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 Snuggled
into a cosy valley, high up in the hills, with the grand old forest peaks
towering paternally around it. Fringe Ford is as cut off from the world as you
can get. It probably doesn’t feature on a map, has no traffic fumes, no traffic,
not even a road, and is thankfully ignored by the cell phone towers. What is
does have however, is a fabulous, authentic experience of living in the middle
of the jungle, some great treks, silver silence punctuated only by the
occasional warning calls of birds or monkeys when a carnivore comes visiting.
And it offers you the best peace you’ve had on vacation anywhere anytime.
There is a 360 degree view of jungle; all looking identical, but each with its
own tale. The balding Namboodri peaks, named after the estate’s ex-accountant,
the range of hills that rises almost perpendicular at the back of the house,
which once climbed, leads one on to Coorg, the peak out there, with the watch
tower, which was built one day, and demolished that night by wild elephants.
Fringe Ford was named by the Englishman who had first bought the land and built
it into a plantation. It changed hands since then, and was finally acquired by
its present landlord, Ahmed, who being a naturalist, let the land go back to the
forest. In fact, the 520-acre property shares its boundaries, not fences with
the wildlife sanctuaries of Wyanad and Tholpaty reserve forest, making this
entire stretch, one of the last remaining bastions of the Malabar rain forests
around, with shelter for its fauna and flora.
Accommodation - Fringe Ford itself, is
a beautiful low-slung bungalow, with mangalore tiles, and the wide glass windows
that make it a 24-hour look out for some of the best wildlife around. There are
3 rooms in the main house, with another 5 rooms coming up a level higher, near
the rock-pond and the perennial stream that is the background track to your
evening bonfire. Each room is snugly outfitted with heavy wooden furniture, the
softest beds you can climb into after a hard day’s trek, and luxurious
bathrooms, some with entire walls converted into windows. Just in case, there
are some peeping tom (wild) cats out there.
Restaurant - Old-fashioned cooking on a smoke-free
charcoal stove. Start with that and there’s not much that can go wrong. The
cooks dish out some local cuisine that’s hot and heart-warming. They go into the
forests, for example, foraging for a local fern that grows nowhere else in the
world, and chop it up into dinner. Other Kerala dishes make up the rest of the
menu, and what makes it even more unforgettable, is that you get to eat in the
kitchen itself, around a large wooden table, or against the backdrop of the
flaming setting sun, or even get it all carted to a nearby waterfall, where you
can trek to, only to find the food waiting already.
Getting There -The
nearest cities to Fringe Ford areThalassery (60 km) and Cannore (75 km).
By Air - The
nearest airport is Calicut (135 km). From Calicut , the road connects through –
Kalpetta – Mananthvadi – Talapoya to Fringe Ford. The entire drive time is
estimated at 3hrs.
By Rail - The nearest rail stop is Mysore
(130 km). The road connect Mysore , through Gundelpet – Sultan Bathery –
Meenangadi – Mananthvadi – Talapoya to Fringe Ford. Drive time is around 3hrs.
There is also a train stop at Calicut .
By Road
Calicut : From Calicut , the road connects
through – Kalpetta – Mananthvadi – Talapoya to Fringe Ford. The entire drive
time is estimated at 3hrs.
Mysore : The road connect Mysore , through Gundaelpet – Sultan Bathery –
Meenangadi – Mananthvadi – Talapoya to Fringe Ford. Drive time is around 3 Hrs.
3hrs
Ooty : The road connect Ooty
(150 km), through Gundalpet – Sultan Bathery – Meenangadi – Mananthvadi –
Talapoya to Fringe Ford. Drive time is around 4hrs. hrs. Coimbatore
: Travelling from Coimbatore (250 km) involves hitting the Ooty road, and then
making the usual route through Gundalpet, Sultan Bathery, Meenangadi and
Manantavadi. Drive time estimated at 7 hours.
Room View
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