It had been a while since I traveled with my parents. I took my 5 day vacation as a chance to compensate for that. The summer was in its peak and I wanted to be at a cool place and decided Munnar as the destination.Arranging accommodation was the first obstacle, Jits pitched in with help and gave a contact at Munnar who would be able to arrange accommodation, he did warn that "The guy is just another travel agent" and to be careful while dealing. Me dad and Mom was not enough fun, roped in 2 of my chotta cousins (one 6 years old and another 8 years old ) and five of us Boarded the early morning train to Ernakulam. reached Ernakulam at around 11-45 and head to the KSRTC Bus stand . Fortunate enough, we got the 12 o clock bus to Munnar. It started raining as soon as the bus started so the journey was cool even though slow. The drive till "Adivaaram" (guess its the valley down hill ) was quite normal . After that the nature of the road and surroundings changed dramatically and temperature dropped . The drive was through dense forest (The cloud cover, lack of light and a bit of mist made it feel more denser) with steep climbing hairpin bends, the dazed views of peaks and depths drove me into a relaxed "enjoy the moment" mood . There was quite a bit of traffic through the road which worried me as we didn't have a confirmed accommodation. By quarter to six we were at Munnar "proper Munnar as the locals say". There were a flood of drivers and "so called' guides surrounding us with offer of accommodation.
we headed straight to a restaurant . the only decent looking restaurant i could see was Saravana Bhavan and we went in even though there was a huge crowd. I used the one rupee coin booth to ring the number Jits had given for the accommodation stuff. The phone was cut and the the guy i was looking for was in front of me . I couldnt help but remember Jits Words "Just another Travel Agent" but i had no option but to follow his path. As soon as we finished our tea (or was it Lunch) we were taken in an indica to the place where we was to spent our nite. On the way he explained about how difficult it was to get accommodation as it was tourist season.
In 5 minutes we reached, it was one of those quarters for the TATA tea staff , quite an old fashioned one .The instance we saw it My Dad (and me) was not happy about it and told we don't want it. On compulsion we went inside to have a look well, it was clean and spacious and didn't seem that bad. Finally, we agreed to stay and the taxi guy left his number with me for the site seeing next morning.
A while later we went for a walk to the town to have dinner and have a look around.
The town was quite old fashioned with a lot of stores selling tea and spices(to trick the foreigners), we made a couple of phone calls . Dad was happy when he figured out a Gujarati Restaurant and decided Gujarati cuisine for dinner. The cold weather was definitely an appetizer in itself and the taste didn't matter. Well, I should admit it was a "no danger dinner" to have, especially when you are on tour :). After dinner i checked out a few hotels for rooms ( just in case they had one ) but had to return disappointed :( .
The walk back to the Quarters was an experience, It was dark and we could hardly see the road except when a vehicle passed by occasionally (mind you, it was a 2 km walk up the slope), It was getting colder (much colder than it was when we walked to the town). I could almost feel the nature around, at times you hear the sound of a frothing stream running down hill. I had a vague memory of the beautiful view of distant tea gardens when we climbed up the hill in the Indica. I was more worried about the accommodation then, to enjoy the scenic beauty. But as i walked, I could almost imagine (or feel rather) the distant tea gardens. My Mom was sad she didn't carry a blanket, because we never thought it would be that cold, or may be it was the sudden summer rain down the valley that caused the sudden dip in temperature, how would i know. Back in the room we had a bit of chit chat and decided to sleep . I could hardly sleep and then i heard my mom complain about the water, yes the water was muddy and then i decided we leave Munnar the next evening after site seeing and stay at Ernakulam the next nite (The initial plan was to stay 2 nights at Munnar and leave early morning on the second day). I remember staying awake for a long time that night hearing the crickets and the sound vehicles which passed by occassionally.
Next morning i woke up early and opened the doors of the quarters for a site I believe will not forget for a long time , a big cloud of thin mist moving across the distant green tea gardens in the morning breeze. I couldn't stop myself from trying to capture the image in spite of enough knowledge to know that my camera isn't a wide angled one and its very bad in capturing depths.
A quick round of freshening up in the muddy water and we were ready for site seeing. Imade a quick walk to the nearest telephone both (almost near to the town) and called up the number of the taxi guy. He turned up immediately. The breakfast was quick and then we set off to the Rajamalai (Eravikulam National park) . The Indica was allowed only till the entrance and then we were taken in a mini bus to the top and all we saw there was the Nilgiri Tahr(varayaadu). The animal was known for the pace with which it climbs the rocky terrains sometimes even generating sparks in the process which triggers forest fires. We walked a long distance up hill and then retreated, back to the minibus which took as down hill to the place we boarded it. freshly plucked carrot which were put on sale caught my eye and i bought it. The next destination were all view points, which presented different views of the montains tea gardens and the valley and a lake too , the most popular locations for movie etc . A relaxed lunch, a drive through Matupetty dam a walk through a garden (cant remember the name) . Then we headed for the last spot called Top station .
