Coaker’s walk and Pillar rock!

I’m swing in bliss, because its mist.

For everyone kodaikanal mean something and for me it’s totally mist, and lately the beautiful lake. One morning I went on wheels through Coaker's walk and it was completely covered in mist in a disappointing way to everyone in getting views, but I really enjoyed a lot like on one and leisurely moved with cold mist. Entering either way, the small tea stall at entrance greeted me with memories of having cuppa at couple of times in past, the taste and warmth comes to sits at my tongue. Further moving into the path way that goes along the edge of mountain and half a km in distance, it was quite bliss with cold breeze and mist like ever sensed before.

Along the way there’re countable pavement shops selling fury toys, wooden decorative items and photos adding on cups… but nothing interest me like mist, except few wooden cars in a shop and baked peanuts.

Coaker’s walk always interest me at leisure and passing through this lane is simple pleasure and unvaried sill. The panoramic view of beautiful valley, with clouds floating sometime, to far away towns, lakes and hills are indeed splendid on a cloudless day and it’s a view point unlike others almost covered in mist. Telescope tower at one end of the path gives a chance to see far away places at close distance, but I wonder why do people pay and look through the lens when white screen confined there views in mist. The flowers grown beneath the slopes in red and yellow are very pretty to see, including the hanging flowers in white and pink at one end. The Coaker deriving its name from Lt. Coaker, who discover this footpath in 1872 and drew map to kodaikanal, cleared my query at last.

After wander at Coaker’s walk our next stop was at Pillar rocks. At 400 feet height, three rocks stand proximately is one of nature’s wonderful formations. The chamber between the pillars is known as devil’s kitchen – a hallow cave, also known as guna cave. The pillars are often covered by mist and as usual the clouds played hind and seek with us leaving little space to cover the splendid. But what disappointed me a lot was the situation of pillar rocks lately, with many shops shifting the place completely leaving behind a hard sign and sight of pillars. I see how people are such follies to turn over the significant of this place, and I just wanted to ask those shop owners, do we came over here to see the arrangements of your shops blocking the pillar rocks?

Kodaikanal, being one of the important tourist place in country, it’s damn what the government is doing than cleaning these encroachments. I would say princess of hills losing her beauty to encroachments of buildings and shops, and ones the pristine beauty is polluted now somehow.

Poombarai

The place we decided to travel first after arriving kodaikanal was, Poombarai. It’s a beautiful village, with an hour drive or 18km from kodaikanal on the way to Mannavanur. It turned noon when we were moving around with couple of restaurants to get our lunch parcels to only get a replay of no after making delay, and the places we like to go further have no provision of food, so we just gone with bread and jam to stop some more delay. The route we went take us through pine forest, where woods laid nearer in order by nature or whoever, stands tall in almost wet surface, just makes cool like anything and ever green. The fallen woods that remain after removal from way are tuned to live within nature simply getting to ruin to feed nature and they say these woods are banned to remove from here and this one reason helps nature to bounce within at least.

We had nothing to do with the village Poombarai, but it does everything with its pretty views I have ever seen that make impress with the pattern it provides. Parked beside a curve road that gives a clean sight of the valley, we saw the beautiful village surrounded by different shapes and size of lands that carved like steps on the slope of hills and it was well known as terrace farming. One part of the fields in different soil colors, gives a wonderful pattern and few terraces are traced by ploughed and harvested, with remaining terraces into the progress of developing cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, potatoes and hill garlic, which is noted here.

Almost with tiles roof, the houses seem even at distinct. The valley that exist other side of the village is wide open to an excellent view of Palani hills where Poombarai situated as its heart, a mountain range in Western Ghats. There’s a wooden view point adjoin to the road side, to climb at our own risk and there’s a small hill top with shrine, where one could enjoy the cool mist and breeze that moves into peace and pleasure looking over the village. At far distance there was a falls flowing like a silver line and as far we move, the view continues along the way; and it was interesting with fresh green vegetation fields. The irrigation was done through a small canal where the spring water collected from nearby areas passes through and wonder how water supplied to the higher terrace when rain fail to visit.

And back in evening, it was another splendid view of mist covering the valley and slowly caresses the village. I wonder how the people would feel being under blanket of mist and just being hidden from the world view for sometime to clear.

The village exists like an untouched beauty as its core attraction, with petal like hills surrounded. It was nice to see them farming even on no flat surface and creating something to progress their lives, and not like those people who sell there well growing lands to more money and turn it to concrete floors in name of development. We come across many farming lands, but this was simple marvel. The village is connected with buses from kodai and it was a remote village with no clear signal of mobiles, and it holds a Murugan temple with history of three thousands years and once a year they celebrate cart festival after Thai Poosam that comes in Jan-feb.

Highways and Clouds

The highways that laid down these days and across in process, is connecting well the main cities and towns are gift to travelers, who loves smooth and quick access to there destinations. We know roads are stretched to development to make easy the transportation and stress free travel, but sometime I think against this progress that why do we need highways to be widen by cutting down all roadside trees and destroying identities that stands for long. Especially on sunny days, traveling on highways is anxious without air condition on, which I hate to be and lack of shadows that can’t make chill sometime on long drives and I really feel what the traveling I was looking for doesn’t gives this highways and its simply bored and dry to travel long distances seems indifferent. On other hand I was happy about the quality of roads that could meet international standard, and those frequent on roads could enjoy the comfort which doesn’t fulfilled me.

Last week I visited kodaikanal and few places around Theni district and as usual it’s more than 12 hours of journey. Keeping in mind the heat waves, we began our journey at 5.30am from Chennai and reached kodaikanal before dusk. Its third time in a decade I’m visiting kodai and quite right on route, and people who can’t agree with me caught up with puzzle, wasted time and fuel traveling in-between Vathalagundu and kodai road before finding dad’s friend wait at kodai road junction. The ghat road leads to kodai was quite flowing, thus everyone wonder how quick we reached top and it was a beautiful day of sky watching across land and hills.

The sky was wide open with clouds floating like cotton candies and displays child art similarly. I always wish to watch clouds that we imagine to draw wherever nature needs and it was such delight to watch in light blue backdrop. As we move on hills, the cotton candy clouds just crashes on the hills as mist and split as cold breeze; and when we head the guest house the place was soaked in drizzle. The sky was still opened to reflect lights in-between clump of clouds even nearly 7pm and we goose bump as our feet sense the coldness of earth. It was a pleasant stable that night and the house was really wonderful, and I will make a post separately on that.

Sholayar Rainforest

It’s a refreshing morning to wakeup early to sense the moister ambiance and to visible the fog masked mountains. The great energy sprinkles in me like those dews on lawn and flowers, even though little stressed physically in lack of bearing cold. As said before cold was not much though at night, but till sunshine warms, I am unable to hold anything properly. This is something I am experiencing every time more on initial days of my visit to hill stations. It was something consent when the numb skin face the sun light in recharging energy. Our first day plan was to check Athirapally Falls in Kerala, which is about 100km from Valparai. Indeed it’s just a destination I loved to travel in-between dense rainforest! It was such an experience ever in my life travel across a massive rainforest into deep, where mystery dumped forever. The woods covered completely leaving little space to vehicles, where we can’t find anything conceals beside those thick and nearly bush. The SUV strikes those bush and tough hardly ride on that road less. The ghat was narrow and carries many ditches to store liters of water! Though there wasn’t rain in early past and current, so the path visible clearly nor would it have been the worst drive through this uncertain trail – a relative who come along said!

On the way we come across Sholayar Dam 1 – 30km away from Valparai, and two check posts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. One need to sign and mark the reason to cross the boarder, because it was highly dense forest and haven to endanger animals, woods and shoals. It was just another dream come true for me, next to Valparai. As we’re unaware about the forest, animals and poisonous insects, we weren’t allowed to wander by my parents. Throughout the way we visible elephants dung on middle of the road and broken branches where provide a sign of elephants just crossed. We peeked far long the way; thought we can’t find any animals including a elephant is a great disappointment. We stopped in between to listen to the strange sounds and twitters the forest provides! The lion tailed monkeys leap across those high woods, by creeping branches to strike and dismantle to turn our attention. From a distance we find something moving on the road, when getting near we were at surprise to find a crab stretching its mass! On the middle of the rainforest, we stopped to sight the Sholayar Dam 2, around thick bush and shoals. This is some place I wish to visit again in future to experience some more to memories. This is a route that is highway, links Kerala and Tamil Nadu. On this stretch not many vehicles are visible, and even the Tamil Nadu state govt. leaves bus only twice – one in morning and evening. To travel on this rainforest is up to our courage and strength – of drivers!

The remaining pictures will be updated soon, here and in Flickr.

Simply Pleasure, Valparai!

Day 2: Dec25, 2008

Been long update on my travel to Valparai, it’s so excite to remember the wonderful journey again by sharing with you all.

We moved from Pollachi guest house by 9 and reaching around 10am by Aliyar dam, fare on the widely unloaded road. We sight the hills faraway; surly can’t find the sign of a dam till reaching the curve bridge. It just located on the foothills of Valparai, so none can miss its existence. Few of our members climbed the many steps, and I am being using wheels, reached the terrace by taking the road end of the dam. I could really see what I seen through pictures via net. It’s a vast bank, goes like a C shape boundary of pathway. As soon reaching top, I could find a house remind me of some Tamil movies taken here. It’s called Chinna Thambi house, where the move was taken, and a famous political scene in Amaithi Padai was shot. The dam gives a panoramic view of the beautiful Western Ghats and largely extended reservoir, and the other side with green coconut groves until visible.

