Eyes and Escapes

The last trip I undertook was to Mussoorie in April. Five whole months passed by. Burnout? Oh yes. It had entered the chat. The next long weekend was in October during the Dasara festivals — a glorious stretch of 5 days (if I heroically applied for 2.5 days of leave at work).

In August, during my birthday, I had attempted something similar. But apparently my department collapses if I’m not physically present. Pun absolutely intended. Such an important person I am — hence leave denied! Hampi had to be sacrificed for the greater good of ophthalmology. 🤭

This time I planned early. Requested leave. Followed up. Negotiated. Endured drama. And finally — victory. Leave approved. I felt like I had cleared a competitive exam.

Though I was sure about the leave, I wasn’t sure about the destination. All the famous Zostels — Poombarai, Munnar and others — were fully booked long before I checked. I was left with a few options: Chikkamagalur, Kodagu, and Vagamon. I had never been to Vagamon. That should have excited me.

So I booked a dorm at Zostel Vagamon.

In hindsight, the fact that it was still available should have been my first clue. But confidence > caution. I went.

With no plan.

Not knowing what to do there.

Technically this was unplanned like my previous trip — but that one at least had some structure. This time? I didn’t even properly plan how to reach there. I think I avoided planning because the act of planning itself made me uncomfortable. Strange, right?

I didn’t want logistics. I wanted escape.

I was overconfident — “It’s Kerala! Another South Indian state. How different can it be? I’ll manage. No need to break my head planning.”

Oh, how beautifully wrong I was.

As the dates came closer, regret started creeping in. I would half-heartedly open maps, research for 10 minutes, then shut it down. My vague master plan was:
“Arrey! I’ll go to Kochi one day. Kottayam one day. Otherwise I’ll just sit in nature like I did in Mussoorie.”

That casual brushing-off cost me my mental peace. 😬

And just when things couldn’t get more dramatic — my phone died. Completely. I tried repairing it twice. Failed twice. Lost around ₹15,000 in the process. Ended up with a half-broken backup phone with a hanging screen. No proper photography. No smooth navigation.

For someone who loves capturing nature (even if not professionally), this felt like traveling without one eye.

But yes, I did capture some breathtaking photos and time lapse from my iPad and the spare phone.

Finally, I set out. No itinerary. Overnight sleeper bus from Bangalore.

All the way, something felt… off.

My instincts are usually sharp. And they were whispering:
“Stay back. Café hop in Bangalore. Long weekend Bangalore is heaven — empty roads, cool breeze, no traffic.”

But I was already on the bus stuck in the unbelievable Electronic city traffic – as many people were leaving Banglore for a long weekend.

You can see the inner conflict — wanting to run away from burnout yet wanting to stay home. I don’t fully understand these contradictions. But life rarely waits for clarity.

Now comes the practical chaos.

I had procrastinated planning how to reach Vagamon from Kottayam. Zostel said there were “lots of buses and cabs.” So I casually believed them. I even messaged Marshall — a friend from Kerala I had met during my Ooty trip (the egg fried rice reviewer, remember?).

I discovered something called “Kerala Savari,” similar to Namma Yatri. Booked a cab 5 minutes before reaching Kottayam bus stop. ETA: 5 minutes. Actual arrival: never. I waited 15–20 minutes.

I then resorted to – Plan B: public transport.

I approached an auto driver parked nearby.
“Bus stand?”
“No Hindi. Only Malayalam.”
“English?”
“Kurachu.” (Little.)

He quoted ₹80. Fair enough. I didn’t bargaining as I didn’t know Malayalam anyway. On the way he asked, “Friends? Trip?”
“No. Solo.”

“Software engineer aano?”
“I am a doctor,” I said — reluctantly.

The curiosity level instantly shot up. More questions followed. I silently prayed for the bus stand to arrive sooner. It did. He wished me a happy journey. Sweet man.

Side note: I usually avoid announcing I’m a doctor while traveling. People treat you differently. Respectfully, yes. But differently. And then comes the medical questions. And the inevitable “How did you get leave?” I travel to forget that version of me.

Now the real struggle began.

The bus stand looked like Malayalam had multiplied itself just to mock me. Boards everywhere — all in Malayalam. My broken phone couldn’t help much. I felt small. Very small.

I went to the control room. Drivers in khaki chatting, sipping tea, scrolling. I asked for help. No response. Not even eye contact.

I shouted, “Hi sir! Vagamon bus? Platform?”

Silence.

A woman conductor pointed vaguely somewhere. I went there. That person didn’t understand English. I shuffled around like a confused chess piece.

I stood still. I didn’t want to look helpless. In India, that can be risky.

I called Zostel.
Earlier: “Cabs available.”
Now: “You must take a bus.”

Anger rose.

Finally, I approached two young girls. They didn’t understand what I said at first. So I typed the question on my phone and showed them. That worked! They explained:

Two options —
• Bus to Eratupetta, then change to Vagamon
• Direct bus to Vagamon (if lucky)

They pointed to one bus. I wasn’t sure which option it was.

