Personal Kirukkalgal: November 2019

ஒரு மலையோரம்.. அங்கு கொஞ்சம் மேகம்..

அதன் அடிவாரம்.. ஒரு வீடு..

This is a song from the movie Avan Ivan, but this is the perfect description of the place where we stayed during this short trip after Meghalaya.

This is that oru Veedu

When any of your colleagues announces his wedding obviously you feel happy for him. And if it's away from Chennai we also get excited because of the opportunity for another trip. We get into action very quick in checking the trains and also the possible places to visit nearby. And, yeah never forget to get permission from you missus before you do all these.

So, this time the wedding was far south of TN near Courtallam and Kerala. So, we have decided it would be another trip to Courtallam. But, while we were looking for the spots nearby we stumbled upon a "Mohan's Resort" which was like right in the middle of greeneries according to Google Maps. So, we decided to go ahead and book that resort and go for some falls which were shown nearby in the maps. And, the train tickets too got confirmed from RAC right in time.

The train reached right on time to Kadayanallur and we were welcome with a light drizzle. After getting into our cab we went to finish off the breakfast before heading to the resort. And, guys started with a nonveg special hotel in Kadayanallur. And, the way towards Mekkarai was beautiful and there was a dam on the way where we stopped for some photos. And, after reaching Mohan's Resort we had to shift to a jeep from our cab to proceed towards the place where we were going to stay. Which was an off-road journey for some 2 km and we walked the half a way which was much less tiring than the juggling jeep.

Mohan (Mohan's Resort) already told us if you guys reach the resort you guys won't even think about going anywhere else. And, yes it was true. That resort/house was right at the top of a mountain surrounded by some more mountains and trees and lush greens without any person of course. And, after reaching, we went to that falls which was part of that resort and had a refreshing bath in that ice-cold water. It was small, but perfect for our small gang.

And, the lunch was ready by the time we reached back. It was an awesome lunch, I am saying this because of the time my gang took to finish off the chicken, kaadai, etc. After relaxing a bit, we tried to go on trekking, but we weren't dressed for that. We were already warned about leeches, but it was real and it started biting most of us. So, we had to stop after reaching halfway into the mountain. And, we headed back to that mini-falls to just wash our legs and of course, take some more photos.

Then we had a campfire in that freezing cold weather and played some silly "yaar manusula yaaru" type of games and time flew. Yes, we didn't want to leave that resort it was enough for that day.

The next day, we have to attend that wedding for which we actually came. But, before that, we went to Achchan Kovil which was at the border of Kerala. Throughout the way some river crossing that road we traveled. We didn't have much time to stop and admire. Then we visited another temple before going to the wedding. This was Thirumala Kovil which was at the top of a small mountain. We saw this when we were on our way to our resort and also from the resort. And, as expected the view from the top was fantastic.

And, finally, we reached the wedding hall just in time for lunch. After the usual formalities, we decided to visit Courtallam, which was very near. And, the trip wouldn't be complete without visiting that majestic falls. It was a good time with less crowd so we were able to enjoy it and then purchased some chips and "Maskoth" Halwa, my new favorite halwa, before heading to that Senkottai station. The only thing we missed was a visit to the Border Parotta Hotel.

And, that's it, the train once again left on time, we luckily got confirmed seats and we reached Chennai on time as well. If it wasn't for Deepavali, we would have spent a few more days and traveled a few more places, but something is better than nothing.

Mohan's Resort was the best not in terms of the facilities, which was adequate enough, but for that location alone which made our little trip awesome. And, the next wedding is in February and it is time to plan for that.