[ashis89]

For me, birthday is just another day in a year. One doesn't need to wait until that day to celebrate nor does one need a reason to celebrate. My wife, Mrs.A disagrees. I have to agree to agree .

Every year she plans a trip and this time was no different. 98% planning was done by her and as for me, I got to apply for leaves for the planned dates. And I had one condition - it should be a long holiday and not a sight-seeing trip. To me, both are different. A holiday is to relax and do almost nothing. For a sight-seeing trip, I need to 'do' the sight-seeing (wake up early or trek up a hill or walk in the sun). I digress...

Goa, in this sweltering heat, was ruled out. And so was coastal Karnataka (we went there last year during the same time). It had to be a hill station per Mrs.A and it had to be within driveable distance, as per me.

I had fond memories of the Munnar Kodaikanal trip that we did in 2018 and I suggested we recreate it. Mrs.A got down to her research, went through travelogues on Team BHP itself and few other websites and zeroed in Munnar and Meghamalai. A week long plan where we start on Sunday and return the following Saturday (my idea to beat the weekend traffic and of course, get some rest before and after the trip). Hotels were booked accordingly. As per my original demand, it became a relaxed sight-seeing trip.

The Saturday being the 'break' day, I had cleaned the car, refueled it, topped up the tyres and loaded the water bottles. Mrs.A had packed the luggage and had the itinerary ready.

[ashis89]

On Apr 4, we started around 7:30AM from our place, with a plan to have breakfast at A2B, Thoppur. Being early on a Sunday morning, there was hardly traffic (as per Bangalore standards!) and we had crossed Hosur in no time. While on the way right after Krishnagiri, Mrs.A spots Murugan Idli and insists that we stop there. It had been on her list since her Chennai days but the place had remained elusive till date. So be it.

There's a mad rush at Murugan's. So much so that I was rethinking my decision to stop there (I dislike crowded places) but luckily found a seat for ourselves. I overstuffed myself with Podi idlis, sweet pongal, vada and what not, before we resumed the journey. I would have preferred A2B (for lesser crowd and slightly better food).




Roads are impeccable but traffic is thick until you cross Salem. There on, until Dindigul, the traffic is less while the roads remain good. Post Dindigul, one has undivided double lane smooth roads and average traffic conditions. We were not hungry so we deferred our next break until Theni.



Before ascending the hills, I refueled the car so I need not worry about clean diesel anymore. Chose the Reliance bunk in Theni. FE was 18.9 kmpl for the past 625 kms.


A kilometer from the bunk, there's Thalappakatti Theni outlet and we chose that as the safe/known option. However it was disappointing due to various reasons - the place doesn't have any space to park the car (had to park right on the road), the restaurant itself is not so clean/well-maintained and most of the items on the menu are unavailable. Service was slow and they forgot about the lime soda which we had ordered at the beginning. Later, they excused saying that lime soda or lime water was out of stock as well!! I doubt their kitchen is full-fledged functional as I saw them getting their biryani from outside in bulk packets. Anyway, the mutton biryani was tasty and kept us company until we reached our destination.

The day had been a hot and sunny one. As the ascend started, we stopped at a couple of places to click pictures or to rest my legs.







Notice the wide roads? I will keep repeating this as it in stark contrast to my previous trip.


Mrs.A had been recommended to check out few restaurants, either for the food or the view/experience or both. One such place was Chill Berg resort, just before Bodimettu. This had been recommended for snack breaks and enjoy the view with snacks. While we were still full, a couple of cups of tea/coffee doesn't hurt, does it?



Such is view from the restaurant while you enjoy a cup of hot coffee










They also have lodging facilities and could see few residents there


There onwards, we took the Poopara route and went non-stop till Sterling Munnar (Chinnakanal), our place of stay for the next 4 days. We got some rains just as we were about to enter the resort. Reached by 6PM and retired to our room.




Route taken:
Bangalore - Hosur - Salem - Karur - Dindigul - Batlagundu - Theni - Bodimettu - Poopara - Chinnakanal (507 kms and drive time of 8:13 hrs.)

Notice the temperature at 6 in the evening? It fell to 13-14 degrees by late evening/night

[ashis89]

Woke up early to get a view of sunrise from the room but it was hidden behind the clouds.



Several tall trees found within the property


Eravikulam National Park

Eravikulam National Park is famous for Nilgiri Tahr. It is the State Animal of Tamil Nadu and is found on the Shola grasslands in the Nilgiris.

