Announcement

**guruparab233** · 05-22-2015, 01:37 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

stunning.....

**phanikar** · 05-22-2015, 09:47 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Chapter 3 : Into The uncertainity

Some facts about the old Aluva munnar Road before i start off

Old Aluva – Munnar Road. The rebuilding of the road began in 1891 and was completed a decade later. In fact, the road tells a much older tale. The road that the local people showed the British was an ancient royal path connecting the historic port city of Musiris (Now Kodungallur) with the old Madurai city. The road covered the Western Ghats that contained invaluable natural resources. It is said that this trade route existed even before the Old Testament. Megaliths and several historical monuments stand evidence for a civilisation that thrived 3000 years ago.

The uniqueness of the road is that, it runs parallel to the rivers Periyar and Pooyamkutty. No steep slopes

The change in topography of the land over the past centuries has not let anybody trace the ancient route in its entirety. A massive flood in 1354 almost wiped out the city of Musiris, destroyed the port and, but formed the natural contours that enabled the building of the Cochin Harbour. The rivers changed course considerably, making it difficult to apprehend how the road actually was.
The remnants of old Forts, Muniyaras (dolmens) and Nannangadis around the are however, enough proof for the existence of a very old and thriving civilization.

So much for history. Cut to the ride.

When I expressed my desire to do this route, the first person I discussed it with was none other than my walking talking GPS Mr.H.V.Kumar. Since he wanted a few doubts clarified, he asked me to get in touch with the ‘Jeep Man’ Mr. Shibu Varghese, who would be a better person to guide me. When I wasn’t able to get in touch with Mr.Varghese as he was out of the country around that time, Mr. Kumar went out of his way to help me and got this (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-ex...nar-route.html) as he remembered that somebody had actually done this, and not many had documented the entire route. I enquired with Swaroop, a good friend from Kochi about the route. He told me that he had done it before, and that it was quite an adventure. This pumped me up even more, but not without doubts. I was mentally prepared to do this, but was I physically alright?

The next Sun was up. The fever persisted. But the desire to ride was the alarm clock that pushed me out of bed. I left Kothamangalam and began riding towards Thattekkad and Kuttampuzha. Going off the road, some trails led me to individual homes, and a few ended by the Periyar river. I got out of one of those trails and joined the main road to Kuttampuzha, and further ahead was Pooyamkutty.

About 3 kms before Pooyamkutty, I came across a ferry point with a small hotel to the right. As I was gorging on the parottas and steaming kadala, two men sipping tea on the next table enquired about where I was coming from, for how long I have been on the road, et al. When I told them that I was headed towards Pooyamkutty, one of them straight away said that all vehicles were denied entry beyond the forest gate. I tried not to sound discouraged and said that I wanted to ride till wherever possible on that route and return. As the conversation progressed, he gave his number and asked me to call him if I needed any help. The waiter then told me that the guy I spoke to was the contractor in charge of laying cement roads in tribal settlements. My eyes lit up. Now that was kind of stuff I was eyeing at!

A couple of kms later, I stopped at what I thought was a roadblock, but was actually an unmanned checkpost. I looked around to see if I could sneak through the gaps, but here it wasn’t possible. I cursed the indigenous lock that the forest department had come up with.

Just when I was thinking about what I could do next, a guy riding a Unicorn bike stopped at the check post and smiled at me, wishing me a good morning. When I asked him if he knew any other routes to by-pass this check post, .he said that he was a localite working in a Software firm in Kochi, and that he had come down for the weekend. He also said that his father had seen me pass alone by his house and sent this guy to warn me about the dangerous road ahead with free roaming elephants. I enquired with him for other possibilities of getting into the forest. He denied with a smile. To think that he came following me all the way to just warn me was such an assuring gesture.

I thanked him as he left and took a small walk past the gate. He was right. Just a few meters ahead, I saw a biggie family drinking water at a distance.

I returned to the hotel where I had breakfast.A few more parottas did well to lift up my humidity-drained energy levels. I began chalking out the next plans. The only other way into the forests was to pass through Urilanthanni and Mamalagandam. Before that, I wanted to take the ferry ride and check out the other side of the river. Even the boat guy was in two minds to let me through and the reason was a very obvious one. Maoists attacked tribals and robbed them of their stuff time and again. There was a jeep driver in the boat who said that tourists needed permission from the Forest department to get into these tribal areas. By then, I was almost nearing the settlements. I didn’t think about the permissions anymore. I was thrilled at what I saw. The Muthuvan tribes!

Kerala - Mods Own Country

This is the only Pic of the tribal lady i got, as soon as she saw the camera she turned away, which is evident from other pics

Though the settlement close to Pooyamkutty was not as primitive as I had imagined a tribal settlement to be, the attire of women were more tribalistic than those of men. Apparently, deeper inside the forests were other settlements where people were still afraid to speak openly to outsiders. Ignorance, Illiteracy and superstition form a major setback to their development. As a result of this, the spices and other items they grow are easily exploited by village middlemen before they hit the markets. Also, most men work as slaves in smaller agricultural lands or estates for the sole purpose of sending their children to schools.

The people on the ferry completely discouraged me about photographing or filming the locals around these settlements. They warned me that once they got to know about the presence of cameras, they either fled the scene or damaged the equipment. The Maoist attacks had made them very insecure.

I stepped out of the ferry and began walking slowly towards the settlement. Children began following me and were amused by my presence. I smiled and waved and them, trying to strike a conversation the most broken form of Malayalam that one would hear. Their responses were just multi-pitched giggles! Contrary to the warnings, I found them to be extremely hospitable. I offered the kids some chocolate bars and biscuits that I usually carried on a ride. Though they were reluctant initially, they became comfortable once the elders began talking to me. In return, they offered a few fruits that they had collected from the forests, and a tall glass of milk and honey. It was a conversation made up of signs and broken words. I thanked them and left.

I began thinking about them as I walked back - They were good people. I was happy to have had such an interaction and it was a first of a kind experience for me. I am a Wanderer – I come once, see them, admire them and leave. The Maoists attacked them frequently. The forest was their home, but now they had begun to fear it. But what would happen to all those children in the years to come? Though the government has drafted plans for the development of these areas, only time will tell whether it would come to fruition.

By the time I left Pooyamkutty with some happy memories it was noon. I got back to Kuttampuzha and proceeded towards Urlilanthanni, a small village on the fringes of the forest. The satellite dishes on a few houses prompted me to check my phone for network; I could even access 3G! As I deviated towards Mamalagandam, there was no more 3G technology and it was all about forest technology. The forests began to seem denser. As I crossed the Mamalagandam tribal settlement things seemed to take a turn for worse. I always believe that Homo sapiens were the best form of navigation tool one can find. Whenever I asked people on the way about the route, 10/10 times I repeat 10/10 times the answer was “Do not take that route, do not risk it”. At this point, there were two people fighting in my head –Phanikar and Bear Grylls. And finally, Bear Grylls asked the Phanikar in me to shut up and move ahead. I did just that.

I am not a new comer when it comes to riding in and around forest areas; as a matter of fact most of my rides are along these kinds of places. But this ride was incredibly different. As I moved deeper inside the forests, a strange sense of fear set in. I had imagined the trails to be like Nagarahole during rains; no pathway to actually ride on. This turned out to be intensely scary. The width of the trails was closing in with tall bamboo trees. That eerie forest feeling that I had only read about until now began to seep in. Every 50-100 mtrs, I saw a dome-styled passage deeper into the forests –typical elephant passage areas.

In all the rides I had been on so far, I always tried to remain positive and calm even in tough situations. Like I said, this was different. I began feeling over-cautious on every turn and a tad bit of negativity set in. I began to think about what would happen if something went wrong. Extremely bumpy trails meant that I couldn’t ride fast to get over the stretch quickly.

There was nothing such as ‘safe ground’ in this stretch. Every rustling I heard pushed me to get away from the sound as quickly as possible. In the process, I tried to ride faster though the stone-laden track. This took a toll on my body and the machine. My body was giving up the will to ride because of the fever and dehydration - something that never happened since the time I started riding a decade ago. I was going down emotionally too. Thoughts of my people – friends and family – all the good times and bad, times when I had laughed till my stomach hurt –began playing in my head, in loop.

