InGk Travelogue to "The Land of Spices"

It was a wednesday morning, where i was very busy in packing the stuffs… Ask me why such hurry !! Getting ready for a ride to the land of spices… Any guesses !!! Okay... I'm not gonna wake up those sleeping brains !!!! it's the mountain beauty “ Idukki “. we were four myself, my husband , FIL and MIL , and Thrissur was our starting point... I would say this was an unforgettable journey for me.. especially you know what, to travel with an infant of 6 months was really a tedious task!! But my girl was pretty flexible & she didn't worry me at all by sleeping in the big part of the journey..It was about 150 km journey…There are actually 3 routes (via kothamangalam, via thodupuzha , via adimali ) since Google was pinpointing only the shortest path , we too followed the same which was through kothamangalam.. There were enough breaks between the journey, coz at a stretch journey would really make you dog- tired. On the way we got a chance to visit “ Iringole kavu “ which is a beautiful temple located in forest dedicated to Goddess Durga particularly called as “Vana Durga“...it's about 4 kilometer from Perumbavoor. There was a slight shower so the climate was cool and the neighbouring trees offered me a good breath !!! After seeking blessings from Devi , we continued the journey.

Hunger was hunting me very badly !! so my hubby was in a search of a good eatery. Not making much delay we got a decent one in few minutes … had dosa and a tea...in fact I was not fully satisfied with the stuff !!! The naked truth is what I'm a pure vegetarian so wherever i go, getting the perfect food would be a cumbersome task !! Still i will adjust with whatever i get...we have to na... So I said a bye to “ pepper cafe “ 🙏!!

The road was good till neryamangalam , where actually the high range starts … our first spot was “ Anjurli Tunnel “ ( around 27 km from idukki arch dam ) so the route was planned accordingly !! We were on neryamangalam - pynavu road ..As i already mentioned Google map was directing us 😁 all the time ..note the point that map will only show you the shortest route, but not the quality route … so the journey would be even more thrilling with the quaking roads ...we all were enjoying Wonderla's super jumper ride on our Volkswagen Vento😂 …. This is not a metro city we are heading to , it's the land of many plantations like cardomam , tea , coffee and many more spices ...so every where you can enjoy the greenery and have fresh breath !!!

Hair pins like ups and downs had made a vomiting sensation to me ...an immediate intermission was badly needed …...got down in the next small town ... Only a small petty shop i could find there and my intention was to get a lemon but shop owner said they won't sell lemon instead I could enjoy a soda lime from them .This lime was prepared by a lady around 60 yrs ..she was very serious on her work , in fact not even looking at customer's face.. immediately after receiving the payment she went inside and didn't made a chance for a further talk.. when I leave that shop she again came outside as another customer was waiting for her lime .This is a small town after a forest area ...so obviously she will get plenty of customers like me.. these people maintain the shops for their livelihood .. if you ask a burger there, they will give you a weird look ...what nonsense are you asking !!! I'm not exaggerating... its a truth … i found a man sitting in the opposite side of the road who was weaving baskets / broom sticks with the bamboo and there was a shop nearby selling bamboo products !! So understand ,in this killing summer also they are making and selling their products .. i owe them for their hard work ... We made him happy !! Got two bamboo baskets from him !! By the time I felt better and the journey continued..

Lower Periyar ( a portion of periyar - the longest river )was flowing on the left side, and I was awestruck with the beauty of background mountains and the beautiful river … this is the river which provides drinking water to several towns ...might be coz of that its named as “ life line of kerala “ … there we could see the power house .. it was noon around 1 o'clock all were hungry except me ...I was about to puke any time ..FIL and MIL got into a small hotel ...I too accompanied them for a minute ….seeing the furnishing and the interior of the hotel... I just ran out … what should I say ...pathetic ..so my husband took me for a small walk through that town.. for a safer journey got Avomine tablet ..while making payment to drug shop owner ..my husband asked with such a distressed expression “ Is there any other good hotels available in this town “?. He laughed and said whatever you see here only available. According to them they are like 4 star or 3 star hotels which serves tandoori, Continental ..and blah blah .. in my place i can find these type eateries flimsy … people will only get into these to take an evening tea or coffee not for a full course meal … what to do ...I have decided no meal from here .. Don't know... only lemon was in my mind, so again took a lemon juice, something called Boli ( stuffed with banana , note this snack is called as “ pazham pori “ in my place ) from a nearby by bakery. I wonder how name changes once place changes !!!, Also had sweet porotta, it was better ...somehow i managed to fill up my tummy !!!

Journey continued … the road is full of turnings, ups nd downs…. The person who drives in this road should be very much attentive !! I am lucky enough ..my husband drives pretty well!! And we reached “ Anjurli tunnel “ by afternoon….there were many people like us who came to enjoy this spot. You know what, the construction of this tunnel is just brilliant ….. we just got inside ..it was surrounded by rocks and water ..the water was crystal clear and cool ..this tunnel is a 4 km long circular one which carries water from Erattayar dam to Idukki reservoir. Summer would be the perfect time to visit here. During monsoon it would be flooded with water and the entry would be restricted . After spending some time there , car started heading to our next destinations Arch view and Hill view of the Dam. The Idukki Dam is constructed in an Arch shape and if you want to see it perfectly you need to get down in the Arch viewpoint . On the way back from Anchuruli you can enjoy that. Almost all the travellers are taking a break at this point and having a good time over here … When I was looking at the Dam, felt like the dam is exactly in the form of a Cupid's arrow which is between two hills ( locally known as kuravan and kurathi hills ) There is a hidden story on this ..I don't wanna tell you the story and making to test your patience levels … So google it ,you will get it .. Enjoying the arch view and having a coffee the journey continued in Search of hill view point. On the way I didn't see much vehicles on the road , and it was around 5 - 5.30 pm so my thought was we were making a useless journey on an assumption of closure of this spot..But that was my wrong thought .on reach of Dam top we found many vehicles on the parking .. some were sitting on the benches and checking their social groups, another group of guys were talking nd walking here and there and some families like us were sitting and calmly enjoying the magnificent bloom of Idukki Dam … loved the place very much !! We were running out of time so left the hill viewpoint soon.

Night driving is always jumpy, we could find a better restaurant on the way back , there we were done with our dinner … Though I was sleepy , my thoughts were fully about the people who lives in these towns , none of the doors were open in the road side houses, one house to another house you may have to catch an auto ..no street lights, and even more scary thing was in that darkness people were walking to their homes carrying some daily provisions, some were talking and walking …. For them it would not be a new thing ..but for me it's still a horrifying scene …...while reaching home ..mind was fully designed in such a way for a long sleep …..

Many thanks ....Hope I didn't made you guys sick and tired… Stay happy and blessed always !!!!!😊😊😊

Locations on map:

Have Some Snapshots...(looking nice? 😍...just click the image to enlarge!)

Route Map: