Normally we all meet up in Nagercoil during Christmas – we, the chows, friends from school. We do this reverently every year. Of course, it is very difficult for all 7 of us to be present every Christmas. We do, however, make up to 5 of us most times. And this time was not different. Anyways, I am going too fast. Back to the picnic J.

After spending a couple of days with Dad and Mom, Nafisa and I decided (it was kinda pre-planned too) to go on a trip to Keeripparai, a place by the Western Ghats. I had even promised some friends in IAH that I would come back with some native Indian fishes from the wild for some enthusiasts in Bangalore. So, one of our friends Joel hired a Toyota Innova for all of us – that was Manu, Karthik, Edin, Joel, Nafisa and me.

A view of the river from the river banks

When we reached Keeriparai we saw some signs stating we were reaching the forest reserve. We were quite happy that the place is finally getting its protection it deserved for a long time. So we reached a convenient spot, parked the car and climbed down in to the river.

And then we proceeded to drink in the nature and get out feet wet. And then we took our teeny tiny fishing nets hoping to catch some fish. We could see a lot of barbs and loaches in the river. But catching them was a different ball game altogether. Hahahaha! It was fun trying to catch them. We did manage to catch 3 fishes when all came tumbling down.

What came tumbling down? The cops, the damned forest cops. They informed that we were in a protected area (signs people signs, they were everywhere) and that we had to leave. We gladly did after letting the fish go free. We did feel good to be ticked off though. We were pleasantly surprised that the Government was taking care of the forest reserves.

From there, we decided to stop at Thirparappu falls, a popular tourist spot. We had been there quite a few times before (hey, it’s my native town) except for Nafisa and Karthik. I remember a time when one of our school mates almost drowned in the reservoir above the water falls.

Some random dudes (ok, sneaky one, they were with us) enjoying a natural shower

Before getting wet, we took a half hour boating trip in the reservoir. It was as beautiful as I remembered it from my childhood. However, there were more tourists.

And Nafisa clicked some pictures of a stork on the marsh and a blue backed Kingfisher on a line. Lovely! Below, the Kingfisher.

Then, after eating some customary Mulaga Bajjis or Capsicum bajjis, we moved on. On the way to lunch our driver suggested visiting Thottipalam, one of Asia’s longest and highest bridges. Even though we were very hungry we decided to take a look.

The bridge is about 384 Meters (1240 feet) long and has a pathway for people to walk along side a canal carrying water from one side to the other. Wow. Even though I have visited this place before, it still was an amazing experience, not to say scary. At least, my brother was real scared.

A view of the bridge from the bridge.

And I will leave you with a picture of our gang, taken on the bridge.