[SJD@NewDelhi]

Hi fellow T-BHPians,

We (wife and me with Joy, our pooch) are planning a great North-South trip in November via car and finalizing the plan for our first trip to South India. The primary places we wanted to cover are Munnar and Alappuzha with a detour to Dhanushkodi thereby crisscrossing from the South-West to the South-East. Complimentary destinations that we ended up including to our original plan are Ujjain, Satara (a friend lives there who has been inviting us since long, so why not), Ooty, Kottayam and Hampi. Below is the plan:

Day 1: Noida - Ujjain (800 kms)
Day 2-3: Ujjain - Satara (790 kms, day 2 first half for Ujjain sightseeing)
Day 3-4: Break
Day 4-5: Satara - Ooty via Mysuru (900 kms)
Day 6: Break
Day 7: Ooty - Munnar via Coimbatore (250 kms)
Day 8: Break
Day 9: Munnar - Alappuzha via Kottayam (180 kms)
Day 10: Break
Day 11: Alappuzha - Dhanushkodi (430 kms)
Day 12-13: Dhanushkodi - Hampi (1000 kms)
Day 14: Break
Day 15-16: Hampi - Noida (1900 kms).

Above plan would roughly look like below on G-Maps:



https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Grea...oASAFQAw%3D%3D

Of Note:

- I am adapted to endurance driving as I keep driving Delhi-Assam (2500 kms approx) every year over a 3 day period, and can cover 800-900kms a day if roads are over plains and decently good.

- I prefer avoiding toll roads/ e-ways if possible as I personally find the scenery very monotonous and tend to feel sleepy on the straight toll roads after 3-4 hrs of driving which doesn't happen with NH/ SHs as we are more actively involved with the surroundings. Also, the support in case of vehicle breakdown and frequent eateries over non-expressways are other factors which I look upon as advantageous.

- I drive a Kwid 1.0 and maintain an average speed of 75 kmph while rarely crossing 85. I am adapted to driving dawn till dusk and if roads permits, then till late night as well (total of 14-15 hrs of driving if I start early morning by 7AM.

I am looking forward to inputs from fellow T-BHPians on below pointers:

1. Best route to follow as per your experience, preferably non-eways. Common route mistakes for above destinations and any other route pointers you may deem helpful.

2. I am looking to stay in hotels at Ooty, Alappuzha and Rameshwaram/ Dhanushkodi. Unsure if Dhanushkodi has stay options, hence adding Rameshwaram for hotel accommodation. Any recommendation for budget hotels or home-stays in these places?

3. Planning to camp at Munnar and Hampi. Any recommendations for camping sites or word of advice peculiar to these places?

4. Places that should not be missed at any cost in Munnar, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Hampi as well as Mysore. As a greenhorn traveler to South India, any word of recommendations from fellow T-BHPians shall be highly appreciated.



As always, thanks in advance for your valuable inputs from us including Joy (in pic above). A commitment from my side to update a travelogue once this trip is completed.

Some pics of our ride from our different trips:

Gurez, Kashmir.

Nubra Valley, Ladakh

Pangong Tso, Ladakh

Dihing-Patkai range, Assam

Parshuram Kund, Arunachal

Mudh, Spiti. Drive safe!

[ampere]

Few Notes from my side:

• Of the 16 days, 7 days are actual holidays and 9 days are driving days. I hope you count driving also as holiday.
  
• While the routing is not a problem, I would suggest put 3-4 days at Ooty, Munnar, Alapuzzha. Else it's no point staying for two nights and running to a new place without even getting sense of a current place.
  
• Satara to Ooty is a tricky part. You need a correct break point which usually you wont get. One option is at Davanagere. Like Google suggests you can do Tumkur-Kunigal-Maddur-Mysore or Hiriyur-Huliyar-Belur Cross- Nagamangala-Srirangapatna-Mysore.
  
• Problem is 2L will tire you out and the past Mysore you need to ascend the ghats to Ooty.
  
• Ooty-Munnar : 1-2 hours to get down to Mettupalayam and another 3 hours from Udumalpet to Munnar. We are talking about 4-6 hours of ghat driving, besides planes.
  
• Alapuzzha to Rameshwaram is a 2L ordeal for the whole day. You need another 1-2 days in Rameshwaram. You reach there on Day 11. Day 12 you will take you time to visit Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi.
  

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by ampere

• While the routing is not a problem, I would suggest put 3-4 days at Ooty, Munnar, Alapuzzha. Else it's no point staying for two nights and running to a new place without even getting sense of a current place.

Couldn't agree with this more! You are rushing from one scenic spot to the next without stopping to really enjoy them. In stretches like Bandipur forest, your average speed will plummet since there are speed breakers every few hundred metres. Also, forest entry closes at either 6pm or 9 pm (Haven't been on this route recently), so you might have to stay at Mysore/Gundlupete.

I'd recommend dropping Dhanushkodi and use that time to explore more of the hills/backwaters/temple ruins.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by SJD@NewDelhi

planning a great North-South trip in November

If you want to drive coastal TN or Andhra (Kanyakumari to Vizag), get it done by end of October. No one can tell how Northeast Monsoon will pan out. This can potentially affect Ooty, Kodai and Munnar too.

I would avoid routing via Pune-Kolhapur since its nowhere near your destination.

From Ujjain, you should be driving Indore-Dhule-Chalisgaon-Aurangabad-Solapur and you can do Hampi this way. You can plan return via North-South corridor.

Ooty and Munnar are similar. Its not going to be exciting, doing them back to back. So choose between the 2.

Hampi will require 2 exclusive days to explore. Same with Ooty/Munnar. You need half to full day if you intend to see Rameswaram temple and Dhanushkodi

[Rajeevraj]

Too hectic a schedule in my view. You are going to be driving most of the time as Ampere mentioned. Also need to keep in mind that in the ghats, forests as well as any driving time in Kerala, it is going to be on 2 L roads with max 30-35km/hr. average. No NCR level roads and expressways in the south.

Considering it is the first trip to South India, 1 day in places like Munnar, Ooty, Mysore as well as Hampi(especially) is not sufficient at all. You can just namesake say you visited- Will have no time to soak in the atmosphere, the food and other cultural aspects of the places you visit. Each of these places is worth spending 2-3 days for a first time visit.

My suggestion is drop Ooty completely. Focus on Alappuzha and Munnar.

I would also suggest to choose between Dhanushkodi and Hampi. Understand the Photo-Op of Dhanushkodi, but makes sense only if you are keen to visit Rameswaram. Otherwise I don't see the point of driving all the way from Alappuzha to Dhanushkodi. Personally would just do Hampi.

Edit: The other tangential suggestion is don't drive at all. Since the goal is to visit places in South India- Fly to Cochin or Bangalore and rent a car from there. You get enough driving + free up a lot of time to do justice to your visit.

[SJD@NewDelhi]

TRIP SUMMARY

Day 1 - 4: Ujjain - Bhilatdev Temple - Satara

Day 5 - 8: Gokarna - Murdeshwar Temple - Kochi - Alleppey

Day 9: Munnar

Day 10: Rameswaram - Dhanushkodi

A big THANK YOU to all the esteemed members who shared their valuable inputs to the above itinerary query.

The initial route plan was: DL - Ujjain - Satara MH - Mysore - Ooty - Munnar - Allepey - Dhanushkodi - Hampi - Noida.

However, after going through the post suggestions and a convo with my friend Pravin in Satara who I was visiting, I decided to update the route slightly which will serve several benefits: different entry-exit, covering more destinations enroute and taking the more scenic coastal route upto Allepey as I shall already cover the mainland route on the return trip from Dhanushkodi - Hampi.

Updated route plan: DL - Ujjain - Satara MH - Gokarna - Murdeshwar Temple - Mangaluru - Kochi - Allepey - Munnar - Dhanushkodi - Mysore - Hampi - Noida.



With this new plan, we could explore more places while excluding only Ooty which we didn't mind as we would be covering a lot of beaches from Gokarna till Dhanushkodi (inputs from narayans80 and Rajeevraj played in my mind while taking this decision, thanks again). Also, Ooty would be crowded and we generally look to avoid crowdy places. The updated route plan could be done in 15-16 days, but I was ready with extra leaves if it needed 18-20 days. This updated straightforward route made more sense in my mind and sorted out a lot of route puzzles and complications.

