This is the second part of my stay in Sterling Wayanad. If you have not read the previous post then I highly suggest you read it first and then come back to this post.
Read my previous post: Holiday Differently with Sterling Holidays, Wayanad – Day 1
Raindrops pattering on my window pane and chirping birds to wake me up this morning. Walking straight to my balcony to captivate the view of the Muthunga forest drenched in the drizzling rain. I wish I sit there infinitely with a hot cup of coffee in the loop of nature.
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| Best of the beast: Spotted this wild tusker just opposite to our resort |
Tusker spotting: With the tribal village walk the last day, I was looking forward to what’s next. I freshened up quick and walked with my camera. Soon I came to the reception, I have informed me that there was a tusker just outside the resort. With excitement, I managed to run to spot the tusker. It was the first time I spotted a tusker in the wild. His name is Mani and is spotted often along this stretch grazing the bamboo grass. It’s an experience within itself to surround by the wilderness of Wayanad. We went for the bird watching but it started raining so we had to return back to the resort.
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| Morning walk for bird watching |
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| Bird spotting is not an easy task |
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| The scenery became more beautiful after the rain |
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| There is also a manmade pond inside the property. Besides this is the butterfly park |
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| A perfect place for the photograph |
As it was drizzling, I came back to the resort and hopped onto a buggy to reach the restaurant. The breakfast was Kerala cuisine themed – Appam, Idiyappam, and Puttu to be precise and the usual English breakfast. The breakfast was heavenly and served hot complimenting the monsoon.
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| Buffet breakfast. Both Indian and English breakfirst served. |
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| Traditional Kerala breakfast |
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| When the food looks gorgeous you can stop taking pics |
Soon after the breakfast, a bus was arranged for the sightseeing which included Sultan Bathery Jain temple, Phantom rocks, and Assumption Forane church. While everything seemed to be going perfect little did we know that the trouble was waiting for us? Our bus was stopped over by locals at Sultan Bathery. That’s when we realized it was a nation-wide strike by public transport organizations against Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill. All the yellow board vehicles were being obstructed and were not allowed to go any further. After an hour of the confused moments, the organizers were able to sort out the matter. They allowed us to visit till the Jain Temple and Church but phantom rocks had to be dropped.
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| Out bus got pulled over as it was a nation-wide strike by public transport organizations |
Chandranatha Swamy Jain Temple: The Jain Temple in Sulthan Bathery is one of the most important among the many Jain temples in Kerala. Dating back to the 13th century, the temple is said to have been built in the prevalent architectural style of the then reigning Vijayanagar dynasty. The temple has an interesting history. It first served as a shrine, and then became an important center of commercial activity. Later in the 18th century, it became a dumping ground of ammunitions by Tipu Sultan. In fact, the town of Sulthan Bathery (Sultan’s Battery) is named after this temple. Now it’s a home to several bats fluttering their wings.
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| Chandranatha Swamy Jain Temple |
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| In the 18th century, it became a dumping ground of ammunitions by Tipu Sultan. |
Assumption Forane Church: The church was initially started by the French Missionaries and later on with the migration of people from all parts of Kerala and from other states like Tamilnadu and Karnataka, Sulthan Bathery became more populated. The Church was under several dioceses and presently under Mananthavady diocese. The new church is well planned with worship space for a large number of persons and the interiors are well decorated. The annual festival is in January during which thousands gather here to offer prayers. The church is open for prayers to all irrespective of caste and while we were there we saw people from other states offering prayers.
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| Assumption Forane Church |
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| That was the biggest ceiling fan I have seen so far in my life |
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| A beautifully decorated prayer hall |
After sightseeing, we decided to head back to the resort and it started raining heavily. After waiting for some time we could board the bus. The bus took inner roads avoiding the main roads to bypass unwanted attention during the Bandh.
Traditional Kerala Style Lunch: It was 2 pm a perfect time to have lunch, and guess what the traditional Kerala Sadhya meal was waiting for us. The dining table had plantain leaves arranged in a fashion and the staff was in the Kerala traditional attire. We were served a countless number of items among which I loved Kerala rice, Banana chips, and Bamboo rice payasam. I was overwhelmed by the lunch and it was a complete meal.
