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Lost and Found in Valparai

We meet many people on the road, both locals and travelers alike who help us in time of need or distress without expecting a return. Last week of every month I bring you stories from travelers who have experienced kindness on the road and like to share and spread it for the love of travel.

This month’s story has come from India’s Divyakshi Gupta who takes us to Valparai. Getting lost in a forest is something I don’t want to even think of. Let us see what she has to say about it.
Over to Divyakshi Gupta.
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It was nearing dusk and we were on our way to explore the forests of Valparai. This was my chance to see the lion tailed macaque and I was so excited.
Birds chirped endlessly as we rode on the curves. The forest canopy was thick and the driver seemed to know where we were going. Immersed in the beauty of the South western ghats, I looked out of the window, not wanting to miss even a second of this therapy.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Lost and Found in Valparai

We were a group of five nature enthusiasts and there was cheerful banter, exchange of wish lists of sightings we wanted to see. Our guide was supposed to meet us at a pre decided spot and we were going for an hour long walk in the off beat forest trails of Valparai known for its elephants, birds, barking deer and the elusive leopard.

I was particularly interested in the Hornbill and looked forward to this exploration since many days.
The vehicle came to a halt and we waited for our guide.

Five minutes became ten. Ten became twenty. This is when the warning bells went off in our minds and we guessed something is amiss.

The driver (not a local) was unperturbed. While we made frantic phone calls to ask the guide where he was, he calmed us down and said he knows the way and he’ll take us to the spot where we can hop off the vehicle and do the trail ourselves.

roads in monsoon in uttarakhand

Without thinking we say yes to him and off we go on the curves again. The forest is denser and the canopy thicker. Soon we are truly in nature’s lap (Read: no network zone) and to be honest, I get this sinking, something -is-not -going-right feeling.

We are dropped somewhere. ( not a person in sight) In my nervousness and anxiety, I cannot help but notice the astounding scenery around me. Straight out of Jungle book, with the cicadas singing and birds going home, chirping happily.

We walked along the stretch of the road and back and then thought its best to stick together whichever direction we go.
And then someone spotted a Malabar thrush and all the birders lost it. We chased the bird as it flew from branch to branch and tree to tree.

Then we turned, deciding unanimously that we should go back to the vehicle and not venture further into the forest. Only to find that we had actually ventured a little too far and now every curve seemed that curve and every left turn lead to a similar clearing.

The sun had begun to set and fear crept in. We realised we were only going round and round in circles and with no network it was impossible to get help.

Scary thoughts circled my head and I tried to keep calm and not think of anything negative. While another part of my head cursed myself for not reasoning.
Ten minutes later we saw a local. Heaving a sigh of relief, we rushed to him only to find he couldn’t speak Hindi or English.
None of us knew Tamil and we tried to convey that we are lost. He seemed to understand and told us to wait. He was our only hope and we chose to wait. He returned with a 20 something boy and introduced him as Anand BE, beaming proudly.

We then understood that Anand was the only lad with a BE qualification in their village and he got him to help us.
Anand promptly got to work, asking us where we were staying and how we landed here. After listening to our story he agreed to accompany us to our vehicle and we were relieved!

But then he stopped in his tracks.
“Would you like to see something, now that you have missed your forest walk?”

We looked at each other, not wanting to be in a soup again.
Anand insisted and his earnest enthusiasm persuaded us to follow him. (No other option when you’re lost in a forest).

He said it is just 2 minutes away and off we went. I was starting to get irritated and before I opened my mouth to complain, my jaw dropped.

In front of me were rock pools! I hadn’t seen something so beautiful in a long time.
Anand looked at our expressions with a triumphant grin on his face. “I told you!” he said.

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Lost and Found in Valparai

Top Indian Couple Blog by Nisha Jha and Vasudevan R - Lost and Found in Valparai

lost found Valparai

The place was heavenly with green waters, fallen tree trunks, absolute silence, not a single human in sight. Like it was hidden away. One of those secret hideaways where Enid Blyton’s stories were based.
I clicked but the pictures didn’t do justice. The place was far more magnificent in real than in photographs. Getting lost was never so much fun.

Anand accompanied us till the
vehicle and honestly if it were not for him, we would probably be lost for good in the forest.

But not only did he help us back but also guided us to a ‘secret’ paradise.
Somewhere deep down in my heart, I felt happy we got lost, only to find this unheard of heaven.

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Divyakshi Gupta is a travel blogger and blogs at www.quirkywanderer.com
She is a door lover, a mountain child who adores long road trips. Loves travelling to off beat places to discover new cultures, meet new people, find new stories and in the process, her own self.

You may also want to read some of the earlier posts on the same theme.
Kindness on the Road
Surviving America
Good deed not dead!
Lost and found

If you have been helped by someone during your travels and want to share your story with the world, feel free to connect with me in comments section.

If you want to travel places with us, I suggest you to join us on my Facebook travel page.
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20 thoughts on “Lost and Found in Valparai”

  1. Wow! What a crazy experience! I’ve been lost before too but one experience that stands out was in the Grand Canyon as a child! We actually saw coyotes as we were trying to find our way to the camp ground! It was terrifying! I’m glad you got amazing shots though!

    1. Getting lost in the Grand Canyon must be something! Though adventurous it always brings in a state of momentary fear!
      The pictures don’t do justice to the place it was sooo beautiful! 🙂

  2. That sounds like it could’ve been a really scary experience if you hadn’t found Anand. But it’s great that you were able to make the most of it and see something really special anyway!

  3. Wonderful adventure, although it did sound dire at the time. Loved the rock pool discovery too. I remember being in Sri Lanka at night and a young boy asked if we wanted to see his elephant. We ventured into the jungle and the towering beast materialized, gently chewing his dinner. The boy was so proud and we were so happy for the chance encounter. I need to return to that part of the world and actually see India.

  4. Wow! What a great story! I’m glad that you made it out safely and still got to see some incredible sites along the way! What a great adventure tale to tell!

  5. Anand sounds like a wonderful person – how nice of him to not only save the day, but also guide you to a part of the forest you had missed. We had a similar situation in Panama where we got dropped 3 hours out of the city in the middle of a remote national park, and arranged with our driver to pick us up later in the day. He never showed – we had to make up our best Spanish and ask a local to borrow their phone, to call our driver, who totally forgot to pick us up! So I definitely relate to the stress you must have felt before Anand showed up!

  6. Always love stories like this! So nice to hear about kind people going out of their way to help! Sounds like it would have been scary to get lost in the jungle like that, but glad you found someone to show you the way and that you found an extra special place along the way!

  7. That was so nice of him to help you out and get your unlost. That can be a really scary feeling, being left out there with no idea where you are. I’m glad you at least got to see something amazing.

  8. Getting lost and finding your way in the end with the help of an angel are what makes ones journey more memorable. In your story, I believe Anand is an angel sent by the universe. Good for you that everything worked out OK. I have been lost too in many ways along my journeys, missing train stops, not being able to find a ride in the North Pole, but like you, I was found by an angel and guided to be sent on my way making me more thankful and my journey more memorable.

    Im being honest in saying that I really loved your writing style! Made me feel I was there too! Really refreshing style of travel writing.

  9. I am glad it all worked out in the end and plus you got an amazing story to tell. I love the pond you found on your adventure. I spend a lot of time in the woods so I love just exploring around and seeing what I find.

  10. The rock pools do look pretty cool and I love how you almost missed them but did not! It can be very scary to be in an unknown place, especially a forest, and get lost, when the day is coming to an end and it’s even worse when you don’t speak the language of the land. But I am glad that not only did you find your way back, you chanced to see something really beautiful!

  11. Valparai is indeed a revelation. Have heard about it from some fellow travel bloggers who swear by its pristine nature. You had quite an adventure of sorts in the wilderness. But the climax of seeing the enchanting rock pools must have been really worth it.

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