Starting from Chinnakanal, one has to cross Munnar township and move north towards Marayoor to reach this national park. An entry ticket is needed which can be bought at the counter, on premise or even booked online on the government website. On a busy day, there's a long queue at the counter to get tickets. The last entry to this park is 2PM. It was a 1 hour drive for us from the resort and we reached the spot by 11:15AM. Beyond Munnar, one doesn't get mobile signal (we both have Airtel).

The previous night, we had explored the government website but found some security issues with the portal. Being a weekday, we took a chance to go and buy the ticket at the counter itself. As luck would have it, the place wasn't too crowded and we got the ticket easily. The place has been developed well and has a big (and steep!) parking area, washrooms, places to rest in shade and an Orchid nursery.

Shade for visitors to wait. It was a hot day!


Once we got our tickets, we joined another queue of visitors waiting for the bus. At 5-10 minute intervals, mid-sized safari buses take the visitors from the entrance of the park to this checkpoint, which is 10 min ride. Once we embarked at the checkpoint, we could trek up the winding road up until this point, about a 15-20 min trek. There are a couple of electric golf carts too, to take the visitors up the hill.

We saw several Nilgiri Tahrs grazing the dry grass. They are accustomed to the human traffic around them and go about grazing without a worry. During the Neela Kurinji bloom time, this hill and grassland is also full of the Kurinji flowers. Right now, it was just dry grassland and a bald Anamudi peak as a view. It was rather hot at the checkpost, at the start of the trek but cold wind was blowing the time we reached the top, such was the change in the temperature.

This one poses happily


While this one decided to have a closer look at Mrs.A


Returned to the base checkpost and took the bus back to the entry point/parking area. By this time, it was already 2PM and as such, we opted for some bread omlette available there before we left the park.

As per our initial plan, the day's agenda was done and dusted. Since it was barely 3PM, I suggested we drive towards Marayoor and then return by evening. We were already tired after those treks on a sunny day. After 20 kms of continuous winding roads, we decided to call it quits and head back to the resort. After reaching Munnar and getting cell reception, Mrs.A got down to some R&D and suggested we go to Anayirankal Dam, specifically this spot. This isn't too far from our hotel and a nice place to relax in the evening.

Anayirankal Dam

Down south-east of Munnar and close to Chinnakanal, this is a small dam. The spot we went to, has boating facilities (power boats and pedal boats), a small cafeteria, a beautiful garden and access to the dam reservoir. There's an entry fee to the spot and ample parking space. Perfect place to sit and enjoy the cool breeze while over-looking the dam water. However, we didn't like the tea or the veg Maggi. As I was feeling a bit uneasy, we decided to leave soon. (Pictures of the place in a later post).

On the way, we stopped to have some lime soda and sweet corns.

These super-wide roads maybe a bliss for travelers like us but they have come at a huge cost - green cover. I compare my trip in 2018 and 2022. Where the roads were barely visible to sunlight shadowed by tall trees, now we have the AC running full-time as we drift on the black tar on a sunny day



Enough space for 3 trucks to pass after a car has been parked by the side of the road


View of the dam below






By 6PM, we were back at our hotel.

[ashis89]

Top Station

Next day, we started around 10AM post breakfast and headed towards the Top Station. Now, Google maps has several points tagged as Top Station. This can be misleading for visitors like me. Back in 2018, we made to this location which Google had called out as the point. We had enjoyed the view and returned. Later, Mrs.A got to know the actual view point is further ahead (less than 2km ahead!). And I got the blame for not making it to the actual view point.

This was the spot that where we went last time






This time Mrs.A had done her research well. We had to go to the Top Station View Point. Took us 2 hours from the resort, to reach this spot. Roads are is good shape except for some broken stretches around Mattupatti dam (nothing that a sedan can't do).


Note:
1. To reach this spot, the wide tiled path breaks off from the road and goes in about 200 mts. This 'lane' is narrow and has little scope to park your car. If you are lucky, you will find a spot (I did). My recommendation, park your vehicle on the main road and walk down this short stretch to avoid any hassle.

2. The very last stretch of the route (after the watch tower) is a very steep descend/climb and doesn't give any extra view of the area. It can be skipped if you have weak knees. Enjoy the view from the watch tower instead.

