Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Thommankuthu in Idukki - waterfalls, caves and viewpoints

Thommankuthu is a popular waterfall destination in Idukki. This is a standout destination to explore. There are several waterfalls, caves and viewpoints, over the hills and deep into the woods.

The waterfalls-

Viewpoints-

Caves-


The entrance-

Refreshingly beautiful, that is what Thommankuthu is.

The pods- quite big to capture attention.

Entry to the stream is restricted at certain places.

 There are other areas where you could step into the stream.

 Plenty of large rocks-


 The cascade-


 There are several more waterfalls up the hills. If you are not ready to climb, still there is plenty to enjoy since the sights are just awesome.




 There are places to stay as well.

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Sunday, 8 December 2013

The dolmens of Marayoor

Marayoor is a village in north east Idukki, on the periphery of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. One of the highlights of Marayoor is the ancient burial chambers.


Although the display board says they could be about 3000 years old, there are opinions that some of the earliest dolmens are much older than that.

It is a fact that people lived here thousands of years ago. Looking at the forests of this region, it is safe to assume that dense woods covered the whole land then.

Dolmens are simple structures made of a few slabs of rock. The pictures below show their crude craftsmanship.


 The valley where they are found have a several dolmens scattered here and there. 

 Blue mountains in the background add to the wild beauty of the rugged terrain.


It is common to see them in small clusters.

There are opinions that people lived inside them. However, the size of the inner chamber is too small for a living space.

Apart from some fencing there are no guards or any protection to this valuable site.

Well, there is a board stating all the Do's and Don'ts. Great if everybody obeys those rules. But are we living in such as world?

It is surprising that ancient tribal men had such elaborate burial arrangements.

This is a hut near the valley-

Marayoor also has a few other attractions - natural sandal wood forests, jaggery making units etc. The scenery is great as well.

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Wednesday, 4 December 2013

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary picture tour

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is well known for its rich reptilian population. Also it is the habitat of Giant Grizzled Lizard, Star Tortoise and Mugger Crocodile, which are considered as rare species.

Here are a few photos of the landscape. You can see the type of plants that grow mostly in dry areas.  That is because Chinnar is in the rain shadow region where it rains only less than two months (48 days average).

Huge ant nests -

 Just before the rain -

What are we missing? A rainbow?
Here it is -

The modest counter at Alampetty -

Activities possible at Chinnar-

The map -

People arriving at Chinnar -

A bison -

Langurs-

Monkeys-

It makes good sense to visit the nearby villages of Marayoor and Kanthallor.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Kerala flower pictures

In Kerala, these are the days of heavy rain and landslides.
Lets take a break from nature's fury.
 A few pretty pictures from Central Kerala, Credit to Sadik and Nihad who took these pictures from Kalloor - Vadakkekad and surroundings.
 Here is our bottle brush flower -





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Sunday, 4 August 2013

Kovalam beach, South Kerala

For several decades, Kovalam has been the most famous and busy beach in Kerala. Since the time of hippies, Kovalam has been well known among travel folk world wide.

Kovalam is located about 16 kms from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala.

Cliffs, bays and coconut palms makes Kovalam what it is.

 There are three beaches in Kovalam. Also there is a fishing population living here. One of the small wooden fishing boats-
The bays are shallow. However, expect a few nasty currents occasionally.


 
 You can see people wearing mundu. The man in the picture below has a pink shirt and a raised mundu.

 One of the beach side shops -
 Kovalam has many hotels and resorts.A few of them-

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