Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family

SafeDrive · 27th July 2010, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

Particularly i liked the Father & Son moment, i would have liked the view from the other side as well.

Thanks for the rating StarVegabond. I love that picture too. My wife would have had to hang from the roof to get the view from the other side, but I'll let her know for next time.

SafeDrive · 27th July 2010, 11:34

As we walked into the resort I saw this. This was too good – I had to take snaps. As commented by flyingspur in the thread weird and wacky mods “It looks like a falling starfish / octopus went splat on the roof.”

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0301.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0302.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0303.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0304.jpg

It’s done quite well actually – nice finish. We finish lunch and go to the room to doze off. Wake up at around 05:00p.m. and laze around with a cup of tea. There’s something planned in the activity room for 07:30 p.m. We reach there much earlier and Susann and I spend our time playing scramble, table tennis and caroms while Calvin tries his hand at Wii and Play station.

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0247.jpg

At around 08:00 the program starts. It’s like a talent show put together by employees of CM at Thekkady. So we have a couple of songs (pathetic), a skit by some young guys (this was good), a Nepali dance (Ok I guess) and then a quiz. We walk out during the quiz as we are bored and hungry.

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0312.jpg

^^ Passage leading from game room to reception^^

We go to the restaurant for dinner and as usual I survey the buffet before I start. And in the desert section is “Ada Pradhaman” – my absolute favorite. All the time spent in the gym burning off calories will now be justified in this one meal. All the sacrifices that I have made by skipping desert for the last few days will now be vindicated. I could just kiss the chef.

I walk over to a waiter and ask him if they serve drinks in the restaurant. “Sorry sir, we don’t have a bar.” “OK, I’ll have a Jhonny… what did you just say?” “We are still to get the bar license sir.” And I thought every self respecting hotel in Kerala had a nice bar. For a novice coming into Kerala, that’s how you identify when you’ve reached Kerala – half the white boards you see on the road will say “Toddy” and the other half say “Bar”. This is just a harbinger of the events to come.

So I start with the mandate of salad and then walk over to the non-veg section to see this.

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0327.jpg

And I thought a “bornless chicken” was called an egg. Well I guess this to some extent solves the riddle of which came first – the chicken or the egg. That stuff actually tasted good, so I won’t complain. From our table we have a good view of the pool.

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0316.jpg

Half an hour later and the time for reckoning comes. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had any ada pradhaman and I’m like a silly little child. I take my first serving and go to the table. The first spoon goes into the mouth and like a wine connoisseur, I roll it around in my mouth to get the first effects. “Yeeecccchhhhhh” – it sucks. Call out the army there’s going to be a riot. The chef should be tried and quartered. Show no mercy, take no prisoners, I’ve seen people being butchered for less. “Houston, we have a problem.” This is serious stuff guys. This single incident has spoilt my day for me. I get up and walk off to my room in a huff.

sami316 · 27th July 2010, 11:58

Just going through this TL. The train berth looks really good.

SafeDrive · 27th July 2010, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by sami316

Just going through this TL. The train berth looks really good.

You are right sir. They are very comfortable.

Otomobil · 27th July 2010, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by SafeDrive

I could just kiss the chef.

SafeDrive @: No wonder, That people say that the way to man is through his stomach and you just proved it.

Me and Wifey were continuously laughing on this.. Man you have got a great articulation skills.

Bring it on.

Cheers !
Otmobil.

LongDrive lover · 27th July 2010, 18:26

SafeDrive. Just started to read your TL. Your start - the 1st post itself is enough to get one hooked to the thread. Nice lively narration. Will follow the rest.

SafeDrive · 27th July 2010, 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otomobil

SafeDrive @: No wonder, That people say that the way to man is through his stomach and you just proved it.

Me and Wifey were continuously laughing on this.. Man you have got a great articulation skills.

The way to my heart and purse is thru my stomach

. Thanks for the compliment Otmobil.

