Kerala : Thekkady & Munnar

Ever since I remember, I have always hated the phrase 'God's Own Country', to describe Kerala. After a very happy and a refreshing trip to various parts of Kerala and after drinking my fill of its natural bounty and beauty, I still hate that phrase !

No doubt Kerala is bountiful, lush, green all over and fresh. But to keep seeing that phrase at every corner can irritate you to no end.Well, having said that let me take you through my excellent holiday to places like Thekkady, Munnar, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Cochin, Aluva and more.

My wife and I travelled mostly by public transport system. Having travelled quite a bit in various parts of the Far East and the Middle East, I can vouch for the fact that travelling by public transport in India is not a difficult task at all. Like they say, it's all in the mind. And quoting John Milton, "Mind in its own place can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven". Coming back to the trains and buses from Madras, to Kerala one need not fear the journey at all. While it might not be as comfortable as travelling by an air-conditioned private limousine, it is nonetheless quite pleasant. The best part of public transport is you get to experience the real and true flavour of the countryside, the people of the soil and the nooks and corners of the places that one might miss if on a highway. I would summarise that there is no better way to absorb and relish the authentic feel of the place by any other means.

Fortunately or unfortunately, rains, rains and more rains, accompanied the whole trip that we took ! It rained throughout, almost non-stop for a stretch of 6 days !! That was quite a dampener, since I was not able to do some of the things that I was looking forward to doing - such as trekking in the jungles of Thekkady. When I enquired about it, I was informed categorically by the Kerala Forest Conservation Department guide that no treks are permitted when it's raining, since the forest beds would be swarming with leeches and a variety of centipedes and numerous other creepy-crawlies ! When I bravely opted to still go ahead with the trek, I was politely, but firmly told to find my way back to safer grounds.

Much has been written about the rains in Kerala. I know what they all mean, now. It does pour heavily at time, then calms down to mild drizzle most of the time, only to start all over again. One key observation of mine is that at no point does the rains stop completely. At the least there is a fine drizzle.

Thekkady is a far cry from some of the other jungle reserves that I've seen. But for a huge, man-made lake, there's nothing else in Thekkady. I was told that on the other side of the lake lies the real jungle, teeming with a huge variety of birds, reptiles, insects, animals and more ! Sometimes, when the jungle gets dry (mostly during peak summer in May / June), the animals out of their natural abode to the lake to quench their thirst. But when we visited the place, there was water, water everywhere and all the drops to drink !! So we were quite unfortunate in not being able to spot any wild animal worth mentioning except the odd herd of sambhar, some wild pigs, a small herd of bison and some waterfowls. Surprisingly we didn't even manage to spot even an elephant, which is perhaps the most common wildlife to be spotted in and around Thekkady's famous lakeside !The boating on the lake, I'm sure, would have been a much more pleasant and a worthwhile affair but for the rains ! We got in for the first trip (at 7 a.m.), which is highly recommended, since it's one of the best times of the day to approach the watering holes. The next best time is at dusk. There are about 5 large motorised barges that take the tourists for a full round of the lake. One way takes an hour. So the full ride take 2 hours. On a good day, I'm sure the lucky tourists would be able to spot many animals around the lake.

We stayed at the modest Periyar Guest House, which is inside the forest reserve. The property has no false ideas or notions about its status as a single-star forest lodge. However, the property is very neat, clean and spacious. The rooms are well furnished and very nice. To imagine that the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation is able to maintain such a nice and neat place for such a long time (I was told that it's over a decade old), is indeed creditable. The second best part of Periyar Guest house is its location. Forests surround all around you. Early in the morning and late in the evenings the songs of birds and the multitude of insect sounds are mesmerising ! It's almost like an orchestra that unfolds upon you ! Quite rightly each window has a caution sticker pasted alerting the visitors for uninvited monkeys, which have gone, so used to seeing humans that they hardly have any fear for them ! They roam around the property in huge groups (I counted one numbering 20 !!). Another group of scavengers that I noticed in plenty are pigs. Not the wild pigs, but their country cousins. They too were seen rummaging all around the property for leftovers.

