[raju_sls]

WOW!! A jaw dropping travelogue, an eerie writing!!
Kudos to you sir!
Boncaud is now in my must visit list!

[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

Sufficient for me to take a detour when I go near the Nilgiris next time. Keep snapping!!

You'd love this place

Originally Posted by raju_sls

an eerie writing!! Boncaud is now in my must visit list!

Raju, not eerie my brother's kids who are from B'lore wanted to see the place. But, they had put forward a condition that they need to be taken by the RTC Bus. "Ok", I said, "let's just wander around the factory area and would try to show the Bungalow from the base". One fine morning, myself, kids and some friends got in the Bonacaud bus and pretty soon after the forest check-post, they got a taste of how things were around.

First time on an RTC Bus, the excitement was palpable


Someone was very angry the previous night and plucked trees and laid into the road. Seems our good ol' pachyderm was around laying hurdles for us


The queer eyes fell upon us once a while. May be she was asking to herself "where the hell were these guys going with all those cams & lenses and 2 kids to tag along?". She continued to peek upon us constantly till the bus reached the destination and she walked off with her parents


Alighted from the bus and the climate was cool & inviting


The kids loved the walk . It was a new world for them, a break from the four walls of apartments and concrete jungles in 'Garden City'


Approach to the factory, lined with fallen Gulmohars


"Up there, you can find a huge conifer and beside the tree is the Bungalow" - one of us called out to them and their eyes started the search


A friendly granny familiar to us from the numerous trips was happy to see the young ones with us. Coincidentally, the same day marked the 50th year of her arrival at Bonacaud and she shared some of her memories with us. Even though her kids are settled in town now, she refuses to leave this place. The way in which she asked if the kids wanted to go to Bungalow, made Hari (elder one) more excited and Vinu look at me in a resistive manner

[pisthpeeps]

Man..classy photographs throughout the thread. Goosebumps.Too good.
Have taken the Kollam-Shengottai route once. Kerala is blessed.

[arunmravindran]

Great write up man. Definitely adding this to my "list of places to drive to"
The drive through athirapally - vazhachal - pollachy also has similar landscapes. Lot of greenery especially in the monsoons..

[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by pisthpeeps

Man..classy photographs throughout the thread. Goosebumps.Too good.
Have taken the Kollam-Shengottai route once. Kerala is blessed.

The Thenmala - Shenkottai stretch would be awesome during monsoon time.

Originally Posted by arunmravindran

Great write up man. Definitely adding this to my "list of places to drive to"
The drive through athirapally - vazhachal - pollachy also has similar landscapes. Lot of greenery especially in the monsoons..

Haven't taken that route yet buddy. I've to be content with the following greenery for time being

Wonder what all sights & sounds the occupants would be privy to through the seasons

[dhanushmenon]

Fantastic snaps and a great write up mate....
Loved each and every bit of this thread.
Cheers

By the way, where was that second last snap in your post above taken?

[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by dhanushmenon

By the way, where was that second last snap in your post above taken?

It was taken at the top-station of the estate. It's up to this point where vehicles can be taken. Sharing few pics from one of the recent trips.

Wide angle is scenic, but each element in the frame would have a story to tell and those stories makes up touching macros..and those macros shows you the life.


Excellent rains in mountains had refreshed the rivulets..one can;t forget the sight & sound from this mini-fall


True to the spirit of the area..I felt this as imposing/ majestic/royal as he stood there waiting for his partner
a

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

Friday, 7Am - “I need to do an endurance test for my car’ s suspension” – said my friend.

Hey Mysticeyes, just saw your post on another thread and landed here. Nice travelogue.

Can you let me know the stay options in Bonacaud and also the best time to visit. Looking at riding options from Bangalore with group.

KK

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

There has been increasing instance of wildlife spilling over to the checkpost/ parking area of late. Our guide told us the 'lore' of 'Puli (Leopard) Murukan' who fought with the leopard near the parking area last year and escaped. He's a superstar now and an acclaimed guide for the hardcore trekkers who want to explore the dense forest in the area. It was the first instance of leopard coming out in open in the area.

Did our superstar Mohanlal picked the name Puli Murukan from here?

Wonderful writing and snaps, doesn't matter the thread is few years old

[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

Did our superstar Mohanlal picked the name Puli Murukan from here?

Wonderful writing and snaps, doesn't matter the thread is few years old

The person I mentioned was a local tribal guy. The 'title' was bestowed upon him by the local community. I've no idea if this name was picked for the movie from here..probable

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

Hey Mysticeyes, just saw your post on another thread and landed here. Nice travelogue.

Can you let me know the stay options in Bonacaud and also the best time to visit. Looking at riding options from Bangalore with group.

KK

Sir,

Forest Department has 'tree-huts' at 2-3 spots and is quite adventerious. They charge approx. Rs. 5000/ night. But, its quite adventurous. Other than that, the nearest accomodation would be at Ponmudi (apprx. 30 KM away) where there is a hotel run by Tourism Development Corporation. Best time to visit is during rainy season (June - November) if you want lush greenery and mist.