Kanthalloor December 2011

Allo again. OMD returned to Kanthalloor in Kerala on Xmas day 2011 for a couple of weeks above the green Marayoor valley, with a new camera so there were loads of photos of places old and new. Here we go again.

These two photos are at dawn looking east over Idduki district from Munnar.

Back in Kanthalloor looking west over the top of the valley.

Looking north from the house, you'll see more of this view later.

Looking north along the Marayoor valley from the viewpoint in Kanthalloor.

Looking south west from the same viewpoint around 5.30pm on Xmas day.

Looking south from the valley floor inbetween Kovilkadavu and Marayoor, on Boxing day.

Looking west from the valley floor. Marayoor town is somewhere in the distance.

Mani (left) and Suresh (right) in Marayoor.

Walking in the vegetable fields of Perumala near to Kanthalloor, where these ladies gave me some black tea.

At Kundalar dam on the way to Top Station.

One evening I took a walk from Kanthalloor up to the top of a nearby hill.  I got carried away taking photos of the sunset.

Looking east over the valley from Grama, which is above Marayoor town.

Looking north from Grama.

Looking east from Grama (above and below).

The best stocked fruit and vegetable shop in Marayoor.

A wild boar in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Kanthalloor January 2012

The view looking west over the Marayoor valley from the Thankachan house in Kanthalloor, on new years day morning.

This is the toddy bar in Marayoor. I've been inside a lot of toddy bars and this is the best of them all, with fresh toddy and friendly service. I was talking to a man from Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu and he said he'd been coming here for 15 years and it hasn't changed at all.

Bottles of toddy at the bar.

Manoj helps a customer to settle his credit account.

Santosh pours me a litre of toddy from the bucket.

Morning in Kanthalloor, with the sun rising and creating another great lightshow.

Looking west over the Marayoor valley again from Kanthalloor, this time with clouds.

On the valley floor there is a ridge running from north to south, and the next several photos are looking in various directions from the ridge. On top of the ridge are some Muniyaras, which are old dolmen structures.

A Murugan shrine on the ridge.

Looking west at Marayoor town.

Looking south at Sivagiri and the Jai Mala school.

Looking south east at Kovilkadavu and the river Pambar, with the hills of Perumala and Kanthalloor way in the distance.

Looking south east at Kovilkadavu again, with Perumala and Kanthalloor hills in the background.

On the way down from the ridge I was intercepted by some boys from the Jai Mala school, and I was taken to see the Muniyaras in the school grounds.

Some of Marayoor's prime real estate.

A trade union rally on Marayoor's high street.

Some of Marayoor's autorickshaw drivers, with my friend Murugan second from the right.

Bacck in the toddy bar at Marayoor, with MG next to the bar.

Morning time again in Kanthalloor with the lightshow.

Looking east at Kanthalloor from Marayoor.

The Odeon Saloon in Marayoor. Great signage.

Back in the toddy bar again, watching Chacko (right) gently hypnotise Allahuddin (left) as Manoj looks on.

The several pictures below were all taken on the 3km road betweeen Kovilkadavu and Marayoor late in the afternoon.

The river Pambar at Kovilkadavu, with the ridge (with the muniyaras) in the background on the left.

This is the town of Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu, 40km north east of Marayoor.

An angelic David Beckham advertising mobile phones in Udumalpet.

An old Enfield Bullet motorbike.