[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by Chevy_lover

Our first stop was the Rose Garden. There was an explosion of colours inside the garden! Let's go inside. Entry is FREE for my readers!!!

Thats a wonderful collage of pictures. But i wonder why the name Rose Garden?

And by the way no boating activity in the lake?

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by ampere

Wow! The lake really looks like Avalanche.
Need to go there once again!

Yes, Ampere, the resemblance was striking!

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Thats a wonderful collage of pictures. But i wonder why the name Rose Garden?
And by the way no boating activity in the lake?

Thanks Amit. The garden was supposed to have lots and lots of varieties of roses. But we couldn't find a single flower!!!

Boating in Mattupetty and at Echo point was suspended because of the monsoon season! They might restart it in October.

Originally Posted by roamingrao

Wow CN bhai, that was a riot of colours !

I bow a hundred times for your humble intention of bringing so much detail for your readers. Yes, the narration and photographs itself stands out in this travelogue. But i doubt if we could find so much detail anywhere else. Its like we have been treated to a spectacle.

Thank you.

We're on board.. please drive on.

Thank you, Rao Saab. I am happy that my travelogue and pics are being appreciated by all!

[sandip]

Dear Chevy Lover,

I have one of my dear friends from that place and incidentally he too got married and baptised (in reverse chronological order - of course ;P), from the same church.
I had been there for his marriage and YES... the ambience,infrastructure and the architecture of the church leaves one breathless.

A big thumbs up for taking this journey, I have been planning for long but was not sure about whether it would be worth it, especially with a 2 year old child.

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by sandip

Dear Chevy Lover,

I have one of my dear friends from that place and incidentally he too got married and baptised (in reverse chronological order - of course ;P), from the same church.
I had been there for his marriage and YES... the ambience,infrastructure and the architecture of the church leaves one breathless.

A big thumbs up for taking this journey, I have been planning for long but was not sure about whether it would be worth it, especially with a 2 year old child.

Don't keep on thinking, dear Sandip, just take the plunge and drive! But if you're driving with your young angel, plan for lots of breaks and take it easy on the highway!

The church is indeed stunning. I am glad you could experience its grandeur!!!

[sriswe]

Hi CL,

Just finished reading your log, as usual its an excellent one with your style of narration (some cool punch dialogues wherever needed). What I like is that you wont rush to complete the tour places (as most of other people do) , you take ample rest, get adjusted and then cover the places peacefully.

Thanks,
Srinivas.R

[Chevy_lover]

Thank you, Srini. Nice to know that you liked my log. Munnar was superb during our visit. It was green everywhere.

Yes, we take enough time to take rest and recharge ourselves. That way, we are always filled with enthusiasm.
Do stay tuned for more of the incredibly beautiful Munnar!

[Chevy_lover]

The next point we visited was the beautiful Kundala lake and dam.

Kundala is about 28 kilometres away from Munnar town. Kundala is 5940 feet above sea level and the Kundala Arch Dam is the first arch dam in Asia!

The beautiful lake!





Water being released from the arch dam.





Great view of the dense forests and the hills!





Boating in the lake!



Way to the lakeside!





My wife is happy! She protected me from the showers!!!



The Dam



A Shikara!



Beautiful carrots! They were very tasty!!!



Ancient way of cooking corn!



Carrots!





Lake side!



This poor guy was famished! He was so happy when my wife offered him some of the carrots, we had with us!

His eyes literally popped out!!!!!



Chomping the tasty treat



Sharing with his friend



Can I be your friend???



Friends for life!!!

[TheARUN]

The Velankanni pictures were so welcome. I wanted to be there in August but could not go, thanks for the mini pilgrimage

[Chevy_lover]

We returned back to the town after visiting Kundala lake. A continuous drizzle forced us to cancel our trip to the last point, Top Slip.

A pano shot from Kundala!



We had an early supper from a hotel inside the market and returned back to our hotel!

I took some night shots from our balcony. These shots were taken without my tripod. I was too lazy to go out to my car to fetch it. I balanced my camera on the railings and captured these snaps.









Suddenly, the town was covered by mist! It was a superb sight!

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

The Velankanni pictures were so welcome. I wanted to be there in August but could not go, thanks for the mini pilgrimage

Thanks TheArun. Velankanni is our favourite pilgrim centre. If the authorities build a 4 laned highway to bypass the last 90 odd kilometres through villages, the drive surely would be a pleasure!

[rajeev k]

Dear Chevy Lover,
Your travelogue inspired me to partake a trip to Munnar to retrace a nostalgic trip down memory lane to this wonderful place where I did three years of my schooling. In spite of the heavy downpour we ventured to Munnar without any hotel bookings on these Onam holidays. I just returned from my 32 hour trip.
Thanks, CL,
Rajeev

[Chevy_lover]

Day 23

We woke up by 7 am on day 23 of our incredible holiday. We went to a hotel near the bridge and had tasty Appams and Egg curry. It was one of the most tasty breakfasts we had had in a long time.

We had decided to do a bus trip that day. We were adamant that we should let Chevy rest and see Munnar like a typical backpacking tourist. I wanted my wife to experience what I did in 1996, during my trip alone, to the mountains.

We went to the bus stand and got inside a private bus, by the name St. John, to travel to Adimali. Adimali is a town at the base of the hills and it is just 30 kilometres away from Munnar.

We were lucky as we got seats right near the driver.





The bus started after a short halt of about 10 minutes at the bus stop. We were happy that the bus finally started, without much delay. It was the first time we actually travelled in a bus in almost two years. The last time we travelled in a bus was from Coonoor to Ooty in an ultra deluxe TN bus.

Kannan Devan Office!



The road was very good!



Hotel Bellmount.



Shortly after exiting the town limits, we passed through a lot of gorgeous tea estates!











A beautiful tea factory!



The estates were so picturesque!



Nest Resorts! Anyone stayed there??



A small scale trader! He is advertising that he will buy ginger, cocoa, coffee and elaichi. These traders usually buy produce from small scale farmers and sell it at a profit!



Cages for hens being built. Carpenters are fast becoming extinct in cities. We felt good seeing that all is well in villages!!!



A brand new bungalow being readied for house warming!



Our bus driver was an expert. Look at the ease with which he is handling the hairpin curves!!! Made my eye pop out!!! Controlling a huge bus with one hand!! My God!



Fresh fish being sold to customers. I heard that fresh fish is brought to the hills from Cochin everyday! The customers were very keen to get the biggest of the lot. I think I heard the vendor shout Rs. 300 per kg!!!



Beautiful winding road! And what a way to answer a phone call!!! This guy stopped right in the middle of the road at first and moved away only when our driver honked!!!



A modified jeep! It has a fancy number too! A certain Shah Rukh has a similar number!!!



Kumban Para! Fathima Matha church!



A fruit and vegetable stall! Never ever seen cabbages and curry leaves being sold like fruits!!!

I can also see tapioca on the ground. Boiled tapioca and fish curry is a super tasty delicacy in Kerala!!!



A huge mountain and a house right at its foot!



A bird house! A kind-hearted soul has made a bird house and installed it near the highway. The pigeons were very well fed!



We entered Adimali town after a superb one hour drive!



Bus stand at Adimali.



We got down from the private bus and got into a KSRTC bus back to Munnar. I wanted to experience the driving of KSRTC drivers too! I felt bad seeing the bus's steering. When we drive in so much comfort, with power steering and power brakes, the drivers, who are responsible for hundreds of lives, are made to wrestle with ancient steering systems!



A self portrait to remind us of the thrilling journey we just undertook!!!

[vnabhi]

Mesmerising travelogue! I was feeling sleepy after lunch, when I chanced to come across this thread.

It's held me captivated for the past 2 hours. I am re-living my summer trip to Munnar, though it looks a lot more beautiful in monsoon.

So am I right in inferring that you took a bus ride to Adimali just to enjoy the scenery? If so, that is a novel way of sight-seeing. Gonna add it to my wish list.

Please continue.

[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by Chevy_lover

1. A beautiful tea factory!


2. Our bus driver was an expert. Look at the ease with which he is handling the hairpin curves!!! Made my eye pop out!!! Controlling a huge bus with one hand!! My God!

1. Did you also visit the Tea Factory or only passed by it?

2. You should have told the bus driver that he would get figured in T-BHP under the Bad Drivers thread. But seriously all the bus drivers, cab drivers who drive on these routes on a everyday basis sometimes get carried away because of the familiarity of the route and safety takes a back seat.

[Chevy_lover]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

1. Did you also visit the Tea Factory or only passed by it?

2. You should have told the bus driver that he would get figured in T-BHP under the Bad Drivers thread. But seriously all the bus drivers, cab drivers who drive on these routes on a everyday basis sometimes get carried away because of the familiarity of the route and safety takes a back seat.

We passed by the factory. It was located on top of a hill and the only way to reach it was by foot or by jeep. We didn't have that much time in our hands.

The bus driver was really an expert. He did not over speed or do any crazy stunts. I think he was supporting himself with one hand on the window, when he drove down a hairpin curve. But he gave me a scare!

The first time I visited Munnar, I went there in a private bus from Kumily. I got friendly with the bus driver and we had a good conversation. Two days later, I decided to return back in the same bus. When I saw the bus that day, the front left part of the bus, near the headlight was completely destroyed. On enquiry, the driver told me that his steering did not recoil after a hairpin curve and he drove straight into a huge rock.

So you are right, Amit. The drivers do get carried away and take everything for granted!!!

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Dear Chevy Lover,
Your travelogue inspired me to partake a trip to Munnar to retrace a nostalgic trip down memory lane to this wonderful place where I did three years of my schooling. In spite of the heavy downpour we ventured to Munnar without any hotel bookings on these Onam holidays. I just returned from my 32 hour trip.
Thanks, CL,
Rajeev

That's great news, Rajeev. I hope to see a travelogue from you, buddy! Go for it!!!

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Mesmerising travelogue! I was feeling sleepy after lunch, when I chanced to come across this thread.

It's held me captivated for the past 2 hours. I am re-living my summer trip to Munnar, though it looks a lot more beautiful in monsoon.

So am I right in inferring that you took a bus ride to Adimali just to enjoy the scenery? If so, that is a novel way of sight-seeing. Gonna add it to my wish list.

Please continue.

Thanks vnabhi. We did the bus trip just to enjoy the natural beauty of Munnar and Adimali.

There is much more to come. do stay tuned!!!