Logic of covering many destinations in one single trip was - this would most probably be our once-in-a-lifetime trip to South India from North India in a car. Hence was looking to cover as much as we comfortably could since we honestly don't know when we might get next opportunity to visit the awesome South! Reasoning behind sticking to our car as our mode of transportation are - travelling with our pet (Joy, our 2-year old mountain pooch adopted from Mussorie UK), luggage along with camping/ emergency cooking gear and flexibility of halting wherever we wanted without the worry of fixed advanced booking(s).

DAY 1 (Nov 9): Noida - Ujjain (730 kms)

We made an exit from Noida at 2:30AM on Nov 9th. There were reasons for exiting at the dead of night instead of a morning exit. I was interested in showing the Sarafa Bazaar (popular midnight market in Indore) to my wife which I had visited during my bachelor days in 2017. Ujjain was around 750kms from Noida wherein we wanted to visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple. Even if we start at 8 in the morning, it would take us around 15 hrs to reach Ujjain at the minimum (13 hrs of driving & 2 hrs of break) implying an arrival of no earlier then 11PM. Such a late arrival would most probably lead to the temple closing up and missing the chance to visit Saraffa as well as it was 60 kms further from Ujjain towards MH. One more day would be lost waiting for next day midnight Saraffa or leaving with the remorse of not visiting Indore when we were so near. Hence my calculation was: if we could advance our Noida departure from 8AM by 5 hrs, we can easily reach Ujjain by evening, take time to explore Mahakaleshwar and leave for Indore before midnight. In pic above: Awesome NH52 stretch somewhere between Kota and Raipur (after Jhalawar).



Correct to my calculation, we reached Ujjain by 8PM with about 3 hrs of breaks. We were lucky to have reached before the night-time aarti of 10PM for which entry is closed by 9:30PM. Pic above: Entrance to the Mahakaleshwar Temple.









Pics above: The stunning figurines at the Mahakalweshwar Temple premises.





Above: The Bharat Mata Temple.



Above: Yours truly with better half inside the Bharat Mata Temple.

We beat an unhurried retreat from Ujjain at 11:30PM after exploring the nearby market place which delightfully had a lot of things to eat. I was pretty impressed with the traffic management and discipline in Ujjain near Mahakaleshwar. Reached Sarafa, Indore by 12:45AM. Wifee was amazed seeing the crowd with lots of females even at 1 in the night! Sarafa brought her great joy with its dessert items like rabri malpua, shahi faluda, kulfi, jalebas, 100 different variety of momos, spiral potatoes, gulab jamuns, soda shikanji, kunafa, halwa, sweet corn and many more. If anyone is interested in non-veg items, Bombay Bazaar nearby is the best option but doesn't stay open as late as Sarafa.



Pic above: Witnessed the popular Gold Man of Sarafa Night halt at Mhow, MP at 3AM after leaving Indore at 2AM.

DAY 2 (Nov 10): Mhow, MP - Gangapur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar district, MH (430 kms)

Joy wakes us up at 7:30 in the morning and we start our journey and get our first ghat section - the Narmada River ghat within 45 mins. It was a breeze to cross although there was heavy vehicle trafic.



Pic above: Colony of banana saplings in MP. What a sight!

As we made our way bypassing tolls towards the MH border, a cotton seller we met near Ozar asked us to visit a beautiful temple nearby. The name of the temple was Bhilat Dev Temple in Nagalwadi/ Sendhwa, MP. We were faced with a dilemma: either we visit the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple which we have heard about since childhood or take a small 10km detour to this beautiful temple on a mountain-top which would allegedly cure us of our travel fatigue as per the cotton seller After a discussion with wifee, we decided to take a detour to Bhilatdev temple since Shirdi might be crowded and we would reach in the noon meaning quite hot surroundings and suddenly this unknown mountain-top beautiful temple made us more curious to visit it.



Pic above: The essence of MP-MH rural border areas. Passing through such winding roads of Nagalwadi.



Pic above: Mountain road leading to Bhilatdev Temple.







Pic above: Our smiles says it all how much we loved our visit to Bhilatdev Temple.



Pic above: I am not a religious person by any angle. However, I love observing the faith of the disciples in such religious places. This and the beautiful architecture of temples attracts me more towards a temple rather than paying obeisance to deity(s) or praying to seek something.



