Travel--Tales

Top Adventure destinations in India

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:57:00 +0000

Some of the top adventure tourist spots in India -->

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-travel-top-adventure-tourist-destinations-in-india/20110518.htm

Courtesy : Rediff

World Heritage Sites - In India

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:12:00 +0000

Rediff has compiled a list of the world heritage sites that are in India. Check this following link.

http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/aug/11/slide-show-1-world-heritage-sites-in-india.htm

Festivals of India

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:35:00 +0000

Rediff presents a list of most of the festivals celebrated in India. Take a look at the following link and plan your trip accordingly.

http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jan/19/slide-show-1-travel-festivals-of-india-2010.htm

Visit TamilNadu - HERE

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:17:00 +0000

For those, who cannot afford the time/money to visit a few parts of tamilnadu, and yet would like to get a glimpse of some famous tourist places in the state, the TamilNadu tourism department has come up with the concept of Virtual Tour. Visit the following link and get to see some places. Would like to see more additions to the list and also other state tourism departments come up with a similar concept.

http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/virtualtour/index.html

Chennai Trekkers

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Are you a hard core trek enthusiast, wanting to scale lots of peaks??
Are you looking for some unseen places lying in South India?
Would you like to sleep in the middle of a forest with only the sky as the roof??
Are you interested in taking a plunge in to crystal clear water in the middle of a jungle??
Do you want to get massaged by the roaring waterfall??
Are you interested in meeting some new people and spending time with them in unknown places and returning with a different experience altogether??
And more importantly, do you like to boast about a adventure trail that you took to ur friends??

if so, Can you spare atleast a weekend??

If so, just visit the following link and register with them to experience the above mentioned things.

Chennai Trekkers

As the name suggests, it for hard core trekkers. These people go on trips atleast for a weekend in a month to some unknown places, lying very much close to chennai. Already this groups has lots of registered members and the count seems to be growing day by day.

Wat are you waiting for.. just register and start trekking...

Happy Trekking!!!!!!

Honeymoon - Kumarakom - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:27:00 +0000

continued from here

Reached our cottage, refreshed ourselves, came out and settled in the ever present hammocks. Soon hot tea and spicy savories were served and we just laid there lazing in the hammock watching the sun set. Since we were the only guest, the service was very good and quick. Retired for the day and the next day greeted us with a gentle shower. It was just awesome to sit by the lake during the rain. Had our breakfast by the lake side and got ready for the houseboat trip. The normal boat ride is between 12 noon - 10 AM (next day). The boat had two well furnished bedrooms with attached bath, a kitchen, a drawing room with sofa and TV and also a small balcony in the upper deck. We were accompanied by three guys out of which one is a cook and two guys steered the boat. They explained us more about the place, their culture, business and everything. We went past many big and palatial houses which had the lake front as their main entrance, agricultural fields, some natural and artificial islands. Soon, the boat stopped in a small island filled with coconut farm and had our lunch. Soon, many boats were lined up there for the lunch halt. This island had a small shop selling cooldrinks, snacks and more importantly 'toddy', the local drink of Kerala. A must stop place for bachelors.

After the lunch, we took a small nap and when we were back, it was raining again. To add to the awesome weather, our friendly cook served us with super hot tea and pazhampuri. The lake was very very vast and at times, we could not see the shore at all. The guide informed us that at some places, the width is even close to 15KMs. We soon stopped and visited a small church. Went via the Thanneermukkom bund, which separates the sea water and the fresh water and eventually came to a halt along the shore around 6 PM. The boats are not allowed to sail in the lake after 6 PM, unless without prior permission.

With the help of the boatmen, we went out on a small ride in a small boat parked in one of the houses. After dark, we came back to the boat, put on the curtains in the drawing room to assure privacy and watched a couple of movies, had a sumptous dinner with 'karimeen' and retired to bed, with the gentle rocking of the boat to put us to sleep. The next day, we again set on the sail, had breakfast and reached back our resort around 10:30 AM, settled in the room, finished our lunch by the side of the lake, packed our things and set out to the railway station.

Thus ended a long, interesting and absolutely fantastic honeymoon trip. After days of relaxing and watching endless tea estates, rivers, lakes, waterfalls we were back to the pollution filled city and busy life of Chennai.

Points to note

1. Access : Road /Rail : Kottayam is the nearest city, which is very well connected to other parts of the state. Air : Cochin is the nearest airport.
2. If you plan to visit both Munnar and Kumarakom, i suggest you to go by cab so that you can enjoy the scenaries around. There are direct buses too.
3. In the boat and also in the resort, specify the style of cooking that you prefer. By default, they cook it Kerala style, which some of them might not like.
4. The boat people do not provide 'karimeen' by default. Hence, ask them to buy and prepare it for dinner. They do a very neat job.
5. They do have life jacket and you can swim if you want. Tell them before hand, so that they will stop in places conducive for smimming.
6. If interested, tell the boatman to arrange for a ride in the small boat.
7. Staying options are available aplenty in Kumarakom.
8. The boat house, if booked through resort might cost a bit more. If you want to save some money, go directly to the boat jetty, stike a deal with the local boatman and choose a boat of your choice.
9. The best period to visit it August-November, which is the lean season. You will have a very good climate and the resorts will charge a bit less.
10. Avoid going during December-January when the rates are at their peak.
11. You have the option of AC boats and if you wish to stay overnight, you can also opt for the boat to be parked in the middle of the lake. In such case, you have to inform the resort/boat office before hand, since necessary permission has to be got from the government.
12. Some places of interest are - Bird sanctuary, Parithimanal.

Honeymoon - Kumarakom - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Kumarakom is one of the most famous tourist destination in Kottayam district, of Kerala - truly the 'God's Own Country'. This is a cluster of islands formed by the Vembanad lake, one of the largest fresh water lakes in Asia. Alleppey and Kumarakom are the two major towns that fall around this lake and naturally they are very rich in vegetation and more importantly tourism. These places can even be called as the 'Venice of Kerala', since boat is one of the main means of transport and almost every household has atleast a small boat 'parked', just like we have two wheelers. These towns are very very famous for their lake side resorts and the houseboats. Most part of the lake is bordered by very nice resorts. Another high point in Kumarakom is the boat house, which you can rent from a couple of hours to days together based on your need. They come with two/three/four bedroom boats for groups, in which you can stay overnight. There are boats that have a big room ideal for family get-together and office meetings, which you can rent for some hours. There is not much activity to be done here, but for lazing in the hammock watching the water sway to the tunes of the air, or float in the boat in the middle of the ocean-like lake. A perfect place for honeymooners.

