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| Malampuzha Dam |
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| Kappad Beach |
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| Wayanad-Bandipur Sanctuary |
Day-1 (24/May/2013) Friday
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| (L-R) Anand, Ramanan and Praveen at 3 boys park |
KrishnakumarSDThe late entries into them are Hyundai i10sportzAT(1) and KrishnakumarSD[48] myself.
The three boys have planned to tour Palakkad on their own by bus and I was not having any idea of joining them.They were ready to leave for their journey and saying bye to me. Then suddenly I thought of the difficulties the boys will be facing in a bus journey.Difficulties in the sense they may not get enough time to see places and also I would like them to have the comfort and joy of a car ride.So I have decided to join them.
Since my better half is used to such eccentric decisions of myself for the past 18 years, she has dumped some of my dresses and other bare necessities into a bag and threw it to me and I was on the wheels with the boys.
We started on 24/May/2013[Friday] approx. at10:00 am from Lakshmi Nagar(Bhavani) towards Palakkad on NH 47 through Perundurai, Avinashi & L&T bypass.
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At Walayar we were welcomed to enter the Kerala state.Just a few Kms before Palakkad we have stopped at Hotel Malabar for lunch.
Boys have ordered Chicken Biryani and actually I wanted to have plain rice with fish curry to make the lunch simple but my wish was misinterpreted by the bearer and he brought a full big curry fish with masala to be laughed at by the boys.
But they have also pounded on it and left me a little.
Then we have taken the route to MalamPuzha dam from NH 47 before palakkad and reached the dam by ~03:00 pm.First we had a 20 mins. ride(Rs.40/head) in the Ropeway to have a panoramic view of the garden, dam wall etc.., .
Then we have taken the route to MalamPuzha dam from NH 47 before palakkad and reached the dam by ~03:00 pm.First we had a 20 mins. ride(Rs.40/head) in the Ropeway to have a panoramic view of the garden, dam wall etc.., .
Praveen & Anand in the cabin of Ropeway
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| Boys on the Board Walk below the Rope way |
Then we have entered the garden to spend the remaining time of the evening.
We have strolled inside the park crossing suspension bridges,having a board walk and seeing yakshi statue,3boys park,having a close look of spillway etc...,
 Board Walk Single Rock Sculpture of Yakshi
Yakshi, a mythological figure, is sculptured by Kanai Kunhiraman, one of the most famous sculptors of Kerala, in the year of 1969. The statue is colossal in size and is created out of a single section of rock. The skillfulness and the creativity behind the statue are remarkable, and it leaves the spectator spellbound.
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Spillway
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Then we have climbed up the steep stairs at the right end side of the dam wall. From the top we have seen a very little storage of water behind the dam wall, exposing most portions of the islands.The MWL mark is far away from the present water level.
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| Maximum Water Level mark |
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| View of the water catchment side |
Then we have descended to the park towards an interesting historical recordings regarding commencement and completion of the Malampuzha Dam project work.Those days the Palakkad was within the State of Madras.
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| Sri. M.Bhaktavatsalam[March-1949] |
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| Sri. K. Kamaraj[October-1955] |
Then the big Floor chess board in the park was curious and interesting for the boys to spend some time with it.
Then we have moved out of the park and having a discussion regarding the stay of the night.
We have wisely decided to stay in the KTDC Hotel[0491-2815191,2815217:check out time 12noon] nearby the dam and proceeded towards the lodge.An A/C double bed room with an extra bed has been occupied by us for a cost of Rs.1709/day.[1200(rent)+240(ext. bed)+269(taxes)].
After retiring into the room by 06:00pm Ramana has seen the hillock shown below from the lodge and he asked us to have a hike on it.So we drove the car to the foothills of the hillock. Then all the four started climbing and by 06:45pm we were nearly on top of the hill but due to the poor light we have decided to to get down.Some of the pictures of our small hike follows this.
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| Ramanan wished to have a hike on this hillock |
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| Ramanan and Praveen on the hillock(06:45 pm) |
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| Anand resting during the climb |
So finally by 07:00pm on the first day[24/May/2013], we have entered the room to see the water dripping from the room A/C making it inconvenient for us.
Because of it all of us have shifted to another room and ordered the supper to the room.
After supper I have asked the boys to plan for next day's trip.They were discussing whether to visit Nelliampathy or Dhoni water falls or some other place.Without any conclusion all of us went to bed.
Only tomorrow will show the route to travel and the place to visit.Good Night.
Day-2 (25/May/2013) Saturday
Second day had started with no definite idea.Some of the snaps of morning at and near KTDC Hotel, Malampuzha Dam.
Where to wander?
3 young wandering boys were discussing to visit Nelliyampathy,Dhoni waterfalls Silent valley or some other place.
Silent valley visit has to be booked(04924-253225) in advance but we did not.Upon enquiry '25th and 26th of May' do not have any opening.Only 27th had a chance.Hence it was not feasible for us and has been dropped.
Dhoni water falls has no water flow.
Nelliyampathy has also not attracted!
The discussion took an 180 deg. turn of visiting a Beach.So, the wandering is directed towards the Arabian Sea.The spot is Kappad Beach of west coast near Calicut and approx.160 Kms from Malampuzha Dam.
We had our Breakfast.By 09:30 am we have started our journey from Malampuzha to Kappad beach through Malappuram.The road was well laid; but, it is narrow and the traffic is also more.With a stop for a lunch on the way we have reached the Kappad beach by 03:30 pm.
The above is the front beach of Kappad but we have preferred the second beach(shown below) which is less crowded and cleaner near the "Renai Kappad Beach Resort".
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| Beach near "Renai Kappad Beach Resort" |
From 03:30 pm to 07:00pm we have spent time in the beach and around 05:00 pm the rain shower has added thrill to our remaining time spent in the beach.The rain has not stopped.
So we have planned to stay near the beach instead of going to Calicut.
Renai Beach Resort has no vacant rooms and we have searched and located a budget lodge 'Ponnu Tourist Home' ,which is at walkable distance from the beach.
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| Mr.Balan/Caretaker/7688104/Ponnu Tourist Home/Kappad Beach |
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| Krishnakumar with Mr. Balan |
We have found the 73 years old gentleman Mr.Balan (caretaker of the lodge) and asked him for the night stay.No one was staying in the lodge and he was hesitant to rent the room due to power cut because of heavy raining and finally seeing the boys he has consented.
He has provided a double bedroom and some candles and suggested us to have our supper in C.M.Hotel at Vettilapara which is 5Kms from the lodge.
We have changed ourselves to warm clothes and proceeded to CM Hotel for supper and returned back to the Ponnu lodge for the night stay to end the wandering of the second day with the sky still pouring the elixir on the earth.
Pictures at C.M.Hotel-Vettilapara
Day-3 (26/May/2013) Sunday
We wanted to spend the dawn of Sunday at the beach.That was the reason to stay nearby.
By 06:30 am all of us were at the beach. Some of the snaps taken in the morning can be seen below.
Tender Coconut shell Game
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| caught a shell |
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| Throwing the shells into the sea |
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| Thrown the shells into the sea |
Ramana can be seen running with a tender coconut shell in the above picture.We have devised a game using two tender coconut shells yesterday itself.
The game is each person has to throw his tender coconut shell into the sea as far as possible.
The shells floats and pushed back to the shore by the waves.
The shell which reaches the shore first is the loser and the other reaches the shore later is the winner.
This was a simple game that has kept the boys and myself engaged for hours yesterday and today at the Arabian sea.
Up to 08:00 am we were at the beach ,then returned to the lodge to be greeted by Mr.Balan with some biscuits and hot tea.
We have thanked the caretaker and went to the Vettilapara CM Hotel for breakfast.
My break fast is Appam with my favourite Fish Curry.
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| Appam and Fish Curry-My Breakfast |
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| Boys breaking the fast with chicken |
After the breakfast we have started our journey by 10:00 am from Vettilapara towards Wayanad district of Kerala.By 11:30 am we have reached the base point of Lakkidi ghat route which has nine hairpin bends.
It is a scenic route and the gateway to Wayanad district from Calicut district.
Some of the snaps of the hill route and the entry into wayanad district are shown below.
