Rains pouring on all your holiday
plans? Well…. show them who’s boss! Step outside and brave a little wetness
this monsoon. And discover wonder in the wetlands of India.
Pondicherry is Tamil Nadu’s answer to Goa –
only quieter, serene and French! Facing the Bay of Bengal on the Coromandel
Coast of Tamil Nadu State is the lovely 17th Century French Colony
with French Colonial bungalows, Gothic Churches and 45 kms of coastline and
beaches. With turquoise-blue waters which are game for sailing, boating,
canoeing, kayaking, swimming and fishing, Pondicherry is a fantastic place for
sunbathing and beach-treks. Of course that would be a challenge in the monsoons
but when it rains, Pondicherry transforms into a gorgeous honeymoon resort - seeming
secluded and cozy.
Cuddle up with delicious local sea-food, wine
and music on the beach or in one of the numerous beach-resorts and watch the tides
and the rains slashing down on endless waves of water. Take off your shoes and
drop that umbrella and feel the wet sand slip away from under your feet as you
try to leave your footprints on the wet sands of the beach.
Monsoon months: November to January.
Get There: Pondicherry has excellent roads
and road-network with National Highways 332, 32 & 66 passing through. It’s
a great drive to Pondicherry from anywhere. Chennai Airport is the nearest to
Pondicherry and Villupuram is the nearest Railway Junction to Pondicherry.
Where better to see the rain than in a
rainforest! And which better rainforest than the Wayanad’s! Climb the Western
Ghats to 6890 feet to Lakkidi to experience one of India’s highest degrees of
rainfall – it’s overwhelming, incessant and borderline fearful. And this is
what rain-buffs rush to Wayanad for during the monsoons -to watch the rain in
all its fury!
This is not where you take off your shoes and
prance about in the rain. You check-in to a forest-resort and sit on the
balcony and watch the rain transform the dense forests into a maze of streams
and waterfalls. And when the clouds take a break, quickly hop into a jeep and
go explore the aftermath in the breathtakingly picturesque green mountains, valleys,
lakes, and meadows on long and winding scenic roads in moist and cool weather.
IF the skies clear up, put on your walking shoes and trek through the luxuriant
forests of Wayanad to see just how the hill wilderness responds to rain. Don’t
jump out of your skin if you feel a trickle of droplets down your spine now and
then coz that’s how the tall and wet trees respond to rain-buffs! Take a guide
and he’ll ensure you return in one piece as abundance of wildlife is another
forte of Wayanad - apart from spices.
Monsoon months: June to September.
Get there: 270 kms from Bangalore by road,
Wayanad is easily accessible from Ooty and Mysore. Kozhikode has the nearest
international Airport and Railway Station at 100kms from Wayanad.
Not so much an outdoorsy person? Love life’s
indulgences? Like to be treated like Royalty in the rain? Check-in to Udaipur’s
17th Century Lake Palace in the middle of the Pichola Lake – hailed as
the Venice of the East. Only accessible through royal ferries and boats, the Palace
occupies the entire island of 4 acres in the lake and holds mini-ponds and
water fountains within. This all-marble Palace has rich, extravagant and Kingly
rooms; with ornate and plush interiors; wide arched-balconies; pillared
terraces; and the service of the Royal Butlers that will spoil you. Order-in
some Rajasthani delicacies and drinks; put your feet up on the velvety futon, and
do what Queen Elizabeth, America’s former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy; Viceroy
of India – Lord Curzon and Gone with the Wind lead actress – Vivien Leigh did -
enjoy. And when it rains, be sure to live in the moment and watch the rain
envelope the Palace and shower on the lake. Rated as one of the most romantic
destinations of the world, the Udaipur Lake Palace hotel is bound to spice
things up for you even in the drenching rain. Feel brave? Step into a royal
boat and cruise the lake in the rain and soak up the monsoon ambience of the
Lake.
Monsoon months: June to September.
Get there: Within 25 kms radius of the Lake
Palace hotel, are the Udaipur Maharana Pratap Airport and Udaipur Railway
Station.
Tired of fluttering with the same kind of ‘birds’?
Want to hang out with different kind of ‘animals’ for a change? Want to get out
this monsoon? Want to push your limits? Want to go where no one’s been? Five problems
– one solution - the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. Perched
on the Himalayan foothills at 10, 663 feet, is the home of the flagship
wildlife – the rare bird – Laughing-thrush and the Asian Elephant, plus more
than 454 species of birds; 15 species of animals and 165 species of butterflies.
But what makes Eaglenest unique is that unlike the other Wildlife Sanctuaries
and National Parks in India which are closed during the monsoons, Eaglenest can
be visited during the Monsoons as well. Camp in the wilderness or homestay with
the Tibetic tribespeople on the Mountain slopes and play hide and seek with the
wildlife in the rain. Else just stay in Tezpur (160 kms) in Assam and visit
Eaglenest during the day. Mountain and nature-treks are must-do here even in
the rain. At this altitude you’d be wining and dining with source of the rains.
Monsoon months: July to September.
Get there: Arunachal Pradesh may be the tip
of the country but is fairly easy to get to. Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh is
the nearest town which connects to Tezpur in Assam.
·
Guwahati > Tezpur
> Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary – 4 hours (flight between Guwahati &
Tezpur and jeep-ride between Tezpur and Eaglenest).
·
Guwahati > Tezpur
> Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary – 5 hours (bus + jeep)
Pix courtesy: thinkingparticle, indiatravelblog, hammockholidays, greengates, kerala.gov, adventurediva, mattconsidine, brummieandwurzel.blogspot, S karthik, vinchel.