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| Authentic Kerala dishes for the lunch |
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| Kerala style Banana leaf meal |
Even though the sightseeing plan was minimal, we were not worried because there were many activities inside the resort that kept us engaged throughout the day.
In Resort Activities: We gathered for Pottery, Mr. Sijoy taught us basics of clay pottery making and gave chance to each of us try. Since I knew my poor art and craftsmanship, I decided to get my hands on Paintball and Archery. Apart from these, a lot more games like Air Hockey, Carrom, Foosball, Table Tennis, Snookers, and kids play area were present and are enjoyable too.
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| Learned the basics of Pottery. |
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| Archery |
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| Paintball |
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| My all time favorite foosball |
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| There were a lot of other activities in the play area |
Resort Tour: Next, we proceeded to explore different parts of the resort. Sterling Wayanad comprises of 60+ rooms which fall under Classic, Premiere & Privilege category suiting the guest requirement. I would say it is a blend of luxury, comfort and a great service. Steps away from the multicuisine restaurant, there is a big swimming pool and an open bar. They also help us relax and rejuvenate with their gym and spa centers.
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| This is the studio rooms. Neat and tidy rooms |
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| The spa room |
Swimming time: Who wouldn’t love the swimming pool? The pool view tempted me to dive in. The pool depth is around 4 ft which is ideal for all age groups. The water was clean and chlorine free. I literally enjoyed relaxing in the pool and experimenting my action camera. It was drizzling while we were in the pool which added fun to the swimming.
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| The top view of the swimming pool |
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| It was fun to swim when raining |
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| I couldn’t resist but jump into the pool |
After the swimming, I badly needed a hot tea. The tea point was presented in a street food theme which I totally loved. The crunchy chilly pakoda and hot tea complemented well with the climate with occasional rain showers throughout the day. The tea tasted heaven in this climate. We spent the next two hours just enjoying the rain and chilling in the lovely climate.
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| The snacks were arranged in local chai wala style. |
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| Rains and these hot bajji’s and pakodas are the best combinations |
Barbeque dinner: Soon it was 8 pm, the dining table was lit up with beautiful candles and the aroma of barbeque boosted my appetite. One of the chefs was preparing Kotthu Parota in the live counter. Seeing the making of Kotthu Parota was exciting. All the items on the menu were great. No matter how full you are the dinner isn’t complete without having deserts. The Pudding and Gulab jamun were simply fantastic.
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| The table was lit with these little candles. It was a sight to behold |
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| Barbeque dinner |
Night Safari: The same night, the safari was planned by the resort. I had been to a couple of safari rides before but those were the day safari rides but I was really excited to sight wildlife at night. It was a no moon day so the night was completely dark and we boarded the jeep. The thrill started as soon as we started. We spotted a big herd of deer. The deer were curiously looking at us while we were trying to click their photos with flash. I soon realized that taking photos in this dark doesn’t make sense so I kept my DSLR in the bag and kept my eyes on the window to captivate moments in the forest. We spotted some more group of deer but my eyes were eagerly waiting to spot a leopard. Leopard’s are often spotted here so I had some hope on spotting it. We finally spotted an elephant standing just beside the road. Before we could stop and take the U-turn it was gone. I just had a glimpse of it. Spotting wild animals in the forest is purely a matter of luck but the driver’s thrilling stories were entertaining throughout the ride. I was at least a little lucky in this matter. It was 12 am by the time we reached back the resort.
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| Riding in the forest at night was a thrilling experience |
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| We spotted many heads of deer but no luck with any leopard or tiger |
Back to Bangalore: After a holiday in Sterling Wayanad, I really have been refreshed to the core. We had to head back to Bangalore. The departure was planned at 8 am and after breakfast, we check out. I had fallen in love with this resort as home in the last two days. As Kanishk (from sterling) said: “People come here as guests and leave as friends”. This statement was 100% true. After a group photo and crazy boomerang, we started our journey back to Bangalore. I reached my home at 6 pm.
Conclusion: My time in Kerala have always been memorable. I always look for experiences than just sightseeing. Sterling Wayand helped me to discover the Tribal village, the paddy fields, taste the authentic Kerala food and experience the thrill of night Safari. If you are going to Wayanad with your friends and family then I recommend you to try this resort for a different holiday experience.
For booking, you can visit Sterling Resort official website.
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