cup of tea approved.

nice intro
I m tuned

Looks like Munnar; keep the pics flowing.

The higher tea is indeed munnar, but the teaser pics aren't from there

The log begins..

Three days of straight super smooth highways, wonderful twisties, tea plantations, one dense evergreen forest to ride through, wildlife when least expected, waterfalls.. I needn't say more,it was heavenly. And i mean it!

Trip summary

Total kms: 1,600
Days: 3
Route: Chennai - Valparai - Athirapally falls - Munnar - Chennai

The men and their machines: Sridhar (Unicorn), Simman (fz) and me (P220)

Prologue

I am loving this season of adventure. I surely am. It all started with a spontaneous solo ride to Pondy one fine sunday morning. Then the solo ride to Calicut through the wonderful forests of wayanad, followed up by an exhausting trek on the new year's day. It wasn't over yet. A bigger thing was awaiting me. The road not taken during my last trip to calicut was haunting me. Pictures and travelogues of the valparai - chalakudy forest road (if you could call it that) never stayed off my mind. Even before the calicut ride could sink in, I had made up my mind. I was gonna do this. Simman and Sridhar jumped in at the idea. The preparations were in full swing - weekend calls over getting the riding gear, status of roads, best routes, et al. The plan was finalized. We would do Chennai - Valparai - Athirapally - Chalakudy - NH47 - Chennai. Day 0 was closing in. We decided to hit vellore on day 0 to gain some leverage on the next day. All set, I was just waiting for the clock to tick to 5 PM on friday.

Day 0

In retrospect, it seemed a longer day than the following three days, when we had actually muched a lot of miles. I was waiting for the evening, almost eternally. Rather it felt so. The three of us finally assembled and were good to go after tying the luggage. The trip was on. It was almost 6 PM when we were out of the city. I am generally a little paranoid about night riding and not very comfortable with good speeds at night. So I decided to push ahead to make the most of whatever daylight was left. After giving refuge to varied species of insects on my visor and jacket, I finally hit vellore by 7 30 and pulled over before the sathuvachari flyover to wait for the guys to join in.

By the time we got together, had a dinner of plum cakes and bananas outside a bakery, and finished our futile search for a visor shop (sridhar had a tinted visor which, after the raid of the myriad insects, had probably become an opaque object), it was almost 9 PM. But everyone felt better and refreshed and came to a consensus to push till krishnagiri. We hit krishnagiri and wade through the streets of the small town to find hotel velan. Quite unexpectedly, the town was wide awake with women drawing coloured wavings (kolams) outside their houses on the eve of Pongal. It is past 11 30 when we finally get to crash. Long day indeed, but longer days ahead!

Day 1

It was almost 7 when we refreshed, checked out of the hotel and slowly made our way out of the town and tanked up. We decided to meet up next at The Thoppur a2b restaurant where we had planned to fill our tummies.This morning ride was a breeze. Sun rising slowly behind the hillocks, wondeful empty roads, a mild chill, it was
just the perfect setting to ride.











Post the stop at a2b, our next checkpoint was Bhavani. After a lot of discussions, we had zeroed in on the perundurai - kangeyam route to get to pollachi. We had also read in a forum about avoiding the NH47 after perundurai as 4-laning work was in progress. Salem - Bhavani was wonderful with even lesser traffic and a lot of arrow straight stretches. I refused to get below the 100 kph mark for most of this leg. After the meet at bhavani, we finally continued and derailed from NH47 to get into the 2-laned state highway towards kangeyam.

After almost 450 kms of riding on no-nonsense 4-laned roads, the first few minutes were a tad difficult to adapt. After kangeyam, the road becomes wider and better as you join NH67 towards coimbatore. Probably halfway between kangeyam and palladam, the road meets a T-junction where you need to take a left and immediately a right to get towards Palladam/coimbatore. There is no proper signboard here (the board indicates a right turn will lead to 'pobgalur' but this same road leads to palladam/coimbatore) and you could easily get lost and proceed straight on Dharapuram. After a few kms from palladam, the windmills came into sight. There were coconut trees swaying on both sides of the road lending the otherwise monotonous highway some beauty.



After a good lunch a pollachi, it was time to hit the hills. The afternoon sun was soothing as we crawled past the entrance of anamalai reserve - the beginning of the
climb to valparai.



Bring on the hair pins. One by one. I was loving it, no doubt! But some less sun and some mist would have added more to the milieu.

First upper views of Aliyar reservoir







The elusive nilgiri tahr did not show up anywhere during our climb, nor did the elusive-but-not-so-shy lion tailed macaques. I was disappointed more about the former as I missed a potential sighting during my ride to munnar as it was raining heavily then and the eravikulam park was closed. 'LTMs crossing, go slow' reads a signboard on the road. Funny but it has a lot of meaning. Recently there have been incidents of vehicles running over LTMs on the roads.





The last few kms towards valparai opened up wonderful vistas of lush green tea plantations. I was thrilled, I really do not know why, but am always excited by the sight of mountain slopes with tea plantations and the odd trees that hang in there for support to the tea plants.







Reached valparai by 4 and checked in into the 'green hills' hotel where I had called up and booked a room almost 10 days back. I walk in, tell the manager my name and he says 'No, none in your name has booked any room'in perhaps one of the most harsh tones I have heard recently. I told him the date, time, etc when I had called. He still refused blindly. I finally had to plead him for atleast an ordinary room as this was not an ooty with a lot of options to choose from. From my knowledge, this was the only hotel with secured covered parking facility. After being allotted a just about decent room, we got down to the restaurant to order some tea. there were atleast 3 waiters around (and just one other table being served) but none managed to come down to our table and take an order. We were puzzled after waiting for almost 20 minutes and decided to have that tea outside. Blame monopoly. It was sad. I was totally put off by the attitude of the hotel management and staff. If the government doesn't want to promote valparai as an active tourist destination, then why issue licenses to only select hotels? One of those political mysteries. But this was a road trip. Things like this happen. We had to get back and do what we are here for. Soak in and enjoy and we started off to 'Nallamudi Poonjolai' village to do just that.





The first 2 kms from the town towards there was pathetic. Road was non-existent and we had to ride on stones. The road reasonably improved after that and we totally loved the route. There were tea estates all around, as far as we could see, no tourists honking around in innovas and indicas, near perfect weather - though a tad hotter for the hills.









We spent less than an hour at the place watching the sunset and enjoying the quietness of the place. The carpets of tea all around were a feast for the eyes.















We returned to the hotel and decided to take a walk on the main road. Stopped at a roadside dhaba for a few hot bajjis and vadas. We felt something was missing. Oh ya, it isn't feeling cold. It feels like the chennai in december. But we couldn't believe it - we must be a good 3000 feet above sea level. We certainly missed the mist and chill.

After dinner, we packed up our bags and prepared to hit the sack. Tomorrow is big. We ride the isolated 70 km forest stretch towards Athirapally.The possibility of sighting some wildlife was not remote. No civilization or mobile signal on offer, this was going to be one engaging ride through one of the most dense evergreen forests in the south. As though these weren't reasons enough to get the adrenaline going, Simman started reading out a story from the Jim Corbett collection that he had got along. "The moon was in her third quarter and there could be several hours of darkness. After nothing happened for many minutes, I felt a gentle pull on the blackthorn shoots I was holding. No question now that I was dealing with a man-eater, and a very determined man-eater at that" Sridhar had probably slept but we both were transported to the Kumaon of 1910, the era of man-eaters roaming around like stray dogs. Coming to think of it, it's ironic that today, the once-rich land of the big cats has to run vociferous 'save tiger' campaigns. We laughed at this fact but when we were in the last stages before getting into soporific bliss, all we could see in our blurred vision was a stealthy man-eater waiting in the shadows. The night fell. There was slicence. And I had wild dreams.

Wow..Beautiful pictures and crisp Tlog.
Nice start CrazyTraveler

Cheers
Biru

Thanks Biru. Day 2 and 3 coming up tomorrow

The log (contd.)..

Day 2

Trip meter: 683 km
Route covered: Valparai - Sholayar - Athirapally - Angamaly - Munnar

Even as I am getting up from the bed, stretching and yawning, yesterday's story hasn't gone anywhere from my mind. Today, the very purpose of doing this trip is about to be fulfilled - riding the forest stretch towards Athirapally. We take it at leisure as our plan for the day is to get to Athirapally, spend some time and head towards Coimbatore. By the time we had our breakfast and started rolling, it was almost a quarter past eight. And guess what, Sridhar's uni fails to start! We dismiss it as cold start issues and try after a few minutes. Voila, the engine cranks and we start chugging.

Barely a km or two from the town, as we stop for a shot the engine again fails to crank up. We head back to the town to find a mechanic and were informed that they would turn up only by 10 as it was a sunday. Simman rightly suspects the spark plug, removes and cleans it. This time, we tested the engine to our satusfaction and found that the spark plug was indeed the culprit. After all we did not want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with no hope of calling anyone for help.

We are loving every bend and turn as we head towards the Sholayar dam and Malukuparai checkpost, the beginning of the forest road. And we obviously can't resist stopping here and there for a couple of shots.









