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Curving Roads, Murmuring Forests, and the First Threads of Friendship
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Athirapally
​The winding road from Valparai to Athirapally gets narrow at a few stretches and rough as well. Passing through tea estates, forests, and temporary waterfalls kept us company all along. After entering our details at the forest check-post, we continued to descend into the warmer part of Kerala. Thinking about all the news of elephant encounters, we rode along, spotting not even one. The ride through the forest—the curves, the terrain—was just as I had expected, sans the terrible traffic, thanks to the Sunday. The route is mesmerising, and the curves free-flowing, with a few hairpin bends here and there, though not as sharp as they are when coming from Pollachi. The humongous penstock pipes going down to the Sholayar Dam reminded me of the pipes en route to Theni from Kumily. Both appear to fulfill the same function—supplying water to Tamil Nadu. Lunch at a basic bamboo-set-up restaurant in the forest was simple and filling. The tapioca with tea made for a good side dish just after lunch. The traffic worsened as we approached Vazachal waterfalls. It was a task to tackle the tourist rush visiting the famous Athirapally waterfalls. After filling up with fuel at a nearby petrol station, we reached our place of stay before sunset.
​The stay at Athirapally—Plantation Valley—could not have been better, right next to the Chalakudy River, flowing not so peacefully but in a rhythmic cadence. The short waterfall nearby kept us company as white noise throughout the night. The next morning, after an early breakfast, we headed to the Athirapally waterfalls, where songs like Barso Re, some parts of Jiya Jale, scene from Raavan and so on are shot. The short hike to the base of the falls was a good cardio warm-up. Returning to Plantation Valley, we saddled up and began the ride in the hot, humid afternoon.
Soon, we crossed the Chalakudy River. On the other side, the forest welcomed us with shaded roads, albeit mostly broken stretches. Passing through the hot and humid parts of Kerala, tackling the devil’s own people’s driving, we made a quick stop at Malayatoor Church. Crossing the Periyar River, passing Kothamangalam, and riding for a while on the Kochi–Munnar road (with a lot of road work), we made a tea stop at a relatively new tea shop. The guy who served us was excited to see us on our bikes and asked for a photo, which we happily agreed to. The owner suggested an alternate interior route, which turned out to be picturesque—with a thundering waterfall and narrow, winding roads.