3. Beware of monkeys around there.










On the return leg, we stopped at the same spot that we had in 2018. A few then-and-now scenes:

2018


2022


2018, with the RoadRunner


2022









Kundala Dam/Noor Giri Resort

It was almost 2PM when we were done with the sites and we were hungry. Again from the recommended list, Mrs.A said that Noor Giri restaurant was the place to go. This place is at a height and overlooks the Kundala Lake/dam.

I had a plain veg meal while Mrs.A had egg curry and parathas. It was one of the best meal we had had, simple and tasty! And all this for 200 bucks.



After lunch, we walked around the property and sat in the shade to enjoy the view of the lake below. That day and at the moment, both of us were reluctant to leave the serene view and that soft cold breeze. Give me a reclining chair + blanket and I can retire there

The lake/dam can be viewed from the sitting area








The road below




On the return leg, we bought some eucalyptus oil (our stock from 2018 trip was almost empty) from the shops near Mattupetti dam. We weren't interested in the dam view as we had witnessed it earlier. So the next stop was the Floriculture Centre.

Floriculture Centre

This is a large nursery/garden maintained by the Govt. of Kerala. A variety of flowering plants and cacti, in various stages of bloom, can be found here. I am fond of roses while Mrs.A likes her garden. So this was a must visit place for us.

Note:

While returning from Top Station, the left hand side of the road is the parking area, right side isn't.
There's a small entry fee to this place.
One can also buy plants/saplings available at this place.










While returning to Chinnakanal, it was evening and we found this nice spot to enjoy the sunset.





Did I say how wide the roads are now?


And back in 2018

[ashis89]

We were back before it was dark. Clouds were gathering and slowly, it appeared like an approaching storm. We were worried as the next day was pre-planned and very important for us...


Anyway, with things beyond our control, we enjoyed this blooming Jacaranda , played on the swing and retired for the night.








See if you can get a glimpse of the Anayirankal dam


Gloom descends...



Few words about Sterling Munnar

Location: It is situated about 20 kms from Munnar town. It takes about 30-40 mins to get back to town if one has to. Club Mahindra is next door.

View: Sterling is surrounded by tall trees in the front and a hill at the back. As such, view is restricted except few valley facing rooms (such as ours) which overlooks the dam below. Club Mahindra is situated at a height and would have a better view of the valley.





Dam visible in the evening


Hidden behind cloud at dawn


Service: Post Covid, the property is heavily understaffed (I spoke to few of the employees there) but they do their best so the guests don't feel this gap. Staffs were very good but service can be lacking at times. The property manager was a nice guy who gave us good tips for our sightseeing plans.

Food: They have buffet spread available for dinner, which we tried on day 1. Some of the items were good, some were not. Next day onwards (next 3 days), we tried ala-carte and all the dishes were very good. Prices were reasonable too. While their menu card is very brief, ask the waiters for your dish of choice and they comply (even if unavailable on the menu).

Other food options nearby:
Based on Mrs.A research, we tried lunch at Tea Breeze restaurant on Day 4. Less than a 100 mts from Sterling, one can walk down here. The restaurant faces the tea gardens and has a nice view during the day (dark at night). It was late afternoon when we reached and most of the items were sold out. They had Kerala chicken biriyani for us which was tasty. However, the place wasn't too hygienic.

Biryani at Tea Breeze


There are few other restaurants within walking distance, and a food truck in front of Club Mahindra which serves Maggi. We didn't get a chance to explore those.

Things to do at the Sterling property:
The property is spread across a hill and the buildings are scattered. Their backyard overlooks a bigger hill. There are rocks to climb on and a dense forest behind it. In the front, there are a couple of swings, some play area and long grass lawn, surrounded by trees. Our experience at their spa was also very good. We spent few hours every day, relaxing in the garden and on the swings. Their gym and indoor games setup remained unexplored.





They have this interesting bird know-hows put up across the staircase

[ashis89]

Kolukkumalai Peak

Kolukkumalai view point is famous for sunrise. One has to reach the spot by 5:45AM to get a view of sun rising up the mountain peaks. This peak is in Tamil Nadu but viewed from across the border, Kerala.

The view point isn't far off from Chinnakanal but the road makes you question whether it is worth it. The last motorable point is Suryanelli. Beyond this, good old Jeeps (2wd) take you up the mud road, stones, rocks and ruts. The road is open throughout the year, unless there are heavy rains during which the Forest dept closes the road. One has to fill and submit a form at this check gate @Suryanelli before moving ahead.

