Winter Vale, a peaceful retreat in the misty hills of Vagamon

                         It was long time since we went for a trip as a family, since all four of us were in different parts of the world since 2008, for different reasons. Now that all of us are back together after a long time, I wanted to do a family trip - a perfect one. I wanted it to be just the four of us in our own space, close to nature, completely detached from all the routine chaos and free from all the responsibilities, without any tension in the back of our minds. I started hunting for a budget but decent resort for the 15^th and 16^th of that June. After considering a lot of places I finally decided to go with Vagamon, the hill station known for its lush green meadows and the misty cool weather. After searching a lot in the internet, I found a resort which has its own lake and tea plantations within the premises, also with separate cottage facility for families. Winter Vale, it looked perfect for my plan and after a couple of calls to the resort manager I booked a family cottage in this resort.

                       Finally, by 5 on that very cold early morning, we left Trivandrum. We took the MC road, and deviated from Mulakuzha and continued on the Mallappally – Erattupetta – Vagamon route. On the way we saw the board indicating Marmala waterfalls 7 kms away from Chathapuzha, on the way to Vagamon. Since we had ample time left to check-in at the resort, we decided to visit the place. The road towards this place was narrow but neatly laid, and I really enjoyed driving through this twisty route. Small landslides occurred in this route in the previous days owing to the huge rainfalls, but fortunately nothing was that big to block the way. After half an hour through this hilly route surrounded by quaint valleys and hills, we reached the waterfalls.  Obviously, the flow was great in the falls, thanks to the continuous rains, which however stood away while we visited the place. Water was even flowing through the short trek path towards the falls, and it was an absolute pleasure to walk on it splashing the cool water. The rocks were slippery and the flow was strong, so we decided not to step into the waterfall. After spending almost half an hour relishing the beauty of this small but splendid waterfall, we left the place.

                        We stopped at a viewpoint on the way and clicked plenty of photos, both of the nature as well as ‘us’, and finally reached the resort at Vagamon by 2 PM. This resort which is about 300 mtrs away from the highway looked like a green paradise and the rains only added to its beauty. 

                        We absolutely fell in love with it right from the moment we reached its façade. After the check-in formalities the staff took us to our family cottage made in traditional architecture having sloping roofs with clay tiles placed on wooden rafters and with wooden walls and floors. It had three bedrooms and a verandah where one can sit and revel in the beauty of the mesmerizing nature around for endless time. 

                         The resort is located at the backdrop of picturesque hills, vivid valleys surrounded by verdant landscape. Our cottage was surrounded by a wide variety of plants and trees, although the passion fruit climbers with plenty of fruits in the fence need a special mention. Because of the intermittent rains, the place was covered with mist throughout, day and night. The afternoon looked like evening and at times mist gushed into our rooms which felt like smoked pumped into a DJ party hall. We relaxed for a couple of hours in the veranda sipping warm tea accompanied by delicious snacks. 

                         We went for a walk within the resort premises in the evening. We sat at the bank of the tranquil lake, after strolling through the tea plantations. The scenes were so beautiful that I clicked countless pictures, in fact all of us taking plenty of photos of the serene landscape, and of course selfies need no mention at all. As the weather becoming more chilling and the sky getting darker, we went back to our cottage. After having the delicious dinner served, we spend hours in the night chatting, all of us covered in thick blankets. Mom talked about the childhood days of me and my sister and I saw the spark in the eyes of my parents on recollecting those days. Reminiscing those good old days, we went to bed.

                        It was already time for breakfast when I woke up the next morning, after a profound sleep. After having the luscious breakfast, we went for sightseeing in the different parts of Vagamon. The first spot of the day was the Pine forest. Since it was off season for Vagamon, the place was not much crowded which really helped in relaxing at the place without any noises and other disturbances. 

                       The next spot was the bald hill, for which Vagamon is best known for. I’ve been to this place once before during a summer, when the hills were all brown. But this time it was all lush green and cattle grazing in the meadows in these hills and valleys was quite a sight to watch. It was sunny, even though there was mist flowing frequently. 

                         But it all changed in a matter of a few minutes - chilling wind started blowing in, the sky became dark and heavy mist coming from all sides. I took video of this sudden phenomenon happening in the hills around us, which finally happened in the hill that we were standing on too. In a couple of minutes, it started raining heavily. This entire change in weather happened within a maximum time of 5 minutes, and was a unique memorable experience. With our dress completely drenched in the rain, we rushed into the car and went back to the resort. 

                         It was raining in the afternoon, and we took nap for a couple of hours after lunch. Once the rains stopped, I went for an evening promenade with my sister to places we haven’t covered within the resort itself, while mom and dad spent time in and around the cottage sipping tea. I was planning to spend some time in the swimming pool that afternoon, but it was so cold out there that I can’t even think of going near it. After having dinner and a few hours of chattering, we decided to call it a day.

                        The next morning after breakfast we checked-out from the resort. Something that really stood out apart from the beautiful landscape and ambiance of the resort was, the behavior of the staff – from manager to the room boy. All of them were so affable and congenial and looked after the guests with great care, and made sure their guests had a really good time in the resort. After bidding good bye and saying a heartfelt thanks to them, we left the resort where we had two memorable days. Had I listened to google which said it’s not the right time to visit Vagamon, or the guy at the petrol pump who tried very hard to convince us not go Vagamon in that season., we’d have lost some of the best moments in our life. Those two days away from the routine fuss and duties, luxuriating in the glory of mother nature helped us in reminiscing the good times we had in the past as well as strengthen the bond we share as a family - an occasion we waited long for. After all, those are moments we live for…