25th July 2010, 19:19
| #46 |
| Senior - BHPian  | |
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25th July 2010, 21:15
| #47 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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 . It felt good, tiring, refreshing all at once. I really don't know how to describe it. | |
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25th July 2010, 21:55
| #48 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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| Random pictures Posting some random picture taken in the resort until I get the next part of the travelogue ready  ^^ The rooms at CM ^^  ^^ The pool by night ^^  ^^ Coffee berries. Looks like this was an estate before becoming a resort ^^  ^^ Pepper on vines ^^  ^^ A father son moment - thanks dad ^^  ^^ vanilla beans ^^  ^^ A room. All rooms have some wild life markings on it ^^  ^^ The front of the resort ^^  ^^ A walkway ^^ |
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26th July 2010, 14:30
| #49 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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| Thekkady Day 2 - Part I I’m sure there is some law that describes this, maybe its Murphy’s. I’m sure all parents that read this post will concur; I can already see you nodding your heads in agreement. So what am I talking about? This is it. 05:30 in the morning Calvin is up and jumping all around the bed. “Wake up Amma, wake up Appa, it’s morning.” This from a guy we have to drag out of bed at 07:00 on a working day!! It always happens every holiday, in fact every non-working day. He goes to bed a very happy guy saying that he does not have to wake up early, that he can sleep as much as he wants and then he’s always the first to wake up. Mind you, we are not late risers, but I would still like that extra hour of sleep. Any guru’s around who can explain this phenomenon to me, please help. More important, if any one knows how to stop this I will be forever obliged. He switches on the TV and there is nothing much that we can do except wake up. We have a cup of tea sitting outside on the verandah while my son watches TV. It’s pure heaven out there – the cold, the hot tea, the greenery, the sound of the birds, I just wish that it never ended. But then just like everything else your day has to progress. So do my morning chores, go to the gym and finally end up for breakfast at the restaurant. In addition to the normal culprits like dosa, idli and toast they also have puttu and kadala. Yes sir, I gorge. A heavy meal later we’re sitting at the chairs (outside) wondering what to do for the rest of the day. That’s when we remember that we’ve run out of toothpaste. So we make our way to the reception and request them to have housekeeping send a tube of tooth paste to our room. “Sorry sir, that will not be possible as we do not have tooth paste.” “Excuse me, come again.” Yes, I had heard them right the first time, they did not have toothpaste. “Could you have someone going out please get us a tube? We’ll pay for it.” A little bit of hesitation followed by a “Ok sir.” This is when I realize that the toiletries kept in the room did not have the normally available tooth brushes and tooth paste! Is this cost cutting Mahindra style? Anyway that put one thing in our to-do list for the day – get toothpaste. Alright what else can we do? “Why not take a ride to the lake and go on the boating trip?” asks wifey. “Nah, that would not work. The best time for seeing animals is either at dawn or dusk. No point going now” I counter. So we’re sitting there looking at nothing and doing nothing when my son starts his routine. “I’m bored.” “Ummmm.” One minute later. “I’m really bored”. “Uh Uh.” And another minute later “I’m so bored. I wish there was something to do.” That’s our cue. We better do something before he becomes cranky. And the only idea that has been put on the table so far is the lake, so the lake it is. We go up to the travel desk and ask for a car. “It will be Rs.XXX sir.” “No, no, no, you don’t understand. I don’t want to buy the car just have it drop me off at the lake.” “Yes sir, it will be Rs.XXX sir.” And then it strikes me, maybe she is thinking of Gavi. “Not to Gavi, just the lake for the boating you know. Three kilometers from here.” “Yes sir, it will be Rs.XXX”. So maybe it’s because I’m wearing a company polo (t-shirt). So I lean towards her, lower my voice and say “I don’t own the company, I just work there. So can we strike a bargain? How about Rs.xxx?” “Sorry sir, but Rs.XXX is the minimum charge.” I’m not beaten yet. I’m a Mallu and I know the language. So I’m just going to go out, catch an auto and go to the lake. That will show her. On the way out the resort I take this picture of the place from near the gate.  To be continued.. |
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26th July 2010, 15:15
| #50 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: .
