An incredible road trip to Velankanni, Kodaikanal and Ooty

Majic · 22nd October 2009, 11:04

Hi Chevylover, the photos are brilliant, the photo of the climb to be made for Mr.X gave me spine chill. Good work with photos looking forward to the remaining today.

Chevy_lover · 22nd October 2009, 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majic

Mmmm, you have given me goose pimples all over my body, it was like me standing there and experiencing this! Sad that such beautiful place is known for the wrong reasons or is it the beauty that compels people to jump!

Hi Majic, I am happy to know that I was able to make you feel that way with the photos. Just imagine how terrified we felt when were standing near the 'Jaws of Death'! I was literally shaking when I stood up after taking the photos! I can tell you for sure that I have never been so sacred!

The sheer drop is like a magnet! It attracts you towards it. There has been countless accidents because of people leaning too far forward to see the drop and the valley down below. If you trip, there is nothing to stop your fall! That is why I lay down to take snaps.

hvkumar · 22nd October 2009, 13:59

That is how Suicide Point (FFoulk's Filling) used to be, in 1989. That is my friend standing next to my bike (I'm the photographer taking the photo), standing next to the 1000 feet fall. Unhappily, nowadays you cannot go to Ffoulk's Filling (the original Suicide Point) and the point itself is barricaded away.

Like CL, we too met the body-retriever (not the same guy, of course) - he ran a small tea shop at Pillar's Rock and pulling out bodies was his side-occupation, and this guy had a full album of photographs of the hapless persons who went down!

StarVegabond · 22nd October 2009, 14:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar

That is how Suicide Point (FFoulk's Filling) used to be, in 1989. Like CL, we too met the body-retriever (not the same guy, of course) - he ran a small tea shop at Pillar's Rock and pulling out bodies was his side-occupation, and this guy had a full album of photographs of the hapless persons who went down!

All I can say is

i only wish that people like Mr X find better (alternate) occupation / side occupation etc and no one uses (or gets to use) the Sucide Point (orignal and/or duplicate) from hence forth.

Chevy_lover · 22nd October 2009, 14:47

Thank you HVK sir for the wonderful photo.

When I visited Kodai in the year 2000, there was no fence at Suicide Point. There was just a 2-feet high concrete wall. I climbed over it and could see the sheer drop.

It was very dangerous back then as lots of students had come on tour and there was a huge crowd outside the wall. And as usual, the boys were fooling around, pushing and shoving each other. One boy was literally flung towards me, by his school mates. He bumped me so hard that I lost my balance for a second or two. But luckily I pushed him away from me! I slapped the living daylights out of him.

It is very good that the area is totally fenced now. Some idiots have the habit of putting other's lives at risk.

And yes, Mr. X has another occupation.

cnaganathan · 22nd October 2009, 15:23

@Chevy_Lover, Your pics of Kodai remind me of the great time my wife and I spent there for our honeymoon. Those were the days when there was no parapet but a light fence. We were then lucky to go down the famous Guna caves (the caves where Tamil Movie Guna was shot). This has also been locked up now due to some accidents.

OT: Wouldn't it be a great attraction if our Tourism Dept built a Skywalk here - akin to the one over Grand Canyon!!!

Chevy_lover · 22nd October 2009, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnaganathan

@Chevy_Lover, Your pics of Kodai remind me of the great time my wife and I spent there for our honeymoon. Those were the days when there was no parapet but a light fence. We were then lucky to go down the famous Guna caves (the caves where Tamil Movie Guna was shot). This has also been locked up now due to some accidents.

OT: Wouldn't it be a great attraction if our Tourism Dept built a Skywalk here - akin to the one over Grand Canyon!!!

You are very lucky that you got a chance to see Guna caves. It is a pity that we have to see most of the points from far away.

For such a sky walk to be built in India, a visionary with ideas like you, needs to become PM!

Majic · 23rd October 2009, 10:05

Hi Chevylover, nothing for the day? I check this thread even before i check my mails!

Chevy_lover · 23rd October 2009, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majic

Hi Chevylover, nothing for the day? I check this thread even before i check my mails!

Hi Majic, thank you for your kind words. I was a bit busy yesterday. As I told earlier, I fine tune my narration till I am entirely satisfied that even a ten year old child will be able to understand it easily. I did not have that much time yesterday.

I am working on the next part. Thank you for your patience.

Majic · 23rd October 2009, 11:33

Accepted, i am waiting patiently for the next instalment.

Chevy_lover · 23rd October 2009, 14:36

We then returned back to our hotel from the lake by 8 pm. It was very cold by then. We really enjoyed the weather in Kodai.

