Tag: aruvikuzhi

St. Thomas Mount Chapel

Use the map for accurate location information.

On the Uzhavoor – Pala road, after Kudakkachira, take the left deviation at Valavoor towards Chakkampuzha. Within about 100 metres, there’s a road that goes up to the left and that’s what we want. This is a great road with steep climbs and glorious curves. After about 1.5kms,  to your left, there will be a broken, relatively narrow road passing through rubber plantation. Take that (never with a big/wide vehicle). You’ll soon be mildly ‘off-roading’ and it gets narrower as you go further.

A small, secluded chapel – the St. Thomas Mount Chapel – and a stunning view to go with it.

You MUST note that this isn’t really a Tourist/Picnic Spot. It’s just a good view from a church premise. Take pride in acting accordingly. It would be a good idea to avoid going there in groups/gangs.

The place and the views

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Getting there

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It was a sweet surprise to find a good video of the place already on YouTube. It’s slightly long – 7 minutes.
Use these timecodes to jump:
00:07 – main view, 00:40 – start of the road trip off Valavoor, 03:13 – the best curve,
03:56 – the final deviation, 05:10 – the Chapel, 05:26 – more views.

[Holy Mass timing: Sundays, 4.30 pm]

 

For the Love of Our Trees

Kottayam Pattanam is happy to tell about a little project – for the love of our trees.
It is a full-screen slideshow of some of our trees.
It’s fully automatic; you just have to load the page and watch. No controls, no clicks.
Give it about 10-20 seconds when loading for the first time.

See it here: www.kottayampattanam.com/trees/
Consider sharing the link with people who might like it.

Thank you 🙂

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Parakkalkadavile Puthumakal

Naalukalkku munpu thanne oru naadan tourist spot aarunna Parakkalkadavil chila puthumakal vannittundu. Paalathinte randu vashangalilum landscape cheythu, pavement tiles okke ittu bhangiyakki. Marangalkku chuttum irikkan thittakalum kettiyittundu. Pinne, aaru kettiyathaanennariyilla, oru oonjaalum undu. Chumma aadaan!

Location map: http://goo.gl/maps/2i7Au

(Bonus info: All these photos are straight-from-camera.)

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Walkway at Kumarakom. Into the Vembanad Lake

This walkway is at a walking distance from the Kumarakom Govt. Boat Jetty. It’s about 300m long and ends at a roofed viewpoint – the point where the canal join the Vembanad Lake. (View on map)

There is an adequately sized parking lot right beside the Jetty. A 3oo-metre walk from here, along the canal-side road will get us to the walkway. The walkway is fenced on both sides and fully paved with non-slippery tiles. Savour the view, feel the air, enjoy the walk.

There is a chapel near the end which is situated in the lake. This dramatic spot has been the location for many films, including the giant-hit Mohanlal flick – Spadikam (see the screenshots at the end).

The trip could be extended to include a 30 minute (one-way) nonstop boat journey across the Vembanad Lake to Muhamma and back on a Govt. ferry service from the Govt. Jetty. Include a visit to the Bird Sanctuary located about 3kms away in Kavanattinkara/Kumarakom Tourist Complex and you have got a solid one-day trip in hand.

And hey, the Kottayam-Kumarakom road is now super-good from Illickal. It has a Changanacherry-Alappuzha Road feel to it!

List of places to visit and things to do in Kumarakom

Ayyampara – Point of Tranquility

This time the destination is Ayyampara – a not-much-talked-about-but-wonderful place to get your mind soothed like never before, and probably never again. Evenings suit best.

The 2000 ft-above-sea level spot is a 5km uphill drive from Teekoy Church Junction, which is 7kms from Erattupetta on the Erattupetta – Vagamon route.

As of now, it isn’t crowded or noisy. Silent & calm. You’re suggested to enjoy the experience as soon as possible – before it gets transformed into a typical tourist spot. There is no shops around. But there’s a Church and the Ayyampara temple right at the peak. Park your vehicle somewhere in the sides, get out and stroll around like we did:

…And slowly get your mind imprinted with views like these:

Now that you want to be there, here are few tips:

  • There are a few KSRTC buses passing through Ayyampara, starting from Erattupetta depot.
  • If you’re driving, keep yourselves ready to face one of the above-mentioned buses coming downhill. The road isn’t wide enough for a normal/smooth pass-by.
  • When traveling from Kottayam, it’s suggested to use Pala as a halt/stop over if needed. Top up fuel if needed.
    For food – Pala Food Court at Santhome Shopping Complex, opposite Kottaramattam private bus terminal and Indian Coffee House near the Thodupuzha-Erattupetta diversion point (near KSRTC bus depot) are recommended.
  • If you stay late into the evening, you could see mild-but-vast glow up to the skies from the towns watchable from there – Erattupetta, Pala, Ettumanoor.
  • The place is kept 100% litter-free and keep it up.

Off you go then, to the point of tranquility.