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Trip Start Oct 21, 2006 Trip End Oct 24, 2006

  Thane, India
Wednesday, November 1, 2006

"No holidays in this profession ", my professors words kept ringing in my head time and again .My kerala trip would go for a full toss, I surmised and resigned myself to the daily drag. It was on the 14th of Oct that the news broke out...we were getting a vacation after all..
Though it was impossible to get the bookings done at any of the major hotels,we three(mom ,dad and I )decided to make the trip. We left on the 21st and Ernakulam was decided to be our first major halt. Unfortunately as our luck would have it we were delayed by a good 4 hours(thanks to an engine failure enroute).Thus it was decided that we would drive to Munnar early next morning. As planned we left for munnar at morning 6.Munnar is 160 km from Ernakulam and more than 2000 m above sea level.we wound our way up, and our first halt was at the Chiyapara falls, the beauty of which was maligned by the hoards of tourists visiting Munnar.After a few snaps and stretching our limbs,we continued our drive uphill.The next stop was at the Valara falls,it was bigger than the Chiyapara falls and visibly cleaner.Now the jorney upwards coursed through the tea plantations.It covered the mountains like a green carpet that stretched endlessly and made a beautiful sight,my eyes have ever witnessed.We then came across a place called Karadipara(karadi:Bears in Malayalam,and para:rocks).This place had been home for the bears many years ago,our driver told us.We soon came to the town of Adimali and a short drive from there brought us to the town of Munnar.I could feel the hunger pangs now.We had been driving for more than 4 hours and the spot was still a long way to go.After a heavy breakfast at one of the restaurants,we resumed our journey. Another6 km drive,and we reached the intended spot.Now here was something I was not quite prepared for.The Rajmalai hills,our true destination was 7km uphill and we were told that we were not supposed to trek or take our private vehicles,but take the KTDC buses...and the queue for the bus stretched an other km.It reminded me of the long queues for the bus back home in Mumbai,the only and welcome difference being that the long wait was less tiring.After paying 15 bucks each for the entry tickets,20 bucks for the bus tickets and 25 bucks for the camera,we jumped into the bus and made ourselves comfortable by the window seats. The Rajmalai hills is supposed to be the highest peak in south India,about 2600 m above sea level.a migratory route for the great Asiatic elephants from the Anamalai to the Cardamon hills ,it is also a home for the Nilgiri Tahr(a very rare species of goats in the world found on the Rajmalai hills),and to many other animals like the sambars,tigers and the grey leopard,rare birds and a hundred variety of insects.The bus slowly made its way up and I now realized why the kerala tourist development had made it mandatory for everyone to take the bus and not trek,the narrow path could allow only one vehicle at a time.The scene that met my eyes will be etched in my memory forever.I felt as though the heavens had descended on earth and as I sat mersmerised in its beauty,the bus slowed...I caught sight of a Tahr nibbling at the leaves unmindful of the glaring eyes or the flashing cameras.like a true celebrity it basked in the morning sun and the attention it received.We proceeded upwards and finally reached the peak....I could view the whole of Munnar from here. My eyes searched for the Neelkurinji flowers,a rare kind that blooms only once in 12 yrs and it bloomed this year:)..Sadly they had already started withering and only a few patches could be spotted at some places.I guessed these small violet coloured flowers would have made an enticing sight had I visited the Rajmalai a month ago...An hour later as we waited for the bus ,the place darkened as the clouds closed upon the sky.Like the curtains falling before a scene change in a play,the weather underwent a sudden change.It had become more windy,a few rain drops trickled down my face and on the way down,it had started pouring heavily.
Thekkady was decided to be our next destination ,a tiger reserve 110 km from Munnar.At 5 in the evening began our journey towards Thekkady and Periyar(a place I always wanted to visit).The journey to Thekkady was an uneventful one and we reached Thekkady at 8pm.The next morning we drove to Periyar,2km from Thekkady.Here too we were greeted by a long queue for the boat tickets.As we had been sensible enough to leave early,we managed to get three tickets for the 7-9 boat ride,though the upper deck was already full.We were told that a boatride through the entire Periyar would take 2hrs atleast.I smiled at myself and wished it would take longer.As we made our way through the Periyar,I felt an unusual thrill.No sooner had we coursed a short distance ,we spotted a few deers quenching their thirst by the river bank.Heads turned and cameras flashed,the next exciting part was spotting a wild boar trodding along the river bank,though it was too far for a good photograph.A few minutes later the guide pointed at a dark figure on the mountain top,and said it was bear(I really doubt that since it looked more like a small bush to we people on the boat,and didn't look any better through the binoculars)...what I missed seeing on the boatride were the elephants,who failed to make an appearance throughout those two magnificient hours...We had reached back to the place we had started and how I longed I could make a second trip...By 10:30 am we left for Kottayam.My trip had come to a finish . I carried with me loads of memories and woved to return to these places again and decided to take a raft the next time,go for a jungle tour,visit the Mattupeti village close to Munnar,visit the tea museum,watch the boat race etc.I knew I had seen only a small fraction of Munnar and Periyar ,but had loved every bit of it and without doubt,this trip would be engraved in my memory for a lifetime!

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Chiyapara-2	Gap road-on the way to thekkady	hey!deers	hills
look a bore	neelkurinji-ionce in a blue moon ,but it blooms	nilgiri tahr	Tea Estate
the course through periyar	The mist sets in	The periyar dock