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| Lakkidi Ghat Route starts here.(11:30 am) |
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| Beeline of Vehicles in the Lakkidi Ghat Route |
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Entering Wayanad at 12:10 pm
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| This Chain tree is located near Vythiri and is 15 kms from Kalpetta. This is a large Ficus tree bounded by a long chain. |
| Ficus tree is the official tree of Thailand. Under natural conditions this tree will grow up to 98 feet. It has swinging branches, silky leaves and small fruit. This small fruit is a favourite food for many birds |
| There is an interesting story behind this Chain tree. It is said that one adivasi youth named Karinthandan helped or guided one British engineer to find the difficult path through the dense forest to Wayanad. But the crooked engineer who wanted to take the full credit of this discovery killed Karinthandan. The angry soul of this adivasi started troubling travelers who used to visit Wayanad. It is said that one priest chained this angry spirit to this tree. |
| To know more about this story you have to visit this fascinating tourists spot. Because of this interesting story this is an attractive location for the tourists who visit Wayanad.[source:http://www.wayanadtouristplaces.com/chaintree.html] |
Thanks and Salutes to the Adivasi(tribal) Karinthandan for sacrificing his life to find this ghat route.Pictures of chain tree are here for you to see.
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| Chain Tree |
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| Unchained Krishnakumar at the "Chain Tree" |
From 'Chain Tree' we have moved towards 'Pookot Lake' .We have to take a left turn from the Kalpetta route and travel a Km to reach this naturally formed lake.Since it was a Sunday and also the end of school vacation the spot was with large crowd.We have spent some time over there before started moving towards Kalpetta.Some of the snaps of us at Pookot Lake are here for your view.
We have not tried the boating due to the long waiting time.Started moving towards Kalpetta the Headquarters of Wayanad District.On the way we have stopped at Vythiri to have our lunch at a simple roadside hotel 'Vythiri Restaurant'.
By 02:00 pm we have started towards Sulthan Bathery through Kalpetta.We had an interest to visit 'Edakkal Caves' near Sulthan Bathery.The shortest route to that spot was closed for road laying and we were suggested to take a winding route.But we have dropped the idea of visiting Edakkal Caves.Instead of that we have changed our plan to have a Jeep Safari in the 'Wayanad(Muthanga) Wildlife Sanctuary' and started rushing towards 'Muthanga' which is nearly 15 kms from Sulthan Bathery on the way to Gundlupet of Karnataka state.
By 03:40 pm we have reached the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary but to be greeted with 'Tickets Sold Out' for the evening jeep safari.We have got a suggestion from one of the officer to have a ride on our own towards Gundlupet.The reason is, in that travel 22 kms passes through the Wayanad and Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuaries and since it is the evening time, we can have more chances to spot elephants in the 22 kms stretch of ride inside the forest.It was a nice guidance.Because we have spotted wild elephents very close at four places in that stretch of travel.Some of the images of the maps and elephants are inserted below.
After the drive through the sanctuaries road we were heading towards Gundlupet.On the way we have stopped at the following sight.
These are the 'Watermelon' bags of 35 kg each.Ramanan wanted to buy one bag.We have enquired and bought a bag for Rs.130.
The time was nearly 05:30 pm and we have seen the bullocks returning to home after ploughing and many roadside vegetable shops on the way to Gundlupet..
By 06:00 pm we have reached Gundlupet and I have taken a foolish decision to continue travelling instead of halting at Gundlupet.On this day I had driven nearly 200 kms and approximately 150 kms remains to reach home.So the journey continued towards Chamrajnagar.On the way we have stopped at a stretch of roadside banyan trees and boys had some fun with dangling 'aerial roots' of the banyan trees.
Continuing our journey from Chamrajnagar we have entered Tamilnadu by 08:00 pm .
From here we have travelled to Dhimbam and negotiated 27 hairpin bends( a traffic jam held us at the ghat route for nearly 30 minutes) of the ghat route and reached Sathyamangalam around 10:00 pm. At Sathyamangalam we had our supper and reached home(Lakshmi nagar) by 11:30 pm through Gobichettipalayam,Kavindapadi.
The last 100 kms drive was really horrible for me.I should have stayed at gundlupet and continued the travel next morning.
Any way we have wandered 653 kms in the states of Tamilnadu,Kerala and Karnataka for 3 days and had spent an amount of Rs.11,600 for petrol,lodging,food etc...,
Bye Bye. Let us meet in the next post with some other travel experience.Bye.
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