Aufait Official Blogs

As the year 2008 is all set to become a part of history, we Aufaitians celebrated perhaps our last get together of the year. It was our annual tour conducted on 21st and  22nd of December to the mystic land of Wayanad. Crowning the majestic Western Ghats with its lofty ridges coated with dense forest, deep valleys and chilling waterfalls Wayanad is unarguably one of the most sought after location by the tourists. The participation rate was high as expected. Almost all except the fairer sex were participated. It turned out to be a successful and enjoyable one. An escape from the daily chaotic life to some lively, green, soothing experience was really refreshing and rejuvenating.

We started off our trip on 21st morning. The first halt was on the view point on the Thamarassery pass to enjoy the aerial view of the beautiful landscape of Wayanad Ghats and of course to seek blessings from our ancestors(?!!) for a successful journey.

Soochippara Waterfalls
Our first destination was Soochippara waterfalls. Set at the backdrop of dense forest, this beautiful waterfall forms a pool at the foot, where all had a quick dip. Feeling the small droplets of water caressing our body was a chilling and unforgettable experience. It takes around a 20 min walk from the parking space to reach the waterfalls. The water level was  so comfortable that even those who don’t know swimming was able to enjoy it. The Santhosh Sivans’ & Mani Ratnams’ of the group were found to be trying out a variety of angles and came out with some memorable snaps.Bachelors were found to be demanding ’single snaps’ with a hidden agenda of ‘m4marry’ profile.

Resort
After having the lunch from Sulthan Bathery, we moved to the resort. It was on the banks of Noolppuzha and was equipped with a makeshift swimming pool (which we utilized to 200%) and some indoor games like caroms, table tennis, chess etc. The resort was the only point of dissatisfaction of the tour. The service provided was poor. The only thing high there was their price range.

Water Polo- The super hit
Unarguably, the super hit item of the tour was the water polo (in our own definition).The notable point is that it was not a preplanned one. Still it turned out to be the most successful item. The whole group was divided into four teams with six members in each side. Two teams played each other and winners contested in the final. All matches turned out to be lively and enthusiastic. The team spirit was evident throughout the matches. Teams with better action plan won the matches (with the exception of some alleged muscle flexing and debatable refereeing decisions).

The match continued on the second day and this time the camera crew was ready who were missing out the previous day’s session. They came out with some stunning shots.

The match continued on the second day and this time the camera crew was ready who were missing out the previous day’s session. They came out with some stunning shots.

Musical night
Another highlighted item was the music orchestra in the night. It was lead by Jaichand (Sing is the Kinng!!) who made a good attempt and lead from the front with his guitar play. Starting with Usha Khanna’s masterpiece “Nee madhu pakaroo” it was a non-stop flow of music. All genres of songs were tried out including folk, western, classical, pop etc.

Muthanga Forest
On the wee hours on the second day all of us started out to Muthanga wildlife sanctuary to get an experience wild nature at its best and also with a hope of seeing some wild animals. The sight of morning rays through the bamboo thickets was a treat for the eyes and also for the ‘camera crew’. They took the full advantage and some memorable snaps for the album were taken. Many crossed the river nearby and explored the beauty of the forest was shocked later on hearing from the locals that those areas are usually inhabited by wild elephants and bears. After enjoying a walk through in the forest all of us had a delicious breakfast from a “Thattukada” nearby. It was far better than what was served on the resort.

The sad point was that we were not able to see any wild animals except for our ancestors.(But some of us made up for that by doing a ‘Google hunt’ and  killing a leopard(err. tiger) using Photoshop.

We left the resort after having a ‘Panoramic photo session’ by the ‘Master of panoramic view’ Rafjith.

Pookkode Lake
The final destination of the tour was Pookkode Lake. A natural fresh water lake surrounded by evergreen forest - no wonder it was attracted by families. Everyone enjoyed a nice walk around the lake along the pathway. Some of us also enjoyed the boating.

Final Session
After a walk around, all of us gathered for the final session on the side benches along the pathway. Then it was time for the ’stamina test’. Contestants displayed their sportsman spirit and muscle power through some push-ups, punching etc. It was a revelation that many ‘weaks’ emerged as the winners by coming through the stringent competition. Finally a question was thrown to the group- What you will do if you were given an amount of Rs. 20 lakhs. Everyone expressed their wishes but the outstanding one’s was that of “BMW financier” and “Make-up” man.

The Photo Contest
Display of photos by the camera crew on the next day in office turned out to be an enjoyable one. The result was the announcement of a photo contest. Five categories were identified (wild life, landscape, sports, group and creative) and participants were allowed to submit a maximum of 2 photographs in each category. The participation was fairly well.

Altogether, It was a team building journey planned, executed and participated well to keep in memory for a long time.

Jayaraj HR HR