About a few minutes later, I heard a rustling noise and saw the movement of the bushes in front of me. That was just enough to shake up my already troubled mind and heart. I was trembling! A young man, about my age and height came out of the bushes. Murmuring the choicest expletives I could at that time, I told him that he almost had me killed of a cardiac arrest. I was confused to hear the rustling behind the bushes still continuing. Sensing my anxiety, the man asked me not to worry, and said that his father was working inside. I was relieved. Fear was replaced with thirst. I got off the bike, pulled out a bottle of water and gulped it down my throat; some Glucovita and paracetamol tabs made me feel better. By now, the man’s father joined us in the conversation. Sensing that I was tired and tensed, he offered me some jaggery, saying that it gave me energy. When asked if he knew about elephants moving ahead, he said that he had seen a herd by the river, a few hours earlier. He assured me that by now, they would’ve moved further inside. I changed the position of the Go Pro as I had made a blunder of mounting it wrong earlier. I couldn’t get the footage I wanted.

The saviours for the day

I began to feel better after the rest, and the assuring conversation with those two men; how much I had yearned for human company all along the trail behind! Just yesterday, I thought it was so wonderful to be all by myself. I even considered it as one of the reasons for me to ride. Today I was here, in the middle of the jungles, realizing what being with people really did to me. I grinned slyly about how thoughts about my friends and family had come rushing in. I had found the second reason to why I ride. Riding makes me realize what was, and who were really important for me in my life.

The two men watched me go about gearing up in such awe. The younger man said that he heard a noise and suggested that it wasn’t safe to stand there anymore, and that we move into the safety of a temporary hut they had built of bamboo. And then he appeared – a burly young tusker! I complemented the guy for his hearing skills. The elephant lingered around for a few minutes and disappeared into the forests. We patient waited for some more time to make sure he was indeed gone. The younger man asked me to wait as he went out and checked for signs of the elephant. I decided to leave after he confirmed that the animal had gone the other way and that it was safe for me to go ahead.

Thanking the duo for their help, I began to ride ahead. What a thrill ride it had been! I was feeling fresher. I was pumped up.

I stopped at another considerably smaller tribal settlement a few more kms., ahead, to take off the leeches that had climbed onto me earlier when I met the two men. Things started to seem better in the second half of the stretch, but the ride had put me on constant alert for any kind of surprise jumping out of the bushes.

The Leech Break

Thought of getting him home

There were too many smaller trails that diverted from the main one and it was very difficult to choose the right one. The guy I met at Pooyamkutty had told me about how I could go about this; till the settlement which I would find in the middle, I had to take the left deviation in case of doubt. After that I had to take the right till a point where I reached a bridge on my left. His directions were perfect. Upon reaching the bridge, my jaw did drop! He had told me that it would

I was literally on top of a waterfall, and the drop was just not visible. On the banks, I saw those makeshift bamboo huts set up by the locals, similar to the one that had given me refuge just about a couple of hours earlier.

It is from this point that I could see humans at least once in a kilometer or two. On reaching Mankulam, I stopped at a small hotel. I was relieved. I smiled to myself and took a deep breath, for having reached here in one full piece. I called HVK and narrated the entire ordeal. It was nothing but thrilling once I was over it. When I set out to ride after lunch, it began pour; I thanked the rain Gods for not coming down while I was in the scary stretch.

This time, a new confusion arised - Munnar or Idukki. The devil in me with suggested to ride to Munnar and then to Idukki. I thought I had made a good choice. Sometimes, you got to listen to the devil in you. You wouldn’t always regret.

Upon reaching Munnar, HVK put me in touch with a 4X4 enthusiast, Mr. Soju Chacko, in case I needed any help. In spite of his busy schedule, he took some time off to ensure that I found a good place to grab some rest and get set for the rest of the ride.

**experimentalhead** · 05-22-2015, 10:14 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

phanikar I was cursing you for taking your own sweet time to upload your blog. I waited patiently. I tell you what, it's worth the wait. You are serving yummy. And, I am a voracious eater. May you Triumph.

PS: Clear your inbox please

**TheArcher84** · 05-22-2015, 10:36 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Now, those are some really lovely pics...Awesome

**krishna77** · 05-23-2015, 10:34 AM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Simply superbbb!

**phanikar** · 05-24-2015, 09:00 AM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Originally posted by experimentalhead View Post

phanikar I was cursing you for taking your own sweet time to upload your blog. I waited patiently. I tell you what, it's worth the wait. You are serving yummy. And, I am a voracious eater. May you Triumph.

PS: Clear your inbox please

Thank you

unfortunately my inbox was full so couldn't get your msg. Request you to kindly resend it as ibhave cleared it now .

Originally posted by TheArcher84 View Post

Now, those are some really lovely pics...Awesome

Thanks a lot Archer

Originally posted by krishna77 View Post

Simply superbbb!

Thank you

**phanikar** · 05-27-2015, 12:26 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Realizing that it was an extended weekend, I set out to Top Station before all the tourists woke up and jammed the streets. After spending some time there, I headed to Vattavada and Koviloor. This is one of my most favorite stretches to ride, and cruising on this road is a fulfilling feeling, although untimely rains, felling of trees and their debris on the roads, made it look a bit messy. The sound of crickets as I went deeper into the lonely roads was a constant bgm. Thinking about all the good times I have had here a few years back, I was looking forward to meet a very loyal friend - Loosu, the super-friendly canine!

When I came back to the main road, it was utter chaos with traffic piling around every shack, view point, dam and every other few tourist-magnet locations. I spoke to Mr.Chacko over phone, after he had finished his Sunday prayers. Unfortunately, I was unable to meet him before I left. I geared up and set out to find street turned into a river crossing, from a dry piece of tarmac.

One stunning feature of the Idukki dam is that, the tunnels running kilometers in length connect the feeder dams like the ones found in Anchurli. Not far away from Idukki, a road deviated to the right, leading to the famous Kalavari mount. This is a junction I remember for a scary reason - I was almost taken down by a speeding bus few years back. Though the view is very much similar to any back waters in Sholayar or Nilgiris, what makes Kalavari special is the sheer green view that is just a treat to the eyes. I saw rooms being built adjacent to the view point. I cursed at the thought of plastic establishing dominance in the place soon.

Kalavari Mount :

While at Kattapana, waiting for some freshly brewed coffee, I got a text from Mohan asking about my whereabouts and plans for the rest of the ride. The moment I said Kattapana, he shared the contact of his friend staying in Elappara. I decided to meet him and moved on.

The drizzle around Elappara was a perfect setting to watch videos and pictures of the ride, and muse over the drama of the past few days Raj was extremely excited. He pulled out his phone enthusiastically to show me pictures of places that he usually frequented around Elappara. Though it had been raining heavily, the backwaters had not risen massively. After seeing the pictures of Anjurli on his phone, I told him how much I regretted not having visited the place. He then said that there was a similar place in Vagamon that I could visit. Did I miss the place, you ask? I love to give NO as an answer to this.e. He then said that there was a similar place in Vagamon that I could visit. Did I miss the place, you ask? I love to give NO as an answer to this.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

I took the one less traveled by,

Good Morning Vagamon

We then reached a point where two trails diverged, one leading to the Maramala Waterfalls and the other, not more than 5 feet in width, going downwards. The latter seemed a better bet as I had already been to Maramala falls from Erattupetta. As we went down the road, the trailer got shabbier. At the end of that trail, we could hear hear a stream. Raj and I exchanged doubtful glances and decided to take a hike along the stream. The view of the stream finally opened up and at one end. And I could see something that stole the moment - A view that was as stunning as a wallpaper the of Santa Cruz caves! Time froze; there was nothing more important to me at that time than to just soak in the gorgeousness of the place.