SafeDrive · 27th July 2010, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongDrive lover

SafeDrive. Just started to read your TL. Your start - the 1st post itself is enough to get one hooked to the thread. Nice lively narration. Will follow the rest.

Thank you LongDrive lover.

Ever noticed on how the scenery changes as you enter Kerala, especially from TN? And this is irrespective of your mode of travel. If you’re travelling by road, then the flat bushy landscapes of TN slowly change to pristine green mountains and plains. If you’re flying the brown landscape below turns to all green and if you’re in the train you suddenly start passing through forests. You see a lot palm trees and mud brick houses.

On the other hand, if you’re coming by road the good roads disappear and suddenly it’s like driving on the moon.

Your car could go into one of the craters (pot holes) in the road and disappear only to appear a few meters down the road. You start seeing a lot of people in mundu / lungi. The average age of vehicles on the road suddenly multiplies by a factor of 10.

If you guys have anything else – add on. This is all in good humor.

jacs · 28th July 2010, 11:21

Its a nice travelogue with good snaps and content rich

.

Since I did my graduation in Kuttikkanam which is an hour and half away from Kumily, I visited Thekkady many times but not stayed there except once in my childhood. We used to rent a cycle from Kumily to reach Thekkady, its a fun trail and few wildlife sightings like various monkeys, birds and sometimes deers and bucks (obviously no dangerous animals).

SafeDrive · 28th July 2010, 12:24

For once Calvin is still sleeping at 06:30a.m. when we wake up. Yes, this is going to be a good day. I've got my regular amount of sleep and have partly got over the disappointment of yesterday night. Well I have my cup of tea and then go over to the gym. While entering my name in the register, I realize that I am the only person who has been using the gym during the last three days. Either I am overally stupid or simply the greatest. Yeah, yeah, you don't have to rub it in, I agree

.

Breakfast as usual at the restaurant. I had made up my mind not to have food from CM again but kya kare? I had brought the fun dining deal and had a breakfast coupon left. Part of the breakfast was appam and stew which was good and I was begining to have second thoughts. But no, nobody, absolutely nobody plays around with my ada pradhaman and gets away with it. OK, except for wifey maybe, but she makes a mean one so no worries there.

So when the hostess came around and asked us if we will be joining them for lunch I said no. "And dinner sir?" "No" She did not persue it further but instead asked us if we had anything planned for the day. "No." "Maybe, you could try Chellarkovil sir. We can pack your lunch for you." Packed lunch, aha. "Thank you but no."

So after breakfast we went to the games room as usual and from there we brought out tickets for a kalari show and a kathakali show for the evening. It cost Rs.250 a person with Calvin free as long as he sat on our lap. Played a round of badminton, TT and carrom and then just roamed around the resort taking some pictures.

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0330.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0332.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0333.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0334.jpg

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0337.jpg

^^ Our room ^^

Thekkady Vacation - Four days, three nights, two places, one family-dsc_0340.jpg

^^ The Williams fan^^

Time for lunch and we decide to go to Kumali. I want to walk as it's a beautiful day but I am out voted by my son and wife. So much for democracy! The auto driver takes us to a place called Malabar Hotel, a decent restaurant in town. The fare by the way is Rs.15

. We have pretty good food and the bill for 3 is less that Rs.200. Walk around town for some time and then catch an auto back as it has started to rain a little heavier. Need to be all fresh for the evening.

pypkmsrikanth · 28th July 2010, 13:28

Lovely travelogue. Thanks for sharing. Any reason why you did not want to get down at Dindigul on your way to Kumily, I thought its easier that way.

Incidentally Pandian always has 2 First A/c coaches, possibly one of the few non Rajdhani trains to have more than one First A/c coach.

csentil · 28th July 2010, 15:03

Or for that matter Kodai Road which is even closer.

I guess its just that its too early. Pandiyan Express reaches Dindigul around 5 AM and with a kid in tow its pretty tough to get the kid and the luggages out of the train at that time.

And the damn train takes almost another 2 hrs to reach Mdu at times.

Fantastic Travelogue by the way. Thekkady is a beautiful place. Extremely well written. "Bornless Chicken" had me Rolling on the floor, laughing!. (Mods don't like abbreviations.

)

I hope you did take the boat ride inside Periyar. Its really worth it. Spotting animals is just pure luck though!

Also I remember I AC having just a 2 berth coupe. Its usually the first or last coupe in the compartment. Correct me if I am wrong folks.

SafeDrive · 28th July 2010, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacs

Its a nice travelogue with good snaps and content rich.

Thanks Jacs. I'm enjoying writing it too - actually makes me see the trip a little different now. But it comments from the readers that makes it special. Thanks again.

ampere · 28th July 2010, 15:45

Thekkady is a place which I have left out. Will club with some temple visits around Madurai and then followed
by Thekkady. Lots of info there. Thanks for sharing.

addyhemmige · 28th July 2010, 16:11

Wow!! Lovely travelogue SafeDrive. Your narration is awesome.

The whole travelogue had me laughing in splits and especially the car renting conversation and the 'bornless chicken' sign.

That said, I'm hoping to visit Thekkady once. Lets see how that goes

27th July 2010, 11:34	#62
SafeDrive BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 425 Thanked: 86 Times	Thekkady - Day 2, part III As we walked into the resort I saw this. This was too good – I had to take snaps. As commented by flyingspur in the thread weird and wacky mods “It looks like a falling starfish / octopus went splat on the roof.” It’s done quite well actually – nice finish. We finish lunch and go to the room to doze off. Wake up at around 05:00p.m. and laze around with a cup of tea. There’s something planned in the activity room for 07:30 p.m. We reach there much earlier and Susann and I spend our time playing scramble, table tennis and caroms while Calvin tries his hand at Wii and Play station. At around 08:00 the program starts. It’s like a talent show put together by employees of CM at Thekkady. So we have a couple of songs (pathetic), a skit by some young guys (this was good), a Nepali dance (Ok I guess) and then a quiz. We walk out during the quiz as we are bored and hungry. ^^ Passage leading from game room to reception^^ We go to the restaurant for dinner and as usual I survey the buffet before I start. And in the desert section is “Ada Pradhaman” – my absolute favorite. All the time spent in the gym burning off calories will now be justified in this one meal. All the sacrifices that I have made by skipping desert for the last few days will now be vindicated. I could just kiss the chef. I walk over to a waiter and ask him if they serve drinks in the restaurant. “Sorry sir, we don’t have a bar.” “OK, I’ll have a Jhonny… what did you just say?” “We are still to get the bar license sir.” And I thought every self respecting hotel in Kerala had a nice bar. For a novice coming into Kerala, that’s how you identify when you’ve reached Kerala – half the white boards you see on the road will say “Toddy” and the other half say “Bar”. This is just a harbinger of the events to come. So I start with the mandate of salad and then walk over to the non-veg section to see this. And I thought a “bornless chicken” was called an egg. Well I guess this to some extent solves the riddle of which came first – the chicken or the egg. That stuff actually tasted good, so I won’t complain. From our table we have a good view of the pool. Half an hour later and the time for reckoning comes. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had any ada pradhaman and I’m like a silly little child. I take my first serving and go to the table. The first spoon goes into the mouth and like a wine connoisseur, I roll it around in my mouth to get the first effects. “Yeeecccchhhhhh” – it sucks. Call out the army there’s going to be a riot. The chef should be tried and quartered. Show no mercy, take no prisoners, I’ve seen people being butchered for less. “Houston, we have a problem.” This is serious stuff guys. This single incident has spoilt my day for me. I get up and walk off to my room in a huff.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 11:58	#63
sami316 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 484 Thanked: 45 Times View My Garage	Just going through this TL. The train berth looks really good.
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 18:26	#66
LongDrive lover BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 782 Thanked: 114 Times	SafeDrive. Just started to read your TL. Your start - the 1st post itself is enough to get one hooked to the thread. Nice lively narration. Will follow the rest.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 11:21	#69
jacs Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 1,499 Thanked: 1,047 Times View My Garage	Its a nice travelogue with good snaps and content rich . Since I did my graduation in Kuttikkanam which is an hour and half away from Kumily, I visited Thekkady many times but not stayed there except once in my childhood. We used to rent a cycle from Kumily to reach Thekkady, its a fun trail and few wildlife sightings like various monkeys, birds and sometimes deers and bucks (obviously no dangerous animals).
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 12:24	#70
SafeDrive BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 425 Thanked: 86 Times	Thekkady - Day 3, Part I For once Calvin is still sleeping at 06:30a.m. when we wake up. Yes, this is going to be a good day. I've got my regular amount of sleep and have partly got over the disappointment of yesterday night. Well I have my cup of tea and then go over to the gym. While entering my name in the register, I realize that I am the only person who has been using the gym during the last three days. Either I am overally stupid or simply the greatest. Yeah, yeah, you don't have to rub it in, I agree . Breakfast as usual at the restaurant. I had made up my mind not to have food from CM again but kya kare? I had brought the fun dining deal and had a breakfast coupon left. Part of the breakfast was appam and stew which was good and I was begining to have second thoughts. But no, nobody, absolutely nobody plays around with my ada pradhaman and gets away with it. OK, except for wifey maybe, but she makes a mean one so no worries there. So when the hostess came around and asked us if we will be joining them for lunch I said no. "And dinner sir?" "No" She did not persue it further but instead asked us if we had anything planned for the day. "No." "Maybe, you could try Chellarkovil sir. We can pack your lunch for you." Packed lunch, aha. "Thank you but no." So after breakfast we went to the games room as usual and from there we brought out tickets for a kalari show and a kathakali show for the evening. It cost Rs.250 a person with Calvin free as long as he sat on our lap. Played a round of badminton, TT and carrom and then just roamed around the resort taking some pictures. ^^ Our room ^^ ^^ The Williams fan^^ Time for lunch and we decide to go to Kumali. I want to walk as it's a beautiful day but I am out voted by my son and wife. So much for democracy! The auto driver takes us to a place called Malabar Hotel, a decent restaurant in town. The fare by the way is Rs.15 . We have pretty good food and the bill for 3 is less that Rs.200. Walk around town for some time and then catch an auto back as it has started to rain a little heavier. Need to be all fresh for the evening.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 13:28	#71
pypkmsrikanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,124 Thanked: 282 Times View My Garage	Lovely travelogue. Thanks for sharing. Any reason why you did not want to get down at Dindigul on your way to Kumily, I thought its easier that way. Incidentally Pandian always has 2 First A/c coaches, possibly one of the few non Rajdhani trains to have more than one First A/c coach.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 15:03	#72
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	Or for that matter Kodai Road which is even closer. I guess its just that its too early. Pandiyan Express reaches Dindigul around 5 AM and with a kid in tow its pretty tough to get the kid and the luggages out of the train at that time. And the damn train takes almost another 2 hrs to reach Mdu at times. Fantastic Travelogue by the way. Thekkady is a beautiful place. Extremely well written. "Bornless Chicken" had me Rolling on the floor, laughing!. (Mods don't like abbreviations. ) I hope you did take the boat ride inside Periyar. Its really worth it. Spotting animals is just pure luck though! Also I remember I AC having just a 2 berth coupe. Its usually the first or last coupe in the compartment. Correct me if I am wrong folks.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 15:45	#74
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,928 Thanked: 12,899 Times View My Garage	Thekkady is a place which I have left out. Will club with some temple visits around Madurai and then followed by Thekkady. Lots of info there. Thanks for sharing.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 16:11	#75
addyhemmige Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore/Hassan Posts: 1,527 Thanked: 487 Times View My Garage	Wow!! Lovely travelogue SafeDrive. Your narration is awesome. The whole travelogue had me laughing in splits and especially the car renting conversation and the 'bornless chicken' sign. That said, I'm hoping to visit Thekkady once. Lets see how that goes
	() Thanks

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