My Travel and Better Health

After a long time or more than a year, I’m getting an opportunity to travel and this’s a long gap I had after traveling become a passion. I should have taken a trip early this year but people had different plans which are unavoidable and needn’t be as each phase has its significances that need to be addressed. Being dependent it’s impossible to think or work beyond the limits. Dad’s post coronary issue (though it was addressed through stents and he leads normally) things turned worse in my life as he should not lift me anymore and mom as same following her uterus removal last year, I’m looked after by my brother and cousin bro for shifting my positions has become a problem to pick up a trip on own. Till the end of last year, dad could put me inside the car and we would take short-distance rides but now I had to look out for my brother to lift me inside the car and ours being an SUV only for him is possible.

Following dad’s angioplasty in December, we didn’t think of traveling for few months and in March brother started working on his Fitness Centre aka GYM which was opened on 8^th May and sister’s wedding arrangements in June pushed our travel plans further. Even now the brother is a bit busy making new clients to the gym will be taking off few days for a family vacation at my uncle’s woodhouse (Smokey Haven Woodhouse) in mountains of Kodaikanal. Last week I checked with my cardiologist and it was a surprise and happy moment for the doctors at the clinic to find my heart pumps normal or normal LV function (55% to 65%) which was 37% last year when diagnosed with an echocardiogram. A yearlong on medication had helped me achieve this stage and the doctor was content with the result has reduced the medication and my next appointment are only after 6 months.

Following a sign of abnormal in ECG, last year May, I consulted the cardiologist and he found a weak heart or less percentage of LV function.  Though the heart getting weaker is a normal condition in the progress of muscular dystrophy, it was quite an unexpected drop for me as of 2016 echocardiogram my heart function was normal, and 2018 report of different. The doctor prescribed me few tablets and hope to sustain the condition with constant medication was cheerful about the incredible improvement of the condition and happily deducted few medicines. I’m already taking regular medicines for diabetes along with calcium and vitamin tablets to support the system and this improvement with the heart has helped a bit. The family vacation we planned for next week, with near and dear ones, is the one going to happen after three years, even though I use to visit Kodaikanal yearly as a family to relax and a little bit of exploring, I hope to have some fun with my first circle families. Only my newlywed sister is missing the trip as her in-law isn’t well.  We would be staying at the woodhouse and visit the princess of hill station – Kodai.

My family vacation in 2016. My other uncle and cousin (who took the shot) is missing in the photo. (click pic for large) 

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Colorful Kotagiri market street! 

Kotagiri is a beautiful hill station in the Nilgiris surrounded by tea, coffee and vegetable farming and this is a market place in core  area of the town. The market looks like an important place for the farmers and traders to sell their goods and people surrounding in/out the hill town is rely on the market.

A detour around Ooty

Trees rise and fall in nature's lap

During my visit to Nilgiris in 2017, I took a detour around the Ooty town, what I usually do or look forward to whatever places I visit, we took the road adjoin The Lawrence School following our stop at the lovely Lovedale Mountain Railway Station, and it was a casual turn toward this road while looked for a place to have lunch that we took along when we moved out of our homestay. The road led through calm and natural presence of woods and shrubs; amid where we found this Indian Gaur (aka Indian Bison) munching quietly some ten feet above our parked car and herd of sheep grazing alongside the road winding through some fresh patches of green or meadows. I really enjoyed taking this route even though the road isn’t good in shape it has some nice country sights where vegetables are cultivated and colourful houses built on hill slopes. Coming across these found the Mountain Railway track winding along the road and it was really surprise for me as I have seen this place and wished to visit when I read an article related to it on the Hindu Metro Plus, very long back, plus it has come in movies esp. the popular Tamil film Vaali.

