Life is full of
surprises. Just when you wonder about the no – road – only – rocks and pebbles
for road kind of a remote village up in the hills (Sholayur in Anaikatty - Kerala) will get some decent connectivity
someday, it gets a brand new concrete/tar road all the way up to and beyond
the village the very next year. Gives a sense of hope and thought that
somewhere something is improving to make people’s lives better no matter
where they are, no? Yes it is an off
- beat place which makes it a spectacular vista, surrounded by mountain ranges
and lush green forest.
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| Sholayur, above Anakatti |
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| The weather conditions were pleasant, not too sunny but windy |
Our ride again
was my friend’s Wagon R - the blue-eyed boy. The car had clocked some 15000 odd
kilometres and we were about to add a few hundred more. The boxy, spacious hatch has a
heart that is a peppy 998 cc 3 - pot K10B petrol motor, churning out a max
power of 68PS and 90Nm of torque. It has a 5-speed manual transmission that
gives power to the front wheels. That fifth gear isn’t much use in the city –
more for highway usage due to its short gearing. The gearbox is quick shifting
and combined with the eager engine, it’s a fun city car. The front and rear
seats can be split 60:40. The boot capacity is 185 liters, sufficient for a
quick weekend getaway. The quality of the materials used for interiors could
have been better. The dual tone beige and black interiors go well with the
overall interiors. The silver finish around the controls in the dashboard has a
nice feel to it.
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| Lawns spread across - a very common sight in these areas. |
The route to
Anaikatty is the same route as mentioned in my earlier
ride to Anaikatti on the FZ and Fazer back in 2012. The only difference being
the road was newly laid offering a better driving experience and the monsoon –
turning all the barren landscape to lush greenery - such a brilliant sight. It's a perfect one day getaway for unwinding yourself among the verdant hills and windmills surrounded by the calm atmosphere and grazing cattle. Sounds like a page out of Heidi right?
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| En route to Sholayur |
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| The Wagon R poses for Photo shoot |
Our variant was
the VXi and it supported Mp3 and AUX input to keep us entertained. It also has
central locking, cup holders, power windows for all four sides, a decent
pioneer music system with 4 speakers and power steering. The tall stance (1670
mm height) provides a commanding view for a small hatch. It also contributes to
a fair bit of body roll and is unstable at speeds exceeding 100kmph. The only
serious flaw in the car is the thick A-pillar which obstructs the view and
creates a blind spot. It could be dangerous while negotiating hairpin bends
while driving in the hills. I had to bend forward or look in the passenger side
window to see any oncoming traffic. The NVH levels in the cabin is more because
it isn’t well insulated as the engine noise at high revs crept in along with
the road noise in the highways. The car sits on 155/65R14 on all four corners,
braking is taken care of discs up front and drum brakes at the rear.
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| A lot of area for camping |
The 165mm of
ground clearance also meant that no underbody damage while encountering some
rough terrain here and there. And the legendary aspect of the car – love it or
hate it - it simply doesn’t forgive you
if you try to hit a bump or speed breaker in 2nd gear – ‘no sir you
need to come back to cog 1 and then move me, else I’ll stop bang in the middle
of the road’ attitude. Imagine this strict attitude of the car when climbing
hills. We had that sort of experience when we went to Mudumalai in the same car
some years back. But since my friend was learning to drive at that time, I
thought it was his fault. Sigh.
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| Sholayur - a remote hill above Anaikatti |
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| The spacious and airy cabin of the Wagon R |
Enter day 2. After
driving to and from Anaikatty, a sudden plan to visit the mighty Athirapally
falls materializes. By 8 am we were off from my place near Maruthamalai. With the handy google maps with us, we hit the road on our
way to Palakad. We tanked 13.61 liters of petrol, had a light breakfast at the
Gowrishankar hotel at Palghat highway. There is a route connecting my place to Palakad
highway, which goes via Perur – Kovaipudur. This route has less traffic comparing
to the route that goes through the city via Ukkadam. Without any stops
elsewhere, with the weather being cloudy and rainy for most of the trip, we
were driving through the plains. One can also access the roads via Valparai
- Chalakudi - Athirapally. But the hills of Valparai slow
you down and it is recommended that a night stay at Valparai and an early
morning getaway to Athirapally falls can give the best of both worlds for a two
or three-day trip. With time being the constraint for a two day trip, we opted
for the plains for a one-dayer.
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| Salem - cochin highway |
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| en route to Thrissur on the salem - cochin highway |
We assumed that
being a weekday the crowd might be less. Surprise, surprise. It seemed like
most of the people in Kerala had come to visit the falls. It was a mad rush,
much like visiting a carnival. Finding a parking space had become difficult. We
parked the car some half km away from the entrance. One needs to get the
entrance tickets that cost Rs 30 / person and charges for the vehicle. The hike to
the falls involves nearly 1km with the paths well paved with bamboos at the
side that make a border with the forest. One can hear the gushing of the water
as you approach the falls. Once you head down to the base of the falls – the
clearing makes way to a spellbinding sight – the Athirapally falls roaring down
from a height of 25 meters, with four clearings for the river water to drop.
The jet stream that forms after the water hits the rocks form a gentle spray to
fall on you – so gentle that it’s only after sometime after you have spent
ogling at the falls you realize that you are partially drenched - and it wasn’t
raining. The sheer volume of the water that flows down the four clearings is
simply overwhelming. After spending one and a half hours just staring at the
falls, wildly taking pictures and videos of it, we hit came back for some
lunch. An hour later, we hit the road, at around 4 pm turning back to
Coimbatore.
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| The gentle spray drenches you completely |
The return journey was not much eventful. A traffic jam at Kuthiran for nearly 2 hrs
dulled the experience. We were exhausted. But that wasn’t enough it seems. Dullness has to
go right? Did I mention a third companion during our return trip? A
Centipede. A big one mind you! A not – so – pleasant surprise. It was crawling
in my right foot and initially, I dismissed it as a bug. Only to find out in the
flash of streetlight that hit my hand – it was crawling there and almost bit
me! And after giving it a farewell by the side of the highway we were on our
way - with some peace of mind and some alertness. How it entered the car formed
the base of the conversation for the next few minutes after which it diverted
to politics, cars and the usual men stuff. We reached home at 11 pm, 3 hrs late
by our estimate due to the jam. We had driven 388km tanking up 20.36 liters
of petrol, with the car giving an economy of 19.05kmpl. The car has a 35-liter
fuel tank and can give a range of 665km before tanking up. Overall the Wagon
R is a practical, no-nonsense, and spacious city car with decent interiors.
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| view of the falls from the top |
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| view of the falls from the bottom |
The Athirapally falls is a gem of a place in
India, surrounded by the picturesque Sholayar Peaks, the dense jungle foliage (Vazhachal forest)
through which the waters flow to the Arabian Sea. The fact that it is often
referred to as the Niagara Falls of India says a lot about it. A picture can
say a thousand words. But the video clip below offers a glimpse of the mighty
falls that is Athirapally. Best time to visit is after monsoon where the falls
will be in its full glory.
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| My friend Muthuraj and his Wagon R |
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| The roaring Athirapally falls |