Pic above: As we drove down from the temple, we encountered a handpump and I couldn't resist taking a bath



Pic above: A sunset captured somewhere near Shirpur.



As we entered MH and bypassed Dhule, we devoured a plate of misal pav and vada pav which set the essence of Maharashtra.

Night halt by 11PM at Gangapur after Lasur and 35kms after we bypassed the detour to Ellora Caves. Unfortunately, we couldn't reach Ellora before the evening and had to miss it...ah, something for the future! You can't have it all. I know we covered less miles today but the extra time spent on the temple detour was worth it.

DAY 3 (Nov 11): Gangapur, MH - Wai, Satara District, MH (280 kms)

My long-time friend Praveen bhau whom I had known since 2015 from the travelling community resided in Wai town. Mahabaleshwar was just at a distance of 35 kms, but we didn't have any plans of visiting it yet.







Pics above: Chilling at Wai, Magnus Caverns Resort.



Pic above: With my dear friend Pravin! Guy fears the cold like anything but still made a solo trip to Mechuka, Arunachal on my insistence and been so smitten that he made a painting of the monastery
on the hilltop with the Mechuka scenery in the background. He has plans to convert the painting into a fridge magnet. Pic below of his paining:





Pic above: A beautiful impression of the Khillari cattle, a breed peculiar to the Satara/ Kolhapur regions of MH and Belagavi districts of Karnataka.

DAY 4 (Nov 12): Halt at Wai, MH.

Exiting Wai on Day 5.



Awed by such dense foliage at the outskirt of the old city.

- To Be Continued

[SJD@NewDelhi]

DAY 5 (Nov 13): Wai, MH - Gokarna, KA (520 kms)

Exited Wai at 10 in the morning. Took Saigaon > Tasgaon > Changli bypass route to reach Karwar and entry into Karnataka by 3PM. Evening break at Alnavar which is a great junction to have evening snacks/ fast food.



Pic above: Near Yellapura after Dandeli Forest exit at 9:30PM. The hill section just after Ambika Nagar exit and before Dandeli exit was in total shambles and the heavy truck-traffic at night added to the slow pace. But all well and done, we reached Gokarna by 11PM and pushed further to Om Beach where we set up tent near the beach. The lights from the fishing boats and fiery sound of the waves advancing against the sand kept us company through the night.

DAY 6 (Nov 14): Gokarna KA - Payyoli near Vatakara, KL via Murdeshwar (450 kms)

Pic above: Om Beach at 6 in the morning. It was an awesome place to set up camp because of the view! However, the high humidity and lack of wind during the night made us hungry for some coolness.



Pic above: Joy was enthralled by the advancing waves and the sound.



We imbibed the aura of the beach, the shacks, the memorabilia shops, sipped on some cool coconut water and explored the beach till 11 in the morning.



Pic above: Birds eye view of Om beach from the steps.



Pic above: Om beach view from the road.

We left Gokarna at 11:30AM for our next stop of the day: Murdeshwar Temple.



Pic above: Entry to Murdeshwar from the highway.



Pic above: The Murdeshwar Temple front view. Unfortunately, the temple had constructions rods fixed throughout the main structure which impacted the pics a lot. We visited the main temple and took a paid lift-ride to the 18th floor of the temple which presented panoramic view of entire Murdeshwar, the beach and of course the famous Shiv statue, the second tallest Shiv statue of the world.



Pic above: View of the Shiva statue from the 18th floor of the temple. It is the second largest Shiva statue in India standing at 123 feet (38 meters), the first being the Nathdwara Shiva Statue in Rajasthan standing at 251 feet (76.5 meters).



Pic above: View of the statue from the temple courtyard. The hue definitely differs depending upon from where you see it.



Pic above: Murdeshwar Beach view from the top floor. Definitely resembles the Om of Om Beach I would say!

DAY 7 (Nov 15): Vatakara, KL - Cochin - Alleppey (300 kms)

Day 7 started by bypassing Kozhikode/ Calicut at 9 in the morning. Exasperating times as the diversion signs which we had been encountering since the night started becoming all the more frequent. We joked about naming this part of the state as "Take diversion region"

Today was another slow day and we took a leisurely lunch at around 12 and rested for a bit before reaching Kochi by 2PM. It took us till 3PM to reach our hotel near the Chottanikkara Temple.