Coming to the rest of our honeymoon trip, we started from Munnar in a cab. The ride was again great along the neat, wide and winding roads of the hills with a river on one side, which accompanied us all the way and numerous waterfalls on the way with intermittent spells of rain and some good soothing music of Illayaraja for our company. The romantic journey from Munnar to Kumarakom took us close to 4 hours. Once inside Kumarakom, we could see the boats of all sizes and shapes, criss crossing in the small canals running across the town. We could understand why the roads were neglected since boats are the most sought after means of navigation. Hence, there was very less pollution in the air and with the remarkable amount of greenery and waterways to boot, this place automatically seemed romantic. We went across numerous canals and vast area of paddy fields and finally reached our resort - Illikallam.

Illikallam is the resort that is being undertaken and promoted by the Kerala Tourism department. This has 8 cottages which are just a stones throw away from the lake, set amidst cocunut trees and a small fish pond. The rooms are very well maintained and has very friendly support staff. Dont miss the 'karimeen', which is very famous in the whole of Kumarakom.

To be continued here

Honeymoon - Munnar - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Continued from here

The third day, finished our breakfast, we set out to the AnaiMalai/RajaMalai, which is the highest peak in South India. On the way, we visited the waterfalls which is near the resort and then a road side cave temple. RajaMalai is being maintained by the forest department. Hence, they didnt allow any private vehicles after a certain point. We got down from the auto, bought the tickets and got into the forest departments bus which took us until a certain point. We had to walk the last 1 Km stretch, which some of them might find difficult. But, the path was very well maintained with neat roads. Again here, it was drizzling and it was very very cool at the top. Went past couple of small waterfalls, saw only one Nilgiri Thar which is a rare species and can be seen in abundant only in very few places and reached the last point until which people are permitted. The view from the top was absolutely stunning, but most of the places were covered with mist. Nevertheless, it was great to be there with the winds blowing very heavily. This spot is one of the highlights and must see in Munnar. Since, we went during the late monsoon, all the waterfalls and lakes were brimming with water. Came back, visited a couple of waterfalls on the way and started our journey back to our room.

The return journey was very eventful. The slight drizzle with accompanied us for the two days turned out into heavy rain. Also, the auto in which we were traveling didnt have a proper whipper, headlight and horn. The visibility was close to nil and the roads too were narrow with lots of sharp and blind turns. It was getting dark too. and to highlight all these, the driver got a call on his mobile and he was riding the auto with one hand. It was a thrilling ride and fortunately we reached the resort unscathed. That night was even more cold.
The next morning, we packed our bags and set out in a cab to Kumarakom, our next destination.

Points to note

1. Access : Rail : Dindugal/Cochin is the nearest rail head. Road : Munnar is very well connected to Madurai, Dindugal, Pazhani, Kottayam, Cochin by road. The travel time is 3-4 hours from any of these points.
For the travellers from Chennai/Bangalore, the best mode is to take the KPN Travels, who operate direct service to Munnar. Though the journey is long, the buses are very good and comfortable.
2. I suggest you to take an auto for local transport. The auto charges are very cheap and the drivers are very friendly and share lot of information.
3. The sight seeing places are a bit far off. You may have to travel a lot. Though the number of places are less, all of them are very beautiful and the ride along the roads alone will make you feel complete.
4. Since, the places are very beautiful and neat, with not much crowd and a great climate to compliment, this is highly recommended for honeymooners. Ideal to spend 3-4 days. If you plan for a longer visit, you can club Kumarakom - another honeymooners paradise, which is 4 hours drive from Munnar.
5. Thekaddy is a popular destination near Munnar. It has a big forest and a boat ride in the middle of it. Chances of spotting a elephant/bison are more.

6. Some well known tourist routes are -
* Munnar - Mattupetty Dam - Indo Swiss Livestock Project - Echo Point - Kundala Dam - Top Station (34 km),
* Munnar - Pothamedu - Chitirapuram - Pallivasal - Cheyappara - Adimali - Valara (40 km),
* Munnar - Rajamala - Marayoor - Chinnar (70 km),
* Munnar - Devikulam - Lock Heart Gap - Power House Waterfalls - Anayirankal (32 km).

If you need any detail, drop a mail to shankar.nash@gmail.com

Honeymoon - Munnar - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:25:00 +0000

After a series of group trips, now comes the first of our honeymoon trips. It was during Sep'07 that we set out on our honeymoon trip to Munnar and Kumarakom.

Munnar, is a serene hill station atop the western ghats section in the TamilNadu-Kerala border Border. Though it falls under Kerala territory tamil is the major language here. Unlike Ooty and Kodaikanal, it is less populated and even more beautiful Munnar is very famous for its tea estates, which form atleast 90% of its real estate. Wherever you go, all that you can see is tea, tea and more tea. Munnar has lot to offer in terms of green meadows all along, numerous of waterfalls and lakes, mountains engulfed with mist, neat roads and hassle free traffic, less crowd, good options for boarding and lodging, sloppy tea estates, all that a normal traveller would long for. The sight seeing places are few and far off, but you are sure to enjoy the beauty of this place. You can just go for a drive on and on enjoying the consistent beauty all along. Its rightly called as a honeymooners paradise, since there wont be much crowd any where.

