Thoovanam - A Caressing Drizzle

Some nine years ago, Kurinji or Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) flowers had bloomed in Munnar. Having heard about the beauty of hillsides carpeted with this eccentric plant, that chose to flower only once every twelve years, I had driven off with much enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the best laid plans of men and mice don't always turn out the way it is supposed to. A heavy logjam of traffic at the Eravikulam National Park spoilt the chance of reaching anywhere near the elusive kurinji! After waiting for an hour we realized that we were getting nowhere and rumblings from somewhere near the middle of the anatomy helped make up our minds. A decision was made. We would return for the kurinji, later that season or after twelve years!

It was on that trip I discovered Chinnar, a small wild life sanctuary lying between the Kerala-TN border and Marayoor. Halfway along the ghat road below Marayoor is a wide curve from where I first laid my eyes on Thoovanam falls. Lying below the road and in the middle of a valley, it was in full flow then.

I had made enquiries then, about access to the sanctuary, and found that they offered treks into the forest. I returned a few days later and did two small treks, one to a place with some rock art and another along the river.

It was three years later that I went past Chinnar again, in 2009. Thoovanam was a trickle after a long dry summer.

My desire to trek to the bottom of the valley to feel the 'thoovanam', translatable as a light drizzle or a drizzle carried in the breeze, wasn't fulfilled and the few times I drove along that road, I did not have time for a three hour trek. Finally, I found a weekend and resolved to trek to this waterfall that had been tempting me for so many years.

2nd August, 2015

To access the Thoovanam falls you have to first reach the Alampetty EDC counter on the road to Marayoor. From Palakkad the route goes through Pollachi (45 kms) and Udumalpet (75 kms). At Udumalapet you have to get on the Munnar road. There is a divider all along the Pollachi - Udumalapet road within the town so you have to go to the end of the road, make a U-turn and come back to get on the Munnar road.

Now that the railway overbridge work is complete you don't have to take any confusing deviations inside the town. The Munnar road has a series of check posts starting with the police check post at Amaravathinagar (91 kms). The Tamilnadu forest department (TNFD) check post was immediately next to this but has been shifted further up on the road at the entrance of the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (formerly Indira Gandhi National Park and WLS). You have to make an entry here and again at another TNFD check post the TN-Kerala border. Immediately after crossing the bridge on Chinnar river, that marks the state boundary, you drive into Kerala through a series of check posts; excise, commercial taxes and the Kerala Forest department's. You have to again enter details at the last check post that marks the start of Chinnar WLS (104 kms). 

The forest department has a rest house and dormitory here if you want to do an overnight trip. The eco-development committee has a small canteen where you can pre-order food if you are staying. The river trek and watch tower trek starts from here. The Alampetty EDC counter (116 kms) is halfway up the road to Marayoor from the Chinnar WLS entry. You can book your trek to the megalithic burial sites (dolmen or muniyaras), Thoovanam and Vasyapara from here. A tribal trekker guide will accompany you from here till you return.

The trek to Thoovanam follows a general downhill course from the EDC counter and the distance is approximately between three and four kilometers, depending on the little short cuts your guide might take you on. In any case it is an easy paced walk even for inexperienced trekkers. With the exception of a couple of slightly steep but short climbs it is overall a trek that can be done without too much of effort.

The shy barking deer

Along the way you will encounter many of the forest's true owners. The gaur and elephant are rarely seen but their presence is well documented on the ground by the dung. Wild boars can also be found blundering around the under bush occasionally.

Fresh steaming dung can be a magnet for some creatures!

Some, like these dung beetles fight over it!

Chinnar is rich in avian life and can occasionally throw up unexpected surprises.

This rufous bellied eagle was a first for me

   

A brown fish owl

If you are able to look above your head and around your feet, you'll see more interesting creatures. Chinnar's two famous residents are the grizzled giant squirrel and the star tortoise. I saw the former during this trek. Very shy and elusive they hide quickly.

Grizzled giant squirrel

They move fast and are difficult to photograph in the dense canopy

Grizzled giant squirrel

The other star of Chinnar, the star tortoise can also be seen frequently, though I did not run into one this time. I had an occasion to meet a rather fast tortoise on one of my earlier treks.

Star tortoise

Chinnar is also rich in insect and reptile species. A wide variety of butterflies keep flitting around the forests.

A common peacock butterfly

A shy cobra!

The rock agama

The trek path crosses a few streams and then goes upstream, parallel to the Pambar river.

Pambar river

Rapids on the Pambar

The trek path

The trek path

You hear Thoovanam before you see it. About 400 meters from the falls you will start hearing the rushing sound of  its waters. Upto now you were engulfed by the sounds of the birds and insects. Gradually that is replaced by a steadily roar of water rushing over a precipice, like the sound of a train coming ever closer. Then about 100 meters before the fall you see it for the first time.