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| Fantastic log, Safedrive! Excellent and entertaining narration - keep it coming  |
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26th July 2010, 16:31
| #51 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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26th July 2010, 16:50
| #52 |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore
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26th July 2010, 17:21
| #53 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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26th July 2010, 17:56
| #54 |
| BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Chennai
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| Simply Superb. Your narration is tooo good. I think you are a very good story teller and your son Calvin must be enjoying your bed time stories. Keep it coming and I am waiting for more. BTW, why at all would you want to hit the Gym even on your vacation? Safedrive, where you also as Bored as your son???  |
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26th July 2010, 18:10
| #55 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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Thanked: 86 Times
| Thekkady - Day 2, part II So we walk to Ambadi junction which is around 100m from the resort and there is a taxi and an auto stand there. We walk up to an auto guy and tell him we need to go to the lake. “Ok, sir get in.” “How much?” “Rs.50 sir” I walk to the next auto. “I need to go to the lake.” “You’ll have to take the first auto sir.” “But he’s expensive. How much to the lake?” “Rs.50 sir.” Looks like I have no other option but to pay Rs.50 for a 3km ride, reminded me of a lot of Chennai. When did the Kerala guys get to be like this?  We get into the first auto and start our journey. On the way he tells us that he can take us sightseeing as well. Sarcastically I tell him that at these rates, I could buy my own vehicle here and go sightseeing. “No, no, sir, you don’t understand. This Rs.50 is only for the lake. We have to charge so much as it takes a long time to get a return trip back from there. Anywhere else we go is much cheaper. From Ambadi to Kumli is Rs.15 only sir.” “Whatever.” When we near the forest there is a check post where he asks us to buy entry passes. This is getting to be an expensive ride. We’re now riding through the forest and nature as is her way has us hypnotized again. Very soon we come to the parking lot – this is as far as vehicles go. We can see why the auto ride costs Rs.50. There is a long queue of autos waiting there for the tourists to take a ride back and there are hardly any tourists from what I can see. I guess there will be some when the boat comes in but each boat trip is around 2 hours. So either they wait here for two hours or they go back empty. There’s not much else they can do. But seriously guys, this place is fantastic. What first strikes me is the quietness and then the cleanliness. There’s hardly any sound here. And then the tall trees and the greenery, it’s mainly teak. It around a 250m walk to the lake. We are on our way. After around 50m the road forks. It’s actually one big loop so irrespective of which way you go; you end up at the lake.  As we walk to the lake we enjoy the surroundings. There are quite a few flowers too.  ^^ Saw a lot of these around ^^ When we reach the boating area, there is only one more family there. We see a boat that is just casting off, so that probably explains it. The sights from here are magnificent.     There is a little bit of fog that is playing hide and seek with the mountains. It’s beautiful. We’re speechless for quite some time. We just sit there gazing into the horizon. Even Calvin who is normally restless is quiet. “Want to go boating?” asks my wife. “Sure” I reply. “No” says Calvin. “When do you think the next trip will be?” I get up and walk to the building to find out. Calvin comes with me. The next trip is at 11:00 a.m. an hour from now. No issues, we can enjoy nature. I go back and Susann and I are trying to convince Calvin for a boat trip. “You can see animals on the trip.” “What animals?” “Elephants, deer’s, bison..” “Can I touch them?” “No.” “Then I do not want to go.” “Please, it will be fun” “Will they be near?” “They’ll be on the bank” “And we?” “We’ll be on the boat” “Then no”. Maybe he has a point. “How long is the trip?” “A couple of hours.” “Can I get off after five minutes?” “No” So finally it’s agreed, we are not going. We still sit there for an hour or so. We then make our way slowly to the lone canteen. I have a hot tea. We can see a bamboo raft in the water from the canteen.  There are also some tribal’s on the opposite bank fishing. We then spot a tree with some parrots on it. One of them seems to be eating a fruit.  After that we walk back to the car park. We take the long way – the other side of the loop. We’re soon back to the place where the road forked and we can see the parking lot. As we approach the parking lot we see this.  And then we see this. I have no idea what it is supposed to represent – a feline on a tree?  But the surroundings are beautiful.  We catch an auto and go to Kumily. It’s still Rs.50 even though we’ve gone beyond Ambady. We start off with buying toothpaste and some snacks / sweets. We then get into a couple of spice shops. I’d like to buy some cashews but they’re expensive. So are the spices. We spot a shop making chips and go there. We buy a pack of banana chips and jack fruit chips both of which were below par. After that we start our walk back to the resort for lunch. |
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26th July 2010, 18:53
| #56 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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 . The gym - I intended to hog and did not want to feel that guilty. | |
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26th July 2010, 19:05
| #57 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Chennai
Posts: 31
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 Looking at your story telling skill, the importance you give to even the minutest details and the way you describe the "not so important" aspects also, makes me stuck to this post. Please keep it coming and I am thirsty for me. | |
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26th July 2010, 19:24
| #58 |
| Senior - BHPian | Beautiful pics. I liked the one with the trees. Appears to be very quite and pleasant place. BTW did n't you the auto driver during the return trip for Rs 50/- fare. I mean he charged you more when going because he would have to wait, what about return trip? Charging for waiting both ways. |
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26th July 2010, 22:01
| #59 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum
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26th July 2010, 22:19
| #60 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore
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| Hi Safedrive, You seems to have chosen the safest way on a vacation : Train + hired car...wonderful Your naration, pictures and details are excellent. Particularly i liked the Father & Son moment, i would have liked the view from the other side as well. thanks for sharing..rated 5 star  |
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