth like butter.

Day 2 – 13.08.2022

The next day, we thought of starting early in the morning because we opted for the route via Gundlepet and Bandipur National Park. The animal species is visible essentially during the morning time there, thereafter the traffic starts on the road. But this time, the plan to start early flopped and we started at around 8 AM. 

If I were to define the three of us as co-passengers (Ishan, Mumma, and me), we were quite cordial. We talked a lot, we talked about various diverse topics and we sang a lot during the course of our journey. Where one minute there was some serious business idea being discussed, the next minute, Oo Antavava was being sung by us.

The Gundlepet and Bandipur National Park area is lush green. It is a dense forest where the road is covered from both sides with tall same-sized trees that looked like a canopy literally. 

At around 11 AM, we reached Sulthan Bathery. Sulthan Bathery is a mountainous region in the Wayanad region of Kerala. Our stay was in Manthanavady, another 42 KM ride from Sulthan Bathery. One thing to note over here is in Wayanad, every location is far distant from the other location. So plan your trip accordingly. If you are going there for a weekend trip you might not be able to cover whole Wayanad reason being the locations are distant such that you can cover at max 2 locations in a day if you wish to enjoy the trip.

Somewhere in the middle, we saw many cars parked and there was a breakfast place there. In Kerala, it is hard to find idli and dosa for breakfast, unlike in Karanataka where even in the smallest of villages one can find tasty idlis for the breakfast. We got to eat appam with moong daal there and must say the meal was new for the taste buds.

We reached Manthanavady at around 12 – 12.15 PM and started looking for our homestay. The homestay was good enough to provide three of us a shelter since it was a long weekend and there was no good place left for us to book even before 15 days of the weekend. The homestay had one single room, a living room, and a shed outside. It was a very sweet and special trip that brought the three of us to live together and talk about whatnot!

We got ready and started for our first location. On this trip, the itinerary and the plan did not work out. We planned to go to Banasura Hill first which was 18.5 KM from our place which is 45 minutes approximately. As we reached there, the forest officer said it is only open from morning 8 AM-10 AM, and after a point, the car can not go upwards the hill. It was steep trekking after a point of almost 8-9 KM. The hill was looking very beautiful from where we saw it. Entirely covered in clouds and one could only imagine how beautiful the view must have been from the top. We thought of going there the next day early in the morning. My mother also was very excited to trek an 8 KM steep mountain but I was a little skeptical about whether it will be good for her to climb this much!?

Anyways, we started from there for the next destination that we planned, Banasura Sagar Dam which was 10 KM that is 30 minutes away from the first stop. It was around 3.30-4 PM and when we reached there we got to know the Dam is also closed. Again there was a disappointment. The disappointment was there because our three-day itinerary was planned to cover all these areas in three days and each place that we went to had gotten closed before 3 PM and our whole day got wasted.

Keeping our spirits high, we started for our final location Banasura Meenumuthy Waterfalls which is 13 KM away from the dam. Luckily, this place was open till 6 PM and we finally got a place to chill after a full day’s journey in the car. The waterfall is densely covered with trees. There are also present some cozy homestays near the waterfall with a location and view to die for. The waterfall was beautiful. My mother is obsessed with lakes, waterfalls, and rivers. She says she doesn’t like oceans. It has always been hard to keep her away from waterbodies whenever we go to a tourist place. She sees the water and instantly she wants to jump in it, no matter how is the water and how deep it is. Nowadays she has started to behave herself a bit by being a bit scared of water and enjoying it with safety. God, I thank that person who talked some sense into her! All in all, we had a good gala time at the waterfall.

As we started from there, we were hungry. In Kerala, it is hard to find good vegetarian restaurants. Much harder than Thailand. I googled some veg restaurants and found one on the way to Manthanavady by the name Mandi Restaurant. Ishan wanted us to eat Kerala Parotha over there for the first time and it was so amazing and soft. Wow! We got good north Indian food over there. And by the time we started from Mandi Restaurant, it was already late evening. On the way to the homestay, we bought banana chips, regular chips, bread and butter as we were not sure what will we get to eat the next day morning. 

As we reached home, I was in a full mood to have fun. I was thinking we will play some music and do a bonfire. My two mates for the trip were thinking quite the opposite of what I was thinking as in their mind only one thing was running and that was SLEEP. I am usually always disappointed by my mother’s desire to sleep all the time but fate got me my husband who also likes to sleep. A LOT. Anyways, they both slept at 9 and I was wide awake till 4 AM. I have no idea what was not making me sleep! Was it the insects present in the homestay, was it the lizard above or was it the disappointment that why both my mates have slept so early?

Day 3 – 14.08.2022

The day started early as we were known to the fact that places are open in Wayanad for a short duration of time during the day. The plan was to go to Chembra peak first. Chembra peak is the highest peak of the Wayanad district and a picturesque location in a true sense. As a backup plan for eating breakfast, we were having bread and jam with us. Ishan was missing Idli and wanted to eat South Indian breakfast. On the way, he saw hotel Oshin. We thought we can try asking for veg breakfast there and as we entered the hotel, there was a buffet system breakfast arrangement and a wide variety of south Indian breakfast. That day was the day when I declared South Indian breakfast items such as idli, dosa and uttapam as comfort food. We paid 350 rupees for one person and had unlimited breakfast and it was good. 

After starting from the hotel, on the way to Chembra peak, we saw a huge tea garden. The tea garden was everywhere till your eyes could stretch. We went inside the tea garden and it felt amazing to be between fresh tea leaves and plants. The location was very picturesque. 

Started from there after having a good photo session. When we reached the place from where the Chembra peak mountain starts, some local people stopped us saying, the road is not there and only 4X4 vehicles can go and you have to buy a ticket for going up and sit in our car. As we were already having a Thar which is 4X4, we told them we’ll go on our own. The locals said, only a professional driver can drive who knows the basics of off-roading. Thankfully, Ishan knows very well the 4X4 driving and he is an expert in handling off-roading obstacles. He said I will manage and we started to climb the mountain. I made Mumma sit in front because the jerks are difficult to handle for passengers sitting backseats in Thar. She was very excited as unexpectedly she got to do off-roading. We thought the mountain track will not be so slashy and dangerous but it was all of these against our expectations. We were trying to avoid the off-roading thing with Mumma but she was so thrilled to experience this sport. The track was such that at a time only a single vehicle can move across the road, no two vehicles can bypass each other and it was hell dangerous but yes Ishan did it, Mumma loved it and I also thoroughly enjoyed the trail.

In between there was a stream of water and water was so pristine clear in that stream that I couldn’t stop me from lying down and tasting mountain water.

After moving a bit more ahead, we realized we are on the wrong track and we lost our way to Chembra Peak and now we are on our way to Glass Bridge 900 Kandi Wayanad. It is the only glass bridge in Southern India. We thought to explore the place as we were almost up there at the top. The ticket price for a single entry here is rupees 200. The bridge is in the sky and made up of glass and you get to walk on it one by one. The scenic beauty is par max beautiful there. 

There is a park over there at the top. We enjoyed a lot playing with love birds. Ishan and I also played a bit of cricket and I won all the games played between us :p Sorry but no sorry Ishan :p

Then after as we were coming down the hill, we saw another small water stream and I drank water that was directly coming down from the mountains. It was pristine clear and the experience of drinking that sweet and cold water of mountains was satisfying.

We got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the hill after getting down from the glass bridge mountain trail. We started for Soochipara waterfall and reached there in about 30 minutes. The time was past 4 PM then and the fall got closed when we reached there. This is the major setback we felt while traveling in Wayanad. Every place is so distant from one another that when you reach the second place for the day it’s time for it to close. 

We really wanted to spend this evening nicely because it was our last evening in Wayanad. We started searching for some good hotels and properties that give coffee tours within their premises but surprisingly none of the property owners agreed to the same as coffee tours in such hotels are only for the people residing within the hotel.

After a lot of searching, we got a place that the tea vendor at Sochipara falls suggested to us. The place was Love valley. As we reached love valley, we found a serene and peaceful property located in total solace called Aatreya. We thought to take a chance and ask inside if visitors are allowed to sit and enjoy the valley view inside. The owner was a very friendly person. He agreed and also asked us for tea and snacks. We sat in front of the valley and ordered banana pakoras there. It’s a famous Kerala snack.

The people residing at the property were going for a tea plantation tour on the hill nearby. He asked us and we thought we should also go for it. My mother and my husband had a very intellectual discussion while climbing the hill over some common interest area topic. They feel I don’t get involved in discussions but they think wrong. I like to listen sometimes to the things I have zero idea about and I was doing the same there. Mumma was having some trouble climbing up because in due course of time she lost the practice of trekking. Still slowly at her own pace, she climbed up and the view from the top was amazing. Tea plantations were there everywhere. We also spotted some 5-6 small little waterfalls on the mountain in front. As it started getting dark, we all came down to the property and left at around 6.30.

While coming back again we stopped at Oshin hotel where we stopped in the morning to have dinner as it was the only known option available. We were tired this day. Very tired. So as soon as we reached our homestay we all slept and thankfully I also got some peaceful sleep.

Day 4 – 15.08.2022

The final day in Wayanad was Independence Day. The day started beautifully as there were school kids and teachers on the roads all dressed up for the event in their respective schools. The vibe there was all patriotic, everywhere there was flag hosting and in the car also we were playing all patriotic songs and were singing them with all josh like a full patriot. We were thinking of which place to cover since we were having time till 2 PM and then after the plan was to leave for Mysore. Trekking was not an option because we were done with trekking the day before. We just wanted to go to a calm place and Banasura Sagar Dam seemed the only option for that mood. 

Banasura Sagar Dam is the largest dam in India and the second largest in Asia. It has a great picturesque beauty view and its beauty enhances by the chain of mountains on the backdrop. The place is quite chill and calm.

We just reserved a bench for ourselves and were seated and talking for like 2-3 hours. There were several Savan Ke Jhule on the backside of the dam area. We went there and enjoyed them as well. You readers must be thinking do these people leave anything while traveling!? But yes this is the way we are. We like to explore any place to the maximum possible so that while coming back home there should be a feeling of accomplishment. The dam has a long road-like stretch where visitors come for walking purposes. We found a bench there and the wind there was so relaxing that all three of us involuntarily closed our eyes and took a nap meanwhile.

We started from there, had our final lunch at Mandi restaurant, packed our luggage, and left for Mysore. While coming back we opted for another route where comes Nagarhole Tiger Reserve was in between. The Tiger Reserve was so huge that the appreciation of the beauty of the forest did not make us realize it when did we reach Mysore. In the Tiger Reserve, due to the huge traffic load, one cannot spot a tiger during the daytime, that is for sure but you can surely spot deer and swamp dear (Barahsingha) on the way. While exiting the forest we also spotted elephants who were taking bath and enjoying their own world.

At around 6.30, we reached Mysore. Our beautiful and small trip got over. Wayanad totally contributes to justifying Kerala’s title, God’s Own Country.

This trip will always be very dear to me because lucky are those who get to go on a trip with their favorite humans and I am one of them, fortunately. Hope to go on such backpacking trips more often and explore Incredible India.