28th September 2009, 12:23
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| Team-BHP Support   | Ramakkalmedu - A Walk in the Clouds along with a tree house visit After a rather dry spell with regards to public holidays (the last one being in May), i was really looking forward to the spate of long weekends which were coming up. Clubbed a few days leave and set off for Kerala, hoping the monsoon was not past us. We had a few discussions with my BILs and decided to visit the hill station of Ramakkalmedu, located in Idukki district. Ramakkaledu is located along the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and is famous for its wind farms.  Starting off from Mundakayam, this was the route we took: Mundakkayam -> Kuttikanam -> Elapaara -> Kattapana -> Ramakkalmedu   HISTORY : Quote:
  Standing atop the hill, one can see some of the windmills which are used for harnessing wind energy. The gusts of wind which average speeds of upto 25kmph has been recorded as the maximum in Asia as per the website dedicated to the same. Link : Ramakkalmedu | The wind hill station of Kerala to Experience the wind factor    While we were atop the hill, the force with which the wind blew had to be felt to be believed. The adventurous can quench their quest for thrills on some rather dangerous looking rocks for climbing. The view from the top during a clear sky gives you a feeling that you are actually looking out an airplane window. The clouds feel so near that you yearn to reach out and touch them, literally giving you a feeling of walking with the clouds. Despite it being a typically sunny day, one didnt feel the heat thanks to the winds which kept us cool. The climb to the top of the view point involves some amount of trekking, and i would seriously avoid climbing when it is moist, or during the rains, as there are some really steep stretches. Even if you manage to climb up, the descent can be tricky. Although there is a tourist influx to visit the place, it is not yet commmercialized, and so there arent much in terms of facilities for tourists or even food options. At the foothills, there are some snall shops which sell cool drinks and stuff, but no restaurant as such. | |
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28th September 2009, 13:43
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| BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trivandrum
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28th September 2009, 13:53
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28th September 2009, 14:23
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| Team-BHP Support | Quote:
I heard there is a KTDC resort coming up, but not sure when it would be in operation. Quote:
The trip was surely a breath of fresh air to my lungs. | ||
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28th September 2009, 14:46
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| BHPian  Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pune, Palakkad
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| Hi ben, I have been to this place last year and the wind is just "BRUTAL". We were hardly able to stand upon the hill top that day. Absolutely amazing place. Nice pics too. However they really dont depict the powerful winds.. am sure you would have had lungful of fresh air from there.  I remember while climbing the winds not being that great (U know upto the hype) untill a certain point in the uphill climb. However, all that changed in a matter of couple of steps! There was this spot where the wind literally pushes u down the hill with a force one cant imagine. I was absolutely blown away - literally!! Had to try hard to stand on two feets. It was one hell of an experience. Had a great time. |
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28th September 2009, 15:02
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| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Thiruvananthapuram
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28th September 2009, 18:00
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| Team-BHP Support | Kuruvan & Kurathy hill   Right beside the view point hill is another hill, this one having a large statue at the top of Kuruvan and Kurathy - historical characters who are believed to have found the place for the Idukki dam. One can either park below, or even drive up to the top of the hill.     Windmills in the distance, as seen from atop the hill  Route to drive up to the hill top   Smart vendors have even started selling ice creams on their vehicles atop the hill.  Last edited by benbsb29 : 28th September 2009 at 18:03. |
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28th September 2009, 18:05
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| BHPian | Quote:
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28th September 2009, 19:37
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore
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28th September 2009, 19:44
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| BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: BAngalore
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| WOW !!!! What a Place.. Can anyone here guide me the route from Bangalore ? Details like the distance , food and accomodation would be highly appreciated in veiw of the coming holidays ( oct 2-oct5th ) and also my new car Getz CRDI.. The ride would be  |
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28th September 2009, 20:12
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| Team-BHP Support | Quote:
The snap below should give an idea of the winds.  Quote:
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The distance from Bangalore till Ramakkalmedu is around 650 kms using the route i have mentioned above. There is also an alternative route through Palakkad, but i am not sure about the total distance through this route. Bangalore -> Hosur -> Krishnagiri -> Dharmapuri -> Salem -> Palakkad -> Thrissur -> Muvatapuzha -> Thodupuzha -> Kattapana -> Ramakkalmedu. There are resorts around Kuttikanam, which is also a good location for sight seeing. You can club the two together. There are no lodging or hotel facilities around Ramakkalmedu, as i had mentioned earlier. For food, if you enjoy Kerala cuisine, there are a lot of places in nearby towns which should satisfy your palate. Last edited by benbsb29 : 28th September 2009 at 20:18. | ||||
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29th September 2009, 10:28
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| Team-BHP Support | Windmills @ Kattadipadom After having heard and now seen the force of the winds, it was now time to see how man innovated to utilize the energy from this natural source. We were going to visit the windmills. Before that, it was time to lunch and we made do with the small shops which were located at the Ramakkalmedu foothills. Kerala parottas and fish curry later, we set off. The place where a large number of windmills were located was called Kattadipadom, which translated literally meant Field of Windmills. Since we had no clear directions, we relied more on instinct as well as asking for directions at a couple of places. Traversing along a road which was narrow at quite a few places, we reached the place.  The last stretch of the climb towards the place was best fit for a mini OTR, but some careful driving and balancing helped us make it to the top.   The sight before us was mesmerizing. If the wings alone looked huge when they were being transported by trucks along the highway, this was just massive! To see an army of windmills carving through the winds was a sight to behold.      Initially, it was just us and the hum from the windmills for company. Soon, some other families also joined the party.  Standing beside them, one felt tinier than a dwarf. While the pictures dont really say much about how massive these structures are, one gets the perspective when standing beside one.  Soon it was time to move on. We were really looking forward to what was next on our itinerary. COMING UP : Tree house visit Last edited by benbsb29 : 29th September 2009 at 10:31. |
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29th September 2009, 10:34
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| BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kochi, Bangalore
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29th September 2009, 11:08
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| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam
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29th September 2009, 11:14
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