There was a rock climbing camp sort of thing there, spent a bit of time watching it and then I stood there watching the nature around . Mist was slowly rising and as i stood there sipping a hot cup of tea the mist cloud covered us and it was still rising . The driver warned we have to hurry , for the visibility was not getting any better and the bus to Ernakulam would leave in an hour. Back to the Munnar town, paid the Taxi driver, our bus arrived. Before boarding the bus , Driver reminded me to contact him if i come to Munnar again ... he didnt forget to add "anything can be arranged :-)" . In the bus as we were seated i overheard a girl talking to her relative (valyamma, as i understood) back home . She just said there was nothing much to see, but Munnar was "pleasant and cool" ....
The drive down hill was faster, so was the temperature climb and so was the life around, By 11:00 when we reached Ernakulam, Munnar looked a thing of distant past..
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
At Bekal on a scorching afternoon, Sometime in year 2006.
View of the fort from the
sea side watch tower
"what the medieval soldiers saw"
view from one of the
watch towers
It was during one of our regular weekend call that Als mentioned that he was to attend a marriage at calicut the next weekend . My home town (Thalassery) was about 2 hours travel from calicut so he suggested we meetup if possible. That was the start.
On the next saturday evening me and Jits were waiting for Als to join us, enjoying the beatiful view of the sea sitting atop Overberry's Folly in Thalassery. In a while Als and Nitin showed up and we decided on our trip to Bekal the next day. The best time to visit Bekal is late evening but that was out of scope as we had to board the 20:30 bus from Thalassery to Bangalore (via Mysore).
Bekal is a 3 hour drive from Thalasery , at 09:00 we set off from my house in my very own maruti 800 (Als Drove it).Picked up Nitin from house and we were at Bekal by 01:00 after a 7up break on the way.
The premises were devoid of tourists as expected and it was hot and humid.
The entrance to the fort is through a corridor with huge stone walls on either side.
Once inside the fort there were scattered watch towers at different altitudes.
The design of the fort clearly indicated that the purpose was defense. checked out each of them, took a snap from the highest tower and we were all alone in a big world for most of the time. Among other things were a well with a bit of water
an underground tunnel which lead to the Sea side.
The sea shore was our main attraction and the view of the fort from the watch tower closest to the sea was breathtaking (no wonder, Maniratnam chose the place for Bombay).
A few snaps of waves hitting the shore and one from the watch tower to cover the view of the fort and then we were done with it With the sun beating down like it was we dint have another option and we had the the bus to catch at 08:30 as well.
We bid good bye to Bekal took the road through Kanhagad town, had malabar Chicken biriyani(not so good) from a restaurant and was there for tea at Nitin's home.
By 06:30 we were back at my home, enough time to board the Bus to Bangalore
Another of that weekend we spent together , Just add Bekal to it , More fun offcourse
sea side watch tower
"what the medieval soldiers saw"view from one of the
watch towers
It was during one of our regular weekend call that Als mentioned that he was to attend a marriage at calicut the next weekend . My home town (Thalassery) was about 2 hours travel from calicut so he suggested we meetup if possible. That was the start.
On the next saturday evening me and Jits were waiting for Als to join us, enjoying the beatiful view of the sea sitting atop Overberry's Folly in Thalassery. In a while Als and Nitin showed up and we decided on our trip to Bekal the next day. The best time to visit Bekal is late evening but that was out of scope as we had to board the 20:30 bus from Thalassery to Bangalore (via Mysore).
Bekal is a 3 hour drive from Thalasery , at 09:00 we set off from my house in my very own maruti 800 (Als Drove it).Picked up Nitin from house and we were at Bekal by 01:00 after a 7up break on the way.
The premises were devoid of tourists as expected and it was hot and humid.
The entrance to the fort is through a corridor with huge stone walls on either side.
Once inside the fort there were scattered watch towers at different altitudes.
The design of the fort clearly indicated that the purpose was defense. checked out each of them, took a snap from the highest tower and we were all alone in a big world for most of the time. Among other things were a well with a bit of water
an underground tunnel which lead to the Sea side.
The sea shore was our main attraction and the view of the fort from the watch tower closest to the sea was breathtaking (no wonder, Maniratnam chose the place for Bombay).
