ravi pics are really really awesome..... its like i am on this trip again while reading your log really had a time of my life . good to see my trademark pics . Just remembering the little girl who spoke to us in cute english when we took wrong turn to top station and the fantastic "Delicious" food at the hotel we stayed .

thanks for liking satish , no trip is complete without this pic for me

Top Station - Shola-Anaimudi Forest - Kanthallor - Marayoor - Munnar

Day 6 continued.


We reached Top Station by 11:45 a.m. Parked our bikes just beside a lady vendor who was selling fruits, water, and other items. Bought water bottle and some passion fruits and tomato from the local forest. I liked them a lot and had more of them. Kept our luggage and helmets with the vendor and started walking in side.


Passion fruit. I ate this for the first time in my life.



A variety Tomato from the local forest. Tasted good to me. Of course, you should not eat the outer wall.



Top Station is the border between TN and Kerala. It’s a narrow extension of a mountains in a ride with Mountains from Kerala on the right side and mountains from Tamil Nadu on left side. Its 1800 meters above MSL and the mountains on either side are 2300 meters above MSL. You can see Theni at 11’ o ccock, which is just 350 meters above MSL, which means you would be looking down 1.5 km down :O. The views from Top Station are simply awesome, in that you can see a range of climatic conditions from the point, like raining at one place and sunny at other place.

It was very hot when we were climbing down the stairs to reach the podium-like view point. Being a week day, there were few visitors and many were foreigners. Clicked lots of pictures and posed.



Pavan’s trademark as usual.



On top of the world.



I found a way and sneaked out of the fence and went down a little. The view from there was more amazing. I felt like I was the king of the world for few moments.



I had to click this.



At last, a pic of both the riders.



That’s my trademark.




There were only two foreigners at the view point. J


We sat for some time and had snickers and water as our lunch. The climbing up the stairs was again tiresome and it really tested me. I was exhausted by the time I climbed up, and moreover it was very hot. We sat on a bench there for much-needed rest. Meanwhile, we had this nice “honey juice” and it tasted really good.


We started back from there around 1:15 p.m. and as soon as we entered Kerala we could see dark clouds towards Munnar. So we were up to a different Munnar now. We reached Kundale dam faster and as Praveen suggested we took the route upwards Kundale Dam. The road was initially bad but it was okay after that. We started to climb up and we could see raining clouds everywhere. We were above 2200 meters from MSL and the views from there were awesome.


We climbed more further and then entered Shola-Anaimudi National Forest. The officer at check post asked us details and let us in. From there it was all down and the road was just a trail with no traffic at all. We switched off the engines and just let the bike roll down by gravitation. We could now listen all the sounds from cowls of the bike in the bad roads. We also could listen all the natural sounds from a deep forest.



Silence please!!



Little waterfall in the forest.



Thorns on both sides on the leaves.



These red-colour leaves were very attractive.



It was a long journey for us down the forest and we soon entered nice tarmac and it felt awesome to be on good road after broken roads. We reached Kanthalloor soon and the Sun was very bright over there.

This view was simply majestic. Lucky fellows who live there.


These were like mini coconuts, but there were just 3 inches in size.


We reached a place called ‘Muniyaras.’ I got this from Wikipedia.
“The muniyaras or stone coffins date back to the Neolithic period. The legendary wanderings of Rama and Sita and the Pandavas are clearly depicted here.Caves, paintings and underground tunnels are also found here.”


But we could not find much of what was written above. Also, a guide might have helped locating them.



Pavan trying my trademark.



And as usual his trademark.


We reached Marayoor just before 5 p.m. and had our lunch there. And it was good and cheap too. Munnar was around 50 kms from there and we could see rainy clouds ahead of us. Decided to try reaching Munnar before dark to avoid rain, but it didn’t happen. We were enjoying the ride and the places and as usual clicking lots of pictures. Pavan lost his balaclava at a check post and went back 5 kms and luckily found it. It was a pleasant ride with cool breeze from Anaimudi range of mountains, the tallest in western ghats. Sadly, we couldn’t visit Ervaikulam National Park as we ran out of time.



Found some waterfalls in little light left, perfect for getting a flowing effect with P&S camera.



And the last picture for the day, a little waterfall on the road side. I am proud to say I hand held the camera with a shutter speed 1.3 sec.


All the way, there were signs that it rained before; luckily, we faced only drizzling at some places. It was dark by the time we reached Ervaikulam National Park and it started drizzling, and to make matters worse, the road was not good. Seemed there was heavy rain in the Munnar and luckily we escaped it. The climate was shivering. We were back to hotel by 8 p.m. Pavan went into town to get some sweets and coffee powder for his mother. We thought of trying some other place for food but as it was like raining, we settled for the restaurant in our hotel. The paratha was very bad and expensive. Retired to bed after speaking to Praveen and thanked him for suggesting the Kundale Dam-Kanthalloor-Marayoor route.