I loved seeing the arched railway bridge at a turn of the road, which was picturesque but unfortunately it started to rain when nearing the bridge so I couldn’t get clear shots and also the iron fence along the way interrupted the view. There was lot of tiny wildflowers alongside the road and this stretch was really refreshing, breathing through the fresh mountain air and essense of soil and different form the usual views on Ooty. Following were some photos from the drive

Some sheep grazing on the roadsides

A cute one grazing alone

View on some colorful houses and residents made life thought mountains, grazing sheep and cultivating vegetables and tea. Being a part of Ooty perhaps their lives depend on tourism activities. 

A cemetery locating very close to the residences you seen a pic above

Something interesting caught our eyes, as we could see it was some kind of cultivation which resemble some arrangement of stones. There was none around there to enquire about the thing and it wasn't nearby to look closer

Saw this beautiful house on the way made through salubrious environment of green fields, tea garden and fresh mountain breeze.

A pleasant countryside view  

The winding mountain railway track along the road (between Lovedale - Fern Hill) and I wished there was a streamer passing by as we drive through.

Here comes  the pretty arch bridge or underpass of the Nilgiri Mountain Railways... where the popular tamil song Oh Sona (from Vaali) was shot.

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Colorful hill residence 

I enjoyed zooming on the houses on Elk Hill in Ooty when I stayed opposite to the hill during my travel. As you have seen the wide views on the hill and houses in a previous post here, this is a part of the scene and close looks at some houses more in shades of red, green, blue.

Elk Hill Residences

Elk hill is a hillock facing the Ooty town and the other side sliding down the Ketty valley, on Nilgiris, has slopes of hill residents and private resorts with tea gardens and woods spread around. Glad I was able to homestay right opposite to the hill (during my visit to Nilgiris aka Ooty in April 2017) to have a wonderful look on the same and the houses built in step formats. Our homestay had two big balconies overlooking the hill across the carrot and vegetable farming and Ooty-Coonoor main road. I really enjoyed this view and also the night ones with glittering lights from the hill residents (unfortunately I don’t have photos from night) and most of the houses built on the slope was tiled roof and built wall-to-wall with neighbours. I hope they all live as a community with peace and harmony unlike the different colors of house which perhaps one of the reasons for me to zoom for details. Looks most of the houses built there has to take only steps since there isn’t space to lay roads.

Btw. I don’t have any idea or found details why it is called Elk hill, but it only wants me to think either it should have Elk deer once on this hill or British (who discovered Ooty) brought some from their homeland. The other side of the Elk Hill has a popular Murugan temple built on the idea of Malaysia’s Batu Cave with a moderate golden statue of Muruga.

Knock at the Door

A house sparrow discussing with its reflection about the loss of their habitation and livelihood thinking it was another bird! But the sparrow was actually knocking at the glass window constantly in a manner of fighting out the other. It sensed me that they are actually knocking at our doors to let them have their space but us insensitively denying their rights and given importance to our hum him. We can’t blame anybody to enjoy their comforts and benefits available at the globalization, but did we really gave importance to something travelled along with us or realized what we missed in excite, the thing that was overridden or overtaken to let it fade through the rear mirrors.  March 20 was World Sparrow Day! And House Sparrow is a species designed to mingle and sustain with people but the reality was we failed to live up to their simple needs rather concerned only our comfort, style and hi-speed telecoms. The Western Ghats, along the south west coast,  plays a pivotal role in preserving the tiny house sparrows whose company we enjoyed until 2k, where the transformation begin to descend the harmony of their voices from our lives esp. in cities. I always enjoy their presence whenever I visit Western Ghats as part of travel and the picture was shot on same. 

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Check Post - 2

Check post is a series I have started (click here for post 1) where I would like to share moments related to check posts that I have come across during my travel. There’s a check post everywhere and these check post are important in sustaining a control over unruly esp. when it comes nature environment, wild and national defence and interest. Let it be anything, crossing a check post need consideration because skipping any working check post will land in trouble. Though we hadn’t messed up anywhere but got warned by the check post guards sometime and threat a penalty.

Just like in the previous post, where we stopped by a forest dept. check post before entering Hogenakkal and this post too is similar to the evening but here it was afternoon when we try to cross Papanasam check post to visit Karaiyar Dam in Pothigai Hills. It was in 1999, during my first time trip to Kodaikanal and Tirunelveli; we visited Courtallam on the 4^th day of our travel and then went to Agathiyar Falls inPapanasam and Karaiyar Dam (which weren’t in our plan) and we had no idea about this terrain as well. It was our friend who hailed from Tirunelveli, took us around the places and guided us on the entire trip (which I think I need to write a separate post on it later) and after taking showering from the popular Coutrallam waterfalls there we pursuit to Karaiyar Dam, which is 10km uphill from Papanasam.

The forest check post at Papanasam blocked our Ambassador car, and I guess they request for a permission letter and if I remember we paid some amount per head of us for them to allow inside the Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, where the Karaiyar Dam is built across Thamirabarani River. The road was narrow and potholed at many places where our Ambassador car passed effortlessly and entirely the road was silent and far empty with couple of stops with EB quarters and some settlement. The road travels along the Thamirabarani River and we could see huge pipes taking water down to the PowerStation at the foothill. I felt a sense of quietness all over; except for the voices inside the car and it was there I spot the Nilgirilangur for first time. The water level at the dam was far down then and a row of boats were parked along the bank to take visitor (on their willingness) to the other side of the dam  to check Roja Falls – named after the popular film Roja where  it was shot.

The view that I got from the dam is etched still on my mind. I rarely had a photo on it where I really need to dig out from the old photos collection. I was so interested taking the boat ride there, despite the ankle sprain I got on Kodaikanal; we were in lack of time as we need to head east to visit Tiruchendor before the end of the day. The picture of Nilgiri langur (above) was shot from the wilderness of Nilgiris during my visit in 2017.  

Marayoor – Munnar Road Travel

During the recent torrential rains in Kerala, the tourist hub Munnar experience great destruction and all the roads leading to the destination was blocked by erosion of roads, landslides or overflowing rivers. Munnar derived its name from the meeting point of three rivers that almost flood the town and the road from Udumalpet through Marayoor (which I took during my trip) was the most affected and damaged. It was a pleasant uphill task for us through forest and tea plantations and this route have number of brooks, waterfalls and rivers (that you may have seen in my posts related to Munnar) could easily eradicate the road when the water level and pressure arises on river/streams. I tried to connect with photos I captured during my trip with the places that faced damage and the following photos were shot between Marayoor and Munnar. 

In 1924 a similar situation turned out at Munnar (including other parts of Kerala), eradicated the town and its tea plantations to core and only then the Mattupetty Dam and Munnar (Hydel) Dam was built to preserve flood and hydro power.  I come to know it even before the disaster struck 2 weeks ago.  Thanks to the documentary I watched on Munnar at the Tea Museum there and images of the havoc washing away the town and tea factories. Lot of lives have lost as well. The Udumalpet-Munnar was the first road to lay to Munnar and I come across many old bridges on this road which must be threatened by the gushing water. I recommend this route for anyone love nature and pleasant driving to Munnar, keeping away the bustle traffic and tensing depth and valleys and sharp bends. 

One of the old arch bridge that was damaged in flood

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Marayoor is also a lovely place to stay and enjoy nature and wildlife around the town. The weather was such blissful during my pass away of the town, even though the road beyond that was wrapped in mist, in a way blocking away many fabulous views I was expected to look out for, but for a person who love to lose in mysterious mist, it was enjoyable along with multiple falls enroute. Marayoor is popular for their distinctly tasted Jaggery made from the sugarcanes harvest here and the natural sandalwood reserve is splendour of Marayoor, where we stopped for few minutes to have our tea. I made a stop at Udumalpet for a night stay was mainly to experience this route as leisure as possible, admiring the wilder rich and pristine touch of nature as many don’t take this route or to say a road that less travelled. 

Sugarcane fields past Marayoor town

Driving through the natural sandalwood reserve

Venture through thick blanket of mist

Since mist, drizzle and wetness take over the atmosphere; it feels fresh despite the weather traveling through thick and lush green landscapes that goes from light to dark patches of greenery. The road quite lost in the mist at some places and there were very few cars on the road so it wasn’t a problem driving through Ghats and the nature was so wonderful and cheerful in crown of mist capping the mountains sending downstream to valley.  Everything is pristine on this stretch and pleasing to sight although not clearly, this time, my quench for nature is endless but I wish to take this road again (if possible) to see the magnificence I missed in the cover of mist.

Most of the photos here were shot with iphone 

State at Immerse - Kerala

Words can’t describe the destruction the southern state Kerala is facing to the historical rain and flood that continues for 2nd weeks, following the torrential rains across Kerala and Karnataka that let more surplus water from their dams that led flood on the river Cauvery. Though it’s a monsoon season in India, the excessive rainfall in Kerala, south Karnataka and Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu has created havoc where almost dams or more than 60 dams had open their shutters since reaching their maximum, the rivers were all overflowing and flooding almost districts of Kerala. I can’t imagine what happened with Chennai and its surrounding in 2015, is taking place at the entire state of Kerala. Their suffering is immeasurable and it’s just not only rain and flood, but plenty of landslides and tree fall since many part of the state is mountainous terrain it’s anxious to watch houses burying into the mud with people screaming inside!

A red alert has declared at Kerala by the state govt. and the three forces (army, navy and air force) of nation is out to rescue and more than 0.3 million people has put at various shelters as the rain and flood continues to flow. At the other hand, the Karnataka dams on the Cauvery catchment is open to historical flow of more than 0.2 million cubic feet of water into the river, flooding the cities and towns on the bank of the river. All the dams along the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, including the Nilgiris had overflown after many year, sent more than 0.1 million cubic ft. to the Cauvery through Bhavani Sagar and Amaravathi Dams. So more than 0.3 million cubic ft. is rushing to the ocean flooding the banks and breaking bridges which is something beats the earlier records. While the Tamil Nadu was fighting for its share of water from Karnataka until last month, we’re glad to receive water more than we expected but not this abundant making way to ocean flooding the Cauvery banks and fields along.

Kerala, known as God’s own country, is almost blocked by road and railways, where the bridges either broken or immersed in water or the mountain passes are interrupted by landslides and trees falling frequently. We all wished for rain but never expected nature to yell us at all this way and bestow with plenty of water that immerse us to breathless. Yes, so far nearly 400 people had lost their lives to the flood and rain in Kerala and property lose in thousands of Crore. I deeply wish rain stop its abundant showering, the only way to recuse the state and let people breathe a little.  The history will never forget this phase, though we can’t do much on nature’s side but I hope lot can done on authorities side to preserve as much water possible and clear all waterway for peaceful and easy flow… Sending wishes for our neighbourhood state and people to come up from the disaster as quick as possible...

Front and Back

Here’s couple of candid shots on a horse ride around the Kodaikanal Lake road. It was the same horse, horseman and rider on both images that I just shot from the parked car, beside the lake, as they rode front and back. Kodaikanal Lake is one of my favourite places and just observing things happening around is a great time pass and entertainment as well. And horse riding is a part of the tourist activities take place around the lake road, apart cycling, where cycles are rented on hour’s basis.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Silver Lining Clouds

Around Wellington near Coonoor, while stopped to buy some fresh bakery items, the silver lining clouds draw my attention. I found the clouds rising in front of me were impressive with an outline and above the cluster of eucalyptus trees, the clouds form like mountains that caught fire! It was nearly 6 in the evening and clearly sun was behind this magic and once we hit the Ooty-Coonoor main road the sun was out again drawing my attention at many curves performing delight. I could share some more delight from that evening that couldn’t let me put down the mobile, as I was out of camera, I couldn’t capture the best, but enjoyed the views and more to come later.  

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

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Dazzling fruits and vegetables stall at Kodaikanal

The roadside stall sells lot of fruits and vegetables harvested from around the mountains of Kodaikanal. For the new visitors: Kodaikanal is a popular hill station in south India (more than MSL 2000 high) and one of the most visited mountains by me. And during a visit to same in the monsoon of 2016, I captured these photos while we stopped for purchasing fruits and homemade chocolates. The rains halt for some time then and it was about 7pm I took these photos from mobile and I was really amazed at the outcome of the photos splashed in different shades and colors, since the fruits exposed to the led bulbs.

And moreover the mist, gloominess and wetness of rain give a refreshing feel as I look into the dazzling fruits and vegetables from our parked car. I know very few of the names of the fruits sold at the shop like plums (called as ooty apple), pears and passion, and along with fruits they also sell mountain honey, homemade chocolates and eucalyptus oils. But more than fruits, vegetables like carrot, cabbage, potatoes and mountain garlic are cultivated around the mountains villages of Kodaikanal.  

#RGB Monday stand's for my self made meme on Red Green Blue colors.

Strawflowers

Suns scattered on ground

though they don’t glow like real

they own their sunshine.

Yellow strawflowers 

in the universe of green 

outshines like a sun.

P.s: Haiku inspired by yellow paper daisies captured from one of the wildest place in Theni. 

Commonly known as the golden everlasting or strawflower, is a flowering plant native to Australia and it grows as a woody or herbaceous perennial or annual shrub up to a metre tall with green or grey leafy foliage. Golden yellow or white flower heads are produced from spring to autumn; their distinctive feature is the papery bracts that resemble petals.

Woodhouse

Mist in the air wraps

like an envelope, woodhouse

folds up blissful warmth.

P.s: Haiku inspired by the mist wrapped around my uncle's woodhouse in Kodai, an iphone click on the wooden porch that slightly wet because of mist and rain that locked us last Nov's visit.

Skywatch Friday

Before checking the Tea Museum in Munnar, I captured this lovely shot on the pretty sky raised above the mountains of tea. Interestingly this’s the only part of the blue sky I watched during the entire trip of Munnar in Nov 2017! I ever experienced a travel like that where the whole trip went under gloomy, cloudy and rainy atmosphere and treated with multiple waterfalls decorating the mountains like festoons.

I really forget that I have completed 13 years in blogging on June 20th. I’m certain it’s only because of you, friends, support that I continue to blog and your comments were my booster to kept spring here. Thank you all. Blogging is a celebration every day and in the long run that particular day doesn’t mattered anymore and blogging isn’t the same as well when I begin and the experience of blogging taught me a lot to apply in my life and track  changer as well. It’s all because of you and you created a path for me to walk through.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Lovedale ! Railway Station

It’s not easy for a wheelchair bound to board a train and traveling in a mountain railway is out of dreams but I always wish to visit at least a railway station of the century old Nilgiri Mountain Railway. Many movies have captured the beauty of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and its picture postcard railway stations and smoky stream engines chugging out of the stations and making journeys through scenic mountains. Lovedale is a popular location for the climax scene in Tamil hit film Moonram Pirai. Last time when I visit Nilgiris in April 2017, I was intent to check any of the railway stations of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and Lovedale was my prior.

How appropriate to name alike?  I simply Love this place...

As I took an unusual road to Ooty, I passed Lovedale before entering the town and found it wasn’t far away from the town, so we passed without stopped there with a plan to return later leisure. Making it certain, the cottage we stayed was close to the Lovedale and opposite to the road leading there from the Ooty-Coonoor main road. We stayed at a place called Fun City, on the outskirt of Ooty and it is a place formerly seems to be an amusement park which later turned into property development and many cottages and homestay keeps emerging out there. Lovedale is just 6 minute drive from there and it was almost afternoon when we checked the lovely (Lovedale) railway station.

Yours truly waiting for his train haha..

I had no idea about the timing of the train’s arrival and passing the station but we learned only after we reached there that this was the time of the arrival of a diesel engine with passengers from Ooty. Actually we packed the lunch when moved out of the homestay and wanted to make to the railway station after having the lunch, when we already parked at the station parking. It was 1.30 pm and the station guard told the train will arrive in 10 minutes, so we postponed the lunch and waited for the train. Meanwhile I took some lovely photos around the station where we are the only visitors and various aspects of the station attracted me.

The pretty blue lovedale railway station

Lovedale, like all other Nilgiri railway stations, continue to operate from its original structure and it shares similar architecture as well. Coonoon being the junction railway station and Ooty as important and final destination on the mountain journey comes up with big operation rooms and passenger hub. But Lovedale is a passing railway station and only local people seems to board on and off and sometime tourist get down and take some snaps while the train halt for few minutes there. I actually thought the entire Nilgiri mountain railway (runs for 46 km) has turned into diesel locomotive but what I really don’t know was the stream engines are in continuous operation between Mettupalayam and Coonoor and only further upstream to Ooty (18km) is operated on diesel.

The train entered the station at 1.50 pm and moved exactly after 2 minutes halt and the train was fully loaded with passengers. As I was excited taking photos on the emerging/halted train, the passengers were curious watching me, taking photos from the wheelchair. When the train enters the platform the station guard exchange the rings (which looked like a wireless tennis bat) with the driver, which I Google to know is a “railway signalling process and the ring is a token, a locomotive driver is required to have or see before entering onto a particular section of single track”. In the picture above u could see the guards ready to exchange the rings, but the driver dropped the ring on the platform and took the ring from the station guard and it’s perhaps due to the speed.

As soon the train moved out of the station, the guard went up a small platform on the opposite side and changed the track gear. In short time it started to drizzle and the entire ambiance turn wonderful and much lovely and I really enjoyed the moment from the station porch, where I found couple of house sparrows making way through the portico. Though I hesitate to look into the station master room, through the open door I able to capture the token instrument placed on the table along an old telephone. The Nilgiri mountain railway began its construction in 1886 completed in 1908 with the building of track between Coonoor and Ooty, where Lovedale is interlinked.

The old token instrument and dial phone, the wooden ticket counter in booking room & hanging clock from the porch roof of the railway station.

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A colourful restaurant and café on Ooty-Coonoor main road!

Panda atrium is an open hall type restaurant with a view overlooking the pretty Ketti valley. Though I haven’t visited the café, I find it colourful to shot from moving car and the restaurant seems to treat different taste buds and from their menu (in online) I find they are more specific on Vietnam and Chinese food. Wish I could visit this café if I was to Ooty again and the pictures shot last year in April.

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Man selling colourful little toys for kids in front of Sims Park, Coonoor. I guess what he’s having in had is bubble toy that used for blowing bubbles.

I have been to Coonoor twice but unable to visit the Sims Park which has unique species of trees and plants that many native to this mountains aka Nilgiris. The park is created on a natural slope of mountain; with many steps leading down the park make it an inaccessible landscape for a wheelchair bound. But it’s a nice place for nature loving people alike.

Surprise Waterfall

I have been on the road to Poombarai few times and every time I come across this curve of the beautiful winding ghat (road) of Kodaikanal, and a rock face with a formation of cascading make wish to see waterfalls alike. Unusual we visit Kodaikanal during summer, which is quite a dry season here where even mountains aren’t exception and I ever seen water falling this way except for little springs here and there. The southwest monsoon begins only in the first week of June and in 2016 I visited Kodaikanal for second time in a year, in the month of July, which was the mid of monsoon so we caught between heavy showering as we proceed towards Poombarai, a beautiful mountain village about 20 km from Kodaikanal. 

Since raining I shot these photos through windshield while the wipers goes down

I have no words to describe how surprise it was for me to see water cascading through the rock face of the mountain. I know it’s the monsoon rain gave life to this cascading and ages of flow of water during rain has turned into a beautiful rock formation which made my day through the fall. The road to Poombarai and beyond is my favourite stretch of road winding through pine forest, forested valleys with spotted wildlife and unlike the Kodaikanal road, its hassle free and pristine nature to inspire to take it again and again.