The tea estates slowly start to disappear and I, who had been cherishing the sight of green tea leaves glittering in the hues of morning sun, was a touch disappointed about leaving the tea town. I tell myself that I'll come back to this place soon, may be by public transport which means I'll have more time to soak in and enjoy the place and also give myself some chance for spotting the rich wildlife here.










It is a little past 10 when we reach the TN-Kerala border and Malukuparai checkpost. We are required to stop our vehicles here and enter our details in a register. A forest gaurd walks up, does a thorough inspection of our bags and counts the number of plastic bags we are carrying along with us. This count is supposed to be checked at the checkpost at the other end as well but atleast in our case, the officer there didn't bother. Nevertheless, it is a good initiative from the Kerala forest department as a way to ensure that this pristine habitat of many a forest dwelling creature remains the way it does. I ask the guard "How is the road from here on?". He comes back with "Road danger only". Heck, if the road isn't good, tell 'It is in a bad shape'. Why use a word like danger to scare a man-eater-story-stricken being!



We roll on, seeing a few houses here and there, the last glimpses of civilization on this side. Soon the woods appear, and start to become dense and more dense. The roads which atleast partially existed till now suddenly vanish. Maneuvering our way through these broken stretches is tricky but slowly we get used to it. There is ample sunlight and no mist whatsoever, but the cover is dense enough at places to stop any light from coming in. We start to feel the forests. We see a small stream on the left at a bend, stop here and switch off our engines. All we hear is a soothing sound of an unhurried gentle stream making its way down through a set of small smooth rocks. Nothing else. If any other sound had the right to intrude such silence, it was the song of the cicadas. It was a wonderful moment. I wonder how this road would be in the monsoons with the forest looking many times greener, more small streams propping up here and there, and the possibility of some fog as well. It truely should be another pandora.







I put my imaginations to rest as we continue the ride through the winding path, always expecting something in the next bend. Sridhar was leading this time around and he probably experienced a tad more thrill than I had, not knowing what was in store for him ahead. We muched kilometer after kilometer. There are more twisties and more trees. No hopes for a better road yet. About 20 km from the checkpost, we start to see dried elephant dung and loads of it in the next few kilometers. There are broken stems of bamboo trees right on the road. This is elephant country. No doubt it is one of the busiest elephant corridors after dusk. I pray not to bump into one here though. I had no isues with coming across a herd on my earlier wayanad trip; it was NH212 and a different road altogether. Here, the roads didn't exist and there is not much hope for 'outriding' an elephant with the kind of terrain on offer!





Found a lonely forest bungalow in the middle of nowhere. How about a lone stay there for a night?



A few minutes later, we hit the Sholayar view point and stop to take the customary upper sholayar view shot.





The roads start getting better here though we couldn't rule out potholes every now and then. The dense jungle on both sides now gave way to a cliff on one side. The
view was much open on the left and the road was marked with tall dried grass.

A big cat's view, if one were stalking us:











We enjoyed the last few kms of the forest stretch as civilization started appearing again on the Vazhachal side. One thing we noticed is that there was much more traffic than what I am used to reading from logs of people who have done this road. Perhaps because it was a sunday. But we would have seen about 15 cars and 7-8 bikes (local youth from kerala riding with pillion, without helmets) and atleast 2-3 cars sharing space with us at the sholayar view point. Is the route getting commercialized? I shudder to think of it. If thats the case, I wish the roads remain how they are, if that would keep the number of tourists down. We already see a speeding white BMW as we approach vazhachal. I now wish the forest department imposes a limit on the number of vehicles on a daily basis so as to restrict human intrusion to this otherwise untouched abode of the wild.









As we stop for a shot just before Vazhachal, Simman spontaneously comes up with "Let's go to Munnar". He seemed to have been inspired by xinfii's log, which I have shared with him earlier. I laugh at it as a wishful joke and tell him xinfii was a more experienced tourer then. No, he is persistent about it and asks Sridhar about his idea. The game-for-anything character that he is, Sridhar nods without even bothering about the distance, road condition, et al. Now it came down to me. I was giving it some thought but still haven't really made up my mind. We enquire at Vazhachal and Athirapally. I give a half-hearted nod at Athirapally as I was more concerned about the next day's ride between Munnar and chennai. It would be very hectic given that the next day after the ride, I had no other option but TO BE at office at 9 30 AM. After lunch at Athirapally, we take the left turn off opposite silver storm theme park to take the shortcut towards Angamaly, which would help us save some distance rather than going to chalakudy and join NH 47.



The 24 kms to Angamaly were nothing short of disastrous. First, we were mobbed by two groups of Kerala youth to give some donation for a temple. We had to pay for the second group after we got away with the first. This kind of behaviour can potentially tarnish the image of a tourist friendly state that the government and tourism department try to sustain. After a lot of bad bad roads, we finally reach NH 47. The ball is again thrown to me here. If I wished to take the right towards coimbatore, they're fine with starting the return leg. Less than a minute of deep thought and I say Munnar it is! The left is taken, enquiries about the route made at Angamaly and we're soon zipping our way past several cars and buses on our way to Perumbavoor. I started feeling better psychologically, perhaps because of the good roads or may be because I was going to hit tea country again!

