|
| Kerala - God's Own
Country (Period: 24th - 28th Oct 2001) |
|
| |
|
The Rare Species |
|
Niligiri Tahr at Rajamala hills |
|
| |
| Day 2 : 26th
Oct afternoon
We saw this small waterfall while on our way to
Rajamala hills. When we went near the fall, we found, to
our amazement, that it was not as small as we had
expected. The place was wet with water foam. It looked
magnificent. It was quite terrifying as well. While we
could see one part of the fall, the other part was
hidden behind the dense vegetation and big rocks. It
must have been a big fall.
We wanted to take a dip there, but then we decided
against the idea. So we simply sat there, enjoying the
water foam and the cool breeze. The water was cold and
it rejuvenated us within no time.
Munnar and its surrounding region has innumerable
number of small as well as big waterfalls and streams.
After monsoon season, from about August to November, the
streams are full and gusty. And the waterfalls look very
ferocious. |
 |
|
| |
 |
The picture to
the right is that of another waterfall, which was far
more big and precipitous. We could not reach anywhere
near that. There was a small hydel power plant also.
This fall is 'inside' a Tata Tea garden,
however, tourists are allowed upto a point. |
 |
|
| |
 |
Rajamala hills
is the natural habitat of a very rare species of deer,
namely Nilgiri Tahr. One can see plenty of these small,
harmless and beautiful deers.
One can also see the highest peak of the Nilgiri
mountains from here. It is supposed to be a good
trekking point as well. |
 |
|
| |
 |
The whirlwind
tour of Munnar and its surrounding regions were coming
to an end. Our driver informed us that the sooner we
start for Thekkady, the better it is for all
of us. The aim was to reach the destination before
evening. Firstly, one cannot have a better drive than
the drive from Munnar to Thekkady. The mountain road,
the villages, the waterfalls, the streams and
innumerable tea, rubber and coffee plantations make an
excellent recipe for a great drive. Secondly, the road,
though not treacherous, was difficult to navigate at
times. The road wound around the Mullaperiyaar river,
which is a tributary of bigger Periyar river. It went
through many villages of Idukki district, some of them
being very densely populated.
Thus we left behind and started for Thekkady. On our
way, we faced lashing rains. Some of us were quite
drenched. The jeep, though excellent, could not save us
from such a downpour. We took many breaks. |
|
| |
| We drank
heavily. We sang, we joked around and also smoked. We
had a portable music system. It was Anto's. It didn't
create a discotheque for us, but nonetheless provided
enough musical noise to keep us awake!:-)
The road went through the Idukki district. There we saw the
famous Idukki Arch dam. It came on our way.
It was magnificent. About 500 feet high, it was indeed
looking very tall. Too bad that we couldn't take a
satisfactory photograph of the dam because it was
already evening and it was raining as well. Idukki
district is very very picturesque. Infact, it has a sanctuary as well, which we couldn't
visit because of the time constraint.
|
 |
|
| |
| Anyway, we reached Thekkady at about 1900 hours.
But we didn't stay there. We went ahead and closer to Periyar
wildlife sanctuary to a small town called Kumily. We got a hotel
there and without spending much time, ended the day by drowning
ourselves into hard liquor. |
| |
|
|
| |
|