76 km from Divyasree Elan Homes
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Anthargange Trip
Very keen on testing my landscape photography skills, so chose this place as a starting point.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
My Kerala Trip May 2009
23 March 2009
"The trip starts"
I planned for a 6 night, 7 day trip to Kerala to visit Munnar, Alleppey-Kumarakom, Varkala and Kanyakumari.
We started our week long journey to Kerala on Saturday night. I convinced my wife to catch the train (6526 Kanyakumari exp) at Krishnarajapuram instead of SBC.We reached the station under 30 minutes. After dealing with a jeering TC why we boarded at Krishnarajapuram instead of SBC, we settled into our beds very shortly.
24 March 2009
"Let's get to Munnar"
I woke up at 7:30 AM, brushed, finished the Idli-vada breakfast and started watching the green fields, coconut groves and banana plantations passing by. The train reached Aluva (one station before Ernakulam) by 9:40 AM. Our taxi driver Dilip (from Paradise Travels) was waiting for us outside the station. We headed for Munnar after breakfast at a local restaurant not worth mentioning.
We passed small towns like Perumbavoor, Kuruppampady an hour later.We reached a big water fall at 12 noon. The place is fully commercialized. The waterfall is definitely worth watching. We had some freshly cut pineapple and as expected it was delicious. On the way couple of hours later, we stopped at a place called 'Spice Garden'. For somebody like me, who never saw any kind of spice plants, I was really eager visit. After paying an entry fee of Rs. 100, I saw clove, cinnamon, elaichi, vanilla, orchids and many other ayurvedic plants.
We finally reached Munnar around 3 PM. It was a small town, but the real fun starts from here to 'Top Station'. We passed 'Matupetty Dam' speed boat point, Echo Point, Kundala Dam to get to the vista point 'Top Station'. Top Station is highest point in Munnar and 28 KMs away from Munnar and an hour of driving time. We were horrified to find out that Camp Noel is 10-12 KM away from Top Station (45 Min drive) and cars can not go there. We had to wait for an hour for Camp-Noel's vehicle (Scorpio) to pick us up at 'Top Station'. It's was a rough ride but the car handled it pretty well.
After shower we went for the dinner buffet.
We sat around the fire for some time and retired to our cottage. The night was cold and extremly windy as I could hear the leaves rustling.
25 March 2009
"Sight seeing in Munnar"
26 March 2009
"Alleppey to Kumarakom Boat Ride"
We woke up early at 5 AM, just brushed and meanwhile the coffee arrived courtesy of Camp-Noel. We paid the bill and left Camp-Noel with packed breakfast (bread, jam, cheese, omelettes and cut mixed-fruit; talk about caring for guests!). Pandya (Scorpio driver) dropped us at 19-mile point (3 km away from Top Station) where our cab driver was waiting. NH-49 and 47, we reached Alleppey boat jetty (Mohamma) at 11:45 AM. We paid the driver for 3 days and extra money for good service.
We boarded the boat at 12 noon. Boat had two A/C rooms, we got one since we asked for one room. There were sofas and dining table and side benches at the front side of the boat (part of the viewing deck). In addition there was a TV for viewing movies which we never turned on (there was no satellite connection). Boat started at 12:45 PM while I was taking shower in the bath room. We could see beautiful guest houses and private boats. Weather was cool (I expected it to be hot, but the monsoon began a week earlier in Kerala this year).
Boat docked at 2 PM for lunch. I could smell the fish fry from the kitchen. The lunch was served at the front side of the boat. We relished Fish fry, 3 different curries, Sambar, Curd and Pickle. Good food and right after lunch my wife took a nap. It was time for mine ....
We had snacks and tea at 4:30 PM and again the boat docked at 5 PM for night stay. We went to the shore to see an old church in a small boat. We sat there till the sunset and came back. We relaxed a bit and turned on the TV to watch an old Hindi movie. Dinner was served at 8:00 PM.
The Boat experience is a must for any Kerala tourist (BTW, the boat can reach Kumarakom in less than 2 hours from Allepey. )
27 March 2009
"Relax in Kumarakom"
28 March 2009
"Varkala Beach"
29 March 2009
"Kovalam and Kanyakumari"
We started at 9:30 AM with no breakfast and hoping to have one in Trivandrum. The city traffic level was pretty high and so we decided to skip visiting Padmanabhaswamy temple and move onto Kovalam. Kovalam beach was a disappointment. It is a black sand beach and due to bank reinforcement construction, piles of sand were every where. We spent some time staring at the ocean while eating our breakfast at 12 noon. There tons of shops and sea-food restaurants dotted along the beach till the hill where a light house is located. Due to off-season, I could not see many travellers around. A street hawker convinced my wife to buy a embroidered blanket for Rs. 1200. Another fruit seller pushed me to buy some bananas and mango forRs. 50.
Finally we started for Kanyakumari amidst burning sun. We had to stop at the Kerala and Tamilnadu border to pay a toll of Rs. 250 (for taxis). We reached Kanyakumari at 4:30 PM and learnt that the last ferry that shuttles between the main land and Vivekananda Rock left at 4 PM. Slightly disappointed, we climbed up the Gandhi Memorial building (toll free) and watched the congruence of all three oceans. The enormous Thiruvalluvar Statue (130' tall) was clearly visible from there.
I requested a travel agent in Aluva to reserve bus tickets as a back up. I slept eager to know whether our wait-listed train tickets have been confirmed or not.
The day ended late in the night. I was slightly unhappy that I could not see Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum and Padmanbhapuram Palace. Many told us that we should see the sun rise over Vivekananda Rock and it obviously requires a night halt at Kanyakumari.
30 March 2009
"Getting back to Bangalore"
Today morning after a toast and dosa breakfast, I checked my ticket status at the IRCTC website and surprised to know that my Wait listed tickets have been converted to RAC tickets. I cancelled my bus tickets and headed to the Varkala station to board the Bangalore Express at 1:35 PM. The train from Kanyakumari came 15 minutes late and I was glad to get inside the AC compartment to take shelter from Varkala's moist heat. The train goes through picturesque water canals, coconut groves and country side (passes through Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam). We arrived at K.R.Puram station the next morning at 6:15 AM.
"The trip starts"
I planned for a 6 night, 7 day trip to Kerala to visit Munnar, Alleppey-Kumarakom, Varkala and Kanyakumari.
We started our week long journey to Kerala on Saturday night. I convinced my wife to catch the train (6526 Kanyakumari exp) at Krishnarajapuram instead of SBC.We reached the station under 30 minutes. After dealing with a jeering TC why we boarded at Krishnarajapuram instead of SBC, we settled into our beds very shortly.
24 March 2009
"Let's get to Munnar"
I woke up at 7:30 AM, brushed, finished the Idli-vada breakfast and started watching the green fields, coconut groves and banana plantations passing by. The train reached Aluva (one station before Ernakulam) by 9:40 AM. Our taxi driver Dilip (from Paradise Travels) was waiting for us outside the station. We headed for Munnar after breakfast at a local restaurant not worth mentioning.
We passed small towns like Perumbavoor, Kuruppampady an hour later.We reached a big water fall at 12 noon. The place is fully commercialized. The waterfall is definitely worth watching. We had some freshly cut pineapple and as expected it was delicious. On the way couple of hours later, we stopped at a place called 'Spice Garden'. For somebody like me, who never saw any kind of spice plants, I was really eager visit. After paying an entry fee of Rs. 100, I saw clove, cinnamon, elaichi, vanilla, orchids and many other ayurvedic plants.
We finally reached Munnar around 3 PM. It was a small town, but the real fun starts from here to 'Top Station'. We passed 'Matupetty Dam' speed boat point, Echo Point, Kundala Dam to get to the vista point 'Top Station'. Top Station is highest point in Munnar and 28 KMs away from Munnar and an hour of driving time. We were horrified to find out that Camp Noel is 10-12 KM away from Top Station (45 Min drive) and cars can not go there. We had to wait for an hour for Camp-Noel's vehicle (Scorpio) to pick us up at 'Top Station'. It's was a rough ride but the car handled it pretty well.