So, the first half of the day was very bright and hot Munnar and the second half, it was cloudy and rainy Munnar, altogether a different experience for us. We discussed about our plans for the next day, Idukki via Poopara. Retired to bed soon.

the whole jungle was resounding with rattling sounds of my bike

The photos are very beautiful...just like wallpapers.ride safe bro

Both of you were cool with your TRADEMARKS.....

Both of you were cool with your TRADEMARKS......

Both of you were cool with your TRADEMARKS.......

Thanks Pavan, and also thanks a lot for clicking lots of pictures of me. And, the little girl giving directions were on the next day, while we were going to Devikulam. How could I forget that? And, Yeah, the hotel food was too 'delicious' that we didn't like at all.


Ha.. ha.. ha..; every plastic on your bike were freely movable. Thanks to you for giving lots of freedom to them.

Thanks a lot Sri.

Ravi and Pavan - I don't know but somehow I missed this TLog. So when I came across it today I finished the entire log till now .... I must say its "FANTASTIC". Just awesome guys ... All the best and Keep riding

Voted the best

Lovely T-log there Ravi, not to mention the pictures!
I was just refreshed about my earlier rides to all these places...

Ravi!! wonderful pics again. i've no more words to say.
only few get the opportunity to see nature's intrinsic beauty (intrinsic may be inappropriate word, but i hope you understand it) ...
both of you are among those few.. i think those foreigners too few of those few :P

Nagesh, you are lucky to see half the ride in full without any wait. I am glad you liked the log and the pictures. And thanks for the vote!

Thank you! Yes, we feel refreshed and happy to see places that we had already visited.

Thanks Sirsh! Yes you are true. More than us, the foreigners were enjoying a lot there. Sitting and enjoying the gigantic scenes in front of them. Yes, the views from the Top Station are huge mountains on either side, a beautiful location.

Bro waiting waiting for day 7 log.....ride safe

Sri, will update it tomorrow. Its a huge task selecting the pictures out of 1000s and writing a log. So far, this has been the fastest log that I wrote in very short time.

Route Taken:
Munnar – Devikulam – Poopara – Rajakkad – Ponmudi Dam – Murickassery – Cheruthony – Idukki Dam – Calvarai Mount – Kattappana = 150 kms

Route Map:



Today’s plan is to reach Idukki via Devikulam and Poopara. In my previous trip 5 years back, I entered Munnar from Devikulam side from Kodaicanal and it was the most unforgettable experience for me. I wanted to refresh those memories and so took this detour to reach Idukki. We checked out of Hotel by 8:30 after having breakfast at the same ‘delicious’ restaurant. Wanted to try elsewhere but we didn’t want to waste time as it was already 8 a.m. The rear tire was holding up air very well and it didn’t need any top up in the morning.

The turn to Devikulam was a tricky one and we took a wrong route and went for around 6-7 kms. The road was not good and full of potholes, and I sensed a wrong route. With nobody there to confirm, I spotted a little girl waiting for school bus and asked her if this was the route to Devikulam. She didn’t answer initially, probably scared seeing us in full riding gear. When we were turning back, she spoke in excellent English and told us, ‘This is wrong route, please go back to Munnar and follow bus towards Devikulam.” We were quite shocked to see that little girl speaking good English with very good accent.

We turned back and took the right route to Devikulam. The night before it rained in Munnar and as we go away from Munnar, it was bright and sunny, and the mountains were shining.



Even though we see tea estates everywhere, each and every view of them always different and peculiar. After crossing the place in the above pictures, it was all misty and it was very dense. I actually came in this route to view this place, where you get a bird’s eye view from around 800 meters, but was disappointed to see everything mist. It was really amazing, one side of the hill was bright and sunny, and the other side was dense mist.



We stopped at a nearby place and waited for almost 30 minutes to see if the mist clears. We were surprised to find a vendor selling pieces of Mango, and I ate one and it was too sour. Also ate pineapple and boiled corn and got lots of strength.



With no signs of mist clearing, we started riding slow and with high alert in the corners. After few kms, the started to clear and this was what in front of us; a waterfall with mist playing around.



In the short time we spent there, the mist was playing around the waterfalls, creating great visuals.



Moved from there, taking pictures of places that we liked.



Finally, I was able to remember and click leaves of tea plant.



This time, the water in all the lakes around Munnar are dry comparatively.

After we crossed the Chinnacanal lake, the tea plantations ended and there were spice gardens on either side till Pooparai. The roads were not great, but just okay. We took rote towards Rajakkad and the route was good two lanes and we were doing good speeds to make up for the time. We could see huge mountains of Munnar on the right side. The climate was very hot and bright sun.


From Rajakkad, enquired and too route towards Ponmudi Dam and reached the place in short time. There were two routes to cross the Ponmudi Dam; one goes on the dam, and the other goes down with a narrow hanging bridge on a stream. We initially took the route to hanging bridge.


After crossing the bridge, we took the route back towards the Dam, and we were quite shocked to see the road being the narrowest we have seen in the hills. There no space even for a two-wheeler if a bus goes. The route was carved out of the hill.