Pic above: Temple View Residency, a nice amalgamation of colors!

Freshened up and rested for a bit before leaving to explore Fort Kochi at 6 in the evening.









Loved the vibe of Fort Kochi with its distinct old town charm similar to that of Goa. Time well spent!

DAY 8 (Nov 16): Alleppey - Munnar (160 kms)

Alleppey was at a distance of only 58 kms from Kochi and we started out to explore Alleppey quite early in the morning.





Dense foliage of coconut trees spread throughout the landscape welcomed us.



Pic above: Palmgrove Lake Resort very near to the Alleppey backwaters is an excellent stay option.



Pic above: We got a lively young man named Bijoy Devasia for a Shikara ride through the Alleppey backwaters.



Pic above: Bijoy's shikara. Moored close to the Indian Oil diesel pump which served as the sole fuel bunk for all the boats treading the Alleppey backwaters from Punnamada side.



Pic above: The sister boat of Bijoy's shikara which was driven by his cousin crossed us.



Pic above: These are government boats for the locals which are very cost effective and the preferred means of transportation to cross over to the other side of Alleppey.



Pic above: Trying my hand on the steering wheel of the boat. It had about 1500cc engine displacement capacity and costs between 8-10L to build a new one. A litre of diesel would give a mileage of about 10-12kms. Every year during the lean season, these boats go for servicing which costs about 50-60k including painting. Once the annual service is done, they are inspected by Waterways authority personnel and issued an inspection certificate valid for a year. There are seats for 4 person to travel in such a shikara but can also accommodate larger groups uptil 8-10 persons.



Pic above: These are houseboats which are used for nightstays and come equipped with ACs, dinner halls and about 10-15 rooms. Booking a room for one night would cost a minimum of 6-7k.



Pic above: Ramada Resort, Alleppey accessible from the backwaters side. These resorts even have their own luxury boats.



Pic above: With the enterprising and always smiling Bijoy bidding us goodbye.



We visited the Kasavu Aalayam silk center outlet on our way out from Punnamada and watched the handloom weaving process.



Wifee with a smile after getting a Keralan silk saree from me.



We wanted to taste some fried fish and asked Bijoy for recommendations. He recommended a small hotel called Aravala Restaurant which served great fish fry. We made a beeline for it and were in 7th heaven tasting this fried Tilapia fish which costed INR 160. (Pic above)

- To Be Continued

[SJD@NewDelhi]

(contd.)

After exploring Alleppey for the day, we had lunch and left for Munnar by 3PM. Followed route: Vaikom > Pandappilly > Kalloorkad > Anachal.

This route was the most beautiful we had taken till now. The churches we kept spotting literally after every 4-5 kms were one more beautiful then the other!







Pics of a couple of churches above.



The rain had started coming down and we caught quite a few breaks enroute. Each house that we kept crossing between the Kuravilangad and Pandappilly stretch were no less then villas and each had a unique style, a delight to my architecturally inclined wife.

We had been noticing the ChicKing outlets since quite some time and decided to have the evening snacks at their Adimali outlet. They were definitely trying to give the KFC experience and taste successfully. Crossed Anachal by 8PM and we decided to drive till Koodaram Camping grounds about 6 kms before Munnar. The last 1.5kms to reach the site was narrow and a steep descent with no signs. Because of the lack of signs and google map messing up in tight turns, I had to backout halfway from a sharp descent overlooking the valley to reach the correct junction. Definitely exciting, but not for the faint hearted! The 10W torchlight in my glove box came in quite handy in this section!

DAY 9 (Nov 17): Munnar - Parthibanur, Ramanathpuram district via Madurai (250 kms)

Pic above: Camping site near Koodaram Camping ground the previous night. The incline at which the car is parked is perhaps not that visible because of the camera angle. But what a sight to wake up in the morning!







Though domiciled in Delhi, my native state is Assam where we have literally grown up amongst tea-estates. My birthplace Digboi, is situated right between the Dehing Tea Estate and Bogapani TE, two of the oldest and biggest tea estates of Eastern Assam. But the beauty that the Munnar tea-estates' hill plantation had to exhibit amazed us. Assam tea might taste better (subjective opinion obviously ) but Munnar triumphs over Assam tea plantations in terms of beauty and exquisiteness!