After a round of exchanging pleasantries, I dropped Raj near his college and proceeded towards Kattikunnan and Mundakayam. The roads went from better to best in a few kilometers. I then stopped over at Mundakayam to catch up with an old friend, Praveen Mathew, for lunch. The poor guy came to meet me despite being unwell. The throttle happy roads after Mundakayam kept me grinning from ear to ear. As I got past Thenmala, I half-heartedly bid good bye to this tiny piece of paradise, and entered Tamil Nadu. Fortunately because of the rains the other side of the border, Tamil Nadu was relatively cooler this time around.

The stunning Thirteen Arch bridge post Thenmala

I reached the tiny village of Ravanasamudram, a native of my closest pal. I wanted to see the place after having heard a lot about the peace and tranquility that existed here in abundance. The village is at a little distance from the border of the Western Ghats. Most people residing here are those who came back from cities to live their pensioned years in peace. It is that typical village shown in the movies - a temple in the center, houses lining both the sides of the street, a river flowing behind the temple, a small railway station outside and tiny shops beyond the railway track.

After a tour of the long train-compartment styled house, we settled down for dinner. Veni paati, as the kids fondly call her, had prepared her usual best of sambar and curries accompanied by crispy papads and pickles. Uncle was at his enthusiastic best to explain the different types of plants he was growing in his tiny little garden.

Drama Queen

The next morning I first set out to visit the Ramanadhi dam. It is not as big as the other dams I had seen over the past few days, neither is it on the tourists bucket list. But the recent rains had done some magic to the place. The entire place looked like wet green paint on canvas. For the disappointment I had faced in Coutralam, this was a worthy consolation.

I came back to Ravanasamudram for Lunch and then headed to Agasthiyar falls and Mundanthurai Water falls. The moment I saw Agasthiyar falls from top, I almost went off the road laughing. Thanks to the view, I dropped the idea of going down to the base. The sad part about these places is that, there are religious centers adjacent to the water bodies. The fragments of the offerings made to the dieties result in a mess. Mundanthurai Tiger reserve is a peaceful adobe once you get past the lower Papanasam Chaos. After paying a nominal fee to get past a small forest check post, I was disappointed for not having seen even a crow in such a big reserve area. The CP operates from 6 Am to 6PM. I headed back to grab some sleep and brace myself for a boring ride back home.

Thats Agasthiyar Falls for you

Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Long rallies and an apparent political celebration all the more delayed the return ride. As a last stop, I took a power nap post lunch at a small abandoned make-shift hut. Trolling cagers all the way, I reached Bangalore by evening.

A small video of my journey so far.

First and foremost, I would like to thank all the people who have inspired me in the past to get on the saddle and also those who are consistently encouraging me in this endeavor. And for the experience I have had, Im not ready to trade it with anything, not even for a Bonnie.

For those who are interested : Route Taken : https://goo.gl/maps/dK4wx
P.S: Certain sections of the route taken are not on Maps, hence chose the closest point available to plot.

**rusty_mechs** · 05-28-2015, 08:08 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Damn man... You are one amazing photographer...

Feeling so bloody jealous and want to go ride so badly right now... What photographs man... and what a tour...

I have toured on Karizma, it is such a perfect and reliable companion.

Damn this feeling of inadequacy... want a 2 months leave... I will just keep on riding....

I am not visiting the previous pages because I will feel even worse than I am right now, but soon soon...

**phanikar** · 05-28-2015, 08:20 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Originally posted by rusty_mechs View Post

Damn man... You are one amazing photographer...

Feeling so bloody jealous and want to go ride so badly right now... What photographs man... and what a tour...

I have toured on Karizma, it is such a perfect and reliable companion.

Damn this feeling of inadequacy... want a 2 months leave... I will just keep on riding....

I am not visiting the previous pages because I will feel even worse than I am right now, but soon soon...

Thanks a lot for the appreciation

**krishna77** · 05-29-2015, 12:32 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Simply brilliant!

**phanikar** · 05-29-2015, 01:48 PM

Re: Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Originally posted by krishna77 View Post

Simply brilliant!

Thank You

Announcement

Tarmac Episodes: The Wandering

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment