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Munnar, Eravikulam, Top Slip and Ooty
And finally, it was time for me to get married. I married Christy on the 20th of
May at her place near Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
After the ceremonies and functions, we left her place on the 25th and driving through
Madurai, Theni and Bodinaiyackanur reached Munnar by late evening.
The Bodi-Munnar ghat road is under repairs and is opened to traffic only after
6pm, for the past 1 year. I didn't know this fact, and had to wait 2 hours at the checkpost
past Bodi from where the Ghat road commences. This road is very narrow, and a few kms up,
the down-going vehicles started arriving, and resulted in a heavy traffic jam that cleared after
some 2 hours.
At Munnar we visited Rajamalai in Eravikulam National Park to see any luck with the Tahrs.
Luckily, the last of the few tahrs were just leaving the area as we arrived, and I got some good
photographs. The Nilgiri Tahrs are one of the toughest goats, and I admire them for their toughness
and ability to survive the harshest conditions and negotiate the steepest cliffs. You should see them
to believe it.
At the resort where we stayed I was fortunate to manage a couple of photographs of the elusive
Malabar Whistling Thrush, one of our most accomplished singers.
On 27th we left Munnar and driving through Chinnary Wildlife Sanctuary, Udumalpet and Pollachi,
reached Top Slip by evening after making payments for the Tree House at
the Wildlife Warden's office at Pollachi. Top Slip is the tourist area of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.
IGWLS houses some rare species like Nilgiri Langur, Lion Tailed Macaques, Ceylon Frogmouths, King Cobras
among a host of other wildlife. We stayed at the treehouse down the road for two nights. There were some gaurs
grazing right under the treehouse on the second night. We also saw Nilgir Langurs above the tree house.
White Bellied Treepie, Minivets, Rollers, Babblers, Barbets, Woodpeckers, Magpie Robins were common.
On the 28th we passed IGWLS to Kerala and into Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. With a guide along from the
Kerala checkpost, we did a leisurely drive through Parambikulam and visited the 360 year old Teak tree(Kannimara),
Thunacadavu and Parambikulam dams.
Parambikulam and IGWLS together form a great wildlife hotspot and is a delight for any birder or wildlifer.
We returned to the treehouse in Top Slip by evening after the venture into Parambikulam.
On 29th morning we left Top Slip and driving through Pollachi, Coimbatore and Mettupalayam reached a crowded Ooty
by afternoon. In the evening we visited the Botanical Gardens where I saw Great Tits and White Eyes in good proximity
for photogrpahing, but unfortunately the light was too bad.
At the hotel where we stayed I met Clement Francis, and he showed me where a blackbird was nesting.
On the 30th early morning myself and Clement went after a Black and Orange Flycatcher, but the elusive bird gave us
the slip. Later we checked out and headed for Bangalore. But before that I thought I'll show her Doddabetta so
we visited the much crowded Doddabetta. It was good that I visited Doddabetta, since I managed to get a couple of
photographs of the endemic Nilgiri Laughing Thrush there. Some Great Tits were also there to be shot.
Leaving Ooty at noon, we drove down through the Kalhatty Road to Masinagudi and Mudumalai, and past the checkpost into
Bandipur. After a late lunch at Pugmarks(JLR) immediately after Bandipur, we headed for Bangalore through Gundlupet and Mysore.
The Mysore-Bangalore highway used to be a nightmare for anyone travelling that stretch, but now it is being four-laned.
If you are heaving a sigh of relief, hold that- the road is full of speed-breakers or road humps, and every couple of kilometers
you'll have to stop dead to go over them. There are hundreds of them in the 140-km stretch, "literally". So the travel time
doesn't decrease at all.
We touched Bangalore by 8PM. It also marks a new beginning for me, personally.
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