Chennai - Udumalpet - Pollachi - Valparai - Palani - Chennai Road trip

Trip: Chennai - Udumalpet - Pollachi - Valparai - Palani - Chennai
Distance: 1400 kms total
Route: Chennai - Vellore(132kms) - Krishnagiri(130kms) - Thoppur - Mettur - Bhavani - Perundurai - Kangayam - Palladam - Udumalpet.

Udumalpet - Pollachi - Valparai - Chinnakallar.

Return: Udumalpet - Palani - Dharapuram - Kangayam - Bhavani - Mettur - Thoppur - Krishnagiri - Chennai.

Crew: Me and my cousin bro Sureshettan
Vehicle: Thunderbird

This was a 3 day trip from 13-Mar-2009 to 15-Mar-2009 and it was the first time I went on an enfield. The Tunderbird was an excellent cruiser for these long rides. Eventhough there was a shadow of uncertainity on our trip regarding the condition of the vehicle, it was all cleared and we finally started by 11am on 13th March. The actual plan was to start by 5am but the trip was almost dropped as there was a minor issue in the silencer of the vehicle. Better late than never : )
We took the familiar route of Chennai - Krishnagiri - Thoppur - Mettur which we have crossed a couple of times on the way to kerala. We reached Mettur by evening and from there we took the Perundurai route to Kangayam and from there to Udumalpet via Palladam.
We reached udumalpet by 11pm and checked into hotel Anamalais. We already had the room booked for us and the hotel was the best we could find in that place. The room rent was nominal around 400 odd rupees for 24 hours. After checking in, we went out for dinner and luckily found a small roadside shop near the bus stand - the only one opened at that time.
Next day morning, we hit the road towards Pollachi..

The route was so scenic with huge windmill farms on both sides of the roadI never knew these were such huge structures and it will create a bit of scare in ur mind once u r driving so close to them. From Pollachi, we started towards Valparai up the hill.

On the way came Aliyar dam and after that the uphill trip starts. The uphill road had 40 hairpin bends and the hairpin bends they count were really true hairpins of 360 degrees along with an elevation. I really enjoyed driving the entire route. The view of the dam from the top was really superb, but we were not supposed to stop or take snaps on that route as it is a protected area.

Valparai is a small town situated on the top and the place is fully surrounded with beautiful tea plantations.

We stopped at a place called "Waterfalls" to have a tea break and to click a few snaps. There was a tea estate in the same name and there was also a small waterfalls there. The temperature was around 22 degrees at 12 o clock in the noon : )
At valparai, we had lunch from the Mary Matha mess, the only one we could find there. After that we started towards Chinnakallar - the place that recieves the 2nd highest rainfall in India.

As we started it started drizzling and we stopped for sometime to pack our cell and wallets in plastic covers. Once packed and well set, we continued to drive and in few minutes, the heavens opened up and it was pouring like anything. I took off my helmet to enjoy the rain and what to say, it was simply superb. It was like the mastercard advertisement, room rent Rs.400, petrol Rs.500, a drive in the rain thru the tea plantations - priceless. And the rain didn't stop till the time we reached Chinnakallar.
Right before Chinnakallar, we stopped at Nirar dam for some time and from there this place was a 5 minute's drive. It was a very small remote village, with a population of hardly 50 people. We got aquainted with a few local people there and they showed us the way to a small falls near there. It was a narrow path thru the wild and there was a small hanging bridge built by the British. Had a tea from there and the locals told us to leave early as the place is visited by the friends from the wild after around 6pm. We were told the bears, tigers and wild elephants use to visit in the dark regularly. By 5pm we started back and on the way took diversion to visit the famous Balaji temple there. It was a private temple owned by a Kolkata based estate owner, a small and beautiful temple surrounded by gardens. Starting from there, we took the road downhill taking a break for tea. By late evening, we reached downhill and stopped opposite to the Aliyar dam. There we had a few good hot fried fish, freshly caught from the dam. By night we reached back Udumalpet, completely tired after a day long trip.

The next day morning, we started to Palani which was near to Udumalpet and we had to attend a marriage there.

After giving our presence there for sometime, we took the Palani - Dharapuram route. The route was also very scenic and the roads were so good. From Dharapuram, we had our breakfast - cheap and tasty food.

The next major stop was at Mettur by noon. From there also we had some freshly fried fish caught from the dam. The place was a local tourist spot and was spoiled by people coming as a huge group, bringing their own food in huge vessels and having it together in the open. Inside the park near the dam, we found lots of such groups which really spoiled the beauty of the place. We came out soon and on the way back took a few snaps of the dam from outside. From there, we took the same route we went, taking breaks at regular intervals. The most enjoyable part of such trips are taking such small breaks at some strange place and having a tea or an omlette from a roadside shop, talking to them for sometime about the place and then continuing the trip. Finally, we reached back to Chennai by around 10.30 in the night, completely exhausted after 3 days of travelling without enough sleep. And before hitting the bed - 3 days, 1400 kms, lots of sweet memories to cherish - a few things to bring a smile : )