The first view of the falls

The first view of the falls have a rejuvenating effect on you. Suddenly the aching muscles and protesting knees are forgotten and the pace picks up. A surge of energy spurs you as you reach  your destination, and that helps you cover the last 100 meters in double quick time; and then you are there! All the years of waiting is worth that effort that you put in as Thoovanam sprays its gentle caressing mist on you.

The cool waters are inviting but I had not carried a change of clothing. I just soaked in the atmosphere of Thoovanam. There is a gentle mist of water droplets that permeates the air around you and wets the rocks and plants below the fall. That is what gives it the name Thoovanam.

The frothy waters rise as a mist as it hits the rocks below

The cool waters are inviting for a dip!

I had finally made it. Now I'm planning to stay overnight in the hut that faces the falls at the first opportunity.

Downstream of the falls

The trek back is a little more taxing on the limbs especially for a person past middle age and used to sitting in a chair all day. It is a gradual climb on the return except the last stretch where it can be a little tough, especially if you choose to take a very steep short cut instead of the regular trek path.  I learnt a lesson about trekking that day, something that taught me not to overestimate our age and fitness levels. However that will not dissuade me from going back and spending a night beside this beautiful fall.

Thoovanam may not impress many like Athirapally but with the high inflow of tourists and mushrooming 'resorts' around the latter, it is not a place where you can go spend a few contemplative moments by yourself. At Athirapally and Vazahchal you are too busy avoiding the crowds, especially on holidays.

Athirapally

Athirapally from the top

Athirapally at the bottom of the falls

As long as Thoovanam's accessibility is not compromised it will be the prize for a privileged few who can will themselves to put in a 3-4 hour walk in a forest filled with interesting creatures. Many a quiet moment can be spent with the mist of droplets caressing your face.

 I want to go back, and soon.Waiting for a full moon night......

Unbiased review of the Duster - Part 3: Unfinished business in Anamudi Shola

This post should have come under Mango Musings but I've placed it here because it qualifies as Woodcrawling! To see the earlier post of the 'Unbiased review of the Duster' see the post in Mango Musings

A little more than three and a half months ago we had discovered a lovely little place during our trip to Munnar.  (Link here).

For two people who had been used to sitting in a safari jeep and going around the same tracks in the hope of catching the eye of a predator it was a new experience.Here was a scenario where we were in the wilderness we loved so much, but instead of getting driven we were driving ourselves. That meant we were in control of where we stopped, how long we stopped and what we could do. That evening we spent in Maryoor had left an indelible impression on both of us. We had be limited by our transport and the opinions of a few people who probably had some ulterior motives to prevent us from going ahead. Despite encouragement from some unexpected quarters we weren't sure of testing the terrain in a hatchback with less than ideal ground clearance.

1st, November 2012, I took delivery of our Duster. It was a vehicle that had appeared in the horizon earlier in the year and we had booked in July. It had been a long wait but we had to ourselves a gentle beast to carry us to place we had never been to before. I had tested it out in and around Palakkad (link here) but there was nothing here like the Anamudi shola.

So on the 18th, November we were off to see how the Duster would handle the shola. There was a full complement of five passengers and a boot full of photography gear and food. We left at 6.30 AM because we had to be back by nightfall. I hate driving after sunset these days, and since our route was to take us through an area I had not traveled in I could not really predict how long I had to be at the wheel.

The sun was still hiding when we crossed Pollachi (45 kms) onto Udumalapet (75 kms). The wind turbines stood like sentinels in the maize fields and the road was tempting. I'm a sedate driver normally but I succumbed to temptation and let the Renault K9 engine have some fun. The needle was nudging 130 kph when I ran out of road for speed test, besides I thought the people in the back seat were making noises, so I eased off. The memories of chasing a Santro on NH 47 weren't too pleasant. The Duster was rock steady at that speed. Absolutely no feeling of the wheels going out of control anytime or the engine straining.

We stopped for breakfast at the Chinnar checkpost (105 kms). The EDC canteen does not have breakfast unless you pre-order but they let you take your packed food and use their dining area. Of course, you won't believe if I told you they couldn't even provide a cup of tea! Please keep a fiver ready if you want to use the toilets; they rarely have change! (Fuel efficiency shown by the instrument panel FE calculator was 17.5 till this point)

If you want tea, stop at Karimutty (118kms). The little tea shop at the bridge serves nice tea.

The road to Anamudi shola splits off to the left at Marayoor (120kms), just after the petrol station as you up come up the last curve. The rocky slopes on either side of the road from Marayoor to Kanthaloor are dotted with 'muniyaras' or dolmens, the ancient tribal burial sites. These simple tombs are empty now and are worth a brief stopover if you have time to spare.

You can go up to the 'muniyaras' through the Goverment school that is situated on the upper curve of an S-bend as you reach Kovilkadavu. The other option, which is actually better, is to look for a board on your left about a kilometer after the turn off near the petrol station, (much before the school I mentioned). This small road takes you to the top of the hillock where the 'muniyaras' are. You can park at the bottom and walk up or drive up if you have a car with an attitude!

We didn't hang around too long exploring the tombs. We had a long drive before lunch and I wanted to soak in the atmosphere of the shola. The sugarcane fields of Kanthaloor were filled with cane ready to be harvested. We reached Kanthaloor (135 kms) just before 11 AM. If an old man waves you down at the forest check post you can ignore him. He only wants to take you on a guided tour of Kanthaloor's fruit farms! The board pointing to Anamudi Shola suddenly seemed very familiar even though I had been on this road only once earlier. Perhaps a gaur would be waiting for us!

Easwari's stall  (138 kms) signalled the entry to the Shola. This time she had a larger variety of fruits including custard apple, guavas and bananas but no pears! She told us there had been no rains so the road was not so tough to travel on. It was then we realized there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was extremely warm for a place in the hills. 

Upto now we had either traveled on highways or relatively narrow and winding ghat roads. The instrument panel's fuel efficiency calculator was now showing 15.6 kmpl. The next 7 or 8 kilometers were going to be a test for the Duster. 

There was no rain so it would be relatively easy. Absence of flowing water on the track would mean less chance of deeply eroded parts filled with slush or mud that could hide invisible dangers. I would know where my tire was going exactly. The last thing anyone would want is a tire burst! I had reached a bridge with a little cascade on my previous trip and that was my first destination.

A half hour break here enjoying the beautiful sounds and sights of nature we decide to move on. As we rolled over the loose cobbles on the track I could feel the Dusters power. No sudden jumps or slips. It just moved forward like the Nilgiri Tahr. I just had to point it in the direction I wanted it to go and it went forward where it was meant to go. I was mostly in second or first gears, and rarely in the third. The track gets more rough as we climb further.

The bright sun that had been with us till Easwari's shop was struggling to pentrate the canopy. The rough track was getting more narrower we progressed that I was left wondering where I'd go if a vehicle came from the opposite direction.

My fears were unfounded. The Duster was exhibiting its versatility and it seemed completely at ease in this environment. After about 8 kilometers of negotiating this rough track we reached the other end of the shola. It had taken us a hour (excluding the half hour spent at the little bridge) to cover this distance. There were no complaints of aches and pains after the constant bouncing. The car itself had not exhibited any strain. The fuel efficiency had come down to 13 kmpl after this stretch, which was not bad considering the fact that I had been driving in 1st or 2nd gear all through, with many stoppages.

There was no gaur or elephant waiting for us on the track but signs of their presence were all around.  We weren't disappointed though; the langur sentry fixed us with a glare that was filled with contempt. He knew the four adults and child below him were incapable of climbing his tree. He continued foraging without a second thought. 

The Malabar Giant Squirrel, whom we met near the watch tower on top of the shola, was even more  nonchalant in his expression. It seemed that we were invisible to him as gave a show for nearly 10 minutes at touching distance.

Outside the shola the landscape changes instantly. Within a few feet of the  forest check post the the vegetable farms and tea estates start. Though there is a fencing between them there was a distinct possibility of curious animals straying out of their territory.

Clear cloudless skies above us and winding roads under, our next stop was Kundala dam which we could see in the distance

  

There is a whole lot of Idukki district that will keep a Woodcrawler interested. I was constrained by the limitations imposed by my car. Now I have a vehicle that can take me anywhere without batting an eyelid (if it had one!) and without burning a deep hole in my pocket.

 Watch this space....... Mathikettan Shola and Pampadum Shola are on the radar now!

For the Duster Fans only

Total distance: 338  kms

Fuel consumed: (full tank to full tank): 22 liters (filled after 352 kms)

Fuel efficiency: Highway - 18 +/-, Hills - 15 +/-, Off road - 12 +/- (based on figures shown on the FE calculator in the instrument panel). Overall - 16 kmpl (based on topping up after 352 kms)

Ride quality: Excellent. There were two people with bad backs in the car. Despite the grueling drive in the Anamdi Shola, neither of us felt even a twinge of pain. On the highway there is no body roll even at high speeds and at no point do you get the feeling that you are losing control.

Engine noise: Barely audible even when negotiating tough roads in low gears, almost silent on highway

Gears: Easy shifting, no strain between 2000 to 3000 rpm, shift down if you run below 1500 rpm. I have found the clutch as easy as in my Punto. Drivers shifting from petrol engines might take a little time to get used to the heavier clutch and frequent need for down shifting.

Steering: Easy and ultra steady. It was only when the wheels slipped of loose rocks that I felt a wobble, which I think is natural. Again, people shiftin from a smaller or lighter car might find it a bit stiff.

Tires: Excellent on the highway. Minor slipping on loose gravel in the Shola. The OE MRF Wanderers seemed to be better suited to paved roads than off-roading. Have to test it out on rough terrain in the rains.