How a road trip covering 2120 km gave me the courage to quit a job I hated- Part 5

Day 3- Around Wayanad: Edakkal caves

This is what we had started dreaming of!

The next day brought with it the prospect of Kerala ishtyle breakfast again, much to our dismay. We had requested for dosas to be prepared and had kept our hopes quite low. As it turned out, the dosas couldn't be prepared as they were short of one ingredient and we had flat appams with vegetable stew. This too is one of the dishes I love, but the stew had the same spice combination that we had been eating during all our meals. Eating lunch at the resort was out of question and the view from the balcony that had totally impressed us on Day 1, wasn't doing much. (We were like yeah, birds, hills, big deal! Give us some food!!!!) Were we being too fussy? After all, there are millions who cannot even afford one square meal a day, and here we were, turning up our noses at supposedly good Kerala-style food. Though this thought shamed us, it was also true that the food being offered was making me ill and the husband was half starving. And come on, we were on a vacation!!! One isn't supposed to ponder upon deep philosophical questions when one is on a holiday! And we wanted just one good meal. Was that too much to ask? Google came to our rescue when we found out that there was a Best Western hotel nearby. Lunch at Best Western and a visit to Edakkal caves were decided as the day's itinerary. 

The beautiful rivulet

Crystal clear waters of the rivulet

 Since we had a couple of hours to spend, Jerry-the-host offered to show us around some more. There was a small stream behind the resort and a waterfall. The rains had made the ground slippery and the way to the stream involved climbing down a relatively steep descent. I am terrified of descents. So I hung on to the husband's arm for dear life and we started making our way down. Jerry was leading the way and chatting with us at the same time, telling us stories about the different guests who had stayed at the resort. The husband was answering all the queries as all my focus was on the slippery descent ahead. After a short, uneventful walk with just one slipping incident, we reached the little rivulet that flowed right next to the resort. It was truly beautiful. The water was crystal clear and frikkin' cold. Jerry kept urging us to take a swim, but the lack of appropriate clothing was a deterrent. We did walk into the stream and enjoyed the sensation of cold water over on our feet. After spending some time there clicking photos and taking in the view, we were feeling a lot better and decided to head back. The short climb to the resort had me huffing and puffing and made me realize how badly out-of-shape I was. When we told Jerry about our intentions of visiting the Edakkal caves, he looked us (particularly me) up and down and said, "But it involves climbing!" We assured him that we were up for it, though he did not looked convinced at all. 

As we drove to Best Western, we could feel our hopes plummeting. It looked deserted. Was it closed? God, please not again! We gingerly approached the gate and were extremely happy to find that it was open as the security guard helped us park and ushered us in. Here too, the tandoor was not functioning. However, there were roomali rotis available. And even though most of the sabzis on the menu were not available either, we were only too happy to settle for dum aloo. The joy that meal brought to us was beyond compare! Everything tasted the way it should and we were finally feeling sated. We left from there with big smiles on our faces.

Writings on the caves that date back to 6000 BC!

The drive to Edakkal caves was quite scenic, and we were actually able to appreciate it, as we had had good food after what seemed like an eternity. We reached the parking at the base of the Edakkal caves and were informed that the entry was going to be closed in a couple of hours. This made us hurry along the steep climb. After walking for approximately 200-300 meters on a 45 degree incline, I was huffing and puffing and was on the verge of giving up. There were a few people descending, and we asked them how much further we had to go. They told us we had only just started. We still had to walk quite some distance on the tar road and then climb up approximately 300 steps! I thought that there was no way I was gonna get to the entry point before closing time and mentioned the same to the husband. But he was of the opinion that we should at least give it a try, since we had traveled a 1000-plus kilometers and were just a few hundred meters away from the caves containing some of the oldest writings known to mankind. This made sense to me and we started moving slowly uphill. The climb was quite steep and I was gasping for breath. After walking some distance, we reached the entry point, where one needs to buy tickets for proceeding further. We also had to pay a refundable deposit of Rs 20 for carrying our plastic water bottles. On returning the empty bottles, the money would be refunded. I thought this was a really smart idea to avoid littering. At the ticket counter, there was a long queue of students from one of the local schools, who had come there for an educational trip. Presence of a large number of students proved to be a blessing and a curse. It obviously meant we had to put up with shrieking teenagers and the climb up would be pretty crowded. But it also meant that there would be a lot of people around in case we needed help. The steps were quite steep and the path narrow. We kept moving along with the crowd towards our destination. I have to mention here that the stairs leading up to the caves have been built really well. There are supports along the sides of the stairs along the difficult bits. Separate routes for entry and exit have also been designated wherever possible, in order to avoid jostling on the crowded path. It was a pleasant surprise to note that most people were pretty disciplined and there was no pushing or shoving involved. Finally, we reached the caves. The Edakkal caves are not technically caves, but rather a rift between two natural rocks. The ancient writings in the caves are believed to be from 6000 BC. Here again, there were guides who were explaining the significance of the writings and allowing disciplined movement of the crowd. The guide was kind enough to explain everything in English for the special benefit of husband and I. After clicking some pictures, we came out of the caves and looked down at the valley.

View from the top of Edakkal caves

 I couldn't believe that I had managed the climb! Not that it was difficult, it was just that I was extremely unfit. The view from the top was spectacular. I think it was here, on top of Edakkal caves, that the realization finally dawned upon me. I was trading-in one of the most valuable commodities for money. The work-related stress was taking a toll on my health, and NOTHING was worth losing my health over. It was here that I told my husband that I would be quitting my job once we went back. I realized that I was free to quit something that was toxic for me and NOBODY could stop me from doing it. I still remember the feeling of freedom I experienced there! It was truly liberating. The husband as usual was extremely sweet and supportive of the decision I had taken. When we are in the grind, doing the same thing day-in and day-out, we often tend to lose our objectivity. That is why traveling is such a balm for the soul.
Having made this decision, it felt as if a great load had been lifted off me. I climbed down with a spring in my step. We also decided to cut short stay at Wayanad by one day. We would instead leave for Mangalore the next day and after staying one night at Mangalore, we would spend two nights at a beach resort called Paradise Isle off Maple beach, Udupi. This would be our substitute for Goa, as we were both experiencing severe Goa-withdrawal symptoms! And it also meant finally eating good food. The thought of leaving Wayanad for Mangalore filled us with cheer. Our vacation had taken a turn for the better. The drive next day was a short one. only about 260 km. If we left around 8, we ought to reach Mangalore by 1 or so in the noon. This would give us plenty of time to visit our old haunts. Little did we know just how wrong our calculations were!