Men Are Back AGAIN

Day 1: 14^th July 2011

4 AM we hit the road and our next stop was after traveling 405 Kms via Salem for our first destination on the way to Munnar, @ Amaravathi Dam. We had taken couple of pit stops for a breakfast at Ananda bhavan { and here it starts my count of Masala Dosa's that i had over this trip.}

Amaravathi Dam at Amaravathinagar, 25 km south on NH 17 from Udumalpet, is located in Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary in Coimbatore district. It was built primarily for irrigation and flood control and now also has 4 megawatts of electric generating capacity installed. It is notable for the significant population of Mugger Crocodiles living in its reservoir and catchment basin. And there is a small croc park which you can visit for just paying a fees of 50 PAISE {i still have no idea on the logic of taking 50 paise as a entrance fees when parking and all other stuff are free}

The next 76 Kms to Munnar via Lakkam Water Falls and Marayoor - It is the only place in Kerala with natural growth of sandalwood trees, natural caves with murals, and relics from late Stone Age civilisation. The road passes through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary as well. Most of the time goes in clearing checkpoint you may come across some 8 check posts by forest dept. Police dept. of both the states. Each check post you need to pay some cash for no reason tho{I am not sure if this is some kind of bribe}.

Finally we arrived @ Munnar around 6 PM and landed directly @ Sarvana Bhavan for yet another Masala Dosa {guys don't keep a count of that i will let you know how many dosa i had at the end of this writeup}. And now in the chilling weather of Munnar we needed to hunt for our stay and after several hours of investigation we finally landed in Thayyil's cottages located on Tea county road i must say thats the best location for stay in Munnar.

Day 2: 15^th July 2011

Eravikulam (Rajamalai) National Park, takes almost 3 Hrs as there is lot to see, rare flora and fauna, Atlas moth (largest in the world), lion-tailed macaque, leopards, tigers, The Kurichi or Neelakurinji Flowers turn the hills of Rajamalai blue every 12 years. By the way we could not see most of them as it was heavy fog and there was hardly visibility, at times not more than 20 meters. But we had a good view of The Nilgiri tahr, a very rare type of mountain goat (Hemitragas bylocres) , on the verge of extinction. Half the world population of this rare goat is seen in and around Rajamala. One can actually debate if going to the high peak just to see some goats is worth all the effort or not. However, the walk along the park is very romantic and has some breath taking view of Namakad water falls.

Well to cover Munnar in all direction you need to plan well as every direction has so many places to see. Post lunch we had a drive on Bothamedu view point on Cochin direction then headed towards Top Station Direction.

Our first stop was Mattupetty Lake and Dam, which lie 13 km from Munnar, enroute Top Station, at an altitude of 1700 mt. The lake and dam surrounded by wooden hills and tea plantations, makes a great view. Boating is also allowed on Mattupetty Lake and combined with picnic and trekking, makes for a great outing from Munnar. Our next stop was Kundala Lake, Echo Point, Shooting point. And finally it was Top station view point. This view point lies in Tamil Nadu and you need to trek a bit to go to the final tip to have a breath taking view. Its worth the effort to reach to this final spot.

Day 3: 16^th July 2011

We started early morning with a power Dosa @ Sarava Bhavan again :)

Our next stop was Madurai 153 Kms drive with a very dangerous ghat section to be covered. {And it was a journey from 15 degrees to 35 degrees temprature in 2 Hrs}With couple of pit stops. We reached Madurai, post Lunch had a struggle to find parking near the Meenaxi temple road and our only purpose to visit Madurai was to see the Sri Meenakshi - Sundareswarar Temple since the temple opened @ 4 PM we haaded towards Thirumalai Nayak Palace to kill some time, I don't recommend this place at all. BTW this was the location for Mani Ratnam's super hit song “Kehana hi kya” from Bombay was shot {feathering Manisha koirala and Arvind swamy and super hit music from ARRahman}

After the disappointment at this palace we headed towards Sri Meenakshi Temple.

