9 days and 1250 kms in God's own country

Day 1: 125 kms from Kozhikode to Thrissur
Day 1: 65 kms from Thrissur to Athirappally
Day 2: 70 kms from Athirappally to Kochi
Day 3: 60 kms from Kochi to Aleppey
Day 5: 120 kms from Aleppey to Thekkady
Day 6: 110 kms from Thekkady to Munnar
Day 9: 300 kms from Munnar to Kozhikode

380 kms in no-man's land

1250 kms of bliss in God's own country

It has been a record 20 days since I last wrote in this place inspite of there having been so much to write about in all this time. A term ended at IIM Kozhikode, the end-term exams got over with their own share of highs and lows and most importantly, I am back from a road trip through the length and breadth of Kerala. It was always there somewhere in my mind...the idea of a road trip. I remember being impressed with stories of people who travelled across the country or even the world on their vehicles to promote world peace or some other such junk. Despite not feeling too strongly about the idea behind these trips (world peace, et al), I always used to like the concept of being free with your time and resources and going out in the open with no care in the world. In short, it will suffice to say that the idea of a road trip was not a novelty or impulse for me.

It was a little difficult, though, to find partners for such an exercise and individualist though I consider myself to be, even I can not go on such a long trip all alone. Coming to IIM Kozhikode solved this problem, too. Not only did I find just the ideal destination for my trip in Kerala's pristine beauty, but I also found like minded individuals who were ready for such adventures at the drop of a hat...or at least, that is what I thought initially. When it actually came to sacrificing the term break and the impending home visit for the sake of this adventure, though many applauded the idea, they preferred to stay away from the nerd who does not want to go home. So it turned out that on the day we left Kozhikode on our bikes, there were only three of us, Ravi, Sumit and yours truly (I personally would have loved another couple to make a good team) with two bikes and two back packs filled with clothes to last us for the next 9 days.



On the morning of September 24, as the three of us were having a typical Kerala breakfast at a road side dhaba in front of Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode, we were all thinking about the days ahead of us and wondering if it was a good idea, not going home and coming out on such a trip...the trip of our lifetime, as it later turned out to be. The breakfast of something whose name I can not recollect now (not that I had understood it even while I was eating the thing) over, we were ready for the first leg of the journey which was to be from Kozhikode to Thrissur. The highway beckoning our bikes and our promise of not going beyond 70 kmph holding us back, we made a good start, covering considerable distance in the first hour or so. However, the confort was not to continue any longer, as we found out pretty soon with the road turning into a nightmare and the dust and smoke charring our faces beyond recognition. With the backpacks exerting unbearable strain on our backs (how do the foreigners manage to carry them all day long and still smile???), we reached Thrissur half-dead and almost ready to turn back from the trip.

Thrissur, famous for its Vadakkunathan temple (read more about it on Priya's blog) and the Thrissur Pooram festivities with processions of elephants and what not, received three tired, dirty, and hungry backpackers at about 12:30 in the afternoon. Vadakkunathan Temple already closed for the day, we had to do with the external view and appreciation of the fact that the busiest part of a city could be built around one of the most serene places in the city. We called up Priya to find out if there are any other places in the city to visit. She replied in the negative and when asked about good eatouts for lunch, she suggested her home, Lucia Palace, and Elite in that order. Her place being a bit out of the schedule for us, and the Palace sounding particularly appealing, we decided to quench our hunger at the Lucia Palace. The place looked really good and the menu was reasonably priced, too but when the food came, how I wished I had the neck of Priya to wring at the time :-). The food was, in one word...pathetic.



So much for Thrissur, then...well, almost. We also purchased Sumit's Neo goggs and 5 meters of rope to tie Ravi's bag to his bike. The next stop was a place called Athirappally, located some 30 kms from a diversion in the Thrissur Kochi highway. Unlike the road from Kozhikode to Thrissur, the NH47 from Thrissur to Kochi was a biker's delight. I think that it hardly took us half an hour to cover about 35 kms on the highway before we took the diversion for Athirappally.

Athirappally, a quaint little village located up the hills, turned out to be a difficult place to reach. With Kerala's Rain Gods (I seriously believe that they are of a different variety in Kerala, these rain gods) making merry, there were sheets of water in front of our eyes, making driving impossible. Fortunately, there was no dearth of sheds on the way and we made full use of them, stopping every couple of kilometers to get some respite from the downpour. It was during one of those stopovers that we coined the word Chetties (for Chaechies, as I believe they ought to be called).



Having planned to get to Kochi on the same day, our plans were abruptly spoilt by the rains and some beautiful scenery that freshly washed Athirappally presented for our eye sores. Last I had seen a waterfall this big was way back in 1994 when I went on a trip to Mussoorie with my parents. It was amazing to see water flow like milk, the glory of it all seemig beyond words. A night stay imminent now, we planned to make the most of it by having a bath the next morning in the amazingly clear running water of the falls.



