Periyar

DAY 6

As per the information gathered, we got to know the primary way to explore “Periyar Reserve” is by  ferries which ply at 2 hour intervals mainly in the morning and evening time. Since we were to leave the place before evening set in, we had only one option. Moreover, its first journey commences at 0630 hrs followed by second at 0900 hours and if you have been reading the posts all along you would definitely know which one we opted for. Yes! The second one… (Although, we realized afterwards that first one could have been better, since animals come to the lake early morning for a drink and hence there is a higher probability to come face to face with them at that time) Thus, if you ever plan on visiting this place kindly compromise on one day’s sleep, it might just prove to be worth the effort.

Here It Begins!

So, we checked out of our room, kept our luggage in a storeroom at the hotel and had our breakfast (need not mention which one) and boarded an auto which dropped us in the reserve. There is a parking area beyond which vehicles are not allowed and hence we had to walk in order to reach the (ferry) boarding point. The stroll was accompanied by a variety of bird voices in a moderately dense forest. We bought the ferry tickets after reaching the destined place and headed into a gallery which showcased various animals that abode Periyar (an informative as well as visually appealing place...I guess the forest dept. has done its homework on how to attract crowd) while we waited for the boarding to begin. The way seats are pre-allocated when you go for a movie so was the case with this ferry (a well-organized system).

There should definitely be some tigers around

Various tour packages available

More or Less! What we saw...

It was a pretty slow beginning and we hoped it would soon pick up some speed but sadly it never did, making it a very peaceful 90 minute journey. It was so serene that I eventually slept off latter half of the ride, partly due to the fact that we were able to see, leave a tiger not even an elephant. A few birds must admit though (pretty colorful ones) and a wild bison were the major sightings for us (quite disappointing) mainly because of our timing. The flora and panoramic landscape view however was quite exquisite which we thoroughly enjoyed for some time, after which I decided there were better things to do and hence dozed away (didn’t miss on any action…LOL). 

Other ways of exploring the reserve are “Tiger Trail” being the first, wherein a trained professional takes you on a track most likely (as they claim...but, who knows) taken by a tiger, and “Bamboo Rafting” wherein you get to roam around in a bamboo boat instead of a ferry (however, kindly note it isn’t in any way similar to an adrenaline rushed river rafting and hence quite dull).

Sighting of An Animal... And we went to Periyar for this guy

Major Attraction Of Periyar

Once we were through with this we came back to Thekkady, had a heavy lunch at a restaurant with enjoyable ambience and boarded a bus to reach our final destination-“Alleppy- Venice of India...or so, it's called”.  It took nearly four hours to reach this place i.e. just before sunset (not that it’s famous for sunsets or anything…for that one must consider Kanyakumari, tip of Indian mainland). One man saw us getting out of a bus and potential customers as we were, he asked us whether we were looking for accommodation. In usual circumstances one must not entertain such people but since we were three guys and he was just one we thought there isn’t any harm in having a look. He led us into a pretty narrow lane and after about ten minutes of walking we arrived at the hotel. It was more of a house turned into a guest house kind of place, but very beautiful. With a lush green garden, a hammock hanging between two coconut trees (as it must be) and white circular pebbles lying in a pattern along the perimeter of the house, it was love at first sight. We booked ourselves into one of their rooms and relaxed for a while.

As I said...more or less, what we saw

After a while as hunger was ticking in we got ready and headed for the market beside a backwater lagoon. We inquired about various ways of touring the place and got to know that there are two predominant options, one being a shikara while other a house-boat. A house-boat is definitely worth it if one is with family or in a group of more than six. Since we were just three we decided to go with the first option. A shikara charges by the hour whereas a house boat is rented for a day offering meals on deck, all included in the rent. 

Note: Thus when in a large group house-boat is definitely a great option as you need not check into a hotel at all, just book a house boat (mostly ply at noon, hence reach accordingly…would require a little bit of foresight and planning )

After we were sure about our next day’s plan we went to have our dinner (not many options available, but we did find a place serving north Indian…must mention it had an interesting variety of juices to offer) and headed for our guest-house once through with our meal.     

Another tiring day ends!!! And by tomorrow night we shall be back in college, to enjoy another oblivious period of waiting, waiting and waiting, chanting seat matrix day and night.

NO! That will never happen .