• Sridhar Kanakaraj
  • Sridhar Kanakaraj

Munnar

Et kort, men fint eventyr af Sridhar Læs mere
  • Start på rejsen
    2. maj 2014

    Yearning for an ETTA

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It is time to pack things up and leave munnar. Had our lunch in munnar town and by 3:30 we left the munnar town. Had a stop at Eravikulam National park which was a must in our itenary but had to skip it due to lack of time. Took some bye bye fotos at the national park car parking and started to udmalpet. From Udmalpet my friend drove to salem and I stayed there. The excitement we had when going to munnar was all gone like nothing. This time 3 nights was also not enough. The Yearning for Munnar caught up again with us. Once again me and my wife were discussing the next time we come here we will stay 4 nights. Sunday morning got up late, visited Palani temple and started back to chennai.... looking forward for the next ETTA.Læs mere

  • Etta goes Crazy + Risky + Adventurous

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It was 11 o clock and I then realized my family and friends would be waiting for me , rather I'll put it as wondering and worrying where and what I am doing. By now They would have tried calling me 100 times not reachable. Only now I was worried to drive back in the bad road to reach the main road. What if my car got struck, what if I break a component in the car negotiating the terrain, what if I encounter a elephant before reaching the main road, what if I spoiled something in the car so that It hinders our return journey, I have started behaving like a normal guy, I am back to normality but still I have to cross the 4x4 stretch. Finally I did it without breaking anything except the Alignment was screwed. Feeling good that I hadn't had any bad experience, I was driving back to our room and then something caught my attention. Wait !!! did I see elephant, yes it is an elephant, no, elephants. They are grazing in the mountain opposite to me, wait ! isn't it the mountain from which I took the mist pictures, which had no signs of dogs but still teased by them. Thank god, I was close to the elephants but nothing serious happened, may be it was for my good the dogs came there and threatened me so that I leave the place. Whatever, Finally everything was for good.Læs mere

  • Etta goes Crazy + Risky + Adventurous

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    My enthusiasm grew double folds and I went further ahead in search of some more spots. Not been to this place before, no clear idea of where I am heading too, and with the crazy move I took a while back in my mind, I was cautious not to venture into the forest without proper guidance. I spotted a spot and was waiting for some local to pass by. Waited for 15 minutes and 2 men in a bike were approaching. Stopped them and told them I need to get there for some photographs pointing the spot. They alerted me not to go into that place since elephants were around 3 days back and they can be grazing anywhere in the forest and it is risking one life to go there just for photographs. So left the place and I got the same reply in few more places. Afterall the spots I wanted to go were all a same continuous col. Finally I was fed up with the locals warning and decided to take the risk. I saw a deviation from the main road which was more of a 4x4 terrain. But I dared to drive into that to see what is in the other side. To add more to the thrilling factor I saw a 'elephants crossing hoarding' on the main road just ahead of the deviation. The Drive into the deviation was a nasty decision, the road got worse and my punto couldn't handle the road and started slipping sidewards. Somehow managed to drive the full stretch (little lesser than 1KM). All the hard work didn't go waste. It was a beautiful location, only me my car and the camera into it. It was a dried up lake which had very little water. Checkout the picturesLæs mere

  • Etta goes Crazy + Risky + Adventurous

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    I was the only person in the vicinity and the nearest village is suryanelli which is 4 kms from there. I wanted to take more pictures in this spot but was scared to death when I heard rustling in the bushes, that too only when I bent down to shoot a picture. The entire mountain had bushes and trees and the bushes were all to my knees and anything hiding in them is hard to be noticed. I was thinking I am spotted by a leapord or a bear and I couldn't move even an inch. I kept my eyes hooked to the bush from where the rustling were heard. And to my relief 3 dogs came out of the bushes and flushed out all the fear in me. I then realized, just for a photograph, how crazy have I gone, in the middle of the forest, 400 MTS away from the car and all alone. I couldn't believe what I am doing. But didn't regret for this crazy step I put forward from a sightseeing photographer to a travelling photographer. 'To me' it was a proud moment, but somehow didn't feel comfortable and confident enough to shoot pictures from that spot, if not a leopard or a bear, the place should have lot of snakes for sure. So didn't stay there a minute more and moved on to my car. Though my initial plan was to shoot the misty mountains, the thirst was not quenched. I went further ahead in the same road and saw a col (basically a lowland between two mountains) with a lean stream running on it. Jumped in there for some more pictures.Læs mere

