Treasures of Tamil Nadu

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28/02/16 arriving an hour early @ 4am but still manage to seamlessly connect to Pollachi where I enjoy morning chai until meeting up with Harish (couch surfing host) to spend a morning at his tennis club with a great crowd & super breakfast, I get to see Harish's side business venture producing artisan chocolate from their own crop. After a catch up on sleep and town stroll before an enlightening visit to one of his impressive bio diverse spice & coconut plantation. Route back via local cattle market before an awesome evening with Harish & his lovely wife. Tasty food, farming chat & a manutd win on the box. 29/02/16 a morning lie in and with my new friend's assistance jump on the bus south to Topslip for some further time in the wild. Anamalai tiger sanctuary edging the border of Parambikulam into Kerala makes for a reclusive stay, due to a lack of visitors & trekking/safari offers are group aimed after getting the keys to the onsite basic accommodation I opt to sneak off for a short afternoon excursion. next day do as ordered and pay a ranger for 2 hours 01/03/16, lots of birds, bison, deer, black langur monkeys & (still my favourite) giant squirrel spotted, before leaving I accidentally miss interpret the elephant safari option with another visitor Sundar a large bull elephant is presented to ride, good fun. Leave that afternoon bussing via Pollachi & Palani to reach lake town/come hill station Kodaikanal by late evening sniffing out an empty dorm room for 300 rupees. 02/03/16 occupy nearly all of the day walking around town & nearby areas. 03/03/16 walk to Vattangatal village sporting various foggy view points before returning to town and catching a 3pm bus to Madurai, bus into city centre and find a budget stay yet more importantly an awesome restaurant sabre sarees, chaotic little seating room but super food. 04/03/16 visit the enormous temple complex, impressive pillared halls hiding large mystic shrines lerk below the towering blue Giants. Swing by the Ghandi Museum; certainly doesn't hold back on a scaving portrayal/story board of deadly sins by the English through the ages, several items from his wardrobe including the blood stained cloth from his last day. Return to bus station after lunch and reach chinnamanur via Theni, a small town on the flat plains leading to the Megamalai mountains, wishing to explore the single road eventually leading to a dam & tea estates I search out renting a bike but to no prevail, yet, I meet Mr Abdul Harim; the kindest tailor in town and am selflessly offered his Honda hero for as long as I like, I bite his hand off and set off @ 7am 05/03/16. onward and upward on as expected a fairly poor road. Super scenery all the 40k to the beautiful lake side Megamalai highwavy tea estate, reaching further than expected & on some posh Tarmac at the end. spin around and retrace the route to chinnamanur by 3pm, jump on a bus to Kumily via cumbum (true!) a town vomiting with hotels & chocolate shops as being the main tourist port for the very popular Peyire wildlife sanctuary.

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