After shower we went for the dinner buffet.
We sat around the fire for some time and retired to our cottage. The night was cold and extremly windy as I could hear the leaves rustling.
25 March 2009
"Sight seeing in Munnar"
26 March 2009
"Alleppey to Kumarakom Boat Ride"
We woke up early at 5 AM, just brushed and meanwhile the coffee arrived courtesy of Camp-Noel. We paid the bill and left Camp-Noel with packed breakfast (bread, jam, cheese, omelettes and cut mixed-fruit; talk about caring for guests!). Pandya (Scorpio driver) dropped us at 19-mile point (3 km away from Top Station) where our cab driver was waiting. NH-49 and 47, we reached Alleppey boat jetty (Mohamma) at 11:45 AM. We paid the driver for 3 days and extra money for good service.
We boarded the boat at 12 noon. Boat had two A/C rooms, we got one since we asked for one room. There were sofas and dining table and side benches at the front side of the boat (part of the viewing deck). In addition there was a TV for viewing movies which we never turned on (there was no satellite connection). Boat started at 12:45 PM while I was taking shower in the bath room. We could see beautiful guest houses and private boats. Weather was cool (I expected it to be hot, but the monsoon began a week earlier in Kerala this year).
Boat docked at 2 PM for lunch. I could smell the fish fry from the kitchen. The lunch was served at the front side of the boat. We relished Fish fry, 3 different curries, Sambar, Curd and Pickle. Good food and right after lunch my wife took a nap. It was time for mine ....
We had snacks and tea at 4:30 PM and again the boat docked at 5 PM for night stay. We went to the shore to see an old church in a small boat. We sat there till the sunset and came back. We relaxed a bit and turned on the TV to watch an old Hindi movie. Dinner was served at 8:00 PM.
The Boat experience is a must for any Kerala tourist (BTW, the boat can reach Kumarakom in less than 2 hours from Allepey. )
27 March 2009
"Relax in Kumarakom"
28 March 2009
"Varkala Beach"
29 March 2009
"Kovalam and Kanyakumari"
We started at 9:30 AM with no breakfast and hoping to have one in Trivandrum. The city traffic level was pretty high and so we decided to skip visiting Padmanabhaswamy temple and move onto Kovalam. Kovalam beach was a disappointment. It is a black sand beach and due to bank reinforcement construction, piles of sand were every where. We spent some time staring at the ocean while eating our breakfast at 12 noon. There tons of shops and sea-food restaurants dotted along the beach till the hill where a light house is located. Due to off-season, I could not see many travellers around. A street hawker convinced my wife to buy a embroidered blanket for Rs. 1200. Another fruit seller pushed me to buy some bananas and mango forRs. 50.
Finally we started for Kanyakumari amidst burning sun. We had to stop at the Kerala and Tamilnadu border to pay a toll of Rs. 250 (for taxis). We reached Kanyakumari at 4:30 PM and learnt that the last ferry that shuttles between the main land and Vivekananda Rock left at 4 PM. Slightly disappointed, we climbed up the Gandhi Memorial building (toll free) and watched the congruence of all three oceans. The enormous Thiruvalluvar Statue (130' tall) was clearly visible from there.
I requested a travel agent in Aluva to reserve bus tickets as a back up. I slept eager to know whether our wait-listed train tickets have been confirmed or not.
The day ended late in the night. I was slightly unhappy that I could not see Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum and Padmanbhapuram Palace. Many told us that we should see the sun rise over Vivekananda Rock and it obviously requires a night halt at Kanyakumari.
30 March 2009
"Getting back to Bangalore"
Today morning after a toast and dosa breakfast, I checked my ticket status at the IRCTC website and surprised to know that my Wait listed tickets have been converted to RAC tickets. I cancelled my bus tickets and headed to the Varkala station to board the Bangalore Express at 1:35 PM. The train from Kanyakumari came 15 minutes late and I was glad to get inside the AC compartment to take shelter from Varkala's moist heat. The train goes through picturesque water canals, coconut groves and country side (passes through Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam). We arrived at K.R.Puram station the next morning at 6:15 AM.
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