We moved some distance above dam, which could be stretched more than a couple of km to walk. As we proceed, the cool breeze blows on our face, holding the nature and its pleasure. Below the dam there was a small garden with a fountain - not sprinkling currently, an aquarium and a mini theme park. Seems like a boat ride is available in the dam, were we could fine some boats lonely floating in the reservoir To add some information, Aliyar dam is one of the longest in Asia, build in 1962, to store the waters collected throughout the hills of Anamalai range. It’s an important water source to Pollachi and its surrounding places, which extends till Erodu district. The water flows to this reservoir is from Upper Aliyar and Parambikulam dam in Kerala. Its wonder to know the water system and its connectivity through dams! There are more to go through dams further into this travel, and almost every link would conclude with Aliyar!

view of vast coconut groves

On the way before climbing ghat, we stopped at monkey falls. As the name refers, there are a lot of monkeys around this site, where our family members went to take shower in the falls. Meanwhile, me and driver bro parked the vehicle and waited, in time to get some nice entertainment from monkeys. As we watch, one monkey enters into a vehicle to steal something, was driven by we and there was a lovely scene of three monkeys sitting on a branch feeding each other. After the falls and a check post later, we encounter the first hairpin bend which continues like zigzag till 13-14 bends. At every bend we sighted different views of aliyar dam and far more, to stop at the 9th bend - lomes view, for more views. And where above the hill there, we sighted some Nilgiri thars, those rarely had seen.

On the way, we stopped at AttaKatti to collect our lunch parcels in a small hotel, as we know it may take eventide to reach Valparai! At the end of the waterfall estate, we parked our SUV beside a private estate to have our lunch and I went little further around the place in wheels to view cluster of clouds striking the above tea gardens and hiding the homes. There was a board sign’s ‘mist spread zone’; and I wished to experience the cold within mist, but last only the cold breeze. Throughout the way it was scenic, to have clear visions of evergreen tea gardens, and far away hills surrounds with fog! On the last and closing 40th hairpin bend, we saw a sign board that Balaji Temple 7km. So dad decides to visit the temple first, and the sky open to light sunshine moved us ahead. Along the way its quite tea estates; and the temple lies in one of the highest place in valparai, called Karamalal. The road to the Balaji Temple is such rough with many potholes and being very narrow upward, the SUV hardly climbed the hills. Reaching atop we smelled oily from clutch, where later to realize that almost every vehicle odor the same, riding upward.

With no idea how well the place gives way to my wheels, so I and sister remain to leave others to visit the temple. My bro, who took the camera to capture some pictures of the temple was warned by the guard, and advised the pictures would not remain. Whether it’s true or not, I lost number of pictures in my cam including those taken at Balaji Temple, when checking the pictures later! Some told they have some magnetic instrument to sweep pictures taken at temple, which I can’t believe how it’s possible without my cam! At the other hand I doubt may someone erased the pictures unaware, even though I could have lost the whole pictures of the day, but I lost only whatever taken after aliyar :( none would do that, as they know how important those pictures are.

The drive continues through the tea gardens, to reach valparai by 5.30pm. With the address, we found our relative house, who have booked cottage for us next to there home. To tell, it’s a wonderful stable! We are pleased by the way the home and yarn appears, with more space for parking and gardening. I am so attracted by the views of tea estates and flowers in the garden. The relatives we met there are unknown before, where no memories we meet each others in any occasions, but they most welcomed us, in such a way it pleased receiving there respect and love! Man, it’s an ever evening that we played and been so happy like that, teasing each others. Our uncle cheered the evening and throughout our travel. Till our dinned we spent time in the yawn, playing bat and ball in the pleasing weather. It’s no more like Ooty or Kodaikanal that we head down before the night dawn. This gives a simply fantastic sense!

Thanks so much for spending your valuable times here reading this long post :)

Smoking stream

This picture was taken one early morning in Valparai last month. It’s a wonderful sight to see fog like rising from the small stream far near the place we stayed. A relative who guide us said, in summer days they used to take bathe in Kuzangalaru (Pebbles River or such streams), and those times water seems to be warmth! It’s really amazing, with almost cold weather throughout year and only in summer these streams bliss. There was a group of guys near the stream burning something to warm them to celebrate there existence.

Chennai's foggy day

Oh there was this foggy dawn today not round my reside alone, over all Chennai. Last night me and cousin bro planned to have early morning outing at my wheels, but we all waked only at 7.30 to sudden astonish the fogs surrounded. Really we missed a great pleasure of going out on this very foggy day and till 8.45 thick fog invisibles everywhere only white felt like came to some hill stations.