  • Etta goes Crazy + Risky + Adventurous :

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    So this day I tried to be a traveller and I almost got in to the club. At 5:30 Alarm screams, I gave it the usual response, but realized today I am in Munnar and not in chennai. Immediately got out of the bed. It was easier to wake up early but what productive am I gonna do ? No idea what to do and where to go, I lit up the cigarette in the balcony. In a very long distance I saw the mist covering the mountains. Why not find a place to get a better view. Got the ETTAquipments loaded and went in search of a view point. Drove for 4kms but still couldn't find a view point and finally gave up. I stopped at a point where I thought I will click a picture of the car with a half mountain in the background. When I was framing the picture, it struck me, why not climb the half mountain and check what is in the other side. It was a ~300mts trekking up the hill and I can't get luckier than this. More than the words let the pictures explainLæs mere

  • A Day Well Misspent

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Reached homestay at 10:00PM. Guilt still in our minds we didn't have the mood for a drink and chat. Went to bed sadly since the next day we have to vacate our rooms and we have already wasted a precious day. In the middle of the night the photographer in me woke me up, it was 3:00AM. Set up and alarm for 5:30AM, determined to go out for witnessing the sunrise and come back with few photographs to add weight to the ETTA Story.Læs mere

  • A Day well Misspent

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I had to limit the speed within 40KMPH since the route was too twisted and didn't want the occupants suffer car sickness. By 1:30 PM we reached Kumily. It is lunch time, so decided to find a hotel and check with the people out there for any information on boating. The information we got also didn't hint us about the unworthiness of our trip that day. Everything looked positive. We reached thekkady by 2:15 hoping we would get tickets for the 3:45 PM boating slot. When we reached there we were shocked to know the 3:45 slot tickets were sold out at 11:30AM itself. Tourists join the queue early at 6:00 AM and usually all the tickets for the day gets sold out well before 12:00PM and rarely before 1:00PM. And from thekkady I checked out the internet and came to know the fast selling tickets for the day is true. So it was clear that one has to stay a night in thekkady and try from 6:00AM only then they would be able to get a ticket for one of the boating slot. ~80KMs of drive, fuel cost, kids expectation and their patience thourghout the drive sitting inside the car calm and nice for the only reason they are gonna watch all the animals they know from the boat and our energy spent were all useless. Instead we could have stayed in our homestay sleeping, relaxing, talking, playing with the kids and much more priceless activities. Me and my friend felt so guilty for not doing a research in advance before planning such a hectic trip. And my friend felt more guilty since I had to drive to and fro and even more guilty for insisting a trip to thekkady even though I wished to stay indoors and spend the day relaxing. Gone is good gone.

    But the beautiful location is deeply framed in our mind, we have planned to visit thekkady again by staying there for 2 nights. So the next ETTA might be ETTA @ Thekkady. At the bottom of this page are few information about activities available at Thekkady for better planning for next time and also to be helpful for members who wanted to plan for thyekkady.
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  • A Day Well Misspent

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our 3rd day, May 2nd, Kids and Parents, all were were expecting a long but a delightful day. Done with our breakfast at 8:00 AM, we straight headed to Thekkady which is ~80 KMS from our stay. We already informed our kids we are again going for a boat ride and watch animals from the boat. My son started listing out the animal names which he wants to see from the boat in thekkady.Læs mere

  • ETTA was for FUN:

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Since this day was for the kids, we didn't think about covering all the spots, so decided to call it a day so the kids can rest.

    When we reached the home stay, a sad news was awaiting us. The owners, George and his wife left to wayanad since her father passed away in the afternoon. George left us a note of apology for his inability to serve us with the food for the rest of the days but our stay would not be disturbed. Felt very sorry for what had happened. Now we have to find a good place for our dinner and food for the rest of the days. Siva hotels (a small barotta shop),the only hotel in suryanelli turned out to be a reliable place for the food. We didn't want to be awake for a long time, so quick we went to bed having a high expectation for the next day without even knowing a hint of how useless the next day would end up.Læs mere

  • ETTA was for FUN:

