[TorqueMonster]

Life is all about creating good memories. But, for a person living in the present world, in the middle of a once in a generation level pandemic, happiness is in short supply. In a world where people go by every day, and yet not being physically present, in a world in which social interactions are being outlawed, man inherently seeks new means of happiness. Happiness could be obtained from material things, a new car or bike certainly brings happiness to the person driving it. It could also be from a change in surroundings, from exploring a new place to socializing, to escaping from the present surroundings. A set of surroundings all contained in a 14-inch laptop screen.

But now, let me get to the crux of the trip. I literally wanted a great escape, an escape from laptop screens, an escape from the 4 walls from which I attend class, writing assignments, and then sleeping, living a robotic life for the entirety of 2021. With just a month left, there was no other choice but to make the best out of December. My finances do not let me fulfil my material desires of buying an Interceptor 650, but a vacation can certainly fix that. I wanted to experience the calmness of the ocean and also the cold and the mist of the mountains, and this is how I ended up in 2 different states, 2 different terrains, having 2 completely distinct yet incredible experiences.

With Goa being totally crowded, and my mind searching for total peace, the first destination of the trip was decided as the sleepy town on the Maharashtra coast, a trip to Vengurla.

December 21st started off great, with a 4 am drive in an attempt to reach Kozhikode. The roads were empty but narrow, with multiple speed cameras being present, being a total annoyance to all drivers alike. A quick 7 am stop at Ernakulam for breakfast eventually led to reaching Kozhikode in the afternoon, just in time to savour the delicious biriyani which the city is famous for. A quick stop at Paragon for some biriyani was made, followed by which a boarding was made onto the Netravati Express, with the destination being the town of Kudal.



This car is single-handedly the biggest travel partner of the family. Almost 80 per cent of this car's 80k running have been on highway roads, with the car not even disappointing for even once in its 11 years. Would be tough to find such a capable car when it is to be mandatorily replaced in 4 years.



The Netravati Express rolling into the Kozhikode railway station. Special mention to this train, as it was the first time I had seen such a well maintained railway coach (This leg of the trip was in first class, even the return leg with 3 Tier was more than exceptional), to the extent where it looked more aeroplane like, than that of even other first-class coaches of different trains. Clean and Comfortable, clean and well-maintained toilets, this was certainly an effortless way of travelling overnight. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures to back this claim, but it was certainly a positive experience.

To reach Vengurla, there are 2 ways, either get down at Sawantwadi Road station and arrange some kind of transport (more on this down the line) or get down at Kudal. Vengurla is almost 45 - 50 mins from Kudal and half an hour from Sawantwadi Road.

My train would only stop at Kudal, and by 8 am, I reached the sleepy little town of Kudal. Now, to reach Vengurla, it is best if you have already arranged taxis or any other vehicle because transport facilities are next to none. There are always auto's available, but they are adamant for a very high price (Ended up paying at 400rs more than what the locals would have had, just because of lack of choice). The trip from Kudal to Vengurla takes you through the basic life of the Konkan, with the 45-minute ride giving glimpses of Rural Life. The roads are narrow and bumpy, and being December, very foggy too.



This photo clearly indicates how the surroundings looked during the morning, with the entire land being engulfed in mist. The final stretch to the beach is nothing but offroad, with narrow roads filled with holes that could swallow entire scooters and bikes, that too on a slipping. But, despite the general lack of development of the area, the decision to visit this place would not backfire at all.

As the sun rose up, the fog slowly dimmed and the weather slowly became pleasant 23 degrees, a perfect temperature that is neither hot nor cold. Coupled with the fact that the beach which I was visiting was totally empty, the bliss which I could have there was incomprehensible. Except for maybe a couple of people, I had an entire beach for myself, that too for almost the entire day.

I'll stop boring y'all with my constant essay and show some pictures of the beach (I apologize for this, it is a force of habit from writing 6 5k worded assignments every semester).







Now more on the beach. The beach which my hotel was next to is known as the Sagareshwar Beach. For more exploration, there are 2 other beaches which can be visited too. The beach is desolate so thankfully there is next to no waste being thrown into the ocean. The beach is very shallow and the depth increases at a very gradual rate, allowing any person to spend time in the sea without any fear of drowning, provided that they stay up to their limits. This beach reminds me a lot of Baga beach in Goa, except that maybe Baga is slightly better. But I will rather take the peace which I got from this empty beach than that of the crowded Baga beach (Or any major goa beach for that record).

The constant peace meant that I was able to slowly finish my assignments by the seaside, while constantly enjoying a set of delicious snacks and cold drinks.



My economics project being written down by the seashore, despite my aim to enjoy a vacation, my academic priorities still somehow interfere .







The evenings were spent watching the sun slowly go down, accompanied by good food and tea. Dinner was also excellent, with extremely huge quantities being served, which was very filling.

The hotel that we stayed at was called the Sunburn Resort. Despite being named as a resort, it is more of a hotel by the beach ( It is still a good place to visit, just the title of the resort may be misleading). The rooms were clean and there were not many issues present.

But for food, it is best to hop right next door to the Sam and San Resort (Which once again is not really a resort). But, I would say that they certainly had really good food, that too with very high quantities being served. The restaurant is open, facing the beach, giving beachside cafe vibes. It gives you a chance to enjoy good food while enjoying the views of the ocean. The restaurant property had many dogs, which are playful and calm, some being Labradors while others mostly being local breeds. Either way, it was a great place to enjoy delicious food.




