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Old 13th November 2015, 13:52   #1
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Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-opening.jpg

Its been a while we have planned a family vacation, and the 2 week Dussehara holidays for my 5 year old created the apt window for the break needed.

After a quick search we narrowed down on Virajpet & Kannur due to accessibility and also considering our plans to spend a few days in Bangalore with some cousins (a family visit has been long due, close to 7 years).

So with a detailed plan in place, the bookings were made for the stay in Virajpet & kannur and we embarked the journey on Oct 15 - Thursday.

Day 1 - Oct 15 - Hyderabad to Bangalore - Start Time 12 Noon


I had to close a few things related to work in the morning so we planned the to start around Noon post early lunch so that we can avoid long breaks.
As per the plan, I managed to close things by 11 AM, we had lunch at 1130 AM ( intentionally we kept the breakfast very light) and by 1155 AM the luggage was in the boot and in a few more min we were on our way.
My Dad was at the wheel, I took the passenger seat and my wife and kid made themselves comfortable on the rear bench. The roads as we all know are excellent and at 430 PM we took a short 10 min break for tea at a Dhaba just before Anathapur.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-highway.jpg

Post the break me and my Dad swapped places and we reached BEL - Hebbal by 745 PM, where we would spend a few days before our next leg of journey.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-polishing.jpg

Oct 16 & 17 we spent good time with our cousins in Bangalore, and my car successfully negotiated the speed breakers with 6 adults & 2 kids when we were doing the rounds around the city to meet people.

Day 4 - Oct 18 - Bangalore - Mysore - Virajpet - Start Time 0600 AM

The previous evening we retired to bed early and as planned we woke up early so that we can start early as planned. Thankfully my family is very punctual and we rarely miss our schedules, this time too we said adios to our cousins by 6 AM and we were on the roll by 6:05 AM.
We took the the NICE road as guided by GPS and we were soon out of Bangalore, cursing at a comfortable 90kmph on the Mysore highway. The traffic was comparatively heavy and we stopped for some delicious madhur vade & Thatte Idli after crossing Mandya.

By 840 AM we crossed Srirangapatna, however we did not stop by as we wanted to reach Virajpet by the same evening, and we had some social visits lined up in Mysore too.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-44ef019878b525f0.jpg

Sometime after 9 AM we entered Mysore and we headed straight to the Palace.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-mysore-sbh-post.jpg

There was a certain degree of excitement visiting the palace during the dusherra period as my family has never been here before.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-mysore-palace2.jpg

Post the visit, we headed towards completing our social visits, and by the time we resumed our journey towards Virajpet it was 4:00 PM.
The ride was very pleasant and we took the suggested Mysore - Hunsur - Gonnikopal - Virajpet route.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-madhikeri-raod.jpg

We reached our destination (Club Mahindra Virajpet) around 7 PM, and after a good shower and some fruits for dinner we hit the bed for the much needed rest little before 9PM.

The overall drive from Mysore to Virajpet was very nice except for the last 5KM to the resort where the road was non existent and it pains to take your beloved car on such stretches.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-resort-night.jpg

Last edited by Aditya : 14th November 2015 at 07:05. Reason: Fixing image
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Old 13th November 2015, 14:29   #2
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Day 5 - Oct 19

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-resort-mist.jpg

We woke up pretty early to a wonderful view from the bedroom. Went for a good long walk, returned to have some cereal for breakfast and we set off by 9 AM to Irrupu falls.
We got slightly delayed at the parking. The previous night we left the car at the valet desk and after a long wait, we got to know that the car is stuck amidst other cars, as some owners parked their vehicles around and took the keys with them. After some struggle for about 30 min, the staff managed to move some vehicles and finally pulled my car out.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-car-mist.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-resort-mist-2.jpg

The drive around the hills was an amazing experience, the car took every corner with an attitude and the grin was firmly planted on my face.


Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-car-lush-green.jpg

The road towards irrupu falls is in good condition with very occasional bad patches, the trusted GPS guided us well and we reached the destination without any hassle.

Some pics en route.


Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-6.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-7.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-1.jpg

The trek to the falls was equally exciting and the path is very scenic.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-2.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-3.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-4.jpg

The slightly long trek, ended with some wonderful sight.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-wildlife-santuary.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-waterfall.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-butterfly-1.jpg

The forest type.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-tropical-forest.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-distint-temple.jpg

Post this exciting and exhaustive experience we were pretty hungry and our search for a decent place for lunch took us all the way to Gonikoppal.
Please note that there are very limited options available for pure vegetarians around this area, we did find a pure veg restaurant very near to the Gonikoppal bus stand.
We opted for a non veg restaurant and after some search we found this place (Royal Restaurant). The food is good and very affordable, the place is clean and so is the restroom. We ordered a chicken masala & paneer butter masala and we forgot the number of porota's we hogged .
The place served us hot water to drink and we were surprised to know that they don't serve water at room temperature and folks who do not want to sip hot water with your food, you will have to opt for bottled water.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-royal-rest.jpg

Post lunch we returned to Virajpet, had some tea on the way and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the pool. Had some fruits for dinner, watched a movie and we dozed off around 930 PM.