It was on the 3rd of september, after a lot of hustle and bustle over the previous two weeks, we came rushing to the KPN bus stand in Perungulathur, chennai just in time for the bus which goes to Munnar directly. After a long and comfortable ride of close to 14 hours we reached Munnar around the next day noon. Once we got down at the busstand, we were swarmed by bees of autowallahs. We were really astonished by the cheap rates that these auto wallahs demanded. Took an auto, settled for Rs.150/- for a drop to Sterling Resorts, which is 22kms away from the busstand. Soon we were in the narrow, but safe and good roads enjoying the beauty of the places around and the wind brushing our face. On the way to Sterling resorts, we came across a small viewpoint, which had a tea/soup shop which also happenned to be the only shop that we encountered in the whole journey. Hence by default, this place attracted people. Dont miss the tea here, if you happen to go. The auto driver was very friendly. Hence, we booked him for the sight seeing tour too. Reached the resort by 1 PM, refreshed and had a yummy lunch in the resort. By this time, the weather turned absolutely fantastic, with the wind getting heavier and cooler and frequent short spells of rains.
Something about the resort - Sterling is a big chain of resorts and has properties in all major tourist destination across India. Munnar's sterling is their latest addition and best that i have been to, with the rooms maintained very clean. The service, facilities and the food are equally great. The location itself deserves a special mention, with a good view of the valley and a distant reservoir from all the rooms. There is a small waterfall near the resort, which can be reached by walk. In the night the resort looks even more beautiful with the light setting of the adjacent ClubMahindra resort adding more beauty. We booked through an agent. Hence, we got the rooms at close to 40% discount. For more details on the tarriff and the discount, drop a mail to shankar.nash@gmail.com

The next day, the same autowallah came to pick us up for the sight seeing trip. The weather was even more cool and there was slight drizzle all along the day. The places looked even more green and beautiful. All that we could see where tea estates and more of it only. It was as if a vast green carpet has been spread over the landscape. If there was something that we saw other than tea, then it was the mist. The ride in the auto in this weather was absolutely thrilling, with the cool winds blowing from all sides. Visited the places like Elephant point, which is supposed to be frequented by elephants. Then the echo point, which was nothing but a lake lined up with lots of small shops. Then went for a speed boat ride enroute the echo point, which was quite good. Then to a nursery, which had quite a good collection of different species of flowers. By this time, it was close to 5 PM and started getting dark, hence returned to the room. Since, we had abundant time at hand, we prepared our own dinner(noodles and soup) and finished the day with a candlelight dinner.

To be continued here

Celebrate this Dusshera in GOA!

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:07:00 +0000

Goa , the "Pearl of the Orient". Experience life as never before .Enjoy the golden sands ,swaying palms and liliting tunes. Explore its virgin beaches girdling its 105-km long palm-fringed coast interspersed with enchanting coves, bays and estuaries, paddy fields, shady coconut, cashew and mango groves dotted with tiny picturesque villages, temples and churches renowned for worship and pilgrims, forts and monuments .Get arrested by its magnificent scenic beauty and the architectural splendors which have made Goa a firm favorite with travelers around the world. Goa is the place to UNWIND and DE-STRESS

IRCTC brings you a special package on AC Charted Coach to Goa during Dusshera Holdiays The Golden Goa Beach 25th September-09

4 NIGHTS /5DAYS (Including Train journey) @ Rs 6510/-

Package Includes

*3 tier AC Train (Confirmed onward & return ticket). *Daily Breakfast, Lunch & dinner at the comfort of the hotel. *A/c Accommodation in 3 Star Superior category hotels *Local transportation & Sightseeing by Air conditioned Coach. *Boat cruise on river Mondovi. *Services of tour escort offered.

For Booking and details contact us at No 2/2 C.B. Royale Bldg Dr.Rajkumar Rd Rajajinagar Bangalore-5600 10.

Ph 080-22960014/17/13 9741435809/9731647952

E-mail us: - zto@irctc.com, tourismsbc@irctc.com, zto@irctc.com

For more details on itenerary and other details - click here

Bhavani Island, Vijayawada

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:01:00 +0000

Came across this place through 'The Hindu'.

Bhavani Island is located at a distance of 4 km from Vijayawada. This is a river island measuring about 130 acres formed by the River Krishna. This place seems to have good boarding and lodging options being run by the Andhra Tourism department. There is nothing much to see here, but for the boat rides and the adventure zone and lazing out in the hammocks listening to the water swaying to the wind and watching an occasional boat pass by. The pictures of the place and the resort seems to be impressive and compelling. Perfect for a one day picnic or a lazy weekend outing for both couples and group. They also organize group trips for corporates.

Its proximity to the city is a big advantage. Vijayawada by itself is quite a beautiful city with the river Krishna flowing across and some mountains bordering them.

Some places of interest near Vijayawada are

* Prakasam Barrage
* Kondapalli Fort
* Victoria Museum
* Gandhi Statue (atop a mountain)

Access : Vijayawada is very well connected through road/rail/air. Since this place is so close to the city, ricks would be a better option to reach here.
Stay : Only the APTDC runs a resort here. The photos seem to be impressive, though there is no first hand review.
Contact Info : Tel: +91 8571 279323, 279324, Cell: +91 9848779685
Tarrif : AC Cottages(24 in number) : Rs.2000/day , Tree Top A/C Cottages(4) : Rs.1500/day (both inclusive of breakfast)

Info sources

http://satheeshr.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/paradise-on-placid-waters-bhavani-island-vijayawada/
http://blogs.thehindu.com/delhi/?p=14682

Share your experience, if you happen to visit this place

--N.Shankar

Stay anywhere in the world - FOR FREE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:31:00 +0000

Hey avid travellers...

** Do you want to travel to most parts of the world on a limited budget??
** Are you interested in blending with the local people and getting to know their culture and food??
** Do you want to cut down on the expenditures and still interested in visiting many places??
** Are you interested in playing host to some strangers from different parts of the globe??

Then this is the place for you....http://www.hospitalityclub.org

This seems to be a website run by a NGO, with a noble insight of building world peace. A small intro about them

History of Hospitality Exchange
The idea of hospitality exchange has been around for a long time. After the Second World War, Bob Luitweiler founded Servas as a peace organization. He hoped to foster intercultural understanding and to build peace through a world wide network of open doors. In the following decades, other people founded similar organizations, and a lot of special interest groups developed - hospitality exchange networks for bikers, for women, for hitchhikers , for Esperanto speakers. Veit Kühne founded a network for members of the largest student exchange organization AFS in 1997, based on the model of volunteer country coordinators that had been used by Mensa's hospitality network SIGHT. All those networks had to battle similar problems: printing host lists, collecting member fees, spreading the idea.

Get to know more about them here

So.. what are you waiting for??

* Register yourself here
* Plan your travel
* Post a request in the site
* The interested host will get in touch with you
* Visit the place, get to know more about the people and culture and get acquainted to some new set of people
* Come back with a totally new experience

Also be ready to host people, who are coming to your place.

--N.Shankar

Are you a smart traveller??