Periyar Guest house has a nice little dining room where they serve some tasty local delicacies. The buffet spread is modest and the food quality is more than acceptable. It might not necessarily compare with some of the swanky 5-star fares, but nevertheless it is more than mere good. When one has come with some specific objective, apart from just eating, then Periyar's food compares well.Apart from the lake in Thekkady, which is the single biggest attraction, there are some minor tourist attractions like the Plantations Tour (which we took). It's not much. You are taken in an auto rickshaw to a farm house, where a guide takes you around the place and shows you the various trees, plants, creepers and tubers that produce Chili, Cardamom, Clove, Ginger, Garlic, Coffee seeds, Jackfruit and a host of other fruits and flowers. The guide gives you the usual spiel about how they are cultivated, harvested and sent to the markets (usually after a government auction).The tea gardens are another minor attraction in Thekkady. Unlike Munnar, Thekkady is not all of tea gardens, but there are quite a substantial are where tea is grown. For tourists, shopping for spices is another outing. There are a wide variety of spices that are neatly packaged (to suit the pockets of the spectrum of tourists who come from different social strata) and sold.

In all, Thekkady is a very small place. Just about enough to handle a small crowd of tourists. The Forest Reserve is also pretty much basic. There's nothing much to really do there when it rains. But I was told by some locals that during peak summer season, there are many more activities that are arranged - stuff like river rating; jungle treks; the famous (and expensive) tiger-trail, rappelling, et al.

I shall write more about Thekkady in the days to come. But before I get back about Thekkady, I want to share my views and experiences of my next stop, which was Munnar.

Mahabalipuram

Very recently we drove down to Mahabalipuram.

When we started that Tuesday morning, we were not planning to go there. We had planned to visit Vandalur Zoo, which is just outside of Tambaram about 30 kms. from Madras. When we reached the gates of Vandalur, we saw the place a bit desolate for a normal tourist day and then I spotted the bi-lingual baord hanging on the gate which read that all Tuesdays are holidays !

Since we had come prepared for a day out and since our original plan had to be aborted and with nothing better to o, we headed straight to Mahabalipuram, using the old Mahabalipuram road (which was very much in use before the ECR or the East Coast Road came into being).

The drive to Mhabalipuram took us about two hours, since the road was not like the ECR, and the heat seemed rather opressive ! My car a/c didn't do too well and since we were sweating any way inside the car, I thought it would make better sense to roll down the shutter to get some fresh, albeit, warm winds !

On reaching Mahabalipuram we were greeted with so much of warmth (literally) that I thought I'm going to get a sun-stroke !! I would imagine that on that day, the temperature would have been well in the mid-40s !! It was really, really hot ! While talking with a loacl I checked why the place is so very hot and he replied that usually that's how it is, since the coast is so close to the town.

To be continued ...

Mission Statement

My fundamental premise in submitting all these following pieces is very similar to that of the widely trusted travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler’s founding principle of Truth in Travel, requiring writers to travel anonymously and pay their own way, to assure credibility and independence from the travel industry.

I experience travel the way you do, good and bad, and I report as you would: freely, fairly, honestly. Sounds noble enough, eh ?! Well that's exactly what I would strive to achieve. To make travel a more enjoyable and an evene more rewarding experience for all those who are pasionate about travelling ... exploring new places ... enjoying new experiences ... understanding new cultures ... imbibing new surroundings ... relisihing new cuisine, and much much more !!

Before I move on to my next travelogue, I would like to do a brief summary or a kind of a synopsis on Kodaikanal. My wish is that this piece should suffice as a ready-reckoner for any one who's planning on a visit to Kodai, in the near future.

Kodaikanal :

What you need to bear in mind :

(i) To carry ample warm clothing (if you're from a warm place and is not so used to chilly climates)
(ii) Not to take more than 1 medium-size suitcase or travel bag (for a stay of up to 1 week)
(iii) Carry cash - most places frown upon and DO NOT accept Credit Cards
(iv) A comfortable walking / hiking shoes / boots
(v) Do some background browsing on Kodai (search for 'Kodaikanal' in Google) prior to your trip
(vi) Avoild local produce(fruits) if you can. Its frightfully expensive and certainly overpriced. Especially the local variety of Hill bananas (each fruit going at Rs. 8.- !!). In taste its close to Kerala's famous Nenthrampalam.
(vii) There are not many nice restaurants in Kodai. So make good with what best you get. Also, the town has far more vegetairan joints than non-vege ones.
(vii) Do take time off to pluck some pears off the trees that grown in the wild, which is in fact, all over Kodai and bite into the luscious, juicy and very, very tasty pears - without having to haggle with any fruit seller in the market place !
(viii) Boating in the Kodai lake is actually no big deal. Don't do it if you don't like to. You won't miss anything !
(ix) Walk around as much as possible. Its really a nice experience. Cycling too is fun. (Remember there are no autorickshaws in Kodai. So its either your feet or a cab ! And the former is a better and more enjoyable alternative !)
(x) Don't stay out late - especially if you're travelling in pairs or in smaller groups.

