Karimutty Waterfalls, Marayur

Following Thoovanam, we checked the Karimutty waterfalls on our travel to Munnar. The beautiful, fresh and natural waterfall is located on the end of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and 3km earlier to Marayur, the only town between Munnar and Udumalpet – from where we started our journey. The waterfall makes an impressive fall right next to the road and one could get a full view from the bridge across the waterfalls.

Few kms ahead to the waterfalls, we saw the water flowing down the mountains through thick vegetation and grasslands and the water is believed to have medicinal values as it passes through lot of herbs. Since it was slightly wet and drizzling weather, the waterfall makes feel cool and refreshing. There is a stair leading down to the waterfalls, provide a secure platform for people who desire to take bath and beside the falls there’s a room which I believe to be built for changing cloths.

Adjacent to the waterfalls, there’s a huge sculpture of an Indian Star Tortoise. I actually thought it was built to enhance the waterfalls but we find it was an Eco shop with an opening in the side, sells products made by the local tribal communities. The eco-shop also sell tea, coffee, biscuits and snacks along with some organic and herb products with the help of forest department. The Indian Star Tortoise structure here marks the existence of the endangered species more on the rivers along the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

My dad stood at the side of the falls, and our car parked aside the road (pic right above) and water running down across the bridge on other side of the waterfall 

This place is also facilitated by homestays and accommodation in forest guest house, from where one could take forest trek to Thoovanam waterfalls and Ancient dolmens and rock paintings date back to the Stone Age. Marayur is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forest from where one could learn more on the fragrant trees and is also popular for jiggery. Karimutty waterfall is located at a height of 500 meter, is a tributary to Pambar River flowing through the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bird Watching and Red Whiskered Bulbul

Western Ghats is a great stretch of mountains, including valleys, dense forests and plantations of tea, coffee... according to the circumstance of height, soil and weather condition. It’s also home to innumerable species of trees, plants and shrubs and variety of birds and insects and wild animals. For the people of south and west coast of India, Western Ghats plays an important role as summer vacation with many parts of mountains or Ghats becomes a hill station where people visits when the plains turn hotter.

The view from the balcony on the rear side of my uncle's  woodhouse

Kodaikanal is one of a blissful part of the Western Ghats, comes under the Palani hills range and it’s the only hill station where I have been to more than 10 times. Since my uncle built the woodhouse (Smokey Haven) in the lower Palani hills or to say as half Kodai, staying atop the mountains has become easy and for last couple of years we have been visiting the mountains twice a year. Nestled amid woods, natural vegetation and coffee plantation, the place provides lot of opportunity to bird watch and listening to distinct note of birds. I call it as bird paradise but birds most of all smaller in size are difficult to find out but I try my best to capture birds every time I visit there.

Though there are number of birds in the vicinity of woods, adjoining the woodhouse, some birds are frequently spotted or to be a residential birds of woods. I have spotted even migratory birds flying all the way from Himalayas, which are difficult to believe looking at their tiny size. The bulbuls, magpie robins, eagles, woodpeckers are commonly found there but for me who sees once or twice a year turned to be surprise and blissful to watch and shoot. During my visit in December, it was raining and full of fog and mist but it didn’t stop me looking for birds and the Red Whiskered Bulbul was the one I able to shoot as it came perching the wire outside the woodhouse, despite light showering.

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Gates and Fences

During an off-roading to Adukkam on the eastern slope of Kodaikanal hills, we find some beautiful private guest houses around the coffee and orange plantations which are nicely fenced and gated to look out for. This is one simple gate and chain linked fence along the house that overlooks a valley.

Many traditional houses in Kodaikanl have a upper floor to dry coffee seeds and store things

Below is another beautiful house I simply like to own and it has elegantly designed gate and my favourite kind of driveway along with garden. Last month during my visit to Kodaikanal, I find some roadwork is going on the stretch and soon the road will be suitable to drive by cars. So far only SUV/MPS were able to venture this road that doesn’t play buses. The road through Adukkam village is the first motorized road to Kodiakanal, which has been abandoned so far after couple of better roads laid to the mountains.

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Sunday Photos: Fern House, Ooty

(click pics for enlarge)

The Fern House in the Ooty Botanical Garden is a glass house we checked last year during the visit to Ooty, aka Nilgiris, is home to many species of ferns and orchids. This house (established in 1894) is dedicated to W.C. Mc. Ivor, in whose response the Garden has been developed to this stage from the then a patch of vegetable garden and wilderness of Shola and shrubs and the lower part as a swamp traversed by deep ravines.

Mr. W.C. Mc. Ivor who had his training at the Royal Botanical Gardens, was able to transform the steep slopes into walks and terraces, lawns and flower beds for growing choice selection of plants. He also improvised ways and means by which he could reclaim the lower part of the garden and converted into undulating and sloping lawns with pockets of ponds left at convenient places to add chart to the landscape.

We just took shots of the fern house from outside during our previous visit in 2008 since the house was locked. Last April there wasn’t much people visiting the garden and the fern house was also opened to visitors and allowed to take photos. Though these pictures are shot from mobile, as my camera was dropped down that previous night, I really liked the outcome and detail on ferns.

My grandmother watching the ferns

Master Health Check-up

I underwent a master health check-up and back x-ray as I was going through some symptoms and posture imbalance more lately. Though I already have scoliosis and lordosis which is a commonest cause in muscular dystrophy and due to long seated in wheelchair, the x-ray doesn’t make a significant impact but still some different impressions have found which our doctor will reveal when we check tonight. The diagnosis with complete blood and urine profile doesn’t show great differences except few crossing its border which I am sure isn’t a matter to bring control, but the ultrasound scan thrown away the stones. Actually they mentioned it as cysts in kidney and not stones. I come to know that cysts are fluid pouches form in kidney, but I don’t want to go deep on it leaving doctor to reveal himself. Lately I find particles in urine, though it haven’t blocking its way but making feel so, so I took the chance to examine which comes as part of master health check-up.

The blood and urine for the diagnosis was collected from home by the lab person in morning (like usual) and I check the lab for X-ray, ECG and ultrasound scan in evening. As I have took ultrasound already I known drinking plenty of water is must while examine, but last time I didn’t find difficult as it was only the scan this time along with X-ray, ECG I struggled with bladder, though I have drink only enough water, the a/c rooms trigged the bladder  and made feel  anxious and painful. Glad I took my urine bottle along so I was able to pass on immediately after the scanning. My mind was thinking anything at that moment, and this is my second time experiencing the same as 2013 when I first time took the ultrasound. I felt a great sign of relief after passing this exam and I know it’s my fault to drink water at home rather after going to the lab. Perhaps this could be the reason to show high heart beat rate at ECG and I really hope it’s because of the tense moment with bladder. Now looking forward to hear from the doctor…