A few snaps of waves hitting the shore and one from the watch tower to cover the view of the fort and then we were done with it With the sun beating down like it was we dint have another option and we had the the bus to catch at 08:30 as well.
We bid good bye to Bekal took the road through Kanhagad town, had malabar Chicken biriyani(not so good) from a restaurant and was there for tea at Nitin's home.
By 06:30 we were back at my home, enough time to board the Bus to Bangalore
Another of that weekend we spent together , Just add Bekal to it , More fun offcourse
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Through the rain drenched Coorg, July 2006
Abbey falls
Achyutha Estate
At 17:00 we had Boost,cakes and biscuits at Achyutha Estate . The estate had a lovely garden full of flowers. A walk around the muddy paths of the coffee estate was fun .spotted a couple of oranges hanging eventhough it was off season for oranges .The orange was sour but that didn't keep us away from eating it :).
Earlier ,Six of us started off from bangalore at about 11:00 , Much later than what we planned. The drive was mostly smooth except for the initial city hiccups and some bad roads
we set off to the place where we was to spent our night, a home stay 2 km's away . It was a Coffee Estate with an outhouse which served as home stays for the guest.
There were three spacious rooms one had 3 beds and a toilet another had two rooms (4 beds and a toilet) we occupied 2 of them .The rooms were well maintained and inviting. We had a night to spend , a lazy rainy nite in coorg amidst coffee plantations.We set off to the nearest town to buy (My Cousin, who lives at Achyutha Estate was the guide ) cigars and drinks The nearest town was Siddapur and was about 10 km's away. It was dark outside and visibility was poor due to a bit of mist and drizzle.
By 08:00 we were back to the place. A quick round of freshening up and we were all set to start off the most interesting part of it (Boozing offcourse) .
The home stay had a separate spacious area outside where we could sit and talk ,have food /booze. The rooms had a common Balcony and chairs and table as well.
The experience of sitting there away from the bustling city and traffic and lights, hearing the sounds of crickets and the rain drizzling down all the while was unique and unforgettable.
We were served hot rice and sambhar and Pickle and more pork for dinner. We let the servant leave and told him we will take care of things . He showed us how to light the petromax in case power went off. We sat there chit chatting till about 01:00 and theh arranged the plates and glasses and went to bed. Guys were already talking of honeymoon at coorg by then.
Morning we were served coffee in bed and we got ready quickly. We set off for the site seeing after a quick breakfast (Bread ,Butter,idly Sambhar and more pork). A walk around the place and a couple of snaps by the pool side (not a swimming pool) we paid the house owner and said good bye.
The first Destination was Abbey Falls. It was still drizzling and was rather cold outside.
Abbey falls was inside a private estate but was open to public. There was a stone laid path leading to the falls. The roaring sound of falling water could be heard from a distance.Abbey falls was in full flow due to continuous rains and going anywhere near it would be inviting danger. A few shots in my camera and lens got clogged with tiny droplets of water which made it difficult to take more photographs had to be left idle for the next hour to get it dried up. We crossed the hanging bridge across the falls and climbed up a steep path to distance "just for a horror :)" . We then tried getting near the falls we reached as close as we could got a few snaps and came back. Out of the private Estate , a cup of hot Coorg Coffee and set off to to or next destination, Nisarghadhama. It was an island sorrounded by cauvery in its starting stages. Inside it there were deers, elephant ride and also spotted a bamboo tree top hut.
It was still raining as we set off to our next point which was Dubarey, Dubarey has elephant ride and rafting to offer. We didn't do either of them as no one was interested.
Next destination, was golden temple at Kushal Nagar. Golden temple was built by Tibetan refugees in Kushal Nagar. They also have a lot of handicrafts and agriculture which keep them engaged and provide them with a means to live. All their products were on sale in the shopping mall a few meters away from the temple. The architecture of the temple was unlike the traditional hindu temples. It was more modern and looked like they have spent a fortune on it.
There were a lot of kutti (children) Tibetans studying(praying may be) inside the temple
Then it was time for some shopping. Gifts for girl friends and people back in Bangalore and something for us to keep as a memento of the whole tour.
Reached Bangalore by about 11:00 , Dinner at paramount and a nice sleep.
The Curly roads in the rain ,the walk through the coffee estate, the home stay , the chili pork, the team , everything was just perfect Only thing i would ask more of, could be time.
There is more to cover in coorg apart from Abbey falls,Nisagadhama,Dubarey and golden temple. Tala Cauvery, madikeri, Iruppu falls,Thadiantamol.. the list goes ....
all that can wait for another weekend or may be more than a weekend.