There are the ghats and twisties making their presence again. Swing, swang, zoom. We had been riding on twisties the whole day and we shall continue to do so until munnar. We're loving the twist in the tale.





A few kms before Munnar, we see tea plantations again. And yes, the mist is here! It started feeling cold. We had got what we wanted and what we badly missed in valparai. It was heavenly. A sense of accomplishment thoguh we did nothing enormous. Road trips are fun for the very fact that unplanned things like this come up and when they happen well, you can't help but grin.




After a long dinner (read gobi fry, bajjis of different varieties, pani puri, hot and cold tea, dosas and chocolates), we decided to call it a day.



Today had been wonderful with enough twists on the roads and elsewhere, tomorrow is going to be equally exciting for it would be in part a race against time (under safe riding) to get home by dusk. Plus, we ride through yet another forest - the Chinanr WLS! Good night, no stories today


Day 3
Trip meter: 925 kms
Route covered: Munnar - Chinnar - Udumalaipet - Salem - Chennai

It is more than half past six when we tank up and finally roll out of yet another tea town, the tourists of which are still cuddling under their cozy blankets. The more than an hour ride to Marayoor offers nothing short of breath-taking views encouraging us to stop every now and then to capture them, time or no time left. The mist almost blinds our visors and renders the already impotent rear view mirrors of my machine useless. There is not much traffic on either side and scorching the hair-pins in the cold and mist on an empty road is undoubtedly a rider's dream!



First rays of morning sun:














We enter the chinnar forest in some time and my eyes are on the look out for anything big and grey. It is well past dawn but the scarce traffic and pleasant weather makes conditions conducive for a potential sighting. I played the lead here and was excited as I am reminded of my solo ride to munnar through the same route. I had also stopped for an hour's trek at Chinnar (Different <a href="http://lost-in-nature.blogspot.com/2009/10/of-twisting-roads-and-tea-plantations.html">story</a> though).



Soon we re-group and reach the Kerala-TN border checkpost, where we are required to perform the writing ritual again. As we cross over to the other side, the terrain becomes a lot flatter and roads straighter. This part of the forest is named anamalai tiger reserve and falls under TN jurisdiction. We have been riding in the same forest though - the pollachi-valparai, sholayar stretch, this, chinnar, parambikulam all are different names given to one single vast spread of forest land. The forest stretch is appearing to come to an end, the roads becoming good though narrow, and sridhar who's leading now is cruising in the 70's.

We are almost bored and wanted to have a good breakfast before anything else. The best thing about wilderness is it throws things at you when you least expect them. It almost seemed like a statue for all three of us, a statue standing by the side of the road, hardly a couple of feet into the woods. We come closer and see a herd of them. The 'anai's of the anamalai are here to meet us. Our eyes couldn't believe it. I had just met their cousins a month back, and now this elephant herd is here for a rendezvous with me. Simman subtly waved his hand at me in excitement and I acknowledged with a nod from behind. Just as this drama was unfolding, we hear a long shrill trumpet very close by, so much so that I felt that it was blown right into my ears. It was a single tusker with a broken tusk, simman manages to get a glimpse of it. I couldn't. It had been so close to the road.good that it hadn't chose to come on to the road. Nothing's more potentially dangerous in the wild than a lone tusker.

The elephants had been drooling around at the edge of the sanctuary. Barely a couple of kms from the scene, we came to the exit checkpost. We found a small dhaba hotel here and decided to fill our tummies, engaging in discussions on the elephant episode and sharing each one's perspectives.



There's not much story to tell after this incident - it was all about riding/ripping/cruising on monotonous highways to get home on time.



It was one awesome 1,600 km trip to write home about. Enough adventure for such a short trip. What was planned happened; what was unplanned happened equally well. I am still yearning to ride more; where and when, I do not know. But I just get the feeling that after hell a lot of tea, for a change, I would like some coffee!

wonderful pics with good log . must visit places

Superb pics buddy wonder why more people are opting for Munnar than their own homes (that includes me as well )

beautiful pics ,,,loved it

Thanks! Because its one such place .. ONE such place In fact this was my second ride to this place after the last one on my 125 cc super splendor about an year and a half back..

Thank you!

Beautiful pics and trip logs !..

Athirapally and Munnar are in my next-to-visit wishlist of places to be visited by bike.

great write up

awesome log, great tea.
Waiting for coffee anxiously