We moved on from here soon as it was very very hot. The road from there was between hills, with a stream by one side. Though its not as scenic as other famous places, it was quite enjoyable. We reached a junction and enquired about the route and the person there said both routes could take us to Idukki, and we took the route that looked fascinating to us that it was going up (later found that it was a different experience for us foreigners there). We were climbing a steep hill and found this canal from the top.


After few kilometres we got a junction and we had no clue which one to take.

Story will be continued…

hahaha... k bro..

Day Seven continuation.

After few kilometers we got a junction and we had no clue which one to take. We stopped at the shop at the junction and had these huge Kerala bananas. After eating one with lots of difficulty, our stomachs were almost full. Seems one would be enough for breakfast and two would be enough as Lunch or Dinner.




We asked the directions to Idukki Dam, and they were puzzled initially as to why we were coming this way (it was the same at every place after this). We were told to take route to Murickassery. We headed straight and were going down. Soon, the climate became very cool and cloudy and it started to rain, with dark clouds everywhere. We were going up and down the steep hills with lots of bifurcations. We had to ask for the route at every bifurcation of the road. There was language barrier to us, and we asked only one thing ‘Idukki Dam left or right?’ We were not able to understand anything except the way they show or the word ‘right’ or ‘left’. We managed to finally reach Cheruthony and reached Idukki Dam after asking directions.

The dam was open for public due to the Onam festival. We were lucky to be there at that time. There was heavy security at the Dam and we were disappointed to know that no cameras or even cell phones are allowed. The security there were frisking completely and letting people on the dam. It was around 2 p.m., and we were hungry. Parked our bikes at the nearby vendor. Bought some chips, roasted peas, and water, and asked them to watch over our luggage. Deposited our cameras and cellphones at a facility over there and walked on to the Dam. The Idukki reservoir is very huge and the water is hold by three Dams; Cheruthony, the one that we entered now; the Arch Dam, that’s 1.5 km away from the Cheruthony Dam, and another one near Kulamavu, which is very far from the first two dams.

The climate was cloudy and drizzling. The view of the lake was awesome. After 30 minutes of walking we reached the famous Arch dam, and it’s an architectural wonder. We returned without spending much time there and it took us another 30 minutes to come back. Overall, it was a nice and pleasant experience walking on the dam with no phones and cameras to worry.

Called Ananth for directions to Calvarai Mount and it was around 4 p.m. by the time we started towards Kattappana.


A view of the Cheruthony Dam, clicked while climbing down.



The road was good and it was drizzling, so we were cautious while taking corners. Hills everywhere around and we were looking for the place called ‘the 10^th Mile.’

On the way, we passed the Arch Dam from down.


We finally reached 10^th Mile, and took right turn and climbed up a steep cement road. After a little bit of off-roading and a scary climbing on a wet and slippery narrow cement track, we reached to the top, and it was all misty there. :O

We couldn't see anything and it was drizzling. We were in a rainy cloud; it was shivering cool and creating tingling sensation on our skin. It was a nice experience, but we were sad that we couldn’t see anything. Waiting there for almost 45 minutes with no luck, clicking pictures in that mist.



Pavan doing the free-fall jump.


As it was evening, we thought the mist will not clear and we climbed down. The climbing down was scary as it was all slippery. Surprisingly, there was no mist after we climbed down, but it was still raining and getting dark. We were supposed to reach Elappara by evening. So, we hurried to Kattapppana; the road was two lane and in good condition. We had to go slow as the road was wet and drizzling. We reached Kattappana soon and took the route towards Elappara. We wanted to stop and have tea, but we couldn’t find any single tea stall anywhere near. There were lots of automobile shops and we expected many tea stalls. Thought we would have at least 15 tea stalls in any automobile area in A.P.

After 5 kms, we reached a junction and we were able to find one tea stall. Ananth said it would be misty even in Vagamon if it rains. Called up Praveen and after some discussions, we decided to stay at Kattappana and skip Vagamon and go to Meghamalai the next day. Praveen’s friend Biju, who was a local there, helped us getting a room in a Hotel. The rain became heavy and we thought we did a good thing to stop here at Kattappana.

Biju showed us where we could eat for the day. I wanted to eat rice badly as it was almost a week since I had rice. I got only Chicken Biriyani and ordered it to see how the Kerala Biriyani would be. It was not so nice, but as I was hungry for rice, it took care of my appetite. After the food, we noticed beer-colored water being served at all tables. When asked, they said its water with herbal medicines for good digestion. I drank two glasses at last. We went for some shopping and bought banana chips and some coconut balls. The coconut balls were really nice.

Next day, Calvarai Mount again, and then Vagamon via Kulamavu and Moolamattom, and then to Meghamalai by night.

Ravi, this has to be one of the most scenic tour log on XBHP, most of the pics looks like some place from Europe.
Loved the pics!! keep them coming and ride safe!
KK