We packed up and reached Munnar from Koodaram campsite by 10 in the morning and parked the car at the parking of the beautiful Carmel Top Resort. Pic above.



Explored the Munnar main bazaar and were surprised hearing the prices which were very very reasonable considering that it's a hill station with heavy footfall and petrol price retailing at INR 106. We bought quite a few things including local chocolate & bakery biscuits, pineapple, yam & banana chips, ash gourd, betel nuts & leaves which wifee loves and most importantly - the terrific tasting Passion fruit which we bought and tasted for the first time. It was retailing as low as 150/kg in the Munnar Vegetable Market (pic above) and was the perfect fruit per us because the outer shell could be removed easily by hands which gives way to the soft eatable inner core nestled delicately in the sponge like interior of the outer shell. The inner seed-core is somewhat similar to soaked chia seeds but bigger and a whole lot tastier. If you haven't tried it yet, simply DO! Perhaps they call it Vattavada Passion Fruit since Vattavada village (40 kms from Munnar) is famous for cultivating it.



All that roaming around made us quite hungry and we hopped into Al Buhari Restaurant to have some Fried Rice and Chilly Chicken. The taste was great, just that the Chilly Chicken had too much chilly gravy.



Post lunch, we started driving towards Marayoor through Rajamala & Kannan Devan Tea Estate with a plan to be back before the sun sets and explore Mattupetty & Kundala Dam.



We crossed the Eravikulam National Park entry enroute but near Gundumalai and onwards, the fog cover started increasing along with a temperature drop. It seemed like the opposite sides of a mountain, one the sunny side that we just crossed and the other - the foggy side which we were entering. Since, we had plans to visit the dams and Marayoor was still about 20 kms ahead, we decided to retrace our steps and invest the Marayoor time in exploring the interesting looking Eravikulam National Park .



Pic above: At the entrance of the Eravikulam National Park .



Pic above: Orchid Fernery of the park, very carefully maintained.



The park provides a 4km bus ride to the inside of the park and a half-hour hike. The bus ride was INR 200 per pax. Pic above: Us after the bus dropped us at our destination.



Pic above: A quick click of the view from the bus. Unfortunate clarity loss because of the momentum but you will get the idea.





Crossing the Anamudi peak just above us with the driver exclaiming it as "the highest peak of South India".



A stroll through the park.







The Nilgiri Thar, attraction of Eravikulam but unfortunately we couldn't catch a glimpse of these light-footed creatures. Maybe it will need more then a half hour hike to catch sight of them!



Pic above: Need to wait for about half an hour to get a couple pic in such seats because of the weekend crowd



Pic above: When we were chatting while patiently waiting for our turn, a person (Sanad who was there with his family) for whom I had previously clicked a pic, took some candid shots of us and was generous enough to forward to me in watsapp. Ohh...the kindness of strangers amazes us!

The bus dropped us back at the source around 5:30PM. While we loved the experience, we felt INR 200 per pax was a bit on the higher side for a 15 min bus ride and a quick hike. Even INR 100 per pax should be enough to cover the bus expense and park upkeep (40 pax carried in one-go) since the crowd footfall is quite high. Maybe there were factors we were not aware of! But overall, some good time spent in the park!



We hastened, but it was already 6 in the evening by the time we reached Matupetty Dam.



Darkness had descended and after clicking a few pics, we decided to explore the adjoining market-place and thereafter, exit Munnar.



Wifee brought quite a few memorabilia from the market stalls, chief among which was a Draksha red grape juice.



As we started exiting Matupetty by 7PM towards Devikulam > Pooppara, it started drizzling. As we descended towards the Tamil Nadu border, the fog kept increasing and the pic above is a moderate example of the section between Pooppara and Bodimettu. We crossed the Bodimettu check point at 8:30 in the evening. The policemen manning the post were not much interested in checking the car maybe because of Joy's raucous barking from the back of the car or maybe because of the language barrier.

Our plan for the night was getting as close to Rameswaram as possible and to cross Madurai at the minimum, so that the next day can be equitably divided in visiting Rameswaram and exploring Dhanushkodi. I waited to fuel up in Theni as fuel was cheaper by Rs. 5 in TN over KL. We planned for dinner in Madurai and crossed Theni by 9:30PM. Bypassed Dindigul to reach Madurai a bit after 11PM where we took an extended dinner break.