These are the views which you could have from being in this restaurant.



And this is one of the playful dogs which was not scared of interacting with guests. Overall, I would not say this to be strictly a restaurant, because the ambience, with open surroundings and direct proximity to the beach giving laidback cafe vibes. But yet you still get good food.

Overall, I would say that Vengurla is still in its infancy when it comes to matters of proper tourism. But if you are not a demanding tourist and would just like to have a quiet time with zero disturbances, and away from the constant mediocrity and stress of urban life, you can always visit this place. Most of the other visitors were all from other parts of Maharashtra too.
I personally would not suggest people travel across state boundaries just to have peace at this beach, since the place is still being developed, the area is in its infancy. It would certainly be a good weekend trip for people based in Maharashtra. Maybe, in a few years, when there will be proper development and infrastructure, this has the potential to be a popular place, till then it stays as this area of empty and calm beaches.

[TorqueMonster]

The next leg of this trip was to the Queen of Hills, Ooty. It is certainly a sharp contrast from the peaceful seaside to a chaotic hill station in a manner of 12 hours.

This leg of the trip started with a departure from Kudal, with me once again boarding the Netravati Express, back to Kozhikode to pick up the car. I boarded the train, this time on to AC 3 Tier Coach. The Coach was once again neat and so was the washrooms, and the overnight journey ended by reaching Kozhikode at 8 am in the morning. An uber to the hotel was taken and then came the 5 hours long trip to Ooty. The route taken was via Nilanbur, Gudalur, and then Ooty.

In order to make the maximum of the day left, no stops were made and a straight dash was made to Gudalur where the first major stop was taken. The roads on the way were uneventful, with narrow Kerala Highways, and broken roads at parts when the eventual climb begins.

Even though the route passes through very scenic areas, I believe that the scenic parts start from Gudalur onwards. I stopped for a well-needed break after 3 hours, with the view of green Tea Estates on both sides of the road.





The next stop was on the route, to what showed on the maps as "Shooting Area". I have no clue what "Shooting" they meant but I'm sure it is related to films. I stopped there for a while and enjoyed some fresh winds. On the route to Ooty, it is a slightly crowded area, yet a place where you could take a slight break, with snacks and such items being sold. Also note that there were lots of monkeys in the area, I almost had my phone snatched.



Then next one hour was spent trying to reach Ooty town. After being stuck in traffic after entering the city, I eventually reached my hotel, after which a 10 min drive to Ooty Lake was made. Due to time constraints, Pykara Lake and Falls were skipped.

Note that Ooty is relatively closed due to fear of COVID - 19, with famous Tourist spots such as Doddabetta being closed at the time of visiting. Only the lake and then the Botanical Gardens were actually open to the public. And both areas were super crowded. The only time I could actually step away from the crowds during the entire section is when I was literally on the boat, in the middle of the lake. The chaos was a bit too much, and I regret risking myself in such a crowded, especially with Omicron looming.





The lake was one of the only few attractions which were open in Ooty, and I decided to make the best out of it by taking photos of the sunset and the light shining on the water surface, before eventually going to dinner and returning back to the hotel.

I do not have photos of the place, but for having good food, Commercial Street is your best choice for it. Yes, the place is massively crowded, but you have access to all kinds of cuisines and foods, even fast - food joints. Note that parking is a mess, but slightly down the road after an A2B restaurant will lead you to a relatively empty paid parking, as most of the crowd is just foot traffic.

The next day was spent returning back home, with a quick 10 min detour to the Ooty Botanical Gardens. I don't have much to say about this place, except that it is very green and lush, and had quite a few good plants. Overall it was well maintained and a good place to kill time, but do note that the property is huge and requires a bit of walking.



This was the only good photo that I took, as the remaining photos were ruined by too many people around it.

The remaining goal was to reach Ernakulam by the end of the day. Due to traffic restrictions, people were not allowed to go through the normal route, instead of being forced to circle through Kotagiri, Kodanadu before reaching Mettupalayam and then towards Coimbatore.

Spamming the photos that I took while passing through the hillside down below.







I also ended up meeting a Wild Bison right in front of me, somewhere on the way to Kotagiri. It was the closest I have ever been to a wild animal that was not inside a cage or protection. The animal was imposing and was almost as big as even the car I was travelling in. I have this one long-distance photo (Ignore the fact that the photo is zoomed in and grainy) before I scooted away, as I don't want any danger from 3000 pounds of sheer muscular strength.



A long-distance photo of this imposing beast, reminding you all that this animal is not one to have beef with.

The remaining of the time was later spent on the highways, with an evening break being made at Coimbatore. Followed by which Ernakulam was reached at night, with the route passing through Palakkad and Thrissur, while also going through the new Kuthiran Tunnel.



Overall, this trip was certainly a total blast and a fabulous way to end 2021. I hope that everyone reading this have an excellent 2022 and more importantly, stay safe from the deadly virus that has wreaked havoc on our society.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[TheHelix0202]

Brilliant travelogue, mate! The pictures have been captured in a mesmerizing and surreal way. Unreal!