I overheard a group discussing in mixed English and Malayalam — “Direct bus to Vagamon.” That was my cue. I boarded.

I headed straight to the back of the bus as all the front seats were occupied. Found a window seat at the back. Safe, I thought.

Then anxiety resumed. “What if I misheard?”

I confirmed with a gentleman nearby. Yes, direct.

A temporary relief set in.

At Eratupetta, the bus filled beyond imagination. Breathing became optional. My trolley bag occupied some aisle space — guilt + inconvenience combo. I tried placing it under the seat which was highly impossible in that crowd.

A young girl sat beside me. She casually rested her legs over the trolley like it was furniture. Youth. Flexibility. I felt ancient.

Now Google Maps became my lifeline. Zostel instructions said to get down at Kurishumala Junction before the main Vagamon stop. Which one is the Kurishumala Junctio!? I yelled to myself in my mind. Like how am I supposed to know when every board is in Malayalam

How would I get down in this human Tetris puzzle?

No English boards. No space to move. I asked the girl next to me to inform me when Kurishumala arrived. She consulted her parents. They replied in Malayalam. I nodded like I understood.

Then suddenly — from the front — the conductor shouted “Kurishumala!” Oh thank God he remembered. While buying tickets I told him to inform me when the destination arrived. He did! 🥹

Decision time.

“No procrastination here, Kshama.” I was thinking should I get down here or get down ahead at the Vagamon bus stop and take an auto to Zostel. I didn’t waste much time thinking I just pushed myself to get down here.

I squeezed myself and my trolley through the bodies and jumped out. My hair all stood out in different directions.

I emerged like Jon Snow in Battle of the Bastards. Alive. Disheveled. Victorious.

And then — Plot Twist.

It’s a 1 km uphill trek to Zostel.

Zostel Manager earlier: “We’ll send a cab.”
Now: “Do you see an auto? Or maybe it’s just 500 meters, you can walk.”

It was not 500 meters.

It was uphill.

With luggage.

I was exhausted angry and hence gave up and didn’t argue much. I just hiked with the luggage. My health rubbing on face that – you need to work on your fitness.

Two unexpected shocks on arrival day. Enthusiasm just evaporated!

The only upside? I saved cab money — assuming there ever was one.

But as I climbed, the scenery improved. Rolling green. Soft mist. And a cute dog perched on a wall. He followed me briefly, sat in front of me dramatically — probably expecting treats. I apologized and continued panting uphill.

At the check-in lobby: small and slightly shabby a volunteer Akash helped with the check-in. In my exhausted state I didn’t much mind the shabby check-in lobby.

It was October. I expected chill hill-station weather. But Bangalore weather was cooler than here. Here It was hot, humid and sweaty.

All I wanted was a cold shower and unconsciousness. That’s exactly what I did.

The dorm bed had no bed light. Curtains slightly moldy. I just didn’t care as I was too exhausted.

Once the sun set, the insects flew in through the partially opened door. Though I was unconscious during the first half of my sleep, I was slightly in a trance when insects started to fly in. I m extremely sensitive and scared of insects. The dim lights of the room acted like a nightclub invitation. I kept lights off. Fan on full speed and closed the door completely without latching it and slept back

I woke up at 8 pm. Went for coffee as I was feeling groggy and then eventually for dinner. A friend had warned me: “Don’t visit the kitchen. If you see it, you won’t eat.”

I didn’t visit. Didn’t matter.

Nonetheless, next day my stomach revealed the truth.

Post dinner, I sat near the bonfire area hoping to make friends. But most people who sat there were couples – privacy mode activated. I plugged in my earphones and sat there staring into the night sky – couldn’t find much stars. Humidity still heavy. All the Zostels I had been to before started bonfire by 8:30 ish. Here it was 9 and no signs of bonfire. Gave up hope and left to dorm.

Just when I was about to leave, Akash mentioned jeep off-roading and sunrise ride next morning — ₹550.

Finally, something exciting. I said yes instantly.

Day 1.

Jeep ride. Two couples. Two bachelors. Me.

We were told to be ready by 5 am as the jeep would leave sharp at 5. “If not present we would leave without you.” Fair enough. All of us were ready by 4:45am. What wasn’t fair was the driver arrived late and the Zostel management blamed us for missing the sunrise! Yes, we did miss the Sunrise. How can so many things be faulty at one Zostel! Anyways we just headed to see what’s up in Vagamon.

Off-roading? It was wild. Our heads thrown left, right, centre. We neared the meadows. It looked beautiful like straight out of a movie, but it was too crowded and littered. Bluetooth speakers were blaring. Really? Nature + DJ remix. Not just one speaker, there were multiple. Where is responsible tourism? Questionable. Huh!

The couples from the jeep were cute and engrossed in clicking their couple pics. But one lady kindly offered to click pictures for me since my phone was broken and we did bond over life in Bangalore.

