How to reach

The nearest airport is Kozhikode, which is approximately 75 kms away. The other, more better option is to drive down from Bangalore, the silicon valley of India. The distance is 300 kms and it would take approximately 6 hours. En route, you would pass by Mysore, the city of palaces. But there is an even more interesting place on the way. About halfway through this journey, you would reach a small town named Gundlupet, where you have to take a right turn towards Vythiri. Once you turn, you see endless tracts of farm land on either side of the road, extending all the way to the horizon. Cabbage, beet root (a red coloured vegetable), carrot, beans and water melon are the main crops. It is indeed a beautiful sight. Depending on which time of the year it is, the crops will be different.

What to see

There are many local attractions to suit any traveler. Pookote lake is a natural fresh water lake, surrounded by hills on all four sides. Boating facility is available here. Tourists can also take the horse carriage ride around the lake. If you are a fitness freak, you are also encouraged to walk the perimeter of the lake, enjoying the pristine atmosphere. There is a children's park and as well as shops selling local art and craft as well as spices.

Banasura Sagar

This is the largest earthern dam in India. Situated 25kms from Vythiri, this dam offers a picturesque view due to submerged hillocks upstream when the dam is full. The drive to the dam from Vythiri is equally picturesque, with rolling tea plantations on either side of the road.

Edakkal Caves

Located 30 kms from Vythiri, is not really a cave as the name suggests. It is a fissure made by a corner of rock splitting off from the main body due to some natural causes. A gigantic piece of rock has fallen over one portion of the cleft making it look like a roof. This gives the appearance of a cave. The walls of the rocks contain hieroglyphics, which date back to pre-historic era.

There are many waterfalls in the area. Meenmutty falls and Soochippara falls are the most visited. There is also the pristine Kuruva island which is 950 acres of wilderness. You can sight different varieties of flora and fauna in this island. Lakkidi view point is about 5 kms from Vythiri and it gives a beautiful view of the valley, along with the winding roads.

If you love wild animals there is Muthanga wild life sanctuary for you. You can go into the forest in a jeep. If you are lucky, you can sight spotted deers, herds of elephants, monkeys and also bisons.

Time to visit

The best time to visit is October - May. But if you love the rains, you can also visit Vythiri during monsoon, which is June - September. Look out for leeches in rainy season! Though they will purify your blood and it is not painful, it is a gory sight if you are bitten by one. Make sure you wear covered footwear to prevent leech bites.

Accommodation

There is a variety of accommodation available to suit any budget. Resorts, budget hotels, home stays are all available in and around Vythiri. Vythiri is about 10 kms away from Kalpetta, which is the headquarters of Wayanad district. Kalpetta also offers many accommodation choices. The local cuisine is lip smacking.

While in Vythiri, fill your lungs with the fresh, unpolluted mountain air, because it is indeed becoming a rare commodity.

Kerala is the land of rivers and back waters. 44 rivers cut across Kerala with their innumerable tributaries and branches.The Back waters form a specially attractive and economically valuable features of Kerala.They include lakes and ocean inlets which stretch irregularly along the coast.The biggest backwater is the Vembanadu lake ,some 200 sq m in area, which opens out into the Arabian sea at Cochin port.

This picture was taken from a festival called Onam- Taken in Kerala

Some places in India are way too crowded, but of course, it is the second most populated country in the world. The first most populated place is China. China is one of the bordering countries of India, along with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Burma. Even though bit out of subject, China's border with India connects in the Himalayas, the famed mountain range. If we were to stay away from these dense areas of population such as Delhi, then we get to the paradise like land which anyone can enjoy. Nature follows with Greenery; you might see types of creatures that you might have little luck seeing elsewhere.

I have been to almost all of the states in India. The one that strikes me as one of the most attractive is Kerala. It is a state in the south- western part of the country. Some natives call it "Gods Own Country". This saying originated in New Zealand, but it is a fitting phrase to call this state. The climate is often a warm rain, or desirably hot and sunny. Some parts get very hot, but soon the native drinks such as the sweet coconut water and the contents inside that are later eaten.
Kerala has a great amount of biodiversity. The Zoos are just small parts of what you can see if you go out and explore the region yourself. If you have friends living in this area you can stay with you can have a blast! Here sports of interest are Cricket and "Football". Football is the Indian equivalent of Soccer. The Food is wonderful, it tingles almost all of the sensations on your tongue. Women here are taught to cook as they grow up so they can be better off when they are married. There are a lot of curries made here, like the chicken curry. One of my favorite combinations is the chicken/beef/ or even mutton curry with a type of bread made in Kerala called Porota (Po-ro-tta). This dish made me realize I had a bigger stomach than I imagined!! But my favorites might not suite your tastes, fear not! Kerala is filled with different types of dishes. Even the same named dishes can taste different from house to house. It tastes totally different from what is served in American restaurants.
Kerala has a wide array of festivals in which fun things happen. Kerala has a few religions, Hinduism is the leading religion. Christianity is another religion. Combined, both Kerala has a lot of festivals, like Christmas and Devali. Christianity in Kerala is also divided into different groups. Christians here have long sessions in church. Church services sometimes may go for as long as 7 hours sometimes. Thus, people living around a church are very devoted. Islam and other religions are also present in Kerala

All in all, the paradise of Kerala is almost too good. It is a great place to go vacation, or even if you're an animal watcher wanting to examine other species. The food is great and the people are friendly for the most part. There are a lot of middle class people living in Kerala who wants good for their children and want good for their community. Kerala is a great place with lots of impressive land.

Banana leaf is used for serving food. Banana tree has a pseudo stem and used as vegetable. The flowers of banana are also used in cooking.

Medicinal use:

1. The skin and pulp of raw banana fruit contains anti fungal substances. The well ripened fruit has both anti-fungal and anti bacterial properties.
2. The flowers of banana are cooked and consumed with curd to get relief from menstrual pain and excessive bleeding. The juice of banana flowers is effective in controlling dysentery.
3. The juice simply crushed out of core banana stem has got very good medicinal use. This is used in urinary disorders.
4. Consumption of raw juice alleviates the pain and discomfort in abdominal area. This acts on kidneys and liver to improve their functioning in excretion of more urinary substances. It removes toxins, crystals and stones in the kidneys, gall bladder and prostrate glands as well in the urinary passage.
5. Banana is a simple nutritive food that promotes digestion, maintains youthfulness. Generally, it is considered to be having natural anti-aging properties.

Enjoy a Surprising, Delicious Recipe!

Nendhran variety of banana is versatile in its use.

The Nendhran fruit as such is consumed or some semi ripe fruits after peeling are cut into thick pieces and mixed with jaggary or country sugar while shallow fried with coconut oil.

1. Banana Chips

   Just peel unripe Nendhran banana fruit and keep aside the peeled outer skin. The banana is sliced by a simple knife attached chipper. The thin banana slices are deep fried in coconut oil. These Nendhran chips are very famous and are flown to Arab countries almost daily. It is a good deep fried snack goes well for biting with evening tea.

2. Banana Candy

   The Nendhran banana chipped slightly thicker and divided into 4 bits of a slice and deep fired to have good biting sense while taking a tea.

3. Banana Vegetable Curry

   The skinned out banana peels are cut into small pieces and cooked; added with onion, chillies and salt and shallow fried to use as a side dish for the supper with rice.

4. Banana Sweet Porridge

   In temples, well ripened banana fruits are mashed and mixed with other fruits like dates, dried grapes and spices like cardamom to bring into a natural honey like soft and sweet dish offered to deities and later consumed by all devotees.

Banana is a natural body building nutrient rich fruit that is special in all special occasions.