Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!

mooza · 14th March 2010, 10:10

Thanks Soccerfan for the info. Will have to re think about the clubbing of both trips if it involves an additional 150 plus kms! Regards

ampere · 14th March 2010, 12:37

Basically I was thinking, if it makes sense to stay in Pollachi and see all these places or go all the way till Valparai and enjoy ?

I was told that there are quite a lot of places about 30-40km from the Pollachi. So a three day break makes a holiday come alive in Pollachi ! Is that how it should be done?

Soccerfan · 14th March 2010, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Basically I was thinking, if it makes sense to stay in Pollachi and see all these places or go all the way till Valparai and enjoy ?

I was told that there are quite a lot of places about 30-40km from the Pollachi. So a three day break makes a holiday come alive in Pollachi ! Is that how it should be done?

Yes.you can stay in pollachi and travel to Valparai . There are a number of places around 30-40 kms from pollachi - top slip, monkey falls to name a few

@mooza - pollachi->munnar is 115km (172 km from valparai)

Soccerfan · 14th March 2010, 22:56

Woke up by 5.30Am on Sunday and we got ready quickly for the pollachi trip. we didnt have any plans for the day other than returning via Pollachi -> Nenmara -> Thrissur. Pollachi is about 63 kilometres from Valparai. Had a tea from the restaurant then had another since the tea was so good

. drove through the forest slowly thoroughly enjoying the cool morning. The road sides were being strengthened by concrete . So available space was a bit narrower than usual.

Tea estates adorn the valley. 7-8kms from Valparai we reached the 1st hair pin out of the 40.

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_8944.jpg

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The road is rubberised and the thickness of the surface is around 1.5 feet so that the run off is that much below the road which is quite dangerous. We came across a lion tailed macaque( no fotos though) and were stopping frequently. Soon we came across the statue of Varver Marsh who is the pioneer of valparai district.my friend decided to do a salsa with Marsh

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9096.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9099.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9107.jpg

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We reached the view point at hair pin 12 from which you can get a nice view of the aliyar dam

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9146.jpg

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We reached pollachi by around 10.30 and had a nice breakfast. Decided to enquire about the places worth visiting and came to know that almost all are around 30-40 kms from Pollachi. So we decided to return to Ernakulam via Nenmara,Kollengode ,Thrissur and started off...

ampere · 15th March 2010, 05:53

Water bodies looking inviting with Punto in the background.
The long shot of the hairpin bends is nice.

BTW who are you waltzing around with?

Nutty Nair · 16th March 2010, 19:45

@Soccerfan - Nice write up & pictures, man! Hope you post some more pictures. Same thing happened to us when we went to Nallamudipooncholai. There was no one to ask the way & I felt the view is also so.. so. The only saving grace was the drive through the tea estates, that was lovely. Couldn't go to other places because of time constraint. Well, that is for another day, I think.

Soccerfan · 16th March 2010, 22:30

My friend who wanted to visit every shooting spot in pollachi but couldnt find any

wanted to visit atleast a sunflower farm. Checked with the guys at the hotel and they said there are some farms about 8 km on the way to kollengode from valparai. Enquired about this so existing farm and the locals had no idea. Even after 10km we couldnt find any and came to know that these farms are on the way to udumalpet which is the exact opposite direction we are travelling. So we decided to proceed to thrissur and sped up. Around 6 kms more and we came across the signboard to meenkara dam. Went there in the frying mid-day sun . Took 2-3 snaps . There was not much water left and some construction work was going on (some park or something). Thank god we didn't get any sun burn as its happening right now in kerala.

We then proceeded straight to Peechi dam and roamed around. Took a photo for a proof that we were there and left for thrissur and reached by around 2.00PM. Had a good lunch from hotel jaya palace. We visited the new church (puthen palli) in trichur and proceeded straight to ernakulam to bring our trip to a conclusion . The trip meter read 7500KM as we reached Ernakulam

Quick Facts

Distance Covered - 461KM
FE - 17.6 KM/L
Average Speed - 34KM/H

Things to note before visiting valparai
------------------------------------

1. Its a great place to drive around
2. Very less crowded town
3. Food is good (Chicken is cheap

)
4. 2-3 fuel pumps are there
5. Do drive to Chalakkudi via Sholayar (Should not miss this)
6. Be prepared for some terrible roads
7. Try some night driving (you can spot more animals)
8. Some places in the radius of 15-20kms worth visiting

Will be back with some other trip to bore you all in future!! Thank you for reading.

