I had started off on more than one occasions to write a travelogue but cut short and abandoned due to various reasons.
A small but crisp one would be better to start with is what i finally thought and here its is.
The long weekend of 26th Jan was fast approaching and wifey and I had just been out of a gruelling and hectic month. We needed to pamper ourselves (as we always do) after the onslaught. What better than a drive around bangalore. Beaches being our first love, we started to explore but till friday could not conclude on anything. Apparently Goa, Gokarna, Murudeshwar, Pondi, Rameshwaram were already on the list of the impatient South Indian and South based North Indian travellers. Frantic calls to any accommodation that appeared decent on the web yielded disappointing results.
Battered and incapacitated of options, a late evening decision to visit Munnar crossed our minds. supposedly picturesque and a lot heard about it, we cajoled ourselves to believe it was going to be a good trip.
Come saturday and we were to set sail early, but as luck would have it, wifey had mild fever and a virtually inaudible voice (a perfect indication that God is with you, for many
). The start was inevitably delayed. By the time we left, plans had changed to have a night halt at Coimbatore and reach Munnar the next day. With no pre-bookings, we could afford to do that. What followed was my most leisurely drive of a long time.
6.5 hrs is the longest one would ever take to reach Coimbatore town. On the way from Salem, stopped for a lunch break at Sarvana Bhavan and had to do with a pure south Indian meal, much to my dislike, which was later finished in typical middle class manner by wifey.
A true Non-Veggie in the making, he said "Papa, this fish is nice, I want to eat"
The expression says it all:
Just before we drove out of Sarvana Bhavan, what happened was a stark personification of "khaya piya kuch nahi, glass toda baarah aana". The front bumper had come off hanging on the right. I somehow tucked it back and simply drove off. Almost 2 Kms beyond, I could hear a loud flutter from the injury area caused by the wheel well cover eroded by the friction from the tyres. One of my unusual travel tool in the form of a kitchen knife came to the rescue. I cannot forget the expression of the Luna guy who saw me cutting off portions from my car and nonchalantly placing it on the side of the road.
What I witnessed after that was the dilemma that many of the differently abled feel daily. Ask a Tamilian for something in Hindi and get a response in Tamil. Neither understanding each other. Sign language is the only thing that works. Finally I cracked the code and felt rather foolish.
All I needed to say was CAR REPAIR. Voila, he indicates to the other side of the road and the only other thing i understand is "building". Modus operandi: Look for a building on the other side of the road and expect to find a mechanic. Indeed, the info was helpful and a quick work on the dangling bumper, we were off again.
The damage
Quick repair:
In Coimbatore, we were encountered with a small shocker called "Dermacon" which meant most hotels were packed to capacity. A quick look into Goibibo and Oyo helped us get a decent room near the station at a meagre 999 bucks and breakfast was complimentary. Having set wifey and kid in the lavish room (I am serious), i ventured out to look around for points of interest only to return and find wifey and kid enjoying their dinner and already destined to doze off. The day was called off.
Now, that's what a relaxed drive means
The starved duo
The next morning started with a light breakfast and a quick check-out. Fortunately we were staying at that end of the city that led us out of it quickly. We crossed Pollachi in a breeze and just as we were to reach Udumalpet, the kid got all excited at the numerous windmills that line the road. And then, the lady Navigator "Google wali aunty" tried to act helpful and led us to a bypass for Udumalpet town. [In hindsight, all I can say is. AVOID IT]. Nonetheless, by taking it we were almost right below one of the windmills. Son had a great time asking all the curious questions and posing with it. Hence no complaints.
The suggested route:
The actual road
Udumalpet - Munnar stretch via Chinnar wildlife sanctuary, though picturesque sporadically, was predominantly is bad shape and the misery compounded by mad jeep drivers. However, I must say I was delighted by the view. This was much better that the Wayanad or Ooty regions. Multiple stops for quick photo shoots, a near miss colliding with a state transport bus, and achy arms later we were suddenly in Munnar.
Chinnar
Ensure you are not behind one of these
First glimpses of the beauty
Pit stop
It was a typical hill station, albeit HOT, town. Having been to other hill stations in the South only during winters of monsoons, this was a bit of a dampener. With our son sleeping peacefully in the rear seat we decided to check the OYO room options available before we book them. The trick involved is using the google maps to locate the place and simply go there. Had a look at a couple of these before finalizing on booking Fort Munnar. (
http://www.fortmunnar.com) This place was around 20 kms away from Munnar town but absolutely worth the drive. Once we reached we cracked another deal for an upgrade to a suite room at a measly amount. The place was quite, clean and had a beautiful view of the Anayirankal Dam. A small walk around the place and we called it a day. Though we treated ourselves to some relaxing massage in the evening.
Fort Munnar:
25th Jan was when all the activity was supposed to happen. Tea Garden, Dam visit, waterfalls (better called springs) and Munnar town was on the agenda. Dam being the closest, we went there first. Our son, being the water loving boy, like his parents, simply refused to leave the place for hours. What we were treated to in exchange, was live presentations on “Jack and Jill went up the hill” and the story of the drowning ant rescued on a leaf by the good pigeon.
By the time we left, we were almost nearing lunch time and the other parties were not interested in anything other than food. Had a decent lunch at Munnar Tea County which caused the lazy streak to set in instantly. How we wished there was hammock somewhere and we could simply laze looking at the beautiful hills. We resigned to the leisure of our room where the rest of the day was spent with my son in the bath tub. The calmness and serenity of the place was mesmerizing enough to allow us to enjoy a campfire sitout and a leisurely dinner.
Patriotism was in the air the next day, it being the Republic day. An ex Army-man hoisted the flag in the hotel grounds and we were treated with customary laddoos before we started our drive back to Bangalore. The road until Theni was narrow but widened up to be amply double laned from then on. What followed upto the foothills was mind boggling views that no camera can capture, it just stays etched in your mind till eternity.
Scampering back to reach home was the motto after that and we managed to complete the drive back in just around 9 hrs without any spirited driving. At the end of it all, what we learnt was that though the entire Western Ghats looks similar,m there is a certain distinctness to Munnar which I haven't seen anywhere else. The label of Kerala as “God's own Country” is just the perfect way to showcase it to the world.