We left calicut at 9am and reached kalpetta at about 12.30 pm. The highways in keralas are really small and also the cops have put speed breakers all over the place. And there are no dividers so this making driving dangerous and also slows down the speed.

The taxi driver organised by the hotel charged us 1300 for a one way trip from calicut to kalpetta . (this included the free return fare all drivers in kerala charge tourist)

The road had 9 hair pin bends at the top and you only see monkeys between the 8th and 9th hairpin bend .

The worst traffic was at kalpetta town where some locals decided to take out a protest and walk in the middle of the road. It was odd to see that the cops do not make the protesters walk on the side of the road when the major traffic in the town is being held up for more than 1 hour .

There is very little development in these small town and also no town planning and haphazard construction. My theory about no development in towns is most of the young guys go to the gulf for jobs and there is not one to protest or keep a check on the politicians in the poor villages and hence there is no development . The young guys come back and build their own houses while the whole town suffers as no one speaks up.