'Xing'ing around ! - A Long walk, Monsoon, Leeches, Wildlife & Railway History...

Ramsagar · 16th June 2009, 10:46

Wow!!! It’s a trip for a lifetime. that great adventurous one.

pypkmsrikanth · 16th June 2009, 11:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotstuff

The coincidence is that when we went shopping for raincoats, I specifically looked for 'Duckback' raincoats. I remember them from the 80's / early 90's when we could buy them in a Bata showroom (or was it Corona showroom?). Duckback for adults and BubbleGummers for kids.... they used to have a range of satchels and bags as well.

Duckback indeed had "Trouser & Jacket" type raincoat which I used for almost 5 years. They were proper water proof rain coats which also had the comfort advantage of those new generation "Windcheater" type rain jackets unlike the earlier generation rain coats. I bought it at Witco in Chennai, not sure if they would be available these days in any of those flashy malls because its too down market for the consumers visiting those malls.

The bigger advantage with "Duckback" was they never ever came in flashy colours which is a boon while trekking in the forests.

addyhemmige · 16th June 2009, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotstuff

The coincidence is that when we went shopping for raincoats, I specifically looked for 'Duckback' raincoats. I remember them from the 80's / early 90's when we could buy them in a Bata showroom (or was it Corona showroom?). Duckback for adults and BubbleGummers for kids.... they used to have a range of satchels and bags as well.

However looks like with the onslaught of cheap chinese stuff, not many shops stock the Duckback brand these days. I picked up some brand from Total mall... which turned out to be 'water resistant' and not 'water proof'. After a few hours of rain, it started letting water in. Need to pick up something better for the next trek.

I did find 'Duckback' rain coats in a shop in National Market, Bangalore when I was searching for a raincoat last year. You can check out there

muralisk · 16th June 2009, 14:02

Truly outstanding and amazing pics there. This place is a must do and will make it to my list. Thanks for sharing this. Awesome stuff.

babupaul · 16th June 2009, 14:49

Wow, an awesome travelogue. Your narration and the pics took me through a virtual journey; I still have goose bumps thinking about how adventurous it would be to spend a night at this spooky little place you guys halted for the night.

I m petrified of leeches, not sure what phobia is it called, the pics of the bloody leech sent a shiver down my spine.

Duck backs and bubble gummers brought back nostalgic memories, sweeeeeeet

Cheers
*****stars

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pramodkumar · 16th June 2009, 15:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotstuff

'Xing'ing around ! - A Long walk, Monsoon, Leeches, Wildlife & Railway History...-62.jpg

'Xing'ing around ! - A Long walk, Monsoon, Leeches, Wildlife & Railway History...-82.jpg

Nice pics, the first one is a malabar pit viper(highly venomous) very well camuflaged.
The second one, is a saw scaled viper(i doubt though) again very venomous.

Great adventure, nice pics!

maximus. · 3rd August 2010, 15:55

Truly amazing travelogue, fascinating narration & pictures have come through very well. You have gone ahead and provided history & guidance of the place which is very resourceful for all the readers. Over all a stunning experience.

ampere · 3rd August 2010, 18:21

Where was this lurking around!
@Hotstuff Hats off to you man for bringing it on to us.

As HVK said this is really great! But I still liked Dudhsagar better!

MX6 · 3rd August 2010, 18:48

Thanks to Maximus for posting on this thread. He's dug out a great hidden gem. But what's depressing to note is your current signature hotstuff.

Sutripta · 3rd August 2010, 21:25

^^^^^
+1 to that. I don't know how I missed this thread.

IIRC, there was an article in Outlook Traveller on the light railway.

It makes me sad to see what we do with our heritage. I know of one other forest railway (Fakiragram, Assam) of which nothing (and I mean NOTHING) remains.

I had talked with some IRFCA members about listing all the abandoned rail lines in the country. Nothing came of it. Can TBhp members do that?

Regards
Sutripta

ExtremeTorque · 4th August 2010, 10:23

excellent snaps or shall i say 'hot stuff' you got there hotstuff! I am smitten by this WLS and planning for it shortly.

addyhemmige · 4th August 2010, 11:54

Inspired by this very travelogue, I did complete the trek in Parambikulam last December. you can probably consider this trek more as a looong walk.

The old tramway has been converted into a jeep track and the trek is on this track. The track goes alongside the Parambikulam river. Depending on the time of the day you can sight wildlife on this trek. We found a pair of wild dogs while returning. Overall, it was a very good experience.

It is a very good effort by the Kerala Forest Dept to improve eco-tourism in the area. The dept is pretty strict in allowing vehicles into the national park (Parambikulam is a National Park now). The guides are all local tribals who know the forests like the back of their hand. Be sure to book in advance.

maximus. · 4th August 2010, 14:27

Thanks guys. There are many gems hidden in here and i was delighted to discover this one out of nowhere. I was on virtual tour when i was reading.

I am continually impressed by your travelogues - Hotstuff.

16th June 2009, 10:46	#31
Ramsagar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: BLR_Nellore(AP) Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	Wow!!! It’s a trip for a lifetime. that great adventurous one.
	() Thanks

16th June 2009, 14:02	#34
muralisk BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore Posts: 711 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Truly outstanding and amazing pics there. This place is a must do and will make it to my list. Thanks for sharing this. Awesome stuff.
	() Thanks

16th June 2009, 14:49	#35
babupaul BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: DXB and BLR Posts: 58 Thanked: 2 Times	Wow, an awesome travelogue. Your narration and the pics took me through a virtual journey; I still have goose bumps thinking about how adventurous it would be to spend a night at this spooky little place you guys halted for the night. I m petrified of leeches, not sure what phobia is it called, the pics of the bloody leech sent a shiver down my spine. Duck backs and bubble gummers brought back nostalgic memories, sweeeeeeet Cheers ****stars Post EDITED since it contained various [FONT], [COLOR] and [SIZE] tags. Posting with such text formatting should be avoided on Team-BHP as it is inconvenient for members to read post. Kindly go through Announcements section before proceeding. Thanking You for your anticipated co-operation The Team-BHP Support Last edited by Jaggu : 16th June 2009 at 14:57. Reason: Font tags*
	() Thanks

3rd August 2010, 15:55	#37
maximus. BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 94 Thanked: 10 Times	Truly amazing travelogue, fascinating narration & pictures have come through very well. You have gone ahead and provided history & guidance of the place which is very resourceful for all the readers. Over all a stunning experience.
	() Thanks

3rd August 2010, 18:21	#38
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,943 Thanked: 12,925 Times View My Garage	Where was this lurking around! @Hotstuff Hats off to you man for bringing it on to us. As HVK said this is really great! But I still liked Dudhsagar better!
	() Thanks

3rd August 2010, 18:48	#39
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Thanks to Maximus for posting on this thread. He's dug out a great hidden gem. But what's depressing to note is your current signature hotstuff.
	() Thanks

3rd August 2010, 21:25	#40
Sutripta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,668 Thanked: 6,217 Times	^^^^^ +1 to that. I don't know how I missed this thread. IIRC, there was an article in Outlook Traveller on the light railway. It makes me sad to see what we do with our heritage. I know of one other forest railway (Fakiragram, Assam) of which nothing (and I mean NOTHING) remains. I had talked with some IRFCA members about listing all the abandoned rail lines in the country. Nothing came of it. Can TBhp members do that? Regards Sutripta
	() Thanks

4th August 2010, 10:23	#41
ExtremeTorque BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 379 Thanked: 20 Times	excellent snaps or shall i say 'hot stuff' you got there hotstuff! I am smitten by this WLS and planning for it shortly.
	() Thanks

4th August 2010, 11:54	#42
addyhemmige Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore/Hassan Posts: 1,527 Thanked: 487 Times View My Garage	Inspired by this very travelogue, I did complete the trek in Parambikulam last December. you can probably consider this trek more as a looong walk. The old tramway has been converted into a jeep track and the trek is on this track. The track goes alongside the Parambikulam river. Depending on the time of the day you can sight wildlife on this trek. We found a pair of wild dogs while returning. Overall, it was a very good experience. It is a very good effort by the Kerala Forest Dept to improve eco-tourism in the area. The dept is pretty strict in allowing vehicles into the national park (Parambikulam is a National Park now). The guides are all local tribals who know the forests like the back of their hand. Be sure to book in advance.
	() Thanks

4th August 2010, 14:27	#43
maximus. BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 94 Thanked: 10 Times	Thanks guys. There are many gems hidden in here and i was delighted to discover this one out of nowhere. I was on virtual tour when i was reading. I am continually impressed by your travelogues - Hotstuff.
	() Thanks