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SHOLAYAR

28/10/2014

Most of you may have heard about Athirappilly waterfalls. But after Athirapally and Vazhachal waterfalls, there is a place called Sholayar dam. The forest road from Vazhachal to Pollachi passes through a forest you cannot express in words. It as alternative road which passes through the majestic western ghats into Tamil Nadu.

From Kochi, it will take you around 3 hours to reach the beautiful Athirappilly waterfalls. Make sure to start early from Kochi as the forest road is only open from 6AM- 6PM. The ride till Chalakudy is mainly on 4 lane NH47 and will be covered in no time.. But from Chalakudy the road gets tricky with hairpin bends and hill climbing. On the way to Athirapally, you will have many tourist spots including a couple of water theme parks, bird watching centre and a river side park.Make sure to fill fuel at Chalakudy.

Once you reach Athirapally, the next stop is Vazhachal waterfalls which passes through dense forests. Both the waterfalls are amazing, and the view is unbeatable. At Vazhachal, you have to sign at the forest check post. The forest guards will check the vehicle for alcohol and plastic covers. Once you start the journey after the check post, the road is narrow but well kept. The traffic on the road is low, but you should beware of the occasional speeding vehicles especially on hairpin bends.

The ride on this road will be unforgettable. Lush evergreen forests on both side, small streams and beautiful dams. You can also expect to see many monkeys and the occasional deers on the road side. When you reach Anakayam bridge (very narrow) you can expect to see some Elephants too. After travelling a bit more, you will reach a lake. The view from there is breathtaking.

At this point you can either choose to go back to Chalakudi or go to Pollachi. After 50kms from the check post you will reach the exit check post of Kerala. From there you can go through the Tamil Nadu check post and proceed towards Valparai.

The Vazhachal-Sholayar-Valparai road is any riders paradise. The beautiful views on the way is only beaten by the feeling you get when driving on this road. The cool air and twisting road along with some off-roading, It is definitely heaven for riders.

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Drive to Munnar

26/10/2014

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Munnar is one of the best hill stations in India. It is around 140kms from Kochi (Cochin), on the national highway (NH 49). Even though you can reach Munnar in around 3hrs, it is best to calculate around 5-6 hrs for the trip, because every ten minutes you might want to stop and absorb the beauty of the place.

The first 50-75 kms of the trip is just highway, but after that everything changes. You will start to feel the temperature drop and the views get better and better after every km you cover. The roads are surrounded by waterfalls and forest on one side, and deep valleys on the other side. There a couple of big waterfalls before you reach Munnar, where you can actually get into the water safely.

After travelling some more time, the view gets even better. Both sides of the road will be covered with tea plantations and in the background you can see mountains that almost touch the sky. During winter (Dec- Jan) you can expect some fog during early morning and evening.

Munnar has many tourist spots. Mattupetty dam offers some spectacular views of the water, open skies and forests. You can go fishing at the Sita Devi Lake at Devikulam national park, or do a 100 other things things in Munnar. Munnar gets its name from the term Moonu- aru, which means three rivers. Munnar is the place where these three rivers meet.

Other spots include the Eravikulam National park, tea museum, or go trekking in a number of different places. You will also spot a number of animals that are native only to Munnar. And if its the season you can see neelakurinji, a flower that only blooms once in 12 years. The whole mountains range will be covered with these flowers.

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Four wheels moves my body, two wheels moves my soul

24/10/2014

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From my childhood I was fascinated by motorcycles, for some I was attracted to motorcycles more than cars, Something about the feel of the motorcycle riding fascinated me. I learned to drive on my father's priced possession, an old kinetic honda scooter. And I never looked back.

All the experiences and challenges faced on my bike defined me as a person. It moulded me into who I am today.

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SHOLAYAR

Drive to Munnar

Four wheels moves my body, two wheels moves my soul

Akarsh Mathews

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