The next day was an early one. Having been just spared from the coming onslaught of local bathers at the falls, we had our early bath and breakfast before starting for Kochi. Ravi was particualrly happy at the thought of having the lunch at Domino's and seeing a big city for the first time in about two and a half months. The road was pure bliss, and speeds of 90 to 95 kmph were reached with no effort (all our resolutions to go at less than 70 be damned :-))

Kochi, or Cochin as it was known earlier, is called the Queen of the Arabian Sea. With one of the biggest ports, handling a lot of trade, its so-called metropolitan nature, and its historical significance, the place has got a confused look. It seemed to be stuck between trying to be a modern city with Marine drives and MG Roads, and at the same time maintain its spirit with Fort Kochi, Jewish synagogues, and numerous museums. The famous Chinese fishing nets (why are they famous???) were there and so were the ferry boats running to and fro the Kochi city wharf. Sandeep Gopal turned up in his car in the evening to take us to a pub (on Ravi's special request). The pub, unfortunately was closed for renovation and there not being any others of the new relaxation fad in the city, it was time for us to turn in for the day. Lest I forget to mention, we knew more about Kochi in one day than Sandeep did in his lifetime at the place (yes Sandeep, I have broken the promise...so what :-))



We had initially kept two days for Kochi but the feelings about the place were not that happy-happy (another term coined during the trip) and I guess that even we were confused about whether we liked the place or not. The Yatri Niwas where we were staying, being available for only one day, made the decision simpler. Personally, I was just tired of the place and wanted to go somewhere closer to the nature, so to say. The next stop, anyway, was to be Aleppey, known for its unbelievably beautiful backwaters.

Aleppey, home to India's Venetian life style, was a revelation. The place introduced us to a lot of things, the least being the concept of home stays which is so reasonable if you are roaming around in Kerala. These home stays are rooms rented out on a daily basis by the local residents in their homes. These rooms are well-managed, neat and clean, and despite the owners being in the category of auto and taxi drivers and bus conductors (that is what we found out), the places are well-equipped and filled with all luxuries possible.

The backwaters cruise the next day was wonderfully relaxing. The serene backwaters and the Keralites, Chettas and Chetties going about their daily chores in the boats with an unusual nonchalance, made me wonder and think. Is it really worth spending so much time and effort to be able to lead a life that is so radically different from this one that we were seeing in the backwaters? Why do we want to have a bungalow in the biggest and most poplulated, dirty cities when a life like this is possible?

With a trip to the Krishna temple in search of Payasam turning futile (this place is supposed to be famous for the origin of Payasam), we were ready to leave Aleppey after two days of unforgettable fun and relaxation. Our hosts at the Gowri residence were wonderful and the hospitality excellent. There was a party in honor of some German guests, too...the music and especially, the enthusiasm of the Keralites was truly infectious and joyous.

Lots of people had suggested us to visit this little known place called Thekkady, home to the more well known Periyar Tiger Reserve. We decided to pass Kumarakom (since we had already had enough of backwaters by that time) and move on to Thekkady and try our luck at spotting some tigers.

Thekkady, notwithstanding the recommendations, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not only did it have the Periyar forest reserve and one of the largest artificial lakes that I have ever seen (nearly 16 square kilometers), it is a beautiful place in its own right. Another home stay and a good found, cheap room (only Rs.300 per day for a room that was worth a thousand in any hotel worth its name) later, we were ready to explore this small town that had all markings of a successful tourist destination, minus its hustle and bustle. We even tried our hand at a mela in the town.

The next day was spent in the adventure that all three of us will remember for a long time. The boat cruise through the lake the previous evening had awakened the desire to view some more animals from closer quarters and so it was that we started off on a jungle trek with a guide in tow. In fact, we were the ones in tow, with the guide making us run behind some elephants and showing us the elephants' dung for our efforts (we did manage to see the elephants, later). With the guide taking us off the regular trail for a more natural and strenuous walk in the woods, Ravi was left particularly tired and irritated.



We were now six days into the trip and it was soon going to be time for the final leg. This was going to be the now-famous hill station of Munnar, home to some of the largest tea and coffee plantations in the country. The place has the reputation of being an unspoilt hill station. More than the hill station, however, it was the way to Munnar which was the best part of the trip. Every couple of kilometers, we had to stop to admire one breathtaking image after another. After some time, we started skipping places that would have occupied pride of place in any photo album on any other day.

We spent nearly three days in Munnar, a major part of the first one spent just looking for a place to stay. Not as lucky as we were at the other places where we stayed, though we did find a reasonably priced room, the hosts were certainly not that accommodating. Regardless, the place and its beauty made us forget all such petty things as we spent the next day lazing around and taking walks around the sleepy little hill station. It was only on the last day of our Munnar stay that we actually got round to start visiting places in the vicinity. The tea plantations (with Tata Tea owning more than 90% of them), the top station of the now dysfunctional rope way to Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiri Tahrs of Raja Mala (found in only one other place in the world), biking to as close to the highest peak in South India as we could get (rest of it was restricted area), the echo point where we shouted our throats off, the Kundla dam where we had bhutta...were just some of the places that make Munnar one of the better tourist destinations of Kerala.



The way back from Munnar was long and despite starting at 6 in the morning, we were hoping to cover the 300 km long distance to Kozhikode only by the evening. Some good roads, and the last-day idea of tying both the bags to the bikes helped us cover the roads faster. In spite of a forced stop over of about one hour in a workshop/garage due to rains, we made it to Kozhikode by 3 in the afternoon. Other people of the batch are now back, too from the vacations and we are about to start with the second term here at IIMK. This reminds me, I still have to write about the last term and a summary of its experiences...tomorrow, perhaps. 

As for the next term, I am sure that with all the talk of some strict teachers promising to make life difficult, this term is going to be even more exciting compared to the previous one. There are a lot of contests coming up, including the ITC busoiness plan contest and the Loreal-eStart strategy contest. The summer and lateral placement season, the IIMK-IIMB sports meet, the Operations Seminar, the Horizons fest and so many other things are in the pipeline this term. I don't know about the others but at least I am rejuvenated (and tanned, as all my batchmates have been pointing out) from my trip and raring to go...