We had kept the Kolukkumalai trip for the last day. But the overcast sky the previous evening made us regret our decision. The jeep had been booked in advance by the resort and the vehicle duly turned up at 4:30AM. And so, we started. The next 1 hour was a back breaking ride and both of us held on tightly to our seats.

When the road improved for a short span, I tried to capture a video and failed miserably.

https://youtu.be/jnEMZeAP5W8

We reached the spot by 5:45AM, climbed up a tea garden slope and settled ourselves for the magic show ready to unfold. The wind was cold and our hoodies were proving to be insufficient.






























































Is it worth waking up at 3:30AM and taking the treacherous ride, just to witness the sun rise up behind the mountains? YES.


While talking to the driver, I told him of my apprehension of the cloudy night and fear of the rains being a spoilsport. He explained that if it rains in Munnar or Chinnakanal (although it didn't the previous night), we can see the sunrise as the peak lies in TN. The peak is in a rain shadow area which helps as well. That said, if the view point itself is covered in cloud/fog, one can't see anything.

There's a small cafeteria near the view point which serves hot break-fast and tea. We weren't hungry so we chose multiple cups of superb black tea. Returned to the resort, had breakfast and spent rest of morning roaming around the property.

We went to Tea Breeze for a late lunch and then, to spend the evening, I suggested we go to Anayirankal dam again.

[ashis89]

During the last visit, I had liked the place - perfect to spend a lazy evening. The other such place I liked was the view from Noor Giri resort. But I had to be lazy to look for a lazy evening and as such, the dam was close by.













The sky was overcast and then, we could see the rains up the hills (in Chinnakanal). Few minutes later, the rain had drifted here as well and we had to return.






I downloaded a couple of videos from the dashcam for the return leg during rains

https://youtu.be/w8QZnGOmx4s

https://youtu.be/ry5PvnyKPuw

All in all, we experienced all the seasons (hot, cold and wet) during our 4 day stay in Munnar.

[ashis89]

For the next two days, we were staying at Meghamalai. It is a 120 kms/3 hrs drive from Chinnakanal. Hence, we had our breakfast and checked out from Sterling by 10:30AM. On the return leg, I chose the Chinnakanal - Bodimettu route as it is more scenic.





The road passes by the banks of Anayirankal reservoir (we spotted wild elephants here in 2018 who can come to drink water), through the villages of Singikandam and Muthuvan Kudi and has sparse traffic.









Unlike 2018, the road is in very good shape (although narrow). Just before hitting NH85, the last 1km is a super steep section and has to be negotiated carefully.

https://youtu.be/sivhEfXbtVc

We climb down the hills and on the plains, just before hitting Theni town, we turn right towards Kumily. A little south and then at Chinnamanur, the road branches off towards Meghamalai. The double lane road is in perfect shape and one can see a windmill farm right next to the road on this stretch.







Before we start ascending the new hills, there's a forest check gate where we have to enter all the details of the vehicles and travelers (here onwards, there's no mobile network except for BSNL). The road ahead is again wide and excellent.





We crossed the Highwavys dam and found it bone dry. A little further, the Manalar reservoir had some water. After crossing the Highwavys dam, suddenly one is greeted with this green carpet, also called tea gardens .



Workers harvesting the leaves for processing


The WoodBriar group has close to 1000 hectares of tea gardens in Meghamalai. Along with that, they also have 3 bungalows which are located almost next to each other and are available for rent. The Cloud Mountain bungalow and the Manallar cottages are next to the Manalar reservoir.

We had booked the Sand River Cottages which is the 3rd bungalow, located about 20ft higher than the other 2 and overlooks the tea gardens. The area is frequented by elephants (we didn't spot any) and bisons can be seen grazing on the hill slope, among the tea gardens (we spotted a bunch of them). These cottage/bungalows are old structures which have been retained as such for the vintage feels and might seem very sparse. That said, some of the furniture and fittings do need repair/maintenance.

We reached the cottage by 1:30PM. The last 2 kms is a metaled road which has not been black-topped but can be done in any car.




Lunch had been ordered in advance as these cottages are at some distance from the town and don't have any shops/restaurants nearby. A sumptuous and tasty meal was waiting for us when we arrived. Out of the 2 rooms in Sand River bungalow, we had booked one while the other was empty. As such, we had the whole bungalow to ourselves (dining area and drawing room is common for both rooms). As for artificial comforts, there's a pedestal fan in the bedroom and a LCD tv with Tata Sky connection in the common drawing room.





The lunch spread just for the two of us


The next two days, we had a tough time having a normal meal. All their preparations were simple, super tasty but too elaborate for us. We used to end up over-eating on each occasion (had been the trend since the time we left home as the food at Munnar was excellent as well)! Special mention of their payasam which they had for lunch on Day 2. It was so tasty, that I requested the chef to give me some for dinner if possible. And he did, which I ate like a glutton *embarrassed*



Cloud Mountain bungalow is their central/head unit. The kitchen operates out of it and supplies food to the remaining bungalows. The bungalows also have a staff room where one caretaker stays (almost throughout the day)
Cloud Mountain has a wifi setup. The signal can be received near the boundary wall of Sand River (sometimes, in the dining area too). One can make wifi calls here or send messages, if necessary. Most of the staff understand Tamil only while the 'manager' gets away with some English too.

Due to the tall trees, the tea gardens and the reservoir nearby, one can see a variety of birds hopping around the place.


After that heavy lunch, Mrs.A sat down with her book. While I lay down on the lawn and had a quick nap (once again the mat in my car's boot came in handy)


In the evening, the staff offered to take us around the gardens. As the area is frequented by elephants, they insisted that a person would accompany us.







A couple of bisons were grazing on the hill slopes






By evening, it is chilly and cold as the night falls. Since the rooms aren't as airtight as a hotel room, one can experience the cold.

[ashis89]

I love my sleep. Mrs.A loves the sunrise. So as her usual self, she was up early and witnessed the mist covered hill and reservoir (sorry no sunrise view there).







By the time I was up, the sun was shining bright. It was time for a nice cup of black tea before I stepped out.





Me trying to catch the wifi signal from the building in the distant background


Another heavy breakfast!


Mrs.A was shooting the squirrel...


While I continued vying for wifi to check my emails


We saw a couple of giant squirrels playing on the adjacent tree. I also managed to click this Malabar Whistling Thrush which had caught my attention since the time we arrived. Its whistle is so soothing and can be easily mistaken as being done by a human.






A shy waterfall

Within the WoodBriar plantations, there's a small waterfall. This is private road/property and one has to take permission to visit the place. Also the road itself turns into a dirt track with rocks. As such, we preferred hiring a Sumo for this trip which was arranged by the bungalow manager. Once can also negotiate with the taxis available at the entrance to this private road.

The narrow trail within the tea estate


On the way to the waterfall, we saw a few lion tailed macaques on the trees.


After a point, the car has to be parked and one has to walk 200 mts. over the stones into the forest to reach the waterfall. The waterfall is a very small one, hidden away in the corner and covered with trees and bushes (the experience can be underwhelming). In fact, during non-monsoon seasons, it can be called a stream. But the view of the jungle and the lush green tea plantation more than make up for the experience.

Hidden in the corner, is the waterfall












Although we didn't see any elephants, the presence of their dung showed they must be visiting the waterbodies (reservoir and waterfall, both).

A view and a cornered dam

The caretaker had told us of a view point which was about 7 kms beyond the bungalows. It was the same metaled road for the first couple of kms but worsened into a mud road later. The Sumo took us and I was happily perched on its sofa like seats. I can rave about my fond childhood memories with the Sumo but I would digress. So the clattery 3.0L powered machine ambled along the bad roads.

The Eravangalar dam is on the left side and hill is on the right of the road. It is a forest dept. area and one needs an entry ticket to climb up the hill. Once up, you can see the valley below and, a glimpse of the dam far away. The dam and this view point are in one corner of TN. A little further, and one enters KL.
















The day's activities were over and we back at the bungalow by 2PM, in time for lunch. Post another heavy lunch, we clicked few pics and explored the tea gardens.



The person, in this picture above, was the area supervisor who explained me some basics of the tea gardens (or whatever I could get from my broken Tamil + his broken English). The soft light green leaves at the top are useful for making tea. The plants (or rather trees) are trimmed once new leaves have grown and the plants are non-uniform. The hardened leaves are deeper shade of green and are of no use post harvesting (harvesters skim the top layer for the young soots before they mature). For the entire 1000 hectares of land, WoodBriar has a factory nearby (we crossed it on our way to the dam earlier on the day) to process the leaves. They produce dust tea which is sold in whole sale market or exported.


By 4PM, dark clouds were approaching and then it started raining. Within an hour, it was pouring and it continued raining for the rest of the evening/night. Must say, it was a little scary to witness so much rains when perched in complete darkness and surrounded by hills and jungle. Next day, we came to know that Meghamalai had received rains after almost 3 months. People were concerned about this dry spell and looking for this rain as the water bodies had dried up. The rains had been more than welcome.





In a way again, we had experienced all the weather @Meghamalai - heat, cold and rains.

[ashis89]

The day of return is always painful. Woke up next day to find a clear sky and a clean view of everything. Post tea, we walked up to the reservoir one last time, saw three bisons on the hill slope, witnessed the birds chirping/whistling away.














Post breakfast, we started by 11AM. Intention was to have a relaxed drive back to Bangalore so we reach late in the evening and of course, avoid traffic.

This is the approach road to the bungalows. On the immediate right, there's Cloud mountain (with its wifi!). Up ahead on the right is Manalar. On the left and up the slope is Sand River. Cloud mountain and Manalar are about 10ft below the road level while Sand River is 15 ft above it.



View of Cloud Mountain from the road. Mrs.A was clicking pics while I was downloading the map for the return leg


Distance of Meghamalai from other cities








And the green cover diminishes...


A family meeting going on



Kodaikanal from a distance



Once we were back on the plains, the next question was lunch@where? The Thalapakatti outlet at Batlagundlu looked fresh and inviting. But it was too early for lunch. Besides, after our experience at Theni I didn't want to take a chance at a new outlet again (my wife and in-laws visited this outlet later on April 15th and had a very nice experience). We had had very good experience at The Residency, Karur and would have preferred going there but it would be almost 3PM by the time we reach. I suggested we stick to Dindigul but try some new place in the city.

Venu's biriyani is a famous place which we have avoided in the past as it was in the heart of the city. Today was our leisure day and perfect opportunity to try it out. The place was swarming with visitors when we arrived at 2PM and the guard directed me to park it on the road ahead. I had no choice but to do so. Next, we had to wait 10 mins in the queue to get a seat in the restaurant. The mutton biriyani and the karandi omlette was good but nothing extra-ordinary. Got couple of takeaways for my brother's family and we were on our way out of the city.

Since the traffic was sparse post Dindigul, I egged Mrs.A to get behind the wheels and hone her driving skills. She drove well but was flustered once we entered Salem and wanted the passenger seat back. Next was a brief coffee break at A2B Thoppur at 6PM. Refueled again at the BP bunk next to it. FE was 15.3 kmpl for the last 765 kms.

A beautiful sunset behind us


Per Bangalore standards (that too on a weekend), traffic had been less and my formula had worked well. By 8:45PM, we had reached by brother's place.

A 1358 km trip

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[mankuthimma]

Let me take the honor of commenting first !

Excellent travelogue, Lovely pictures and looks like you had a blast altogether !

The region beyond Batlagundu is like a peace of heaven that has fallen on this part of the earth. Amazing natural beauty, amazing roads, amazing people! Now it has become a routine for us to visit this region whenever we need a good break. Just returned having spent a week there.

Personally I love places like Meghamalai, which are offbeat, non-touristy hence effectively in pristine condition. Brought back good memories looking at your pictures. Thanks again for this beautiful travelogue.

[jithin23]

Munnar always has been my favourite place to visit in South India and it never fails to mesmerize me! Even I had been in the same circuit except Meghamalai(will visit next time) the previous week.

I stayed at the Tea Harvester and missed the sunset at Kollukumalai.

Since I travel almost every weekend, I hardly have time to write blogs. Will share a few pics from my trip

[black.beauty]

Munnar is the only place yet, where I've used the word "breath taking". The bright green carpet spread across multiple mountain slopes for as far as your eyes can see is pure mesmerising. The icing is, even the roads to the top are one of the best moutain roads: Broad, Pot hole free and buttery smooth. Thanks for sharing.

[Atom]

Amazing photographs... It feels so soothing to see lush green everywhere. Tea Bungalows in comparison to regular hotels offer a whole new paradigm to the vacation. Though some creature comforts that we are so used to and obsessed with nowadays might be unavailable (Wi-fi, 4G), the view that is offered to the world's greatest optics, our eyes is second to none. Beautiful captures and smooth narrative. Thanks for sharing.