2006 South India
Travel through a most fascinating countryside
Somehow I always ended with a flight for a few days to
With plenty of time to travel in
Preparation
The travel Checklist was updated and 4x4 Off-roader Maruti Gypsy
was serviced (at this moment just 5400 kms on Odometer). After many travel
guides and Internet hours finally a route emerged in my mind. Since I also
wanted to meet few relatives and friends while on this tour, after some
phone-calls and e-mails, the dates were cleared. Accommodating friends and
relatives did influence the final program but actually I am happy because I
would have missed a lot of fun.
The route
Being in
The terrain, the roads and
the backwaters
The journey from
The terrain changes after Mumbai towards
The left turn before Karwar towards Anshi, the thick green
forest took over and the elevation is raised to 400-500 meters. The thick belt
of
The rest of the entire coastal area below Pondy on eastern coast
and uptill Mangalore on the western coast is just a varied green. Throughout
the journey of
The bridge in Rameshwaram was a great experience. With all the
epic stories coming to mind one tends to get lost in thoughts of legends,
folklores and traditions. The route from Tuticorin to Kanyakumari is full of
windmills. Hundreds of them dotted around the highway. This is the first time I
saw so many of them. A great sight by all means.
The stretch from Alleppey towards Thekkady and Munnar is really
a treat to drive and enjoy the tea plantations. From Munnar to Mattupetty there
is a very small stretch which reminds me of
The backwaters of Kerela are unique. The land part in many areas
in Alleppey around the backwaters are below the water level. And I didn’t know
that backwaters is fresh water. An amazing area where I spent two overnights in
a Houseboat as well as a long and extensive early morning ride in a little boat
to go deep into the narrow channels where normally the houseboats cannot enter.
Cities, town and people
I love the rural country-side of
Till now I was under the impression that most Indians can speak
English but I noticed that most of the rural people do not speak English. The
culture and traditions throughout
Road Maps
Well, currently the best Road Map in
It also helped me in tricky situations while driving through
non-existent roads in Tsunami-hit area in late afternoon or in forests of
Dandeli to name a few. After a few turns in a clouded weather, you have no
sense of direction and nobody around for kilometers to ask. I guess even if you
find somebody, language would definitely be a barrier.
Comments
The most irritating part of this trip was the heat and
mosquitoes. I carried a local anti-mosquito cream called Odomos. Very effective
but when it’s hot, it feels even more sticky in the evenings and in the bed.
Next time, I would prefer an anti-mosquito Spray because after spray the skin
is dry and not sticky. Makes a lot of difference in the night. Usually, the
mosquito army came punctually around sunset and then vanished after 20.00 hrs.
But those 3 hours are enough to keep you on the toe.
The heat is sapping and I had to go for air-con everywhere. I
saw many tourists enjoying this heat but I preferred air-con, also for a good
nights sleep as I was driving alone and could not afford a restless night.
My impressions
For me, with
Photographs
Images are GeoCoded but unfortunately Google Earth reference is
not available in the SlideShow.
© Ajay Narayan
Dated: 18th March 2007, Zürich
www.ajaynarayan.com