Last edited by pdma : 13th November 2015 at 19:52.
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Old 13th November 2015, 14:49   #3
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Day 6 - Oct 20

We decided to stay at the resort and spend the day lazily.
So the day started with a good long walk around the surroundings.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-9.jpg

A few pics from the walk.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-8.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-10.jpg

We did go for a small trek around a coffee plantation.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-coffee-platation-walk.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-forest-11.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-path-1.jpg

A random picture clicked at the resort later that day.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-resort-1.jpg

The day was spent well amongst ourselves in leisure, a small nap in the afternoon, the evening was spent in the pool, followed by sometime at children's play area.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-ansh-1.jpg

A light dinner as usual and some coffee marked the end of this day.

Last edited by pdma : 13th November 2015 at 19:57.
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Old 13th November 2015, 16:17   #4
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Day 7 - Oct 21 - Virajpet to Kannur - Start Time 10 AM

No delays as usual we completed the checkout formalities without hassle, and the drive started via the route Vijarpet - Makkuta Ghat - Kootupuzha - Iritty - Mattannur - Kannur.

Little did we know that the Makkuta Ghat is a monster downhill all through the ghat. I personally was pretty nervous all through the 21km of this section. To add to my woes, my car was the pilot and there were at least 6-7 vehicles following me downhill, forcing us to be the first to face the dangerous curves & handling the heavy truck traffic moving uphill around those tight corners. I gave way multiple times to cars behind me so that I can fall behind and relax, however absolutely none seem to be interested to move ahead and lead the pack .

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-ghat-1.jpg

Phew !!! Yes, I did stop to drain my vein after that stretch, just after crossing the border.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-carforest.jpg

The roads narrowed from here on and maintaining speeds got tougher. We were in no hurry and I was driving at appropriate speeds, maintaining safe distances from those colorful local buses which are being driven in a very haphazard way.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-kerala-bus.jpg

A bridge on way near Iritty.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-bridge-1.jpg

On the way we came across a diversion to pazhassi dam, and with some expectation we took the diversion and after 7km we found a very small dam (disappointed). We drove along the line took a few pictures and returned to our main route.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-dam-1.jpg

The journey continued and we reached Kannur by 1:30 PM. We decided to have lunch at the very famous MVK Restaurant (We are avid followers of Highway on the Plate - NDTV, and this restaurant did get a special mention by Rocky & Mayur).

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-mvk-rest.jpg

The food was very good and did meet our high expectations and the price you pay is just peanuts. Guess what, this restaurant too serves hot water along with food, which made us assume that the proximity of Virajpet to this part of Kerala would have influenced them to follow this healthy approach.

Special note: Don't miss the lemon tea at MVK, you will repent if you skip this amazing tea.

Post lunch we called our host for directions to the home stay we booked. He was kind enough to escort us all the way to the place. The place is called kizuanna rocks and it is by the sea shore.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-kerala-1.jpg

The place is nice & cozy. Its a small, neat, clean and has very friendly staff. The food is prepared at the Host's place and would be served to you as per your preference. It also has a small BBQ and if you go in a large group you can have some fun.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-kerala-resort-3.jpg

Open the gate and cross the small barricade of rocks to set your foot on the deserted clean beach.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-beach-1.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-beach-2.jpg

As there are very less people around, this is more or less like a private beach for your convenience. A small group of local boys entertained us with a good game of football in the evening.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-football-1.jpg

The small table along side the kitchen at the home stay.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-kerala-resort-2.jpg

We had early dinner, spent sometime listening to the waves and the sea before we retired to bed.

Last edited by pdma : 13th November 2015 at 20:05.
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Old 13th November 2015, 16:59   #5
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Day 8 - Oct 22 - Kannur to Bangalore- Start Time 9 AM

Post breakfast we thanked the staff and the host for the pleasant experience and moved on towards India's only drive in beach .

@ Muzhappilangad Beach

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-drive-beach-1.jpg

This is another life time experience and it is absolute fun. The entry fee is Rs 20 and you can stay as long as you prefer. Me and my Dad had a lot of fun driving along the waves. My wife is still at basic learning stage on how to drive, however we still let her drive on the empty beach and she had her share of fun too.
We were cautious to ensure that the car did not touch the water, as we were not comfortable with the idea of salty sea water entering into the discs / drums.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-drive-beach-2.jpg

From here we proceeded to Fort Angelo and spent some time here. The place is maintained well and is the view from some locations is very beautiful.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-fort-1.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-fort-2.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-fort-3.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-fort-6.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-fort5.jpg

A random picture.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-kannur-1.jpg

We started driving back to Bangalore and en-route found another MJD .

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-mjd.jpg

I recalled the lesson I learnt on the Makutta Ghat and this time I slowed down to allow a Qualis & an i20 before me and happily followed them. The driver of the i20 made some unwanted maneuvers all through our way up and ended up in pulling aside just before the end of the ghat section for its occupants to get down & puke to relieve from their sickness.

It was close to 2 PM by the time we reached Gonikoppal, and we headed straight to Royal where we had a good experience earlier. Post lunch we proceeded towards Bangalore and reached Hebbal around 8 PM.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-madhekeri-raod-2.jpg

Found these two tamed giants in a cheerful mood.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-elephants.jpg

Went for a small walk along with our cousins had a nice fresh fruit juice and we hit the bed.

Last edited by pdma : 13th November 2015 at 19:07.
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Old 13th November 2015, 17:29   #6
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

The next day, we stayed indoors most of the time, however when we stepped out for a walk to a nearby groceries store I noticed a flat tyre.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-flat-tyre-1.jpg

So I had to press the odd looking spare wheel into service and we drove to the nearby workshop to get the tyre fixed. The job was complete in flat 10 min, we went to a nearby fuel station, got the car refueled, checked the air pressure on all the 5 wheels and parked the car for the rest of the day.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-spare-wheel.jpg

Day 10 - Oct 24 - Bangalore to Hyderabad - Start Time 9 AM

We bid adieu to our hosts @ Bangalore and since I did all the driving between Bangalore - Virajpet - Kannur - Bangalore, I made myself comfortable in the rear seat along with my son, with my Dad at the wheel and my wife as his navigator we set ourselves for the last leg of our wonderful tour.

The blissful roads throughout the 550+KM drive, saw my Dad with 40+ years of driving experience blast all cylinders and we reached home by 4:30 PM (we took an1 hour lunch break at Ghar Dhaba near Kurnool)

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-blore-hyd-3.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-blore-hyd-2.jpg

The journey did leave us with a lot of pleasant memories and we are definitely looking forward for more.

The fifth companion who stood by us in all conditions and ensured that we are safe and comfortable throughout.

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-car-temple.jpg

Thank You for reading.

Cheers,
pdma.

Last edited by pdma : 13th November 2015 at 20:31.
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Old 14th November 2015, 12:13   #7
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re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 15th November 2015, 17:27   #8
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

A very nice tag line to start the TL

It looks like you have chosen a different off-the-beaten-track destinations for your trip. Nicely written travelogue complemented by great pics. Super!

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdma View Post
The next day, we stayed indoors most of the time, however when we stepped out for a walk to a nearby groceries store I noticed a flat tyre.
It would be better to have an inflator with you so that you can inflate the tyre and take it to the nearest puncture shop. This helps you to avoid the pain of changing the tyres.
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Old 16th November 2015, 09:26   #9
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Re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdma View Post

Its been a while we have planned a family vacation, and the 2 week Dussehara holidays for my 5 year old created the apt window for the break needed.
Hi pdma, Loved reading your blogs. I do follow all your write ups starting from the Linea ownership report. I have eyes on your beauty (Planning to Own a Linea) if everything goes right I would join the Fiat club very soon.
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Old 16th November 2015, 14:49   #10
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Re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Excellent travelogue pdma - good write-up accompanied by wonderful images.

The south has wonderful roads indeed. Much is said about the notorious bus drivers of the south, but in my experience, they are the same all over the country.

The forests, beaches, wildlife and natural beauty are second to none. Hope they are preserved for our future generations.

The Mysore Palace is a wonderful place. I've visited it before, but never during Dussera.
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Old 16th November 2015, 16:18   #11
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Re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Nice travelogue and thats a great way to spend time. With family, with nature and good food. Looks like you spaced it well. The pazhassi dam has a small shutter behind. There is a government guide who takes you in there for a small fee i think. Its a good 30 minute time-spend to marvel at the engineering feat of olden days.
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Old 16th November 2015, 17:04   #12
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Re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Pdma,

For starters this is a very good travelogue!
I like the format - you have kept the write-ups short & crisp while letting the pictures do the talking.
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Old 17th November 2015, 12:27   #13
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Re: Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)

Liked your narration style. Simple and humble!

And the places you had chosen, Virajpet and Kannur, both are offbeat location which would have helped you to have some qualitative private moments with your beloved family. Is that home stay located in payyambalam beach?

As you mentioned about the roads and private buses in Kerala, driving in two lane roads have always been a different experience when compared to 4/6 lane express highways. All the trucks, buses, cars, autos and two wheels on the same lane! All the planning done on time schedules usually go out of the window. Hope you were able to meet the schedule without any fuss.
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Old 17th November 2015, 15:50   #14
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdma View Post
The journey did leave us with a lot of pleasant memories and we are definitely looking forward for more.


Thank You for reading.

Cheers,
pdma.
Nice and crisp travelogue. Liked the title of your thread Hats off to your dad for driving from Bangalore to Hyderabad,
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Old 17th November 2015, 15:58   #15
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Re: Across the plains, around the hills to the Sea

Quote:
Originally Posted by pdma View Post
... India's only drive in beach . ...
These pictures are from yet another beach in India
Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-morjimcpandfort.jpg

Across the plains and around the hills to drive by the sea (Virajpet, Kannur & Muzhappilangad)-morjimcandsea.jpg
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