7th June, 2007
After analyzing, consulting and debating lots on pros and cons of Munnar and Idukki, finally we decided to go to Munnar as a part of our friend Dhaneesh’s marriage reception, which was going to held at Ernakulam. End of the day place doesn’t matter, but people and mood only matters.
Participants:
- Sterin 2. Kiran 3. Nirmal 4. Prinson 5. Moon 6. Raman 7. Arun Sarath
Startup
We started our trip at around 10 am from Ernakulam in a Tavera which is more spacious compared to Qualis. Ernakulam – Moovatupuzha – Kothamangalam – Adimali - Munnar route is approximately 130 km and expected time for traveling was 5 hours. Munnar is a beautiful place as we all know after experiencing our college excursion, but experiencing something different from this Bachelor’s tour was our aim. Toddy shops on the way all along was tempting us to break the decency of beer parties with natural drink from coconut trees.
Bhoodathan Kettu
At last we stopped near a Toddy shop which tells “Natural Coconut Toody”. A typical toddy shop should have variety of dishes, but this one didn’t meet our expectations. Toddy was good and we all had one bottle each. We proceed to Bhoodathan Kettu and everything was getting more interesting as time passes by, which tells us not to trust the phrase “natural toddy”. There was a small beautiful dam in Bhoodathan Kettu and a way to the bank of river though a forest like atmosphere with highly dense trees. Posing for snaps was the most important agenda of the trip. Moon was so engaged in getting “natural” snaps with no faces at all. Trekking through the forest is a good experience, especially when there is a slight shower along with the trek.
Way to Munnar
Walking a lot which was different from our daily routines made us a little bit tired. Usual leg pulling talks kept the mood interesting. Road was good but traffic didn’t allowed a speed greater than 80 km/hr. We had lunch from a hotel in Adimali at 2 pm. Road became too curvy and very scenic after that. Small water falls on the way made the drive more interesting. Name boards on the way about nature and keeping it as fresh as it is by tourism board, should increase the general awareness among people who visit the place.
Maattupetti Dam
Massive water body welcomed us and we posed for as many photos that we could, off course to upload in Orkut albums. Dams and water bodies are always attracting and I have a history of jumping into the water where ever I go, which was forcefully stopped by my friends and inhibitions or manners evolved in life after college days. Shooting balloons with air gun was our next entertainment. Everybody tried one after other, even though we all hesitated at first thinking that we are too “mature” for that. It was not easy to blow the balloons at the beginning. Prinson was the guy who couldn’t blow even a single balloon.
Echo point
We headed towards Echo point after that. Green valleys with long grass gave us a pit stop and enjoy the freshness of the same along with a photo session. We had to give big stress to our vocal cord to hear even small echoes. Place was really cool with calm river and beautiful mountains in the back ground. This was the last place we visited on day one. We started searching for a hotel to get refreshed and restart adventures next day. Bad stomach because of toddy made some of us quit drinks at night, with our driver .
Suryanelli
We quit our plan to go to typical Rajamala and opted for Suryanelli. Nobody who read newspaper daily can forget about this notorious place. But it has got all the majesty to be one of the best scenic places in the world. Breathtaking views of hair pins, green tea valleys and narrow roads are more than enough for anybody who like thrills of driving. 18 kms drive from Munnar to Suryanelli couldn’t fulfill the views of mists and fogs at the top of hill, since we were running out of time and we had to climb another 15 kms in a separate four wheeler jeep dedicated for hilly and rocky roads. But the sceneries and waterfall views were enough for us to remember and come back again.
Back To Ernakulam
We had to reach and attend the reception. Hence we decided to conclude and go back. Showering started indicating the completion of our nice trip with joy and feeling of richness. Toddy shops didn’t tempted us anymore. It was time for leg pullings again. We vowed to come back soon for more enthusiasm and as a break from tight schedules of life. All together the entire trip was remarkable with lots of driving and scenic experiences. Kerala, Gods own country indeed have nice places to hang out for those who love nature and beautiful sceneries.