[laluks]

Originally Posted by maheshramaling

Wonderful write up. 5 stars for your write up, another 5 stars for your photography (i loved the capture of gaurs crossing & trying to climb - amazing!) & 5 stars for the love of your car! Almost all pictures had 336!!. Guess - it's part of your family now!! Good job!

Few queries;

1) Curious to know why you chose Civic over Swift for such a road condition considering the GC?

2) What's the kind of mileage you got in this section....keeping aside the highway ride?

3) Could you post the full route map from Bangalore to Bangalore? Guess - this will be useful for folks like me who started to venture out!!

Thanks for this wonderful travelogue & looking forward to the pictures/ writeup of vagamon trip holidays!

P.S: A TBHP sticker would have looked great on your 336!!

Thanks mahesh for the stars

Regarding 336, My door number is 336, my land line ends with 336, my mobile number ends with 336, and my civvy is 336. So 336 is much more now

To answer your queries

1) While I booked Gavi for the holidays, I had called up vallakadavu checkpost and enquired about my possibility of taking that route. They had mentioned that it would not be likely that the other checkposts will allow me to pass through. Further on checking with KFDC office they had also said it is not worth the trouble. So I was pretty much decided that I'd be back at Vandiperiayaar and on to Vagamon doing some sight seeing at kuttikkanam.

But while at Gavi, when I had been talking to Mr. Varghese and his father in law, they said those days some vehicles are coming from the Angamoozhy side. I had asked him if he can come with me, and he readily agreed.

So Civic got the chance to do the trip. But I must say the GC issue of Civic is very much overhyped. With reasonable care for her, she did it through.

2) For this section alone I have no idea. I normally get an over all of 11kmpl for my trips with all the mix. The best I had ever was 14kmpl and the worst 9kmpl. In Bangalore she consistantly gives 12kmpl.

3) I'll post that for you again. I have posted the entire trip GPS log on the Parambikulam log already.

Dont know when I can start with Vagamon log. To say about it Poovar, Goa, Munnar, etc are pending still

I already have 3 stickers on the car. LCLC and I drive safe is on the rear bumper.

[slalom]

Great documentation !!

This drive is beautiful and refreshing !

I have been enjoying this bounty ( the drive ) for so many years now and hope we sustain the greenery for long .

Keep up the great work and enjoy your journeys .

Cheers !

[maheshramaling]

336 - says it all!! In this road if you say GC was managable with Civic - I am relived now & can comfortably take my Laura...may be one day - I will.

I am just reading your other TL (Civved : Parambikulam, Gavi, Vagamon via Thekkady & Valparai) & got the entire route map. thanks for that.

On Stickers - apologies, didn't notice them in the pics!!

Great going & will look forward for your next thread!

[laluks]

Originally Posted by slalom

Great documentation !!

This drive is beautiful and refreshing !

I have been enjoying this bounty ( the drive ) for so many years now and hope we sustain the greenery for long .

Keep up the great work and enjoy your journeys .

Cheers !

Thanks slalom. Hope the place stays green. Heard Gavi is going to get Tiger Reserve Status. Then it sure will.

Originally Posted by maheshramaling

In this road if you say GC was managable with Civic - I am relived now & can comfortably take my Laura...may be one day - I will.

It rained on for another three months there. Dont know what is the current state.

For visiting gavi Vandiperiyar to Gavi is the best and shortest with 24Km. the other route will exit at Angamoozhi and if you are only travelling further down south it makes sense. Budget ample time. 10Km per hour with bad roads and natural beauty would be the minimum I guess. The bus takes 5+ hours in this route to reach Kumily from Pathanamthitta as per another log.

[kala]

Originally Posted by laluks

The GPS log of the trip from Thekkady to Gavi and from Gavi to Kuttikkanam.

Attachment 513081




The map for an idea of the location and route.
Attachment 513082

Lovely travelogue and pics, Lalu ! Certainly an inspiration to go visit these rarely trodden places..

Curious about one portion of that GPS trace. You seemed to have gone about 20 kms off NH220 towards south-east somewhere around Peermade (The deviation to the right after Mundakkayam-Kuttikkanam-Peermade), but this finds no mention in your narratives (nor is the road marked in GM or OSM). Which place was this ??

[laluks]

Originally Posted by kala

Lovely travelogue and pics, Lalu ! Certainly an inspiration to go visit these rarely trodden places..

Curious about one portion of that GPS trace. You seemed to have gone about 20 kms off NH220 towards south-east somewhere around Peermade (The deviation to the right after Mundakkayam-Kuttikkanam-Peermade), but this finds no mention in your narratives (nor is the road marked in GM or OSM). Which place was this ??

Thanks Kala.

Good question.

Infact I should have removed the Kuttikanam to that place log from the GPS trail. That place is Parunthupara. That was a part of the return trip from Vagamon. I'll put that up in the Vagamon log

[Soccerfan]

As always great travelogue lalu. brought back the memories of the gavi trip that i did back in 2009. wish we could stay in Gavi atleast for a day at that time

[iMathan]

Wow laluks ! That was an AWESOME thread. Enjoyed reading each and every word you penned down, and the photos you posted. Simply awesome! A friend of mine tried to go there 2 weeks back, but he had to return half way because of Really HEAVY rains. Looks like he missed out on a lot. After reading this he's more determined than ever and we're planning to hit GAVI sometime at the end of March. 5 stars for an awesome thread

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

As always great travelogue lalu. brought back the memories of the gavi trip that i did back in 2009. wish we could stay in Gavi atleast for a day at that time

Thanks Soccerfan for finding this place out

Originally Posted by iMathan

Wow laluks ! That was an AWESOME thread. Enjoyed reading each and every word you penned down, and the photos you posted. Simply awesome! A friend of mine tried to go there 2 weeks back, but he had to return half way because of Really HEAVY rains. Looks like he missed out on a lot. After reading this he's more determined than ever and we're planning to hit GAVI sometime at the end of March. 5 stars for an awesome thread

Thanks iMathan for the stars
Still raining?

[nagarjun]

Amazing thread with great photographs. Did the Ooty trip after going through your thread and was thinking of a trip to Kerala, so one more place to consider for the trip and thanks for all the information provided. Just need to read the thread again and yes Google is not required

[laluks]

Originally Posted by nagarjun

Amazing thread with great photographs. Did the Ooty trip after going through your thread and was thinking of a trip to Kerala, so one more place to consider for the trip and thanks for all the information provided. Just need to read the thread again and yes Google is not required

Thanks nagarjun.
Loved the google part .

[Funda]

Loved the greenery. I have a bad experience of Kerala Roads. There are too many pot holes on the road. People say its very hard for some one out of Kerala to drive there. Is it so?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Funda

Loved the greenery. I have a bad experience of Kerala Roads. There are too many pot holes on the road. People say its very hard for some one out of Kerala to drive there. Is it so?

That would be a generalisation.

The arterial roads and highways were good. Now I am "told" the Japan drinking water projects have dug up many places.

The roads I have taken this time, except Gavi to Angamoozhy, were in good conditions, and could maintain decent speeds.

On the highways watch out for pedestrians crossing, two wheelers and Buses as you would do any where else.

[pjbiju]

As usual great travelogue and great pictures Lalu. You seem to find so many great places in Kerala that I have never been to (and some that I have not even heard of like this one). One more reason for wifey to tell me, you have not taken me around Kerala at all.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

As usual great travelogue and great pictures Lalu. You seem to find so many great places in Kerala that I have never been to (and some that I have not even heard of like this one). One more reason for wifey to tell me, you have not taken me around Kerala at all.

Thanks biju.
So one more reason for you to hit Kerala soon