We were welcomed to Ramnathpuram district at the dead of night and reached Parthibanur around 1AM where we took our night halt.

- To Be Continued

[Dibyendu Bose]

Excellent account and photographs. Really liked a few of your actions like taking a bath when you sighted a tube well. Also, you struck a common chord when you explained your motive to visit temples. Awaiting the next 'issue' of your travelogue.

[SJD@NewDelhi]

Originally Posted by Dibyendu Bose

Excellent account and photographs. Really liked ...

Thanks a lot for appreciating the travelogue, Sir Some actions flows spontaneously and can easily be counted as the joys of rugged travelling!

If you liked this trip log, you might also like reading my Malari travelogue which was one of the most adventurous trips of my biking days. It was written in a more storylike descriptive style and the love that it received from this forum made the chronicling efforts worth it. Link below for your perusal should you be interested:

Malari Tales: Footloose in the Garhwal Himalayas

Meanwhile, I am working on chronicling the remaining half of the trip as soon as possible vis-a-vis: Dhanushkodi, Mysore and Hampi.

[Dibyendu Bose]

Great to know that. One request: Since you have your pet travelling with you, can you also focus on the aspects of travel with a pooch, especially the very critical aspect of finding suitable accommodation in small cities which allow pets. I have two of them and it restricts our movements

[SJD@NewDelhi]

Originally Posted by Dibyendu Bose

...can you also focus on the aspects of travel with a pooch, especially the very critical aspect of finding suitable accommodation in small cities which allow pets...

That's where the real challenge lies, travelling with a pooch...and you have 2! Nearly all the listed properties have a default "No Pets allowed" policy.

- But once check-in formalities are done and you build up a rapport with the staff, I politely inquire if we can take our pooch to the room and assure that she will have her own mattress and will not climb on beds or dirty the room. Bringing in the factor of a good review definitely helps swaying the discussion in your favor.

- If they allow, it's fine. If not, then there is no option other then leaving her in the car after feeding her and taking her for a long walk to relieve herself and tucking her in. This is easier if weather is cold. Keeping two of the windows about 2 inch rolled down does the trick. It's also important to park the car a bit away from the road or away from where the local dogs are sleeping/ roaming to ensure that the activity doesn't keep your pooch(s) active throughout the night. I get up once in the night to check up on her, 9/10 times I find her tucked in sleeping peacefully.

- If its moderately hot, we request the hotel owner to provide her a space in the verandah/ yard where we set up her mattress with a big bowl of water.

[SJD@NewDelhi]

DAY 10 (Nov 18): Parthibanur - Rameswaram - Dhanushkodi (140 kms)

A fresh start to the day, we start out by 8AM and cross Mandapam Camp a bit after 9 which is TN's largest refugee camp for Sri Lankan tamils in India.



Pic above: The scenic route starts once you cross Mandapam Camp with the sea running parallelly to the road and before you reach the Pamban bridge.



Pic above: We spotted these beauties by a lonely Kali temple just before the Pamban bridge. They voraciously devoured some of Joy's food and wouldn't leave our side untill we left reluctantly. Dhanushkodi awaits!



Pic above: Finally, we get the full view of the Pamban bridge and the new Pamban bridge side by side. Had heard about this first sea bridge of India since so long that connects the town of Rameswaram on Pamban Island with Mandapam of mainland India. The bridge is located in a corrosive marine environment, making its maintenance a challenging job. The location is also a cyclone-prone, high-wind-velocity zone. It was a joy to finally behold it right before us!

Earlier the railway line bifurcated from Pamban with one line heading towards Rameshwaram about 10 kms up and another branch line of 24 kms terminating at Dhanushkodi. The railway line to Dhanushkodi was destroyed during the 1964 Dhanushkodi Cyclone along with the Pamban-Dhanuskodi passenger train, killing around 200 people. (Source: Telegraph)

The old rail bridge was the only link between Rameswaram and the mainland until 1988 when the road bridge running parallel to it was built. We are now in our car on this very road bridge. The Indian Railways is trying to get the old bridge introduced to UNESCO's world heritage list.

