Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

Nirvana has another name

Where one can hear just the sound of water, birds and the forest, says SUDHISH KAMATH

PHOTOS: SUDHISH KAMATH

FASCINATING ALL THE WAY At Avalanchi Lake

Though Avalanchi is only 28 km from Ooty, it takes a really long time to get there because of the condition of the roads, lack of directions and the most random estimates you get from the locals. “How far,” we ask a local after driving ab out 25 km on the winding road from Ooty to Avalanchi. “Four kilometers,” says one. Two crossroads and three km later. “Three km,” says another helpful local as we ask for Avalanchi lake. The road is bumpy, rocky and bad news for the shock absorbers.

Two kilometers later. “Oh, just another three km,” says another local pointing to another turn we are supposed to take, near the Avalanchi Dam. Now, this better be worth the trip, I tell myself.

A few km later, there it is. The scenic Avalanchi lake, the most romantic setting that seemed straight out of a computer desktop wallpaper. Just our luck, there’s a bus full of noisy people on a picnic. They’ve just finished lunch and the sight of them washing their plates isn’t pretty. We wait for them to leave. The huge dead branches of the tree provide the perfect foreground for the lake. A fine place to sit down by the lake with a cuppa hot chai, freshly brewed from the hills.

The forest guest-house at Avalanchi is just a couple of km away, the locals tell us. However, the next few km took forever. With roads as bad as that, we couldn’t risk a flat tire. And then it occurs to us that people used to walking probably didn’t know their km. Thanks to the shade of the thick sholas, it isn’t that bad a trip on a summer day.

After 20 minutes, we reach the Forest Guest House. Entry beyond that point needs permission. The trek at Avalanchi is one of the most beautiful experiences for Nature lovers. With the forest officer not at the guest house, we decided to explore the area around the forest guest house. There’s a mini orchidarium that looks ordinary until you try to capture it on the camera. As you see it through the viewfinder, you realise how misleading miniatures can be. Fascinating.

Right beside the orchidarium is a clear stream of fresh water, surrounded by wild flowers and rocks to help you get you to the middle of the stream. There’s a rusty old iron bridge now topped with rickety wood right over the stream. There was no way we were going to risk getting on top of it.

This was a contrast to the vast expanse of the Avalanchi lake. A stream running in the middle of a thick forest. Absolutely no noise. Just the sound of spring water, birds and the forest. Nirvana.

From Ooty, take the road towards Avalanchi and Emerald Valley and ask directions from the locals as and when you find them. Approximately 30 km later, you should be there.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail