Palakkad Days - Of Auto-rides at Dawn, Musical Cacophony Of Birds And Much More!

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My cousin's train was supposed to arrive at Palakkad Junction at 5 am. My husband and I were planning to leave by 4.30. Accordingly I had set the alarm for 4 that morning. 

Needless to say, I would have woken up even without the alarm. At dawn, the birds in the area broke out into a melodious cacophony, the likes of which I am yet to hear anywhere. Sharp, clear, melodious and rhythmic songs filled the dawn with sheer magic. The three days that I stayed in Palakkad, I woke up to this music every morning. 

As I write this from my city, I can't help wondering what did we do with the birds, for there are very few here.

Our auto arrived sharply at 4.30 and we left for the station. I was amazed to see many stalls already open enroute. Most of the shops were selling tea and coffee. I recorded a very short video of the ride but it was both exhilarating and peaceful to drive in the early morning on the lanes of Palakkad and watching the village slowly wake up. 

It was a joyful reunion at Palakkad station with my cousin and her family. We drove back home with renewed vigor already feeling excited about the vacation ahead. 

For breakfast, we had delicious sevai, a traditional dish of Palakkad that we have come to love. We have this for breakfast every time we visit my parents' house. There are small-scale caterers who sell this in Kalpathy. It's tasty, sufficient in quantity and very reasonably priced. A meal that sates both the stomach and the heart!

Then my husband and I left for Coimbatore airport to pickup my sister and my niece. We arrived with a lot of time left for the flight's arrival. To beat the heat, we bought two cans of Seven-up. Yep, you still get this drink here! I am yet to see it anywhere else! Even as we were lazing around at the airport, we saw a celebrity arrive there. We couldn't see the guy, for a lot of people were surrounding him. But the police force around him and the way people were clicking photos proved that he was a big-shot. Try as I might, I couldn't see his face. I guess it would be a mystery as to which celebrity we missed seeing that day. 

My sister and my niece arrived shortly and we left for Palakkad. For the first time in all the years we have visited Palakkad, we found slow-moving and heavy traffic enroute. Probably it was the weekend rush. 

The evening was spent at a park near to my parents' house. I have an emotional attachment with this park. When my kid was around 4 years old, I had visited my parents and had brought him to the park in the evening. For a few days, he found a friend in the park, playing on the slides and merry-go-round. One day before we were to leave for Hyderabad, I took my kid to the park in the evening but couldn't find his friend there. I often thought about the kid, whether he ever wondered why his friend was no longer visiting the park. Of course now he would be all grown up and I wouldn't recognize him even if he passed by me. 

Day 2 of the trip was all about waking up to the musical cacophony of birds, driving through the streets of Kalpathy in an auto and reuniting with family. There was one more day left in Palakkad and as I prepared Dosas for dinner and listened to the chaos and din of a full house, I felt optimistic about the vacation ahead.