In December 2022, train movement on the old bridge was permanently suspended due to instability of the aging structure. Around 2020, the government announced the building of the New Pamban Bridge running parallel to the old bridge which you can see in the pic above. The New Pamban Bridge will be the the first vertical lift sea bridge in India. Trial runs on this bridge was conducted in the previous months of our visit but since then the project had hit some roadblocks pertaining to construction concerns around the new bridge's reduced stress carrying capacity.



Pic above: Kwid overloooking Pamban.



Pic above: The most enthralling view unfolds as you near the end of the road bridge with the island of Rameswaram unfurling before you and the sight of the fishing trawlers to your right on the open sea. The view depicted in the picture above seems like a miniaturized version of the Indian peninsula while witnessing in real life



Pic above: The fishing trawlers moored near Pamban seemed like the fleet section of a Navy blitz awaiting orders to charge at an invisible foe Jokes aside, most probably they were awaiting the double-leaf bascule section of Pamban to be raised to pass to the other side. Formational beauty!



Pic above: A zoomed in pic of the trawlers.



Pic above: The island of Rameswaram that you witness ahead of you from the road bridge.



Pic above: A zoomed in pic of the island. The lighthouse that you see is not in Rameswaram but is in Dhanushkodi, enroute from Rameswaram. More on this later.



Pic above: Someone was again generous enough to click a pic for us on the Pamban road bridge exit.



We cross Rameswaram around 10 and decided to first drive to Dhanushkodi, explore it and then drive back to Rameswaram to explore it.





Dhanuskodi is at about 18-20 kms distance from Rameswaram. The exit road from Rameswaram leads directly to Dhanushkodi in a straight line with sea at both sides - Bay of Bengal to the right (Palk Strait) and Gulf of Mannar on the left. It's a surreal feeling to drive through this loooooong straight stretch although fearful a bit too, if you fancy playing with the scenario of tall tsunami waves chasing down towards the road from the Bay side in your mind



Pic above: Kwid in some sort of deep conversation with the approaching waves of the Bay of Bengal.



Pic above: Lots of fishing dinghies docked on the beach presenting ample photoshoot opportunities.





Pic above: The Dhanushkodi Lighthouse which we saw from the Pamban road bridge exit situated near the destroyed church and dilapidated station which were flattened in the 1964 cyclone. The lighthouse standing 49 meters tall is highly beneficial for the fisherfolk for their safe passage towards Dhanuskodi from both sides.



Pic above: View of the lighthouse on our return trip to Rameswaram from Dhanushkodi. Road dotted with the huts on both sides belonging to the fisher folk.



Pic above: We scored dried fish from some of these huts. I love this delicacy although wife doesn't prefer much, but she cooks for me These fish were exceptionally clean (mostly Mackerel) then what we are used to in North or North-East, my wife was delighted while cooking since she didn't have to clean much. We loved them because of the high flesh ratio and freshness.



Pic above: Aerial view of the lighthouse with clear view of the sea at both sides and the straight road leading to Dhanushkodi in the middle. (Pic source: Internet).





Pic above: We reach the Dhanushkodi roadhead! As expected, quite crowded with lots of pilgrims but serenity still. Tried spotting SriLanka ahead



Pic above: Us chilling by the sea-side!



Pic above: Couldn't resist canoodling in the waves!



Pic above: We were back at Rameswaram by 2PM and visited the Ramanathaswamy Temple.





How can we miss the APJ National Memorial when we are in Rameswaram! We paid tribute to the Missile Man of India and the humble son of Rameswaram in his memorial as we went through his extraordinary journey. No pics from the inside as mobile is strictly prohibited.

We had a lunch break till 4PM and prepped for the return trip. With Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi done, now we will be embarking on our return trip to NCR with two detours - Mysore and Hampi. The beautiful Mysore and the spell-bounding ruins of Hampi shall be covered in the final post of this thread. Stay tuned!

- To Be Continued

[kvsneela]

Nice.. These type of travelogues will not be complete without the reviews of hotels , restuarants and road conditions. Since the article is not complete , reviews might be at the end of the final installment. Rameswaram hotel details would help as we might plan in coming months .

[mrkireeti]

Nice travelogue! Definitely stirred my own desire to cover some of the places you covered.