Hope you find my tips of some use to you !

Kodai - Conclusion

In all, our Kodai trip was 3-nights and 4-days of swell time ! Particularly enjoyed the long walk to the erstwhile Suicide Point (I prefer calling it that, than the new and more plesant-sounding 'Gree Valley View') and further on to the Pillar Rocks, past the Golf Course. That we could see absolutely nothing below in the Suicide Point and couldn't even remotely guess where the Pillar Rocks were on account of the heavy mist and fog, is besides the point ! In Suicide Point, we saw, much to my irritation, how the many monkeys were constantly harassed by the tourists. Some were pelting little stones and other objects that they could lay their hands on. I even saw one teenaged boy using his bag full of baby carrots as missiles that he was firing at the monkeys. I guess over the years, the monkeys must have got used to this nuisance and they were more intrested in grabbing whatever food was chucked at them, without getting too hassled about how they were served !

Our return back to Kodai Road was another excellent experience. The mist had enveloped the entire stretch and to add to the joy, it was raining too. The roadside brooks were in full flow and the water that was cascading over the rocks was a sight to behold. The entire stretch right from Kodai down till almost the end of the descent was covered with thick greenery. Lots and lots of flowering shrubs and trees and fruit-bearing trees. beautiful, indeed.

We alighted in Kodai Road (the bus stopped right at the door of the railway station). Got into the neat Kodai Road railway station's waiting room and stretched our legs a bit.

Pandian Superfast Express reached the station on the dot at 9.30 p.m. and stopped long (or short) enough for us to board comfortably. Our berths were in order. After a deep slumber, we reached Madras the next moring by sunrise.

I'd love to tell you more about our Kodai trip, but I shall force myself to stop here lest it gets boring (if it isn't already yet !!)

Kodaikanal ... Continued

My wife and I stayed at a very famous and not to mention the half-a-century old 'Holiday Home'. Though the place has seen better days, it still is a very good place to stay when you're in Kodai. Holiday Home is nestled amidst lush vegetation, filled with fruit-laden pear trees growing wild all around you ! It is located a good 8 kms off the main Kodai town, which in itself made my trip worth the while. However there is one aspect of Holiday Home that I must mention - to be fair to myself, and more importantly, to be fair to those of you who might want to stay there ... the water in Holiday Home is awful. Its muddy, dark and smells of rust. Thats how the water was during my entire stay there. Even the coffee that I had there smelled of rust. Perhaps that how the water is there always. I'm not sure. Or perhaps during my sojourn, on account of many external factors, the water had turned muddy and almost unusable (I hope this is true!!).

Though the roads that connect Holiday Home to Kodai town aren't always good, they were some good stretches. The hotel has daily morning and evening pick-up and drop facility (to Kodai town) which is indeed welcome ! Else, you'd have to shell out Rs. 80 one-way.

The food served at Holiday Home was nothing to write home about. But nothing to complain either. The fare is very simple. Very basic. And very, very south-Indian. You could ask for chicken, which would then be bought (from the market in Kodai town), prepared and served exclusively (at a partitioned portion of the very large dining hall !!).

Holiday Home is at walkable distance from Suicide Point (now re-christened as 'Green Valley View' and a little ahead, the 'Pillar Rocks' ! A comfortable and leisurely 1 hour's walk is all it takes to reach these spots, for even one who's not in ship-shape like me !!

Oh, the evenings truned out to be much worse that what I had expected. The temperature truly dipped to teeth-chattering and shivering levels ! Blankets and quilts could not hold the cold at bay ! The room too (without a heater) was like a freezer ! In a way, the chillness was a plesant experience, no doubt !

To be continued.

My recent Kodaikanal trip

I returned to Kodai after over a decade during the last, long weekend (Puja Holidays).

Should say that the place is more or less what I had in my mind. No dramatic changes. No new skylines. No better roads. Or even better facilities. Or any major improvements ... barring a few more restaurants (mostly the vege kinds). And quite a few more hotels. Mostly the down-market variety for the budget travellers.

Kodai should be complimented on the way it has maintained itself over these past many years. It hasn't lost its shape ... unlike let's say a Ooty !! The key attarctions still remain the same. That they have not got any better in terms of the facilities to the flocking visitors is a far better proposition than they becoming worse !!

I shall in due course get into the specifics and the details. But they have to wait awhile !

Adieu !

Sumitran