The road not taken in Kodaikanal hills - Pannaikadu - Thandikudi - Pachaloor

[barathee]

This is another unexpected hill ride I had yesterday!

I was suppose to go to my sisters house yesterday, decided to go in my glady! I was supposed to start by 4-00 early in the morning and reach there around 7 or 7-30 so that I can escape from the hot sun. Kept the alarm to ring at 3-00, safely I got up around 04-45 . Got ready in another 30 mins with a lovely shower; With morning warm up I switched to first gear by 5-15. On the way I got some money from ATM. Poor security man, he was sleeping inside the A/C

The route was very simple, Pudukkottai to Manapparai (state highway) - enjoying NH 45 till Dindigul - then take NH 210 till Oddanchatram and come back! There was a rain in the previous night so the journey was very chill. The road is good and bad. construction of bridges are going on. I had a spectacular sunrise and peacocks & snakes crossing on the way (lost those pics aww )

Reached Manapparai at 7-00 (58 KMs @ 1 hr and 30 mins). I stopped there for natures call followed by a phone call Now we join in NH 45 now. We need to travel next 60 kms in this. Four laning is in progress, so there are very many take diversions. we keep on travelling left and right side now and then. The completed road is buttor smooth. we reach 80 (my limit always!! ). No sun is not hot. so travel is much smooth. reached Dindigul byepass - Palani junction at 08-15 AM. (69 KMs @ 1 hr and 15 mins). We need to continue in NH 210 to reach the destination. But the cool weather and the lovely wind makes me so crazy. I need to travel more. I dont want to close this lovely journey in another 20 kms.

I called my sis, asking her not to wait for me. I will join her for lunch. I am going for uphilling and downhilling. hee hee..



No right turn, I travelled stright.... reach Kodaikanal Road junction, take right to enjoy BH 45 Extn!, the road is not so smooth as that of earlier. But okay. The sun is a bit horrible now. I dint have enough petrol to do hilling. Stopped at Sempatti and topped up. The petrol boy was so funny, he was asking why I placed the front number plate in that place ( yamaha's foolish's design!!



We again continue exploring... crossed Batlagundu and reach the Ghat road junction. We need to take right here to go to Kodaikanal. Yes, No second thought.


After some distance in plain, (the road is full of shadows.. Tamarind trees on both sides), we tough the ghat road... our uphilling starts here in 4th gear. (09:15AM 43 KMs @ 1 hr )The road is smooth. not much vehicle, since the summer vacations are over. took photos here and there. Sun is hot enough but it is very cool to travel beneath the trees.

I need to mention that, there are plenty of routes going to Kodaikanal. But Batlagundu - Kodaikanal route is the safer one. hair pin pends are very less. This road was laid by British, ppl told me.










Mostly I was driving between 30 to 40 KMPH since I feel it is quiet comfortable always. When there is plain, go ahead for 60! nothing beyond it! There is a place called 'Dam Dam Paarai' (paarai - hill in tamil!), where we can get a view of the valley and a falls. I could see water is just woozing out in that place. I am not interested in sight seeing, I throttled again. I am very much eager to enter into 'the road not taken'. Actually now the route is changed to Dindigul - Batlagundu - Pannaikaadu - Thaandikudi - Paachaloor - Oddanchatram!

Very soon I reached the Pannaikadu deviation, taking right and travel in Kodaikanal is just 20 kms if we go stright. We continue our travel in the deviated route. This road is hardly taken. Mostly it is used by public transports which goes into the villages in the hills. I stopped here for a short break!





You can see, the road is damaged very much. Even the concrete at the end of the road is also worn out.

Being hardly used, the nature is not spoiled here. I could see greenish bushes and trees on both sides of the road. Some places you will be travelling in the road, which never seen the sunlight! amazing thing is I could see the bushes as a flower compound for the road! No body should miss it. But the road is bad. some times I need come down below 20 kmph.


After Pannaikadu, next destination is Thandikudi, The road is much better now. Now I am alone. I am the only person exploring. The horses, horse boys and other jeeps stopped wiith pannaikadu. I like this loneliness! But I dint know, that will worry me at the later point of time!

I could see a view of a valley and dam on the way. (10-25 AM)











Very soon, We reach Thandikudi. I was very cautious about the roads and its branches. So I stopped in suspected places, to enquire the route. Now we turn to right.




Next target is Thadiyan Kudisai The Hindu : Front Page : Novel tourism project for Thadiyankudisai via Mangalam kombu. Another 10 KMs!

Lot of uphilling and downhilling. very many hairpin pends. some times I need to go to second gear for uphilling. very nice, 1 st gear at two places!! At one place I saw the road is again branch.. Nobody body was there except a teashop and its owner. that lady told me to take left. I need to go to Kuppamma patti, KC patti and Pachalur. I was consued about a bit since what she told is different from my earlier enquiries. Then I realised that I reached thadisai kudisai, we need to reach our next target, which is Pachalur. Thanking her, we downhill and uphill again. The road is very bad due to rains. dark shadows and very heeeeeiiiiiiii trees. On the way I could talk to a few persons, realised that 1 Liter petrol is 70 rupees there..!

Again we reach a place called 'Kuppamma patti', where ppl suggested to take the short cut which can skip KC patti and lead to Pachalur, which may save around 5 kms. But the short cut is still steep.. While doing downhilling in second gear, my glady is vrroooming much.. then again uphilling.. downhilling.. uphilling... oofff.. Reached Pachaloor The Hindu : Metro Plus Chennai / Travel : Perfect for picnics on time (12-00 noon) and our final target is Oddanchatram which is 30 kms from here. Now the travel is much smooth because of good roads.

Mostly downhilling, U pends, Bamboo forests!







I was flying like a bee! Now I could feel it is tooo hot.. yes elevation is came down to 500 from 1600 and 1200! Non stop raid via Vadakadu, reached my sis's house to get all their scoldings at 01-00 Noon! (30 kms @ 1 hr)


Distance : 232 KMs - NH 45, 45 Extn, NH 7, state&village roads
Max speed reached: Plains - 80@NH 45, hills: 50@Pachalur - Vadakadu

[hiambuj]

Awesome pics !! Nice ride, unplanned, on-the-route decision !!

How could the watchman be poor, sleeping in AC

[goodlookingrascal]

Sharp and clear pics! Which Camera?
Carry on jaani!

[vinayaksingh]

Nice Account buddy. We click these pics at almost same place

Your pic



My pic

[anupmathur]

Lovely pics!
And you made extensive use of the open source GPS, haha!

[subratseet]

Vinayak Great Log. Nice Pictures. Keep pouring.

[barathee]

Originally Posted by hiambuj

Awesome pics !! Nice ride, unplanned, on-the-route decision !!

How could the watchman be poor, sleeping in AC

ha ha.. nice quote. in that case, the watch man will be the well-sophisticated, since he is in AC, though we have power cut. Do you know, we at Tamilnadu face atleast 2 - 3 hrs power cut daily.

Thanks Hiambuj!

Originally Posted by goodlookingrascal

Sharp and clear pics! Which Camera?
Carry on jaani!

Hi GLR! Thanks! thats my mobile camera.

Originally Posted by vinayaksingh

Nice Account buddy. We click these pics at almost same place

Your pic



My pic

Attachment 79997

That was an interesting co-incidence. If I am not wrong, I read your travelog and replied you back you had a very tiresome journey that time I guess. Thanks for sharing your comment.

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Lovely pics!
And you made extensive use of the open source GPS, haha!

Anup Sir, ha ha.. you are right. I have a reason. 1st - Google maps dint cover the ghat road. But Yahoo map is well connected and well documented in that case. But Yahoo map has its own difficulty like changing the route as per our wish etc.. thats why I had devided the route in three parts!

Originally Posted by subratseet

Vinayak Great Log. Nice Pictures. Keep pouring.

Hi subrat! thanks for your visit and comments

[vinayaksingh]

Originally Posted by subratseet

Vinayak Great Log. Nice Pictures. Keep pouring.

Subrataseet, thanks for the comments but please give compliments to Barathee. This is not my log.

[subratseet]

But your pic is also Awesome.

[hiambuj]

Originally Posted by barathee

ha ha.. nice quote. in that case, the watch man will be the well-sophisticated, since he is in AC, though we have power cut. Do you know, we at Tamilnadu face atleast 2 - 3 hrs power cut daily.

Come to UP, we have 8 hrs of cut daily !!