Synonymous with Madurai is the Meenakshi Sundareswarar twin Temple, the pivot around which the city has evolved. The Meenakshi Temple complex is literally a city - one of the largest of its kind in India and undoubtedly one of the oldest too. The temple grew with the contribution of each dynasty and victorious monarchs, into an enormous complex extending over an area of 65000 Sq m. There are four massive gateways enclosing these two shrines. Even a casual visitor is fascinated by the many paintings and sculptures.

A striking feature of the temple is the astonishing structure know as “Ayiramkaal Mandapam” or the Hall of Thousand Pillars and each pillar features high, ornate, bold sculptures that look life like. View from any angle these pillars appear to be in a straight line, an architectural masterpiece indeed In the outermost corridors are situated the matchless musical pillars carved out of stones. When it is tapped, each pillar produces different musical note.

Our last activity in Madurai was the Murugan Idly. Its just next to the temple lane and its a must do activity in Madurai after the temple visit just taste the Idly's here and those idly's marked the completion of our Madurai chapter of journey :)

Our final stop for the day was Tiruchi. Madurai to Tiruchi 138 Kms was covered in a whopping 60 Min drive. And that was one stretch on NH 45B just too good road done by NHAI. And i must admit tho the toll is pretty high, end of day it saves time and fuel. And that we had covered our destination in less the half the time as expected we decided to move on to Tanjavur and take our night halt there. What next Tiruchi to Tanjavur another express way waited for us and the next 60 Kms drive was covered in 45 Min. By the time we hunted a stay almost whole of Tanjavur went to sleep and we had to compromise on our dinner at a hotel which served us NOT so well done Masala dosa :(

Day 4: 17^th July 2011

Fourth day and our last day of our tour. We had couple of places in Tanjavur and Tiruchi to cover before we had back to B'lore. So before having our breakfast we headed to The Peruvudaiyar Koyil or Brihadeeswarar Temple , is the world's first complete granite temple and a brilliant example of the major heights achieved by Cholas kingdom in temple architecture. It remains as one of the greatest glories of Indian architecture. This temple is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Living Chola Temples".

This temple is one of India's most prized architectural sites. The temple stands amidst fortified walls that were probably added in the 16th century. The 'Vimana' - or the temple tower - is 216 ft (66 m) high and is among the tallest of its kind in the world. The Kalash or 'Chikharam' (apex or the bulbous structure on the top) of the temple is not carved out of a single stone as widely believed. There is a big statue of Nandi (sacred bull), carved out of a single rock, at the entrance measuring about 16 feet long and 13 feet high. The entire temple structure is made out of hard granite stones, a material sparsely available currently in Thanjavur area where the temple is located. Brihadishwara Temple also popularly known as the ‘Big Temple’ has turned 1000 years in 2010.

After the temple visit we had a taste of Steaming Idly's of Thanjavur and headed towards Tiruchi for the final spot Rock fort. The 83m high Rock Fort is the only outcrop in the otherwise flat land of the city. The rock is one of the oldest in the world-approximately 3.800 million years, which makes it as old as the rocks of Greenland and older than the Himalayas. The sheer abruptness of its rise is a thrill in itself, but the actual center of attraction is not the fort itself, of which very little remains, but the temple at the summit. 344 steps out of rock lead to the top where there are inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century B.C. Hardly anything remains of the ramparts but the Main Guard Gate is still intact.

So finally it was time for another 340 Kms drive back to B'lore. We had a a break @ Saravana Bhavan for another and final Tamil Meals to recharge ourself.

B'lore-Munnar-Madurai-Tanjore-Tiruchirapalli-B'lore Total kms 1453 kMS.

Thanks to Sarvana Bhavan and Anand Bhavan for cont..supply of Masala dosa throughout our tour.

Thanks to Raghu to driving us safely through our the tour, he was the only one who drove throughout safe and sound Thanks buddy.

Prashant thanks for your skill to understand Tamil and Malayalam that helped us to communicate throughout the journey.