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was 1 o clock, waited for the Mattupatty Boat house to open and went straight to the hotel inside the Boat house. Finished the lunch enjoying the rain sitting on the balcony. Now it the Speed Boat ride. Checked with the boat man if he accepts any tip, for his Yes I replied shows us some good stunts I will tip him good. He got excited and showed us some Boat Handling. No more I will compare those Hyundais to a boat. The way the boat handled for the manhandling by the boat man was so wonderful. He showed us some nice stunts at the same time stayed within the limits. This guy won a nice tip. After the speed boating, my son was 100% sure he is in Munnar, so happy that we showed him all these in a single day. For the rest of the day he was tallying his imaginations to the realityLæs mere

  • ETTA was for FUN

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The day was HOT, immediately got into the Car and went straight to the horse ride. This time I didn't want to torture the horse to carry my weight. My son was eager to sit himself on the horse for the ride and we parents accepted with a smile. By the time his Horse ride was over he started believing he is really in Munnar.Læs mere

  • ETTA was for FUN:

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The next day [May 2] morning we were all ready by 10 AM and our plan for today was dedicated for the Kids. Horse ride, Elephant ride and Boat ride were the priority. My son who had no idea of what munnar is, had only these rides in his imagination of Munnar. He would believe we are in munnar only if I show them to him. So straight I drove to Elephant Camp. The kids were out of the world when they saw the elephants up close in a touchable distance. Immediately got the tickets and we were lucky to get the ride quicker. We daddys accompanied them for the ride. The ride was so great, not only for our sons but the kid in ourself was unleashed. Being a FIATian I had to relate the Handling, ride comfort, body roll, torque sitting on the elephant which I usually do sitting in a Hyundai, Suzuki or Honda. May be this is called Spoiled By FIAT.Læs mere

  • ExcitemenTTA

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Since the other family has already reached the home stay it wasn't hard for me to find the place. By 4:00PM we reached Suryanelli, where the homestay 'Silver Mount Homes' is located. We had booked for this homestay one month in advance, so there was not hassle in checking in. all the rooms were available and we had the choice. I opted for a room with balcony. Both me and my friend were concerned about the money we are gonna spend for the stay, we wanted it to be cheap and best and we managed to find one. Since we booked it one month in advance the owner gave us some discounts and final price was INR 1500/Night/Room. Both the rooms were very neat, comfy. Our room had no hangers or shelves, so organizing our luggage were a mess, which was only the negative. Also the rooms were small but our expectation has to be genuine for the price we pay. Since this is a homestay we had no expectation for kids play area. Otherwise we were happy we opted this stay. The owner George and his wife were very generous and eager to help. I would go back to this homestay again.

    After a quick rest, we decided to start to munnar town which is ~25KMS from our stay for a small shopping. Ladies had their time to enjoy shopping while the men were running behind the kids. By 8:00PM we came back, made our family have their dinner and sent them to their bed. Now I have to join my friend who is waiting down outside with the chicken and Hobsons Brandy. So it was a slow but great enjoyable day for all of us. After the drink I deserved a sound sleep and rest to be up and running for the FUN part of the Etta.
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  • ExcitemenTTA

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Anyway we reached the safe-zone which is after the Kerala Check-post and a heavy rain pored down. After this again the roads got better which was a mix of more good and very little bad. I never expected this route to be so scenic, thanks to the heavy rain which took care of the beautification of already beautiful scenery. I thought I should have driven slower and spent more time out of the car. But the other family is waiting for us so we have to show some generosity.Læs mere

  • ExcitemenTTA

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I have to mention about the road condition. Till Muthal the roads and traffic were really good, except for the few kms that I have to drive in the towns. The ghat section was a mix of Moderate, Bad and worse but no good till the kerala check post. Below is a Sample of the road condition. There had been a lot of mud slides throughout till Kerala check-post which was not cleared properly. If it had rained when we were driving up, the situation might have got worse because the mud slides along with the rocks were still waiting for a rain to come down to the road. I was wondering why wouldn't these officials take some action before some mishaps happen to people travelling through this stretch.Læs mere

  • ExcitemenTTA

    3. maj 2014, Indien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    It was 2:00PM we reached Munthal, the foot hills. As soon as we hit the hill roads, the excitement started. Till then we were worried for running late but as soon as we hit the ghats we decided to take our time enjoying the sceneries. Lot of stops, few clicks, bad roads, senseless oncoming traffic added up to the slow down. But still the drive on the ghats was really enjoyable. But my friend and his family who are the other participants of this ETTA, have already reached Munnar and were settling down in the home stay (I will come to this later in this part).Læs mere