Soccerfan · 16th March 2010, 23:03

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9187.jpg

meenkara dam

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9189.jpg

meenkara dam

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9194.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9200.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9203.jpg

peechi dam

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9219.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9224.jpg

puthen palli

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9226.jpg

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9229.jpg

the end!!!

Yet another valparai trip to bore you!!-img_9234.jpg

Samurai · 16th March 2010, 23:31

Nice travelogue, the views are astounding. I wish I could have visited Valparai 4 years back. I clicked on thread because I saw some mind-blowing photographs of Valparai this weekend at my friend's house in Bangalore. I am still shocked.

There was nothing great about the composition or technical quality of the photographs. But the contents were just...wow. Many of the photographs were shot from inside the house, from the front door, from the bedroom windows, etc. Of what you ask? Of herds of elephants or gaurs feeding on their garden. Some shots are taken from mere 3ft away from the window, showing nothing but the trunk and the front foot. Often my friend's family couldn't leave the house or enter the house because of the wild life blocking the gate or the door. My friend used to be the Tata Tea estate manager in Valparai during 2005-2007, and I had open invitation to visit him. But I didn't due to various problems. I could have seen the best of Valparai with full access. Finally, in the interest of his kids education, he moved over to a job in Bangalore.

ampere · 17th March 2010, 06:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

Many of the photographs were shot from inside the house, from the front door, from the bedroom windows, etc. Of what you ask? Of herds of elephants or gaurs feeding on their garden. Some shots are taken from mere 3ft away from the window, showing nothing but the trunk and the front foot. Often my friend's family couldn't leave the house or enter the house because of the wild life blocking the gate or the door. My friend used to be the Tata Tea estate manager in Valparai during 2005-2007

What a location for daily grind!
What a location for snapping away to glory!

Soccerfan · 17th March 2010, 11:25

@samurai - thats a very good opportunity lost

. that would have been the best way to sight wild animals

nick17s · 17th March 2010, 11:45

very beautiful locations and brilliant photography mate !!

ampere · 29th March 2010, 21:40

Folks,

Just came across this place on the web. Has anyone tried this?

Glendale Stays - Plantation Guest House Holidays. Eco Tours & Eco Trails

Soccerfan · 29th March 2010, 22:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

Folks,

Just came across this place on the web. Has anyone tried this?

Glendale Stays - Plantation Guest House Holidays. Eco Tours & Eco Trails

there is another valparai travelogue in which a bhpian stayed in this estate. dont remember which thread was it

bijuks · 29th March 2010, 23:39

@Soccerfan - Thank you for sharing the travelogue and photos.

You mentioned that the road work is going on. Any idea on when it is going to get completed? Any signs of that getting completed in a month time?

14th March 2010, 10:10	#31
mooza Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,096 Thanked: 368 Times	Thanks Soccerfan for the info. Will have to re think about the clubbing of both trips if it involves an additional 150 plus kms! Regards
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 12:37	#32
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,943 Thanked: 12,925 Times View My Garage	Basically I was thinking, if it makes sense to stay in Pollachi and see all these places or go all the way till Valparai and enjoy ? I was told that there are quite a lot of places about 30-40km from the Pollachi. So a three day break makes a holiday come alive in Pollachi ! Is that how it should be done?
	() Thanks

14th March 2010, 22:56	#34
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	Woke up by 5.30Am on Sunday and we got ready quickly for the pollachi trip. we didnt have any plans for the day other than returning via Pollachi -> Nenmara -> Thrissur. Pollachi is about 63 kilometres from Valparai. Had a tea from the restaurant then had another since the tea was so good. drove through the forest slowly thoroughly enjoying the cool morning. The road sides were being strengthened by concrete . So available space was a bit narrower than usual. Tea estates adorn the valley. 7-8kms from Valparai we reached the 1st hair pin out of the 40. The road is rubberised and the thickness of the surface is around 1.5 feet so that the run off is that much below the road which is quite dangerous. We came across a lion tailed macaque( no fotos though) and were stopping frequently. Soon we came across the statue of Varver Marsh who is the pioneer of valparai district.my friend decided to do a salsa with Marsh We reached the view point at hair pin 12 from which you can get a nice view of the aliyar dam We reached pollachi by around 10.30 and had a nice breakfast. Decided to enquire about the places worth visiting and came to know that almost all are around 30-40 kms from Pollachi. So we decided to return to Ernakulam via Nenmara,Kollengode ,Thrissur and started off...
	() Thanks

15th March 2010, 05:53	#35
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,943 Thanked: 12,925 Times View My Garage	Water bodies looking inviting with Punto in the background. The long shot of the hairpin bends is nice. BTW who are you waltzing around with?
	() Thanks

16th March 2010, 19:45	#36
Nutty Nair BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Trivandrum, Kerala Posts: 284 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	@Soccerfan - Nice write up & pictures, man! Hope you post some more pictures. Same thing happened to us when we went to Nallamudipooncholai. There was no one to ask the way & I felt the view is also so.. so. The only saving grace was the drive through the tea estates, that was lovely. Couldn't go to other places because of time constraint. Well, that is for another day, I think.
	() Thanks

16th March 2010, 22:30	#37
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	My friend who wanted to visit every shooting spot in pollachi but couldnt find any wanted to visit atleast a sunflower farm. Checked with the guys at the hotel and they said there are some farms about 8 km on the way to kollengode from valparai. Enquired about this so existing farm and the locals had no idea. Even after 10km we couldnt find any and came to know that these farms are on the way to udumalpet which is the exact opposite direction we are travelling. So we decided to proceed to thrissur and sped up. Around 6 kms more and we came across the signboard to meenkara dam. Went there in the frying mid-day sun . Took 2-3 snaps . There was not much water left and some construction work was going on (some park or something). Thank god we didn't get any sun burn as its happening right now in kerala. We then proceeded straight to Peechi dam and roamed around. Took a photo for a proof that we were there and left for thrissur and reached by around 2.00PM. Had a good lunch from hotel jaya palace. We visited the new church (puthen palli) in trichur and proceeded straight to ernakulam to bring our trip to a conclusion . The trip meter read 7500KM as we reached Ernakulam Quick Facts Distance Covered - 461KM FE - 17.6 KM/L Average Speed - 34KM/H Things to note before visiting valparai ------------------------------------ 1. Its a great place to drive around 2. Very less crowded town 3. Food is good (Chicken is cheap) 4. 2-3 fuel pumps are there 5. Do drive to Chalakkudi via Sholayar (Should not miss this) 6. Be prepared for some terrible roads 7. Try some night driving (you can spot more animals) 8. Some places in the radius of 15-20kms worth visiting Will be back with some other trip to bore you all in future!! Thank you for reading. Last edited by Soccerfan : 16th March 2010 at 22:31.
	() Thanks

16th March 2010, 23:03	#38
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	meenkara dam meenkara dam peechi dam puthen palli the end!!!
	() Thanks

16th March 2010, 23:31	#39
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,825 Thanked: 45,513 Times View My Garage	Nice travelogue, the views are astounding. I wish I could have visited Valparai 4 years back. I clicked on thread because I saw some mind-blowing photographs of Valparai this weekend at my friend's house in Bangalore. I am still shocked. There was nothing great about the composition or technical quality of the photographs. But the contents were just...wow. Many of the photographs were shot from inside the house, from the front door, from the bedroom windows, etc. Of what you ask? Of herds of elephants or gaurs feeding on their garden. Some shots are taken from mere 3ft away from the window, showing nothing but the trunk and the front foot. Often my friend's family couldn't leave the house or enter the house because of the wild life blocking the gate or the door. My friend used to be the Tata Tea estate manager in Valparai during 2005-2007, and I had open invitation to visit him. But I didn't due to various problems. I could have seen the best of Valparai with full access. Finally, in the interest of his kids education, he moved over to a job in Bangalore.
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 11:25	#41
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	@samurai - thats a very good opportunity lost . that would have been the best way to sight wild animals
	() Thanks

17th March 2010, 11:45	#42
nick17s BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 536 Thanked: 103 Times View My Garage	very beautiful locations and brilliant photography mate !!
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 21:40	#43
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,943 Thanked: 12,925 Times View My Garage	Folks, Just came across this place on the web. Has anyone tried this? Glendale Stays - Plantation Guest House Holidays. Eco Tours & Eco Trails
	() Thanks

29th March 2010, 23:39	#45
bijuks BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 215 Thanked: 109 Times	@Soccerfan - Thank you for sharing the travelogue and photos. You mentioned that the road work is going on. Any idea on when it is going to get completed? Any signs of that getting completed in a month time?
	() Thanks