Today we embarked on our 5 hour trip in the wheelchair accessible van (courtesy of The Swarga Foundation) from Pollachi to our final destination, Kochi. Unfortunately, the way one had intended to travel suffered a few landslides hence was impassable so the highway it was. However as the highway is being upgraded and therefore congested, Google Maps decided to take us on another tour of rural India, this time winding our way through villages on unpaved roads…you wouldn’t get that on a touring holiday would you?
5 hours later, we arrived at The Fragrant Nature Hotel in Fort Kochi. The thin piece of land also overlooks the Arabian Sea marking the end of our coast to coast journey across India.
It was difficult trying to source an accessible hotel in Fort Kochi, however, one certainly made the correct choice booking Fragrant Nature. For the first time on this trip, one has a ‘proper’ accessible room and wet room, this is like luxury!
Unlike Chennai, the Fort Kochi area is a little more walkable (and less traffic!) hence the plan for tomorrow is to have a wander around said area visiting the famous Chinese Fishing Nets and taking a ride on India’s first water metro!
After a lazy morning, the plan was to head up to the Waterfall Tea Estate to sample and purchase some fresh tea for one to take back to the UK, simple right? Of course not!
As I mentioned, one wanted to save money in preparation for our final destination, Kochi hence decided to book a conventional taxi. We gave the Ibex an address to drive us to, however, the taxi driver seemed to have other ideas.
In order to reach the Waterfall Tea Estate from Pollachi, you are required to drive along the interior road of the Aliyar Reserve Forest. To enter, you are required to, once again pay and show your passport. The estate is situated high above the clouds meaning that hairpin bends are plenty…
Said bends do present spectacular views however…
As we ascended higher into the clouds, the tea estate came into view. We reached the sales outlet shack where we thought that the driver would drop us off but no, he simply kept driving through the Waterfall Tea Estate…
After reaching the summit, the driver pulled over and simply said ‘We go down now’. By this time, one was a little hungry as we had expected at least some kind of food, luckily there was a roadside shack at the summit selling snacks…
It was then back down through the Aliyar Reserve Forest stopping at another roadside shack to purchase tea, not how we envisaged the day going but there we go…
Tomorrow we get our wheels back (the accessible van which has been driven back from Chennai to Coimbatore over the weekend…definitely putting the miles on that thing!) to drive another 5 hours to our final destination, Kochi on the west coast of India.
To answer the all important question, no, we didn’t see any tigers on the faff of a ‘jeep’ safari, let me explain.
When booking the taxi to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, the Ibex informed us that it is best to visit as early as possible to avoid the queues i.e. 6am. Before you enter said reserve, you are required to purchase a ticket from a roadside shack and show your passport. This only allows you to drive through a certain part of the reserve before you are required to purchase another ticket, show your passport AND visa! It was shortly after this that a monkey kindly decided to jump inside the taxi to steal the majority of food that we had substituted for breakfast.
When planning this trip, ATR informed me that the safari leaves every 2 hours or when it is full. Whilst this is true, it’s very disjointed and the ‘jeep’ safari actually uses clapped out buses instead. Its lucky that one has always wanted to ride on an old Indian bus, can’t fathom how they are used in major cities…
Anyway, just after we embarked on our 3 hour safari, the guide informed us that tiger sightings are rare, however we pressed on regardless. During our 3 hour excursion, we were fortunate to see deers, peacocks and Indian Goats roaming free…
One of the other attractions at ATR is the elephant camp which is, typically, closed for refurbishment leaving little to do. At least we got to experience the reserve for which over half is open to vehicles meaning that Superbunny could have joined.
Tomorrow we head to the Waterfalls Tea Estate in the hope of trying fresh tea. As one is attempting to save money for Kochi, we have booked a conventional taxi although it seems like it could be accessible for an electric wheelchair…
It’s difficult for one to fathom that just 24 hours ago, we were amongst the hustle and bustle of Chennai and now the only sounds one can hear is the tweeting of birds and crickets (and kids but we will dismiss that!).
As mentioned previously, The Swarga Foundation assisted one in booking the Ibex River Resort and ensuring that the hotel purchased ramps etc (one seems to be initiating the need to purchase ramps around the world recently?) in preparation for our arrival. The Ibex is situated within the grounds of a coconut farm and possess 14 rooms giving it a more intimate feel than your usual resort…
Although accessibility wasn’t at the forefront during construction, the rooms are pretty spacious, very easy to roll around…
Even the bathroom is rather spacious albeit a little outdated…
And you have the balcony overlooking said river…
The plan for today was to explore the resort and it’s surroundings. Unfortunately, in order to access the river, one has to navigate a fairly chunky step, far too big for the portable ramp. However, during prior research, it turns out that there is a road bridge over the river around a 15 minute walk from the resort down a few ‘lanes’…
(This photo also demonstrates the stark difference between country life compared to the cities of India!)
Tomorrow we head to Anamalai Tiger Reserve to board a jeep safari in the hope of seeing a few elephants and tigers. For the first time on this trip, Superbunny won’t be joining as the jeep is in no way accessible. Despite this, I don’t think that we are doing too bad thus far proving that you can travel the majority of Southern India in an electric wheelchair with a little creativity here and there?
