The Travel Connection

My favorite mode of transport is undoubtedly the rails! Give me one any day. Unfortunately with the limited time we have, travel by rail is always secondary. Consider a railway line that's been around since 1899. How about a meter gauge carriages being chugged on by a steam locomotive along the 208 curves,16 tunnels and 250 bridges. Make it a little more exciting by making the tracks the steepest in Asia. And there you have the Nilgiris Mountain railway. And finally I was going to travel from Coonoor to Mettupalayam on it! If one is interested on more facts about this old man rail, then here you go... http://nilgiris.nic.in/images/salemdiiv_sr_comm.pdf Not everybody's cup of tea, this slow moving monster is a pleasure for enthusiasts like Sheldon. For the others, the ever changing surrounding landscape could seal the deal. No, does it not, maybe then you are a history buff and want to be  transported to the time when these carriages carried folks in their finest and d...

The place Kurumbadi might not ring a bell to most. But if one wants to get away, then there is no place like Kurumbadi and its lone resort middle of nowhere "The Kurumba Village Resort" . This resort has been on my list for last 8 years and I finally made it here in 2015. Was the wait worth it? Over the past few years I have been visiting different parts of Nilgiris. But this resort just 14 kms downhill from Coonoor is a breath of fresh air not just literally!! Set amidst spice plantations  of cinnamon, nutmeg clove and pepper, the short drive towards the resort away from Conoor Mettupalayam road will give one the clue on what lies ahead. If one ever had a list, this is how it would look - Panoramic view of dense jungle on rolling hills - Check - Gurgling and gushing stream - Check - Morning wake up call of sweetest song by the resident Malabar Whistling thrushes - Check - Sound of your relaxed breath over the calm and stillness - Check - Fun time playing donk...

A delayed flight led to my learning of Kotagiri when I decided to flip through travel magazines to kill time. The time was just perfect as i wanted to get out of the city and do nothing. Two weeks after I read the article, I was on Airavat  the Volvo series of KSRTC . An overnight journey and we reached Ooty early morning where the green rolling hills veiled by mist greeted us. A huge hoarding at the bus stand indicate the rates for the taxi ride to different locations in the region. This should be followed at all the tourist locations so that we don't get fleeced by the cab drivers. An Amazing drive through tea gardens and we reached " The Point". The Point is a multi leveled boutique home stay/ resort run by wonderful hosts who make the stay there personal and serene. The contemporary building with glass walls  stands out but then makes you feel comfortable in amidst of the tea garden. We were given the second floor room which had views of tea garden beyond ...

The best part about traveling to Ooty is that the drive through Bandipur, Mudumalai and Masinagudi is worth every minute spent on the road. Time and again i have heard that the drive through these jungles lead to more sightings than taking a safari through the interiors. And we were not disappointed. Like always the spotted deer gave us company all along Bandipur. Mudumalai proved to be even better with our friends elephants, peafowl, langurs, wild boars among other animals dropping in along the highway and greeting us with an smile. I am so tempted to get preachy on how people don't respect the distance factor but let's leave it for another day. As long as we are conversing about roads, it was enlightening to realize that the flat 2d google map is no match for the roadways on the hills. What looks like a straight road will have its curves and leave you wondering where to take the next turn. Was is it just me or has anyone experienced the same. The queen of hil...

I embarked on yet another train journey within two weeks of traveling to Kerala in 2010. This time it was on Lallu's Garib Rath. One has to pay for the blankets and pillows and there are 3 sleepers on the side also. Other than these differences, the poor man's chariot is like any other train in India. My destination this time was Puducherry (Pondicherry) .Did you know Puducherry consists of four non-contiguous regions: Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé on the Arabian Sea.This place still retains its evidence of French History. Though i had visited this place about 12 years ago, I was keen on rediscovering the place and its french cuisine. As this was more of hang out with friends and sight see trip, I chose ginger. For the uninitiated traveler, ginger is an affordable, very clean option for budget travelers by Tata.This place was indeed all it promises to be. As suggested by all travel shows/book, we started our weeke...