Arun pawar for being obedient and giving be the front seat of the car most of the time :)

BhimSen buddy this is your first tour with our gang Thanks for being a good boy :)

{ The total cost of 4 day tour was 3350/- INR per head including Fuel/Food/Stay }

Men Are Back

This time all credits to Raghu for getting us together for this amazing trip over the weekend. The plan was to cover Kemmanagundi and head back to Bangalore may be in a day or two. But since we had a very good driver in Raghu and a SX4 we did not mind cruising here and there and hunting down places chasing Karnataka tourism board mile stones.

Day 1: 22^nd April 2011

We hit the Tumkur highway @ 6 AM to reach Kemmanagundi. Our fist pit stop for Breakfast at Kamath. On the way we had all permutations and combinations as in which route to take and where to go and all....Finally decide that we will head to Amruthapura.

Amrutesvara temple

The temple is a fine example of Hoysala workmanship built with a wide open mantapa Surrounded by coconut farms, the temple still has its original outer wall with interesting, equally spaced circular carvings. The speciality of the temple are the rows of shining lathe turned pillars that support the ceiling of the mantapa.

After lunch @ Shivamogga we headed towards Sigandur. It is famous for the temple of Goddess Chaudeshwari. This place is located on the other side of backwater of river Sharavathi ( before Jog falls ). To reach this place people have to come to the main city Sagar. Vehicles reach one side of the bank in the river Sharavathi. Launch ( ferry ) service is available from this bank to the other bank to cover a distance of one KM and service charges just Rs. 1 per head :)

Now wait a second....werent we supposed to go to Kemmanagundi ? YES this is what happens when we have a superb car.. money...time...enthusiasm.. and a very good driver in Raghu :) So first day we had a halt @ Shivamogga and Kemmanagundi moved to day 2. I must admit that Raghu is a fantastic driver...perfect.! and Arun is a worst navigate :)

Day 2: 23^rd April 2011

At around 5 AM in the morning headed towards Kemmanagundi Finally :)

Kemmannugundi is a hill station in Chikkamagaluru district. It is located at a height of 1434m above sea level and blessed with silver cascades, mountain streams, and lush vegetation, Kemmangundi’s beautifully laid-out ornamental gardens and enchanting mountains and valleys views are a treat to the eye. For the adventurous at heart, Kemmangundi offers many peaks to scale and intricate jungle paths to explore.

We had our trekking for Z point which is a vantage point at Kemmangundi and can be reached by a steep uphill trek of about 45 mins. from Raj Bhavan and is another favourite place of people who want to view a spectacular sunrise . As it is a walk beware of slippery roads and snakes and also visit shanthi falls near kemmangundi.

Hebbe Falls: A downhill trek of about 8 km from Raj Bhavan takes one to Hebbe Falls where water streams down from a height of 168 meters in two stages to form Dodda Hebbe (Big Falls) and Chikka Hebbe (Small Falls). Jeeps are available from one particular point to Hebbe falls and they charge around INR 700 to 1200 (for an up and down trip depending on the no of people).Just on a caution note make sure u dont drive there on your own vehicle as the is no road u have to find your own road to drive :) Back to Chikkamagalur we visited Mullayanagiri and had dropped Arun there as he wanted to put his base on top of Mullayanagiri, Karnataka's highest peak. We had our stay in Chikkamagalur.

Day 3: 24^th April 2011

Mullayanagiri Tallest peak of karnataka famous for the temple on the peak and for its breath taking view from the peak.

The Veera Narayana temple is located in Belavadi. The temple was built by the Hoysala Empire. Belavadi is located 29 km southeast of Chikmagalur town on the Chikmagalur-Javagal highway. It is located at a very convenient distance from the famous temple towns of Belur and Halebidu and a visit to this quiet town is a rewarding experience.

THESE 3 DAYS, WE TRAVELLED 975 Kms JOURNEY WAS AN AMAZING TOUR FROM HILL STATIONS TO SOME BEAUTIFULL TEMPLES.

The total cost of tour was around 2500 INR. Special thanks to Raghu for driving our car, Arun for guiding us towards rite as well as some wrong directions , Prashant for coming and being a good boy as usual.