Then we headed to Uluppani Falls. Again our heads thrown in all directions. The jeep dropped us at a point and we all had to trek down for 750 mts or so to reach the actual falls. As we approached the falls we could see more people than water. Overcrowded again.

I took a glimpse of whatever was visible. Couldn’t even stand at a place for even a minute – the crowd kept me shifting. I did find one free space, went there for a minute. Sat there and dipped my feet in cool flowing water, captured a few moments of breather and returned to jeep.

I left early and waited in jeep. Another traveler joined me — Bangalore techie. Thankfully we agreed upon the mediocrity of this jeep ride. We discussed how Bangalore during long weekends is blissful — empty roads, cool air, café hopping. Regret intensified.

When the rest came back we headed back to Zostel for breakfast. Coffee: good. Onion dosa: questionable decision.

While eating, techie and family asked medical questions nonstop. I smiled professionally while internally sighing.

Then she appeared — Sanchi. Dental doctor. Dimpled smile. The bubbly, young, cute North Kannadiga. The thing about North Kannadigas is they are such warm people and the Kannada accent is so fun! She called me “Akka” (Sister). We exchanged our intro for a bit in the cafe and then headed to the common room.

Ugggh! The common room looked liked no one bothered to take care of it: dusty, furnitures not properly arranged, neglected. Only the centrally placed TV was on and running. Few people playing board games. We secured a breezy corner and that which was least dusty and talked for hours.

We bonded over life, disappointments, travel. She wanted to go to another place in Kerala and I told her of my Varkala trip. She instantly got inspired. In return she nudged me out of my gloom that this trip bestowed upon me. It wasn’t easy to get me over it.

But by Evening I caved — she convinced me for another jeep ride to Justin’s Point.

Best decision of the trip.

Liz and Puja joined. Both from Coastal Karnataka energy. Total fun people. I laughed a lot and finally felt light.

Justin’s Point was magical — clean, uncrowded, dramatic grey clouds rolling over valleys. The deep silence. This ride costed 450 rupees per head and was totally worth it. We sat over the cliff for a long time, laughing our hearts out to Liz’s and Sanchi’s jokes. Puja was fun too. I enjoyed the laughter and the silence. Both. We took a lot of pic and yes I did come out of my gloom.

We didn’t want to leave. But were forced to leave because what started as drizzle started to look like it could turn to heavy rains and even storms.

Midway back, Sanchi and Puja asked the jeep driver to pull the jeep to one side and they both got and danced in the rain. They pulled me. I awkwardly waved limbs in rain and retreated back to jeep 😅 By the looks of it both Puja and Sanchi are great dancers.

Then came the uninvited guest – stomach cramps. Gastroenteritis had officially arrived. Probably the chutney or the stale onion dosa.

We stopped at a medical shop. I medicated myself.
We headed back to Zostel as it rained heavily; yet not feeling cold. The only option for dinner I had was Dal and Rice. But none the less took a few bites from the gang’s plate. I love food and hence didn’t care about my GE

Sanchi tried to convince me to stay for bonfire. I was too exhausted and stomach upset. I went back to dorm and slept happy – “I would be leaving to home tomorrow.” First time in the history of my travel did I feel so. I was supposed to leave 3 days later but yeah I cut short the trip.

Day 2:

Liz and Puja left just after the breakfast.

My bus to Bangalore was at 5:30 PM in the evening. I had to somehow spend the morning time. Sanchi was there. We had breakfast and sat in balcony of cafe and took few time lapses. It was funny how I am photo awkward yet Sanchi captured a few good pics and timelapses. Then we decided we will watch a movie.

I suggested “Eat, Pray and Love.” Sanchi loved the idea of it. And we started watching it. We dispersed after lunch. And in the evening she asked me to join her for a trek to the “Secret Waterfalls.” There’s supposedly a secret waterfall nearby. But rumours of brain-eating amoeba + my stomach condition = No, thank you. She went ahead solo.

By the time Sanchi returned – I was ready to leave. Never in my travel history was I so excited to leave. Sanchi would leave to Varkala the next day.

Finally I boarded my bus back to Bangalore. The journey wasn’t comfortable. I had a pukish feeling may be because of the gastroenteritis. The idea of going back to comfort of home kept me sane. I didn’t sleep. Felt like I got a breather as soon as I stepped down the bus at Bangalore. So happy!

And strangely — felt grateful for home.

Final Verdict:

• If going to Vagamon — avoid staying at Zostel.
• Try finding a direct bus to Vagamon (if it exists) or rent a reliable cab.
• Unless you read/speak Malayalam confidently, public transport will test you.
• Club Vagamon with nearby destinations. One or two days are enough.
• Don’t expect cold hill-station weather. It’s humid.

Sometimes trips aren’t magical. Sometimes they are messy, uncomfortable, and mildly disastrous.

But they teach you — about planning, instincts, resilience… and how deeply comforting it is to return home.