By late night, we had our dinner from Hotel Astoria. We returned back to our hotel and spent hours recollecting our experiences that day.

Day 8 – Last leg of Kodaikanal tour

We woke up by 8 am and had a nice vegetarian breakfast from Hotel Astoria.

We had lots of points to cover on day 8 of our trip. We had lost lots of time because of bad weather and were behind schedule. We decided to finish off all the remaining points that day itself. We started our journey by 9:30am.

Our first stop was Moir’s Point. It was about twenty minutes drive from the town. Almost all points in Kodai are connected by one road. So it is easy to cover them in one day.

When we were nearing Moir’s Point, we saw lots of vehicles parked on the left side of the road. I slowed down and was driving at 40 km/hr. The road was very narrow and was just wide enough for a bus to pass through.

There was a blind right turn just before the point. As I took the turn, I was stunned to see two ladies sitting on the side of the road. They were directly in my path and I was heading towards them at good speed. There were vehicles coming from the opposite side and there was no way I could swerve to the other side to avoid them. I had to brake very hard and I blasted my horn at them for what felt like an eternity. It was a relief seeing them bolting away likes rabbits.

Moir’s Point was quite boring. There was nothing much to see except a stone memorial. The vendors and tourists had dirtied the place very sincerely.

The monkeys at Moir's Point were very dangerous. They chased a small kid for his corn. Luckily he threw the corn away before the monkeys could attack him. Always remember never to show any food item to the monkeys there.

Majic · 23rd October 2009, 14:59

Mmmm, so it has started, i think this would be the near end of the travelogue? Definetly not! You have all the way back to Pune! Keep them coming

Chevy_lover · 23rd October 2009, 15:13

Our next stop was Pine Forest. Lots of films were shot there. It was densely covered by gigantic pine trees. It was quite easy to get lost.

I will let the photos do the talking.

Chevy_lover · 23rd October 2009, 16:07

As I mentioned earlier, the road was in good condition. I enjoyed driving there.

We then went to Guna Caves. Kamal Hassan starrer film ‘Guna’ was shot here.

The cave is very deep and at some places the drop is more than 500 feet deep. Some years back, tourists were allowed to go inside the cave. There have been countless cases of accidental deaths inside the cave and entry to tourists was finally banned many years back, after a group of seven boys lost their lives in a ghastly accident. I am not sure if their bodies were ever recovered.

I also heard a story from the manager of Bata store in Kodai. Some guys from Kerala had sneaked into the cave by jumping over the wire fence. One guy fell down a deep gorge. His friends panicked and called the Police. They arrived there with the Fire force. They could hear the boy’s faint cries from the gorge. But the firemen were too scared to go down. They were scared of dangerous gases being emitted from the floor below.

Finally one of the guys from the group volunteered to go down. He was lowered down into the abyss with ropes and saw his friend clinging on for his dear life on a small rock. There was a happy ending to this story.

The wire mesh fence was replaced by huge iron fences everywhere later that year.

Gansan · 23rd October 2009, 16:34

I think the original name for the Guna Caves is "Devil's Kitchen".

22nd October 2009, 11:04	#151
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Hi Chevylover, the photos are brilliant, the photo of the climb to be made for Mr.X gave me spine chill. Good work with photos looking forward to the remaining today.
	() Thanks

22nd October 2009, 13:59	#153
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	That is how Suicide Point (FFoulk's Filling) used to be, in 1989. That is my friend standing next to my bike (I'm the photographer taking the photo), standing next to the 1000 feet fall. Unhappily, nowadays you cannot go to Ffoulk's Filling (the original Suicide Point) and the point itself is barricaded away. Like CL, we too met the body-retriever (not the same guy, of course) - he ran a small tea shop at Pillar's Rock and pulling out bodies was his side-occupation, and this guy had a full album of photographs of the hapless persons who went down! Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

22nd October 2009, 14:47	#155
Chevy_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Köln Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 130 Times View My Garage	Thank you HVK sir for the wonderful photo. When I visited Kodai in the year 2000, there was no fence at Suicide Point. There was just a 2-feet high concrete wall. I climbed over it and could see the sheer drop. It was very dangerous back then as lots of students had come on tour and there was a huge crowd outside the wall. And as usual, the boys were fooling around, pushing and shoving each other. One boy was literally flung towards me, by his school mates. He bumped me so hard that I lost my balance for a second or two. But luckily I pushed him away from me! I slapped the living daylights out of him. It is very good that the area is totally fenced now. Some idiots have the habit of putting other's lives at risk. And yes, Mr. X has another occupation.
	() Thanks

22nd October 2009, 15:23	#156
cnaganathan BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 281 Thanked: 48 Times View My Garage	@Chevy_Lover, Your pics of Kodai remind me of the great time my wife and I spent there for our honeymoon. Those were the days when there was no parapet but a light fence. We were then lucky to go down the famous Guna caves (the caves where Tamil Movie Guna was shot). This has also been locked up now due to some accidents. OT: Wouldn't it be a great attraction if our Tourism Dept built a Skywalk here - akin to the one over Grand Canyon!!!
	() Thanks

23rd October 2009, 10:05	#158
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Hi Chevylover, nothing for the day? I check this thread even before i check my mails!
	() Thanks

23rd October 2009, 11:33	#160
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Accepted, i am waiting patiently for the next instalment.
	() Thanks

23rd October 2009, 14:36	#161
Chevy_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Köln Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 130 Times View My Garage	The sight seeing continues..... We then returned back to our hotel from the lake by 8 pm. It was very cold by then. We really enjoyed the weather in Kodai. By late night, we had our dinner from Hotel Astoria. We returned back to our hotel and spent hours recollecting our experiences that day. Day 8 – Last leg of Kodaikanal tour We woke up by 8 am and had a nice vegetarian breakfast from Hotel Astoria. We had lots of points to cover on day 8 of our trip. We had lost lots of time because of bad weather and were behind schedule. We decided to finish off all the remaining points that day itself. We started our journey by 9:30am. Our first stop was Moir’s Point. It was about twenty minutes drive from the town. Almost all points in Kodai are connected by one road. So it is easy to cover them in one day. When we were nearing Moir’s Point, we saw lots of vehicles parked on the left side of the road. I slowed down and was driving at 40 km/hr. The road was very narrow and was just wide enough for a bus to pass through. There was a blind right turn just before the point. As I took the turn, I was stunned to see two ladies sitting on the side of the road. They were directly in my path and I was heading towards them at good speed. There were vehicles coming from the opposite side and there was no way I could swerve to the other side to avoid them. I had to brake very hard and I blasted my horn at them for what felt like an eternity. It was a relief seeing them bolting away likes rabbits. Moir’s Point was quite boring. There was nothing much to see except a stone memorial. The vendors and tourists had dirtied the place very sincerely. The monkeys at Moir's Point were very dangerous. They chased a small kid for his corn. Luckily he threw the corn away before the monkeys could attack him. *Always remember never to show any food item to the monkeys there.* Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

23rd October 2009, 14:59	#162
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Mmmm, so it has started, i think this would be the near end of the travelogue? Definetly not! You have all the way back to Pune! Keep them coming
	() Thanks

23rd October 2009, 15:13	#163
Chevy_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Köln Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 130 Times View My Garage	Pine Forest Our next stop was Pine Forest. Lots of films were shot there. It was densely covered by gigantic pine trees. It was quite easy to get lost. I will let the photos do the talking. Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

23rd October 2009, 16:07	#164
Chevy_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Köln Posts: 1,209 Thanked: 130 Times View My Garage	As I mentioned earlier, the road was in good condition. I enjoyed driving there. We then went to Guna Caves. Kamal Hassan starrer film ‘Guna’ was shot here. The cave is very deep and at some places the drop is more than 500 feet deep. Some years back, tourists were allowed to go inside the cave. There have been countless cases of accidental deaths inside the cave and entry to tourists was finally banned many years back, after a group of seven boys lost their lives in a ghastly accident. I am not sure if their bodies were ever recovered. I also heard a story from the manager of Bata store in Kodai. Some guys from Kerala had sneaked into the cave by jumping over the wire fence. One guy fell down a deep gorge. His friends panicked and called the Police. They arrived there with the Fire force. They could hear the boy’s faint cries from the gorge. But the firemen were too scared to go down. They were scared of dangerous gases being emitted from the floor below. Finally one of the guys from the group volunteered to go down. He was lowered down into the abyss with ropes and saw his friend clinging on for his dear life on a small rock. There was a happy ending to this story. The wire mesh fence was replaced by huge iron fences everywhere later that year. Attached Thumbnails Attached Images Last edited by Samurai : 23rd October 2009 at 20:11. Reason: back-to-back within 20 minutes
	(1) Thanks

23rd October 2009, 16:34	#165
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,539 Thanked: 5,562 Times	I think the original name for the Guna Caves is "Devil's Kitchen".
	() Thanks