16-6-2024
Now that we are back at work, we also have a real weekend again. Friday evening we went out. First a nice dinner and then to the cinema. Because we could just sleep in on Saturday. On Saturday we went shopping. Simon wanted a new lens for his Nikon camera. And there was a second-hand book market. The brisk walk to reach both locations did fill our day. After which, in the evening, we enjoyed reading.
On campus, they tend to torch leaf litter, which is swept together almost daily by the ladies of the housekeeping department. But unfortunately, there is often paper and plastic among the leaves. The result is a quite smelly smoke, which lingers between the buildings for a long time. On Saturday evening, we sat reading our new books and were annoyed by the stench. We decided we wanted to go out the next day.
We suddenly realised that we only have eight weeks left here, and a number of things we really want to do. So to avoid spending our free time only on everyday business, we should start planning outings on our wishlist. One of the places we still wanted to visit was the Athirapilly waterfalls located in the river near Ernakulam. During the dry season, it did not make much sense to go there, as the waterfalls we had already encountered during our trip to Munnar and Thekkady were dried up. There was simply not enough water available. But last month it rained heavily, so we expected some water to flow again. And the weather cooperated this weekend: It was sunny. We were lucky: we managed to get a taxi to drive us to the falls the following day.
At ten to ten there was a knock on the door by the porter: The car was already there. The falls at Athirapilly are only about sixty-three kilometres from St Albert's. But the road first leads for an hour through the built-up area of greater Ernakulam. Then through narrow and sometimes not too well-maintained mountain roads. So the drive took over two hours.
The first stop we made was at nature village Prakriti Gramam, on the Challakudy river. The Thumboormuzhi suspension bridge spans across the
river there. On either side of the river was a stall to get something to eat and drink. There were gardens laid out, where you could walk around in and enjoy the view of the river. The children's playgrounds on both river banks reminded us of the old days. The seesaws, various rotating play equipment, climbing frames.... In the Netherlands, this kind of equipment is long gone, because it;s considered too dangerous for today's delicate Dutch children. On both sides of the river, we had to pay an entrance fee, and a fee for the camera we were carrying.
Of course, we decided to cross the suspension bridge. It offered gorgeous views across the water. In the Thumboormuzhi Butterfly Park across the water, a huge number of butterflies were flying around. They even stayed still long enough to take some photographs. After a short walk around and then a cup of coffee, we got back in the car to drive on to the falls.
The car ride went through a palm oil plantation/wildlife area. The whole area was exuberantly green. The rains had not only been good for the rivers, but clearly also for the plants. We crossed the river and drove higher and higher into the hills. Here we passed dozens of wildlife crossings. Deer and elephants live in the forests there, so in theory it was possible to see them crossing. However, we were not the only ones taking the opportunity to enjoy nature and the weather this Sunday. Once close to the final waterfall, it had become quite busy. Traffic jams, and queues of people wanting to get through the gate. Of course, an entrance fee had to be paid here too. And a fee for the use of the camera.
Once inside,we took a short walk to the water. You could already clearly hear the waterfalls. Along the path, monkeys were begging for food. They were obviously not afraid of humans. And they clearly loved ice creams. At the top of the waterfalls, dozens of people were bathing in the many pools located among the rocks. Despite signs saying it was forbidden and would result in a fine. Incidentally, those signs also contradicted the changing room built right by the waterside.
Along the waterfall, a path led down to te foot of the falls. The Athirapally falls were not yet at full strength, but thanks to the rains, quite a lot of water was flowing over the rocks and crashing down. Even at the bottom and amidst the roaring of the water, families were playing in the water. And those who did not go into the river were still getting wet from the constant mist and spray from the splashing water. An impressive sight, the power of nature.
We climbed back up, and continued to another waterfall a little further upstream in the river. On the way, we came across another, smaller fall, the Charpa waterfalls. Typical of Kerala, as we had seen many times in recent months: construction had started, in this case an arch bridge as a nice viewpoint and photo opportunity in front of the waterfall, but it was never finished. There is no telling how long it has been there, but unfortunately the effects of the weather on the construction were already evident.
The other major waterfall, Vazhachal waterfalls, was a bit calmer than the falls at Athirapally. There was also less of a crowd here. The water flowed over the rocks at great speed. No one could be found in the pools here. This was impossible, as the water was cordoned off with a sturdy railing. We walked along the water for a bit and came across some monkeys. By this time, we were both quite tired from this day out of town. So we didn't mind crawling back into the air-conditioned car to make the long drive back home. It was dark by the time we were back at St Albert's.
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