Chasing the Monsoon in Kerala..
On my way to Trivandrum, witnessed the yearly phenomenon that is indeed the lifeline of this country.As we (Me and my new dimension) crossed the Kallada river, something said, the ghats is where we ought to be now, not the plains. As the mail meandered its way into the Kollam station, our sights set on the East. We aborted the trip to Trivandrum at Kollam and decided to move to the East. Taking a bus to Punalur was the first option.But my gut feel said why not check if a passenger is available. A few minutes later we found ourselves on a passenger train to Punalur. Well these trains have a charm of its own. This being a new service (1.5 hrs from Kollam to Punalur), there were hardly any people in the train. The train took its own sweet time to travel the 45 KM. It didn't matter to us how long it took. We were ready to savour whatever was on offer. After lunch at the railway canteen at Punalur, we found ourselves sitting in the meter gauge passenger from Punalur to Shencottah. This passenger train I would say is the best kept secret of this part of the country. Not being on the tourist map (Lonely Planet never mentions this train in its South India guide) has its own advantages. As the passenger ambled its way out of Punalur, we again saw Kallada... With a mild drizzle throughout and a short meandering river accompanying us , the two hour journey was a pleasure.Now at Shencottah, cropped the idea of taking a bus to Trivandrum. My feel was that the bus would snake through the ghats and find its way to Trivandrum. That indeed turned out to be amazing sight. The bus went to Thenmala via Aryankavu and then took a left for Trivandrum. Just after crossing Thenmala I saw the Kallada... dam to my left. In about 4 hours time the bus finally reached the Trivandrum bus station. In the meanwhile I was a witness to innumerable rivulets and streams draining its water into the bigger streams and bringing all around cheer. The sun and the clouds threw a variety of green shades on the hills, shades of glee. A fruitful chase , it was. Another one is not far..
On my way to Trivandrum, witnessed the yearly phenomenon that is indeed the lifeline of this country.As we (Me and my new dimension) crossed the Kallada river, something said, the ghats is where we ought to be now, not the plains. As the mail meandered its way into the Kollam station, our sights set on the East. We aborted the trip to Trivandrum at Kollam and decided to move to the East. Taking a bus to Punalur was the first option.But my gut feel said why not check if a passenger is available. A few minutes later we found ourselves on a passenger train to Punalur. Well these trains have a charm of its own. This being a new service (1.5 hrs from Kollam to Punalur), there were hardly any people in the train. The train took its own sweet time to travel the 45 KM. It didn't matter to us how long it took. We were ready to savour whatever was on offer. After lunch at the railway canteen at Punalur, we found ourselves sitting in the meter gauge passenger from Punalur to Shencottah. This passenger train I would say is the best kept secret of this part of the country. Not being on the tourist map (Lonely Planet never mentions this train in its South India guide) has its own advantages. As the passenger ambled its way out of Punalur, we again saw Kallada... With a mild drizzle throughout and a short meandering river accompanying us , the two hour journey was a pleasure.Now at Shencottah, cropped the idea of taking a bus to Trivandrum. My feel was that the bus would snake through the ghats and find its way to Trivandrum. That indeed turned out to be amazing sight. The bus went to Thenmala via Aryankavu and then took a left for Trivandrum. Just after crossing Thenmala I saw the Kallada... dam to my left. In about 4 hours time the bus finally reached the Trivandrum bus station. In the meanwhile I was a witness to innumerable rivulets and streams draining its water into the bigger streams and bringing all around cheer. The sun and the clouds threw a variety of green shades on the hills, shades of glee. A fruitful chase , it was. Another one is not far..
posted by Madras to Ambai at 10:54 PM
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