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 07:15:00 +0000

If not, go through the following tips to become one (Excerpts from Rediff)

Though most of them are suitable for the air-travellers, you can still make use of the safety tips...

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Crowded airports, flight delays, luggage dramas and troubles at Customs can easily transform a trip from highly exhilarating to tediously ho-hum. While a good dose of common sense goes a long way, some clever 'insider' tips can arm you with the know-how to make your trip more enjoyable and stress free.

Arthur Hoffman, managing director, Expedia Asia Pacific, says: "While Indians tend to be savvy travellers, it helps to get an insider's perspective on how to avoid common travel pitfalls. Travellers should also take the time to carefully research their travel destinations and consult independent traveller reviews for more specific insights to avoid unwanted mayhem."

Here are nine tips for a hassle-free travel experience:

Look to the left
To minimise waiting in long queues at airports, look to the left when lining up for customs and check-in. Most people are right-handed, and therefore wired with a preference for amenities offered to the right.

Opt for an early-morning flight
Airports are fresh and relatively crowd-and child-free early in the day. Statistics show early flights are also less likely to be delayed.

Do some simple detective work to protect your belongings in the hotel
Wipe down the keypad of the in-room-safe with a damp cloth (and then dry it) before entering your code. There have been cases where a light oil residue or powder has been applied to the touch keys, to see what numbers were pressed, making the safe accessible for others.

Rolling vs folding
If luggage space is an issue, roll your clothes rather than fold them. You might feel like you're preparing for school camp again, but rolled clothes take up less space, allowing you to squeeze in more travel buys!

Align with business
If you're travelling for business, stick with your own kind but if you're not, line up anyway with people who look to be travelling for business; they tend to be no-nonsense travellers and usually know the ropes and move through airports quickly.

Use colourful luggage
Try travelling with colourful blue, green or red travel suitcases. That way your luggage stands out from the same black or grey bags as everyone else and is easily spotted on the baggage carousel. Before checking your luggage in, take a picture of it and print it out. If it goes missing you can identify it easily.

Be drug alert
Ensure your medicines are not considered illegal drugs overseas. Contact the nearest embassy of the country you are visiting before departing as ignorance of local laws is not a valid defence.

Blend in
To stay out of trouble, try not to bring attention to yourself. While T-shirts are considered modest clothing in India, they can be offensive to people in countries with more conservative dress codes, such as Burma, Egypt [ Images ], Iran, Kenya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Instead opt for long sleeves or loose shirts.

Forewarned is fore-armed
Be mindful that what may be polite and acceptable behaviour in one culture may be offensive or even illegal in another. Read up on the local laws and cultural norms of your travel destination. At the very least, it will prevent you causing offence to the locals and embarrassment to yourself; at the most, it could save you from a nasty brush with the law.

You can visit www.expedia.co.in and sites like Trip Advisor for more specific information and tips on dos and don'ts when travelling.

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Original article here

Ambrra river resort - Pollachi

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:25:00 +0000

Came across this place in 'The Hindu'. This seems to be a silent getaway near Pollachi, located amidst the beautiful plains along the river Aliyar. Do visit this place, if you are looking for places of stay near Pollachi. From the pics, this place looks to be good. Also, the tarriff seems to fit in for budget travelers as well.

Ambrra river resort

http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2009/08/29/stories/2009082950520600.htm

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(Excerpts from Hindu)

WATERWORLD The River Aliyar - AMBRRA RIVER RESORT POLLACHI

USP: Crystal streams and birds that sing. A place of stunning natural beauty, with the Western Ghats towering above.

The calls of river birds get me out of bed. Flanked by coconut palms, a clay path leads to the Aliyar river. The water, gurgling through the rocks and my toes, drowns mobile beeps and the din of the brain.

Bees hover over the bluebells as storks relax on rocks in the stream. Golden streaks of sunlight pierce through the quilt of clouds covering the blue mountains. This is heaven.

Twenty minutes from Pollachi, a right turn and on to a dirt track off the Thrissur road, lands you at Ambrra River Resort. A farm that's been converted into a resort, Ambrra is in sylvan surroundings, on the banks of River Aliyar.

Six little red brick cottages make up the resort. The aesthetically minimalist rooms have balconies facing the river. Herons, egrets, storks and a myriad other birds go about their business of fishing and soaking up the sun, quite oblivious to my presence. Pea fowl, shy as they are, nest on the farm. You can't miss their enchanting mating calls.

Ambrra really gives you a taste of Kongunadu hospitality. The menu has no limits, almost every cuisine feature in it. So let the hosts surprise you. The prawns are a definite do.

Krishnaraj, who owns the farm, takes me to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Thirty-six kilometres uphill from Pollachi, Anamalai is cloud country. A steady wind follows us along the hair-pin bends, spraying a drizzle through the windows.

A wild boar herd, rummaging the undergrowth, spare a minute to stare at our jeep. Krishnaraj spots a giant squirrel hidden in the tall teak. A naturalist, Krishnaraj is an encyclopedia on conservation and these cloudy hills.

Anamalai is home to rare species of squirrels, macaques, langurs, deer (including the endangered Nilgiri Tahr), panthers, elephants, gaurs and of course, the tiger. As luck would have, the tigers proved elusive, but the weather was beautiful and gaurs, tuskers and langurs aplenty.

Topslip is right out of a picture postcard and is a must-see for its awe-inspiring natural beauty. It's very Ruskin Bond-ish and kids will love it.

I return with breath-taking frames of a place that can only be described in poetry. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of the Ghats soon.

How to get there

The resort is an hour-and-a-half, by road, from Coimbatore or Palakkad (both about 50 km away). Coimbatore is the closest airport. Pollachi (11 km) has a railway junction, but the nearest major rail head is Palakkad.

Things to do

Relax. Smell the earth, listen to the river and watch the birds.

Hike through the lush green fields and trek up the Ghats. The hotel organises trips to eco hotspots such as Valparai and Topslip for Rs. 250 per person. There is also a heritage tour to places of worship in the area.

For those interested in dams, the Aliyar, Sholayar and Kadamparai dams are close by.

Tariff

A double-bed air conditioned cottage costs Rs. 1,500 on weekends and Rs. 1,200 on weekdays. This includes the complimentary breakfast.

Non-AC cottages are available on weekdays for Rs. 850. An extra bed costs Rs. 250.

For reservations contact 9750761001, 9750761002, 9750761008

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Pollachi is one of the nature rich places in TamilNadu and its proximity to Kerala gives it a very fertile land, abundant supply of water and great climate all through the year.

Some places of interest near pollachi

* Parambikulam wildlife sanctuary
* TopSlip
* Vaalpaarai
* Aliyar dam
* Pallakkad
* Athirampalli falls (known as 'punnagai mannan'/'dil se' falls)
* the whole place around pollachi. Just take a drive along the interiors and i am sure you will plan your next visit soon.

Ideal to spend 2-6 days, as Pollachi has lot to offer for tourists.

Pollachi is very well connected by Road to Coimbatore,Tiruppur in Tamilnadu/Trissur in Kerala.

The nearest rail head is Coimbate/Tiruppur.

Please share your experience here, if you happen to visit this place.

Manjolai - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:06:00 +0000

Continued from here

The nextday we started by 5 AM, and went to the Manimutharu falls, which is situated on the foothills of the Manjolai. Though the water fell from a lower altitude, the force of the water was very high. Couldnt stand under it continuously. Then started our uphill journey. Once past the forest department checkpost, we were in for a greater surprise, as the place got more and more beautiful and cool with each passing curve. Nobody expected such a beautiful place. It was Tea, Tea, Tea everywhere.

Atop, we went to the solitary hotel where we informed beforehand about our arrival. Had breakfast and also gave them the stuff for lunch. Went past the tea estates, factories and reached the first viewpoint - Kudiravetti. Once here, we were literally swept off our feet. The winds were very very strong and we just could not stand there without any support. Infact, everyhouse has sandbags on their roofs to prevent the sheets get blown away by the wind.

View from Rajas View

Then we went to Rajas view, which gave a very beautiful glimpse of a distant waterfall, which descended all the way to the base of the mountain. From here, proceeded to the Upper Kodaiyar dam, which was the jackpot of this place. From the outset, it looked like a normal dam with the water stored in one part surrounded by mountain and the sluice gates leading to the lower kodaiyar dam. But suddenly, we saw clouds of mist rushing towards the sluice gate, go past the slopes of the dam and reach the top at very very high speed. This happenned every 5 minutes and we waited for the next round. When it came, we just leaned on the top paraphet wall letting the mist go past us. It was very very cold and we were in pure bliss for the next few minutes.

Mi(y)sterious

There was a small tunnel nearby. But due to time constraint, we didnt go there and started our journey back. Reached the hotel and had a very tasty lunch, descended to the base and reached Tirunelveli, just in time for our train.

Thus ended a great trip, which exceeded our initial expectation by miles.

Points to Note

1. Tirunelveli is 700Kms from Chennai/150Kms from Tirvandrum. Very well connected through rail/road.
2. Transport
** Standard cabs - Kutti - 9843337456/Gafoor - 9842301326.Very friendly driver (Gafoor).
3. Staying options
** Singampatti Palace - Will cost around 1.5K/room
Contact Details - Palace : 04364 250209/9443351762,
Raja : 94433 51762, Kittu (Rajas PA): 9994760625
** Kallidakuruchi - Nearest point to Manjolai. Has one lodge, which is quite gud. Rs.400/room
Contact Details - Baskar Lodge : 04634 - 251008,252652,252653, 9842150924
4. Permission
** Sheik Mohideen - Forest Ranger - 9443209050,9443315838.
** Contact the palace people. They will guide you.
** As a last resort, ask the driver(Gafoor) to help you get the permission. Might cost around Rs.250/-
5. If you wish to stay in the hills, contact the Palace. They might help you.
6. There is only one hotel in the hills. You have to inform them before hand for the breakfast. Also, you have to provide them the stuff for the lunch. They do a very neat job.
7. Lots of places of interest around Tirunelveli. So, you can plan a trip ranging from 1 day to 5 days.

For more details, drop a comment here or mail me at shankar.nash@gmail.com

Manjolai - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 10:05:00 +0000

Manjolai, is a quite, small and serene hill station near Tirunelveli. It is a private hillstation being owned by the Singampatti Jameen family and is being maintained by Bombay Burma Tea corporation. This also falls under the Mundandhurai Wildlife sanctuary. So, to enter into this forest, you have to get the permission of either the forest department (or) the Singampatti family (or) Tea Factory people. Contact details are furnished at the end of this post. Atop this mountain there is just the tea factory and the factory workers' residence. Visiting this place wont have many attractions as you expect in Ooty/Kodai, you are sure to have a different experience and exposure to virgin and unpolluted forest. This place can be covered in one day and if you wish to stay atop, there is one EB quarters and Tea factory's guest house, for which you have to get permission before hand. Ideal for one day trip and you can visit the places around Tirunelveli and Courtallam. Dont be surprised when even some of the people residing around Tirunelveli does not know abt this place. It is such a unravelled heaven. Nearest place with decent staying option is Ambasamudram.

After our earlier disastrous trip to Manjolai, the undettered souls we are, we planned for another trip to Manjolai. It was the month of July'07, myself along with four other friends set out on a weekend trip to places around Tirunelveli and Manjolai. We got into the Nellai Express on a friday night. To our horror, our seats were occupied by some other guys. After a round of argument and enquiry, we came to know that our seats were upgraded to 3rd AC. Seems the railway dept's way of compensating for the disaster that we had the first time around. A nice sign to start the tour.

Reached Tirunelveli around 6 in the morning, got into the cab waiting for us and set out towards Kallidakuruchi which is 70 kms away where we had booked our rooms. Once out of Tirunelveli town limit, we were in for a perfect village surroundings with lush green fields, river and dense plantation all around. Reached our room in an hour. Refreshed and set out to the Singampatti Jameens palace.

Singampatti jameen - The owners of the manjolai hills!!!!! and one of the very very few persons in India who can claim to be a Raja. Had lunch in their palace, met the Raja, spoke with him for a while, took a small tour of their palace. It was a big and old palace which is very close to the Manimuthaaru dam and surrounded by paddy fields. They do have staying options here, which is being maintained by the Bed And Breakfast services of the tourism department. The staying rooms looked neat with all the facilities. These people helped us to get the permission to visit Manjolai.

After the lunch, we set out to the papanasam dam. It is an hours drive from Ambasamudram. Paapanasam is a small mountain which falls in the mundandhurai tiger sanctuary's range. Reached the reservoir and they operate boat services to the VaanaTheertham falls, which is in the middle of the dam. The boat ride was pure fun as it started drizzling the moment we got into the boat. During the boat journey, we got to see the falls, gushing at its full force. It was a splendid sight to see such a beautiful waterfalls, in the midst of a forest when it was drizzling. This is the falls, where a part of the famous song 'chinna chinna aasai' from the movie Roja was shot. The water here was very very cool. couldnt even stand under it for a minute. Took some frequent breaks and had a very nice shower. Took the return boat and reached the shore.

VaanaTheertham falls

Then went to the Agasthiyar falls, which on the foothills of this mountain. Here again took a nice shower after convincing the police man, who normally dont let people there after 5 PM. Set out our return journey to our room. On the way back, got down into the paddy fields, canals and spent some time there. Finished our dinner on the way (in ambasamudram) and reached our rooms by 9 PM.

To be continued here.

Parson Valley - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:02:00 +0000

Continued from here

Day 2 : Had our breakfast, listened to some stories and history of this place from the Uncle and set out for a long trek. It was an extension of the trek that we went the previous day. We walked through pine forests, streams, one waterfall, bushy and thorny regions and a couple of reservoirs. It lasted for around 5 hours and came back to the cottage for lunch. Gazed around for a while, playing cricket, football and in the evening set out to the Western Catchment reservoir in the evening. It was some 8 kms away and had very little population. It was a nice and peaceful place with vast expanse of water all around and the enveloping mountains adding to the beauty of the place. During this time some of the guys stayed in the cottage and they went around the nearby mountains carrying big bags of drinks and boozed amidst the wild atmosphere. From the way they expressed, it was very evident that they enjoyed each and every drop of it. By the time we came back, it was dark and the ride in the last 1km stretch leading to the cottage looked even more scary. As usual held a campfire with lots of drinks and retired to bed very late in the night in the chilling cold.

Western Catchment reservoir

Day 3: All of us got up, got ready, had breakfast, played cricket for a long time and went to the nearby dam. This is very nearby the cottage(in the place where the last 1km stretch begins). This dam is being fondly called as Roja Dam, as the film Roja's climax was shot in this dam and this place was also nice with very steep and narrow steps to reach the base of the dam. Spent some time here clicking photos, returned to the cottage, sat by the stream for a while and packed our things and left the place with a heavy heart of having to leave this place. On the way visited a couple of places in Ooty and reached Tiruppur railway station around midnight. Thus ended another interesting trip.

Roja Dam
Points to note

1. Coimbatore/Tiruppur/Mettupalayam is the nearest railway station to Ooty. Lots of buses available to reach Ooty. But there is no transport facility to reach Parson Valley. So, either arrange your own vehicle or ask the Uncle before hand, who will arrange.
2. If you are traveling by your own vehicle, make sure you go in SUV kind of vehicle. Normal cars cant go in the steep and bumpy stetch(last 1 km).
3. Buy what all you may need in ooty itself. Once you cross ooty, there is absolutely nothing in this place. Also, fix the menu while booking the cottage itself. If you need anything in particular inform them before hand.
4. No network coverage. In some places BSNL network will work.

For more details, post a comment or send a mail to shankar.nash@gmail.com

UPDATE: Uncle's phone number - 09443553651

Parson Valley - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 10:58:00 +0000

9th,10th,11th of March, 2007

Parsons valley is 8 kms from Ooty, at a slightly higher altitude. Normally the place upto Ooty is very well populated, but once u cross Ooty, there are lots of places that are clean and unpopulated. Parsons valley is one such place which is serene and absolutely stunning. As the name suggests, this place is in the trough created by the hills surrounded on all sides, with a stream running nearby and pine forest and farms everywhere. This has a big dormitory which can accommodate upto 30 people and couple of rooms each can hold 2-4 people, a big lawn/playing area, a kitchen and a dining room. This place is being owned by an elderly couple(henceforth referred as Uncle and Aunty) and being maintained by an old man. When there is any visitor to this place the uncle and aunty, along with a cook(who really cooks well) come and stay in this place. This place is best suited for a group trip. Though there is not much activity around as you expect in Ooty town, the serenity of this place will blow you off your feat and it is an effort to leave this place. They normally dont permit for couples, as this place is quite unsafe due to wild animals movement. The activities here involve trekking and visits to couple of reservoirs nearby. Best suited for 3 days trip.

It was the time for our team trip and we all zeroed in on this place. We all, numbering 24 started from Chennai Central and reached Tiruppur early in the morning on March 9th. Got into the two vans which were waiting for us. From there we went to a marriage hall which we booked before hand, got refreshed and set out our journey to Ooty. On the way, had our breakfast and loaded the vehicle with abundant supply of drinks and snacks and set out the long journey ahead. The road to ooty was as usual busy and chaotic. It took us a long time to reach Ooty and even more to cover the last 8 kms. We crossed through huge mounds of garbage which made us doubt whether its the plastic free ooty or Chennai. Past this place, there is a forest department office, to whom we showed the cottage booking confirmation. Here we were told that tiger census is going on and that the trekking is prohibited in certain areas of the forest. From here we proceeded to the cottage through a narrow and absolutely secluded road. The last one km of the path leading to the cottage was very very bumpy with no road at all with big boulders covering the path. Moreover, it was very steep with some sharp bends in-between. Once we reached the end of the stretch, we were in for a breathtaking view of the cottage. There was a little stream running nearby the cottage. Unable to resist.. we jumped out of the vehicle and immediately went to the stream and washed our faces. But, the water was very very cold. It was the month of March(usually summer) and it was around 3:30 PM, still the water was ice-cold. Our first goal on reaching there was to eat something after this long, tiring travel. We went to the dormitory which was lined with 15 beds on each side, kept our baggages and rushed to the dining room and had a tasty lunch(atleast it seemed so).

THE COTTAGE

After lunch we were lazing in the lawn, and took out a small trek. We did walk for around 45 minutes and reached a bigger stream. That trek was good, even though not tough as we were the only human beings on that vast expanse of mountains. The weather was pleasant. Spent some time there and then returned to the cottage. It was around 6:30PM and only then we started the feel the cold. Hot tea and even hot bonda awaited us. Gulped the tea and started preparing for the campfire. The cottage had a well laid out concrete pit for the campfire. By the time everything was ready, it was around 7 PM and it was very cold. As usual, we guys had drinks(to shoo away chillness), sung, screamed, danced around the fire making weird steps and sounds. It started getting late and the ones steady(without the influence of drinks) dispersed unable to bear the cold. Ones who could, stayed on and on and on till well past midnight, had our dinner(!) and went to bed. By this time all the alcohol got drained and we could feel the chillness which increased with time. Had a good sleep and got up the next day for a foggy morning. The mountains looked even more beautiful. All that struck to our mind was to do nothing but laze around immersed in the serenity of this place. To compliment this weather, the hot tea arrived and guys couldn't stop with one.

Outside our cottage!!!!!

To be continued here

Kodaikanal : A trip unplanned - part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:54:00 +0000

... Continued from here

The next day was even more great. The previous night itself we booked a cabwala to take us around the hills. So, we got up early and what greeted us was a very thick cover of mist all over the place. The place where we stayed is just opposite the bus-stand, which is by far the busiest place in the town. Still, the presence of mist made the place look very beautiful. To add to it, there was a slight drizzle too. Had hot tea and stepped into the maruti omni to start the sight seeing trip. Soon, the cab got into the narrow steep and dwindling roads of kodai.

View of the bus terminus from our room
The first spot that we went is Coaker's walk, which is a walking track bordering the mountain, from where you can see the entire valley. If you are lucky, you can see that actually you are standing above the clouds. It will look like an ocean over which you are standing. A stunning sight to start your day with. Then, we went to an ancient church and then to a park nearby. The park was fully covered with the mist and the dew drops/raindrops were all over the plants. Spent sometime there and went to the usual places like Pillar Rock, Suicide Point, had the usual corn, hot tea, bhajji etc etc...

Standing over the clouds - Coaker's walk
It was close to noon when we went to the Guna Caves, the place where the movie 'Guna' was shot. This is a very steep, dangerous and slippery cluster of rocks, which is prohibited for the public to go through. Still, many guys have mend the fence and got in, only to lose their lives. We went to a place above this cave. Even this path was terrifying, narrow and slippery in some places. We somehow got to the top. Once you are in the top the view from there is absolutely stunning. This place is dangerous too, as there is 90degree fall here. The mountain seemed like cut out precisely. So, with utmost caution we walked through the slippery path covered with leaves and tree roots. With the wetness and the engulfed mist, the whole place looked haunted.

Haunted place - Guna caves
Then we came back to the cab and proceeded towards the pine forest, saw a big and healthy horse and went for a ride into the forest. Finished the usual ritual of buying the tea bags and finally reached the very famous lake. Took a boat and went for a ride. Once out of this lake, we hired the bicycle. Another famous thing about Kodai is the bicycle being let out for hire. The lake is bordered by well laid out road and you can go on a ride in this road with the hired cycle. You can even use it for your personal use and roam around kodai town. But, nobody can steal it and cross the limit, as these cycles have a distinct color and you would be caught easily.

By the time we finished the cycle ride, we realized that we were running late for the train. Came back rushing to the room, packed our things, reached the bus stand and after a lot of struggle got the seats. Reached Madurai around 10PM, finished our dinner and got into the train. Fortunately for us, our tickets got confirmed.

Thus ended a remarkable trip. Remarkable for the fact that everything went wrong for us in the beginning and the plan went for a toss. Still we had a memorable trip for the surprises it held for us. At that time, we didnt know whether we would have had such a good time even if we had gone by our original trip of Manjolai (which we did. Will be posted later)

Points to Note

* Kodaikanal is very close to Madurai. Buses and cabs are available from Madurai/Dindukkal.
* The closest rail head is 'Kodai Road'.
* If you are taking a cab from 'Madurai or Dindukkal, check with the driver whether he possesses any permission to enter the forest deparment's area. Some drivers may possess it and this place will be good.
* Once into Kodai, tourist cabs are available in plenty. Negotiate with the driver for the charge. Check with a couple of people before settling for one. Here too, check with the driver whether he has any permission to go into the forest department's area
* Staying options are available in plenty.
* You can spend upto 3-4 days in Kodai, if you plan to go for some adventurous trekking trips and forest camps. These has to be arranged in advance, as these require permission from the forest department

Kodaikanal : A trip unplanned - part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Dheepa) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:08:00 +0000

Towards the end of Jan '07, there came a trip across our way. We planned for a trip to a hillstation called Manjolai near Amba samudram. Manjolai is a private hill station and a tiger reserve forest too. We booked the EB inspection quarters there, which is the only place for outstation people to stay in the hillstation. We also got the permission to get into the hills from the forest department(without which you will not be allowed to enter the hills). We had booked train tickets too. So, all set for the trip and we four reached the Egmore railway station as per the schedule with our enthu level perched high only to face a disaster.

Our tickets were in WaitingList and we arranged for the EmergencyQuota accomodation. We were quite confident of our tickets getting confirmed. However, the time we planned our trip was a long weekend with the republic day falling on a friday. So, the last moment did not get confirmed at all. Hence, we saw our train pull out of the station right in front of our eyes with dismay. It was around 8pm when this happened. So, the train journey is ruled out and the determined guys we are, we decided to look for alternate arrangement. We enquired some of the private carriers nearby and finally decided to board a bus and go to Madurai from where we could go to Tirunelveli and then to Ambasamudram. But all we had was just two days in hand.

To add fuel to the flame, the bus which we took proved to be a disastrous one. The font of the Travels was very much similar to Parveen Travels. Only after we purchased the tickets paying hefty amount did we notice that it was Pradeep Travels (what a gang of losers we were !!). The bus was something like a mini bus with cramped seats, very limited leg room and a rubbish movie running in it. Right in front of our eyes, the travels was still selling out the remaining seats in the bus saying it is pushback (aah.... whose back were they goin to push). Still, undettered by these kinda hurdles, we got into the bus waiting for the time to tick 9:30 PM, the time the travel guys promised that the bus would start. By the time the bus became full, it was around 1 oclk and the bus was still in Tambaram !! and the heights was that the conductor was telling everybody that the bus will reach Madurai by 6am (probably he thought it is a BMW that he was owning !)

Amidst groanings and grumblings and fighting with the front seat wallah for smashing my leg with his "pushback" seat, we reached Madurai around NOON next day ! We realised that going to Manjolai could only be next to impossible and hence planned to go to Kodaikanal which is only about 3hrs travel from Madurai.

We refreshed ourselves, had lunch and had Jikirthanda.. (how could one go to Madurai and not have Jikirthanda)and took a bus to Kodai. Again here, the bus was full and only two of us got seat. We somehow managed to get seat in the steps and near the bus engine. Another gruelling journey it was to sit beside the engine with the sun too coming down quite heavily. By the time we reaced Kodai it was around 5.30PM. We booked a room there, refreshed ourselves and went to have dinner. It was around 8 PM when we came out of the room. Till then the weather was not great as we expected in Kodai. But suddenly we saw balls of smoke gushing in from all sides. We initially thought something is being burnt and lamented to ourselves as to how the people are spoiling the atmosphere of this place. Again our calculation proved wrong, but in a good way. Wat we thought as smoke is infact mist.. and within a couple of minutes, the whole place was covered with mist and we started feeling the chillness. For the first time in the day, our faces wore a real smile and at that moment, all the disappointment and fatigue vanished.... we started enjoying our trip. We couldnt even spot things more than 2 feet away. Finished a good dinner and even had a icecream standing outside the shop in this chilling weather.

Picked some savouries on the way to our room and played cards for a long time where in one of my friends showed mastery in shuffling the cards !! :)

To be continued........ here

Cheers
Dheepa

The Roads Less Travelled

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:58:00 +0000

Visit the below link to get the complete archive of the 'Road Less Traveled', a regular feature of The Hindu's monday supplementary until a few months back.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/nic/061/index.htm

Update : Hindu has removed the archive and released them as books. It is available here : http://www.hinduonnet.com/ebooks/eb0002.htm

Also, the archive is available here : http://web.archive.org/web/20070210181921/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/nic/061/index.htm

--N.Shankar

Tada

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:58:00 +0000

So, here comes the first entry. TADA falls. (24th Feb, 2007)

Tada is the best place for bachelors planning for a one day picnic. Its proximity to Chennai is one of the main reasons for Chennai's youngsters to prefer this place. It is located 85Kms from Chennai in the Tamilnadu-Andhra border. This is well connected to Chennai through road and rail. Tada is a big waterfall in the midst of a dense and raw mountain. You have to walk for around 3 hours from the base to reach the top most falls.

I have been to Tada twice. First with some school mates in the EMU train. The second was with my colleagues where we hired a cab (white board) and started from chennai early in the morning. Our first stop was the Redhills reservoir. This was really a surprise for us, as we didnt expect the reservoir to be brimming with water. It was around 7 when we reached there. So, there was not much crowd and that gave us ample time to pose for numerous photos.

Redhills Reservoir

Then we started the vehicle and reached Tada where we finished our breakfast, loaded our bags with the necessary drinks and some snacks and took the long road leading to the mountain. Its better to get the food in the town itself as you cant find any shop en-route the falls. We reached the base of the mountain, parked our vehicle, changed so shorts and started our uphill trek. The mountain is 8 kms away from the town.

A Click of the mountain from the base

We walked for around 1 hour before we came across a small stream. The water was not even knee deep, but it was crystal clear and really cool, in-spite of the sun coming down heavily. We took a small dip here. Immediately after crossing this, we were invited by the gushing sound of the water and took a small path leading to the left. A 5 minutes walk led us to a small stream cum pond. Here again the water was very clear with a tinge of bluish green color. Too tempting to take a bath and we duly did it too. There is a place for non swimmers where you can stay safe in the rocks over which the water flows. Once the water crosses this path, there is a place where the depth is up to 40 feet, but still the floor bed was seen. Such is the clarity of the water. This is strictly for those who know swimming as the water current is pretty high.

The path ahead

From here, we went back to the main path and started the uphill trek. Crossed couple of streams, a small shiva temple and again a stream. I wonder how people build a temple in the remotest of places.

Last stretch of the way to waterfall

Near the base of the waterfall.. see the color of water and how transparent it is

From the temple started the real trek. There were huge boulders all through the way and we have to cling to them, walk over them step by step. Some places were very slippery too. Somehow after a small walk of around 15 minutes we reached a water fall and quite a big pond. Here again the water was at its clearest and absolutely cool. Wat a stunning sight of a water fall and a clear pond in the midst of a dense forest. Immediately we plunged into the water and spent an hour or so there. It was like heaven to be in the midst of water (both inside and outside.. if u understand what i mean). Gulped a couple of beers, took sunbath for a while and again dived into the water. This continued for quite sometime before we realized that we were running out of time. Some of us were to attend a reception that night in chennai. So, half heartedly we came out, packed things and started the descend. We heard that there is another waterfall above the place where we went, which is even more stunning, but time was not on our side.

We came back all the way to the base of the mountain got into the car, gave rest to our heavily worked legs and came speeding in the highway. Thus ended a very interesting and tiring trip.

There wasnt much water this time, compared to my first trip. Anyway, need to go again and conquer the top most waterfall. Anybody game??

Points to note

* Its better to go on a group and not to take any girls here. Even if you do, ensure that there are enough guys to ward off any danger as this place is not all that safe.
* The mountain is not steep, but still it is a bit difficult as the path is fully covered by stones. So, wear some good shoe/chappal. There is only one path to climb up the mountain. So, walk on as the path leads you to. Depending upon the season you may come across some streams on the way.

Modes of transport

* Bus - Available in plenty from Chennai CMBT.
* Train - EMU trains are available to Tada. There is a train from Chennai around 5:30 AM. Return train to Chennai around 5:00 PM. Travel duration is 2 hours.(Kindly check with the current train timing).
* Cab - This will cost around Rs.2500. Recommended to ask for a white-board vehicle to avoid the permit charges
* Bike - Most preferred as you can cover most of the distance into the mountain

First step

noreply@blogger.com (Shankar.Nash) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:26:00 +0000

Hi all,

This is Shankar, a software engineer from chennai who likes to travel a lot. With the number of trips that i make keep increasing, i am slowly losing track of some of the my previous trips. To avoid these kinda memory overflow, i have decided to log all those in a blog, which will be useful for me and will help others as well, who intend to go on a trip. The details of travel, staying options and the contact information will be furnished here. So, visit this space if any need be.

So... lets trek forward.

--N.Shankar