Ponmudi

A day in the hills with no dead lines

Ponmudi is just 60 km from Trivandrum .

It cannot be called a hill station but it is 1000 mts ASL and had the summer palace of the maharajah of Travancore though it definitely lacks the trappings of a hill station with colonial buildings ,residential schools ,and hordes of tourists descending on its slopes in summer .

Of course tourists were never much encouraged here .

It just had the kerala tourist development cottages more for the travelling Govt officials and of late no one is allowed to reach the top as there were some landslides recently so it was risky .

There are some space and defence installations i think so too .

As I was in Trivandrum i thought will just hop on a day visit .

I took the 8 am KSRTC bus a small one as it was needed to climb the 22 hair pin bends but that was reached after more than 2.5 hours .

I had a good window seat and three chattering engineering college girls going up on an assignment made small talk to me so time flew fast .

Once hair pins started it became cooler more cloudier with drizzly rain .

Once we reached top I walked into the KTDC restaurant had an omelette and a cup of tea .

I then just walked aimlessly along the mountain road .

There was a small rivulet with crystal clear water from hills
Not a soul in sight i just had the cool breeze ,a pale sun ,and the cloudy hills for company .

Chirpy birds ,rustle of winds ,my footsteps , leaves falling were the BGM .

It was solitude at its best

A tango with nature

Peaceful

I was in a trance

Suddenly I wondered what if a lonely elephant or a wandering elephant confronted me !😰
This made me turn back.
Soon I was back in the restaurant tucking in a fried rice !🤣
By 3 pm i was back in the bus with the chattering teens for company 😆
By 5 pm i wasback to swelter land😣