Achyutha Estate
At 17:00 we had Boost,cakes and biscuits at Achyutha Estate . The estate had a lovely garden full of flowers. A walk around the muddy paths of the coffee estate was fun .spotted a couple of oranges hanging eventhough it was off season for oranges .The orange was sour but that didn't keep us away from eating it :).
Earlier ,Six of us started off from bangalore at about 11:00 , Much later than what we planned. The drive was mostly smooth except for the initial city hiccups and some bad roads
we set off to the place where we was to spent our night, a home stay 2 km's away . It was a Coffee Estate with an outhouse which served as home stays for the guest.
There were three spacious rooms one had 3 beds and a toilet another had two rooms (4 beds and a toilet) we occupied 2 of them .The rooms were well maintained and inviting. We had a night to spend , a lazy rainy nite in coorg amidst coffee plantations.We set off to the nearest town to buy (My Cousin, who lives at Achyutha Estate was the guide ) cigars and drinks The nearest town was Siddapur and was about 10 km's away. It was dark outside and visibility was poor due to a bit of mist and drizzle.
By 08:00 we were back to the place. A quick round of freshening up and we were all set to start off the most interesting part of it (Boozing offcourse) .
The home stay had a separate spacious area outside where we could sit and talk ,have food /booze. The rooms had a common Balcony and chairs and table as well.
The experience of sitting there away from the bustling city and traffic and lights, hearing the sounds of crickets and the rain drizzling down all the while was unique and unforgettable.
We were served hot rice and sambhar and Pickle and more pork for dinner. We let the servant leave and told him we will take care of things . He showed us how to light the petromax in case power went off. We sat there chit chatting till about 01:00 and theh arranged the plates and glasses and went to bed. Guys were already talking of honeymoon at coorg by then.
Morning we were served coffee in bed and we got ready quickly. We set off for the site seeing after a quick breakfast (Bread ,Butter,idly Sambhar and more pork). A walk around the place and a couple of snaps by the pool side (not a swimming pool) we paid the house owner and said good bye.
The first Destination was Abbey Falls. It was still drizzling and was rather cold outside.
Abbey falls was inside a private estate but was open to public. There was a stone laid path leading to the falls. The roaring sound of falling water could be heard from a distance.Abbey falls was in full flow due to continuous rains and going anywhere near it would be inviting danger. A few shots in my camera and lens got clogged with tiny droplets of water which made it difficult to take more photographs had to be left idle for the next hour to get it dried up. We crossed the hanging bridge across the falls and climbed up a steep path to distance "just for a horror :)" . We then tried getting near the falls we reached as close as we could got a few snaps and came back. Out of the private Estate , a cup of hot Coorg Coffee and set off to to or next destination, Nisarghadhama. It was an island sorrounded by cauvery in its starting stages. Inside it there were deers, elephant ride and also spotted a bamboo tree top hut.
It was still raining as we set off to our next point which was Dubarey, Dubarey has elephant ride and rafting to offer. We didn't do either of them as no one was interested.
Next destination, was golden temple at Kushal Nagar. Golden temple was built by Tibetan refugees in Kushal Nagar. They also have a lot of handicrafts and agriculture which keep them engaged and provide them with a means to live. All their products were on sale in the shopping mall a few meters away from the temple. The architecture of the temple was unlike the traditional hindu temples. It was more modern and looked like they have spent a fortune on it.
There were a lot of kutti (children) Tibetans studying(praying may be) inside the temple
Then it was time for some shopping. Gifts for girl friends and people back in Bangalore and something for us to keep as a memento of the whole tour.
Reached Bangalore by about 11:00 , Dinner at paramount and a nice sleep.
The Curly roads in the rain ,the walk through the coffee estate, the home stay , the chili pork, the team , everything was just perfect Only thing i would ask more of, could be time.
There is more to cover in coorg apart from Abbey falls,Nisagadhama,Dubarey and golden temple. Tala Cauvery, madikeri, Iruppu falls,Thadiantamol.. the list goes ....
all that can wait for another weekend or may be more than a weekend.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Introduction to the "Me" By me
Sandeep , Sometimes i think thats all i know about me. I have spent more time trying to understand myself . Understanding me was my favourite pass time when i used to spend a lot of hours waiting at the rear end of (towards shoranur) the palaghat railway station for the connection train to my native during my college vacations .
I am no good in dealing with people . I normally shy out when i have to deal with strangers. Fortunately i have some good friends and sadly i am not getting new ones (how would i if i dont talk to strangers !)
Introvert to the core, but for some reason people who know me doesn't seem to think so
I work at Bangalore for an MNC and belong to the state of kerala
Loves:
I sing a lot to myself (probably people in close proximity and can hear that as well. I just love to hear me sing. Singing in a moving bus (not those A/C buses) is something i have been doing for years now . I would have annoyed a lot of my co-passengers with that lovely habit of mine.
Cricket
Was an ardent cricket fan till the end of my college life. Used to be considered as a good bowler during my college days :). still love the game and occassionally plays too but the intensity has come down by miles. Gone are the days i used to shed tears for a lost game.
Loves to see Lara Bat ,McGrath/Wasim bowl, Twenty Twenty seems more sensible to me these days
F1
watching Schumi overtake aggresively was a passion. another passion that has come down after Schumi left. Into supporting Kimi these days, but the guy is so inconsistent
Favorite Soccer team is Argentina
Loves watching Riquelme, Christiano Ronaldo.
Loves Federer Vs Nadal matches
Sleep (17 hours is the most i have managed at a stretch)
Travel
This is probably one passion in me which has not gone down a bit infact it reaches new heights every day.
I (and a couple of my friends) believe that planning the trip is much more fun than the real one. 90% of our plans never see light because of this attitude
We have planned hiring an omni (LPG) to Kodaikanal, taking the toy train to Ooty when it rains , taking the simla -Kalka train, being in Goa for the new year and making it for the DSF. None has succeeded .
But then, there are trips that succeeded as well. The Kolkatta-Gangtok-Darjeeling last year and Coorg (when it was raining) are unforgettable
Another stuff i love is Linux and with it i have learned to love UNIX as a whole and that love feeds me and my brain
well I am not that Techie but yeah like to be a UNIX specialist someday
Latest passion is badminton . Badminton as a passion is a recent addition to the passions list even though i used to play from my childhood.
Dislikes :
The fact that i cant swim (for fear of water) which reduces travel options by 40%
fact that I am scarred of riding bikes (another Obstacle to travel)
The very fear in me. Hope i can throw it out one day
My habit of worrying about bad things that i build up with my Imagination. I would go to the extend of figuring out my reaction and others reaction about the self created Bad thing.
Guess thats all i have for an Introduction .
Questions ,comments and suggestions are welcome
I am no good in dealing with people . I normally shy out when i have to deal with strangers. Fortunately i have some good friends and sadly i am not getting new ones (how would i if i dont talk to strangers !)
Introvert to the core, but for some reason people who know me doesn't seem to think so
I work at Bangalore for an MNC and belong to the state of kerala
Loves:
I sing a lot to myself (probably people in close proximity and can hear that as well. I just love to hear me sing. Singing in a moving bus (not those A/C buses) is something i have been doing for years now . I would have annoyed a lot of my co-passengers with that lovely habit of mine.
Cricket
Was an ardent cricket fan till the end of my college life. Used to be considered as a good bowler during my college days :). still love the game and occassionally plays too but the intensity has come down by miles. Gone are the days i used to shed tears for a lost game.
Loves to see Lara Bat ,McGrath/Wasim bowl, Twenty Twenty seems more sensible to me these days
F1
watching Schumi overtake aggresively was a passion. another passion that has come down after Schumi left. Into supporting Kimi these days, but the guy is so inconsistent
Favorite Soccer team is Argentina
Loves watching Riquelme, Christiano Ronaldo.
Loves Federer Vs Nadal matches
Sleep (17 hours is the most i have managed at a stretch)
Travel
This is probably one passion in me which has not gone down a bit infact it reaches new heights every day.
I (and a couple of my friends) believe that planning the trip is much more fun than the real one. 90% of our plans never see light because of this attitude
We have planned hiring an omni (LPG) to Kodaikanal, taking the toy train to Ooty when it rains , taking the simla -Kalka train, being in Goa for the new year and making it for the DSF. None has succeeded .
But then, there are trips that succeeded as well. The Kolkatta-Gangtok-Darjeeling last year and Coorg (when it was raining) are unforgettable
Another stuff i love is Linux and with it i have learned to love UNIX as a whole and that love feeds me and my brain
well I am not that Techie but yeah like to be a UNIX specialist someday
Latest passion is badminton . Badminton as a passion is a recent addition to the passions list even though i used to play from my childhood.
Dislikes :
The fact that i cant swim (for fear of water) which reduces travel options by 40%
fact that I am scarred of riding bikes (another Obstacle to travel)
The very fear in me. Hope i can throw it out one day
My habit of worrying about bad things that i build up with my Imagination. I would go to the extend of figuring out my reaction and others reaction about the self created Bad thing.
Guess thats all i have for an Introduction .
Questions ,comments and suggestions are welcome
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