Climbing Meesapulimala

We are starting to get into a trekking routine. Up relatively early but not too early as it’s dark until at least 6.30. It’s cool until the sun comes over the ridge and then it’s hot and humid. The nights are cool. The mattresses are surprisingly comfortable but the tents are a bit small if there are two people.

Today we walked up the main peak, Meesapulimala which is the second highest peak in the area (the other one is off limits). We were surprised when we stopped for lunch to find that our guide Prabhu had a tiffin tin in his backpack. It’s a series of metal pots which fit together. He had carried rice and a couple of vegetable curries while we huffed and puffed up the mountain. He’s very fit.

The scenery here is gorgeous with bright red rhododendrons and surprisingly eucalypt forests – I wasn’t expecting that. The weather has been incredibly dry which means lots of dust so by the end of the day were are pretty filthy and very grateful for the bowl of warm water.

I wouldn't call this hard walking but the humidity makes it fairly hard going when you have to climb.

Looking forward to seeing more of Kerala once we finish trekking.Read more