Alleppy & Kochi

This time again Alleppey–Kochi trip for a long weekend but I had Kiddu-Jiji and Sonel-Vishal for a very good company for the next 3 days.

We all met at Majestic and as our train was on time 6-50 PM straight to Alleppy out next stop :)

Well this time the train straight on time but the boat guy who was supposed to pick us up was disappearing...hmmm we waited for him, till then got freshed up on railway platform {details cannot be shared} and had a great breakfast in IRCTC canteen{for a subsidized rates by Indian railways} Finally he turned up after couple of hours.

We took an auto{Its again prepaid here controlled by Kerala police} and headed towards finishing point, Finishing point is the start and end of our house boat journey. BTW its called finishing point coz thats where the spectacular snake-boat races held on the second Saturday of August, every year @ Punnamada Lake in Alleppy Ends.

And here our own Kettuvallam was waiting for us.

Kettuvallam is a house boat widely used in Kerala. Each houseboat is constructed using the ancient principles and techniques of boat building by the local carpenters using 'Anjili' wood. coir ropes are used for tying the wooden boards together. Hiring a houseboat which may cost around 7000 INR to about 35000 INR......yes and its worth it for a 24 Hr ride for 10 people......u get 2-3 bed room house boat .....some boats with first floor having a balcony and some with TFT screen n Dish TV in it. Almost all these house boats have kitchen as they take u 2 a 24 Hr ride they provide u with full time meals n snacks. And the best of all house boat what v saw was a big floating conference room....u get it with all the facilities even AC fitted in 2 a boat....

We had a 2 BHK with AC and a first floor balcony ...to be frank the boat which we hired was way bigger than my Bangalore 1 BHK apartment :)

Alleppy has large network of inland canals earning it the sobriquet "Venice of the east".

These large network of canals provide Alleppy its lifeline.

Our boat started off from Vembanad lake towards Chambakulam.......Its the Kuttanad area......The boat can b stopped anywhere u wish, so our first stop was to shop maggie packets and come cold drinks and ya not to forget we got some DVD of selected FLOP movies :)

On board we had regular food and drinks. We had a Rummikub championship on board I had taken it with me and off course a maggie party{prepared my Sonel and kiddu} at the end of it. Then it was time for some back to back flop movie session :) but the best part is ur having fun while ur floating in those beautiful backwaters of Kerala...it was a awesome experience when u have u best pals with u. I had a great time. Breakfast lunch snacks and dinner all on board.

Best place to stay in Kochi is MG Road. And we had booked a room near MG Road so all went fine. Now it was time to explore Kochi...so after lunch headed straight to Marine drive and took a boat safari....but let me tell u this was my 3^rd visit to kochi and a lot has changed from past couple of years but everything on a positive side of development. The high court Jetty has a new look it took use a long long and very long walk to find it out....but things have changed for good....we had taken a boat cruise that took us to all the important places of kochi rite from Mattancherry Island to its Jew Town and Jewish synagogue. Then to Fort Kochi to its St. Francis Church an 18th Century Church and in and around you will find lot of French styled villas. Walk towards Chinese fish net area. And from the cruise you can see the beautiful Arabian sea and a lot of other commercial ships and Naval ships. Kochi is one of the main ports for Oil import to our country. So there is always room for some new ship yard to come up.

One restaurant that I wanted to take my crew for this trip was Gokul on MG Road and it took me an hour to find it out :) but finally everyone enjoyed the bestest of the best Kerala cuisine here. Yes Kochi has changed a lot, it has become more beautiful clean and modernized now. Every alternate building here is a Silk Saree showroom or a Jewelery shop. Not to mention some Jewelery shops are bigger than some IT parks in Bangalore.

Well these 3 days was truly a great experience in Venice of the east though it was my

fourth visit to Gods Own Country .

The total cost of tour was 3800 INR inclusive of travel, stay n food.

Special thanks to Rasna for booking house boat for us, Jiju for booking hotel in kochi,Titto for getting train tickets for us and Sonel for photographs.

GoA GoA GoA

Goa is India's smallest state by area and the 4th smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharastra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.

It was summer time and this time it was in GOA....All set and planned for GoA for 3 days .
We left Blore on 12th night @ around 8 PM and as usual I knew we would reach Panaji the capital of Goa at 1 PM next day during lunch time...and ya I was rite this time....We headed straight to Issac villa on Baga beach where we had booked our stay for next couple of days in Goa. We had got a good deal to stay. Normally at this time u would need to bargain @ each and every place in Goa as rates are seasonal here. Had a good lunch @ mayyona's - a river side restaurant in Baga, and then headed straight away for some water sports.
Baga is a fishing beach with brown sand that sees a lot of international tourists sun-bathing in its golden sun, as a grove of palms gently sways in the wind. The Baga River flows along one side of Baga beach.

The main road running through the Baga village is lined with several bars, tandoori terraces and handicraft shops. The relatively newer Saturday flea market of Baga Goa, is a huge success and an occasion of much that lasts well into the night, brightly lit up with lights and paraffin lamps. All kinds of odds and ends, handicrafts, jewelery and snacks stalls can be found at Baga and a temporary stage is constructed for the visiting local musician. Baga Goa's nightlife is the liveliest in Goa and is the perfect expression of the Goan and Western mix of culture.

Baga beach offers plenty of water sports. You can go for parasailing, water skiing, windsurfing and other water sports, but, only if you have enough expertise in it. We tried our hands at parasailing, banana ride, bumpy water ride and water skiing. One need to bargain well with these water sport operators. One advice would be all these people who run are from Northern karnataka so if u know kannada then its a bit handy to bargain and we had Reconz supported by Soumya to bargain a good deal for all these water sports for us :)
We walked all the way to calangute beach which is almost a 1 KM stretch good walk on the beach.

Nightlife in Baga is considered the liveliest in the region. It is home to some of the biggest hot-spots by night in Goa, including Titto's and Cafe Mambo. Visit the Titto's which is highly popular among the tourists because it has the only dance floor and fantastic sound system outside the big hotels of Baga. Enjoy a candle lit dinner on the beach, go for a traditional Goan meal in any beach side shacks or simply take a cup of real espresso coffee. And ya don't miss the chats on street side..the Goan chats. We had chats at calangute, then had dinner and finally reached base. It was a good day with all water sports done :)
Day 2: 14th March Sunday:

As planned we had breakfast in some hotel..its hard to find vegetarian things for breakfast in the morning. Then as planned hired bikes; you get bikes for rent in Goa on daily basis they charge around Rs.200 per day. Then we were all set to explore north Goa on our bikes. We had 3 bike now :)
First we headed towards Vagator beach. The soft white sands, the black lava rocks, the coconut palms, the lush green landscape, nature playing its own music, and the sea turning from aquamarine to emerald green. Vagator and Chapora, overlooked by the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, leaves each visitor awestruck. Yet to be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of tourists, life goes on peacefully, in the background, in Vagator and Chapora.
Hiking up, the lava-bedecked black rock stepping-stones lead to the 500-year-old Portuguese fort, popularly known as the Chapora Fort. It utters the reminiscence of the old Portuguese times giving a splendid view of the sea and hills covered with coconut trees and rice fields. The remaining battlements and fortifications take one down the memory lane, into the times when Royalty ruled the Vagator hue. Dil Chahata Hai was shot here :)

Our second stop for the day was The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. It was a reference point for the vessels coming from Europe at that time. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi river. On the way to this port you can see Kingfisher villa :) VM's Goa residence.
Then we headed to Panjim where we had lunch ; then went to Miramar beach. It is the nearest beach to the Goan capital and unarguably the most visited beach of Goa. Hoardes of people, mostly tourists, are found every day flocking to this beach. situated on the Mandovi river, it is a small beach that hosts some events occasionally. Driving down from this beach to Dona Paula is one of the best driving zones in county the road is just beach side and well maintained by tress on either side..no traffic lights gonna stop you. Panjim is a small and charming city.

The beauty of Goa Dona Paula beach has been enhanced by a spooky past which has the tourists thronging to this place. History goes that the beach is named after Dona Paula de Menzes, daughter of a viceroy (in colonial India), who threw herself off the cliff, when refused permission to marry a local fisherman, Gaspar Dias. The myth says that Dona Paula is entombed in the Cabo Chapel of the Raj Bhawan and is supposed to be seen emerging from the moonlit waves wearing only a pearl necklace. This story attracts many tourists and they come here just to feel the sweet pain of love. This beach has also been the location for many Indian movies. Given this dual attraction, Dona Paula Beach has become a popular tourist spots.
On the way back we had hell lot of confusions as Reconz and Raghu lost there way but some how we all managed to head back to one of Baga's best shacks – Britto's. Had a very good fish platter and back to base for a good sleep :)

Do try out your dinner in beach shacks its a wonderful experience.

Day 3: 15th March Monday:

Today for an early morning beach experience, myself, soumya and kutty went to Baga beach @ 6 AM and wow! what a pleasant time to be in the beach. We were there till 8 then took our bike and headed to the world-famous Anjuna Beach which lies to the south of Vagator. The beauty of the white waves rushing to embrace the pale golden sand on the beach can be witnessed in full form at the Goa Anjuna beach. Goa Anjuna beach is a perfect haven for the hippies and you will come across some of them who have been staying on this beach for a couple of months. It is in the late 1950s to mid-1960s that Anjuna beach was "discovered" by the hippies. From then on began the trend of moonlit parties which is one occasion the hippies and now the tourists look forward to.
We had breakfast at one of the local dhabas - the taste was awesome ....u get bread and channa masala and ommlet tea :) it all comes in a very handy package :) and the crowd to accompany you will be the local taxi drivers and fishermen, but from my childhood everytime I go to Goa I always have some snacks from such places so this time also didn't wanted to miss it. But only me and kutty went and had breakfast there. The rest of the crowd was not interested.
We headed back to B'lore from Madgoan at around 9 PM. Goa is not that well connected my B'lore there are only biweekly trains and daily buses will take around 15 Hrs to reach Goa apart for that there are some 3 daily flights that connect B'lore and Goa.

This trip has covered only north Goa will be going to South Goa soon :)
All the price mentioned are subject to change as Goa is seasonal tourist destination.

This trip was more of Fun Fun & Fun so not much photography was tried by me :)
The total cost of our trip for 3 days including stay, food and beverages was 4000 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative

North India Feb 2010

Guys Finally it was again North India for a Week went to attend Kiddu;s marriage in Deharadun then had been to Rafting to Rishikesh, Then visited MahaKumb in hardwar followed my Patanjali yogpeth. Completed my journey by visiting the beautiful temple of Akshardham in Delhi.

All details of Punjabi wedding and Rafting given by my friend Shreyas Do read out guys:

http://shreyjanivar.blogspot.com/2010/02/transition.html

Pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/anand.sawkar/NorthIndiaFeb2010#

Wayanad

1^st Jan 2010:

What a way to start new year 2010 ..We 4 myself Raseee, megd aka Megha and Ritesh planned for a Wayanad trip and set off as per our plan on the very first day of 2010. This trip was planned so sudden with a short notice period and bookings were almost closed when god just showered some blessings. We managed to get one deluxe room at the beautiful Hotel Mint Flower in Sulthan Battery.

Wayanad is not a town or a city. It is the name of a large district with more than half a dozen towns. In all probability you would be heading to one of its three major towns , Sulthan Bathery , Kalpetta or Mananthavadi

We hit the Mysore highway @ around 9 AM in morning and had our breakfast on highway side hotel ...then straight away the next stop was Wayanad on the way you come across beautiful wild life if you are lucky :) passing through Bandipur wildlife zone, A small river and a short bridge across it marks the Karnataka-Kerala border in the middle of the forest. In a stroke signboards give way to Malayalam. It seems Kerala is in a self imposed competition with other states in who owns the largest number of check posts. You zoom past as battery of check posts as you come out of forest . There is Forest Department check post, commercial tax check post, RTO check post and even a police check post.

The route which we took was Bangalore -Mysore - Gundulpet - Munthanga - Sulthan Battery ( Wayanad)

Somewhere in the end of the forest , you can see the entrance to the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. As usual tourist vehicle makes a mess around the area. Take it as a cue for you to join the crowd or slip out and drive ahead to Sultan Bathery. Now we were well in the Wayanad heartland. Sultan Bathery to Kalpetta, the district capital, is 10 kilometers. From now onwards it was time to set our itinerary for Wayanad. We stayed in Hotel Mint Flower i must say one of the best hotels available in Wayanad zone.

After getting freshed up and after a good fish fry meal we were all set to our first day post lunch session ...But where?? was the big Q as i had set all planes for next 2 days and we knew almost all places in Wayanad come under forest department and are closed for public after 5 PM. And we had just 3 hrs left so thought to explore nearby areas we visited Karapuzha dam and Fantom Rock on that evening...but we were a bit confused to as to why it was called Fantom Rock and what crap was there in that dam as to be declared a tourist place :) but yes we enjoyed both these spots in our own style..singing and posing for my cam Rasee Megd and Ritesh were a gr8 team to be with.

2^nd Jan 2010:

Well 2^nd day itenary was finalized it was time for Kuruva Island first....i was more curious and so were others as i had read and heard a lot about this place. And one important thing to remember is not a single restaurant opens before 8AM in Sulthan Battery, but we found a mid class restaurant called Friends where we had appam (i am not able to describe the food here sorry !!)
So after breakfast we straight away headed to Kuruva Island.

After taking tickets (you need to buy ticket for camera...raft...parking..guide...and for people....so spend some cash for ticket ticket....it comes around 200 INR for 4 people) we need to cross Kabini river on a bamboo raft and get on a main Island we had hired a guide and thankfully he knew Kannada so that i could communicate with him. Well the best and a must try adventure here is the river crossing ...and our guide knew exactly where and how to cross at first we were a bit..hesitated to get in water but after a couple of crossing we got used to water. It was a amazing experience river walk..never heard of it...but it was gr8 walking in river and trekking in so dense forest.

It was almost lunch time so headed back to Kalpetta had lunch and moved towards Soochipara water falls, All these places have been declared as Eco tourism spots by Kerala government and are well maintained.

3^rd Jan 2010:

The 3^rd day also started up early and we needed to head back home on the same day, so started off with Edakkal caves as usual we had our breakfast @ Friends special hotel, and the menu remains same.

Edakkal caves in the Ambukuthy Mountains are not caves in the right sense. It is only a cleft in reality. It is a cleft of about 96ft. long & 22ft. wide in the rock. There are some interesting carvings of pre-historic age. This location is of breathtaking beauty.

After climbing and little bit of trekking we finally managed to reach Edakkal caves and it was a amazing view of Wayanad from top of these mountains.

Our next destination for the day was Pookot Lake, about 13 k ms from Kalpetta, is undoubtedly the most beautiful tourist spot in the whole of Wayanad. The lake nestles in the lap of mountains surrounding it. Boating in the Pookot Lake is a memorable experience. Tall trees and dense forests that line along the pathway around the lake provide a visual treat. This is a beautiful natural fresh water lake surrounded by evergreen forest and wooded hills. Boating facilities, Children's Park and shopping center for handicrafts and spices of Wayanad are arranged by District Tourism Promotion Council. These provides recreational facilities to the visitors.

It was lunch time we checked out of our rooms after 2 days and it was time to head back to B'lore but on the ways we decided to get in Muthanga wild life sanctuary, we needed to wait for almost an hour to get permit pass to enter the safari in forest apart from elephant view from a far away distance and couple of pug marks the forest seemed to be dry.

This sanctuary is located very near to the Karnataka border. Wild forests covering an area of 345 sq.mts. from Muthunga Wildlife Sanctuary, the biggest abode of wild animals in the entire Malabar region, Elephants, Spotted Deers, Bisons, Tigers, Wild Bears… etc. are all sighted here. But again your luck matters here also..

The total cost of the trip was 4553 INR.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Stay Innovative