When you think of trains in India, one might struggle to see how accessibility is integrated into it’s railways. Granted, a large proportion of trains do have a specific carriage for the disabled albeit segregated from the general population, however ramps and lifts are scarce. This was, for the most part, changed with the introduction of Vande Bharat Express trains a few years ago which has been designed to integrate wheelchair users with the general population, a big step for India. Of course, when one stumbled across these trains along with the fact that more and more stations are installing lifts, it was instantly put on the bucket list!
As the next destination on this trip is Pollachi, it was decided that one would catch the Vande Bharat from Chennai Central to Coimbatore Junction where another Swarga Foundation vehicle would transport us to the Ibex River Resort. Luckily, we were able to book tickets via Swarga, however I was told that the wheelchair space was difficult to reserve.
Contrary to the craziness of Chennai, it’s station was fairly quiet and easy to roll around, one even had time for a little trainspotting…
However, the Vande Bharat Express stood out above the rest…
Now, Chennai Central claimed to have boarding ramps available, however, when our driver enquired about said ramp, the usual response of ‘not possible, just lift it’ was given which normally translates to ‘we can’t be bothered’. This was proved correct when one was sitting on the platform staring at said train when a ramp magically appeared…
Still, one doesn’t believe that the correct ramp was brought but we made it work with Superbunny’s own portable ramp acting as a run up…
The interior of the Vande Bharat Express harks back to the much loved HST in the UK, hence one felt quite at home sitting in the wheelchair space…
During the 6.5 hour journey, one was treated to a plethora of Indian tea and (rather hot!) cuisine whilst the scenery changed into more mountainous terrain…
We were then welcomed into Coimbatore Junction by the founders and members of The Swarga Foundation (and proper boarding ramps)…
We are staying slightly outside of Pollachi at the Ibex River Resort which is nestled within a coconut and cocoa farm with superb views of the river from each balcony. Prior to ones arrival, The Swarga Foundation kindly visited and the hotel agreed to adjust to suit ones requirements i.e. purchasing ramps and offering room service if needed.
The plan for tomorrow is to simply get acquainted with the hotel and it’s peaceful surroundings, definitely a contrast from the chaos of Chennai!
As ones ancestors used to work on the Indian Railways, it only seemed right to visit the Railway Museum in Chennai before we board the Vande Bharat Express to Coimbatore Junction on Friday.
The museum costs 40 rupees (37p) to enter, however, disabled individuals can enter for free. The exhibits are both placed inside and outside, the latter makes for smooth rolling…
Part of the museum contains a giant train set (love a good train set!), however it does have a step to enter but nothing a wheelie or a portable ramp could rectify…
It was at this point that a worker decided to begin filming one rolling around said train set, who knows where that will end up!
Information and a model of the Vande Bharat Express (Indias newest train model with all the latest mod cons) is also on display. It was delightful to see that a picture of the wheelchair space with information was also included…
The plan for tomorrow was to head down to Puducherry, however a dodgy stomach (courtesy of the hotel staff rushing out our food) means that a rest day is in order before we head out of Chennai to the next destination, Pollachi (via Coimbatore Junction) by ways of the Vande Bharat Express.
It is worth noting that, as of August 2024, Chennai is undergoing a major extension of its metro system meaning roadworks are taking place across the city thus it seems to be a mission simply to get in and out of the city, especially when it’s mixed in with the usual chaos!
Mahabalipuram is situated approximately 50km south of Chennai and dates back to the 7th and 8th century. Although it is split across several sites, it is possible to enter all of them with just one ticket plus disabled individuals can enter for FREE. The first stop was Shore Temple for which the majority is flat and accessible…
The town of Mahabalipuram is full of restaurants (plus monkeys, goats and the occasional cow), however it is difficult to find one which is accessible and has air conditioning hence our driver kindly made it his mission to make some enquiries with the locals to source a place to eat. The result being a rooftop restaurant overlooking the Bay of Bengal that can be accessed via a lift hidden away in a parking garage (we definitely wouldn’t have found this by ourselves!)…
The next stop was The Pancharatha Temple which is a short drive from The Shore Temple. Although there are steps down to the actual structures, it is possible to roll around the perimeter path which is fitted with ramps etc.
There are several other structures to marvel at, however, one thought it best to return to the hotel considering the current travel time.
The plan for tomorrow is to head to Chennai Rail Museum which is definitely open on a Wednesday!
One of the main draws to Chennai is Marina Beach which faces the Bay of Bengal and what better way to experience it than at sunset. From prior research, one had discovered that a wooden walkway had been erected a few years ago to allow wheelchair users to access the waters edge (one of the first in India I believe) hence it was necessary to check out!
The road running parallel to Marina Beach has plenty of parking and is fairly quiet (for a change) bar the occasional tuk tuk or motorcycle…
One can also park fairly close to said walkway…
Along the wooden walkway, there are several points from which one can marvel at the scale of Marina Beach…
Unlike many walkways or boardwalks in the UK, one can actually roll pretty close to the waters edge…
This enables you to fully capture that famous sunset…
The plan for tomorrow is to head slightly outside Chennai to visit Mahabalipuram, an UNESCO Heritage site dating back to the 7th and 8th century. All of this is possible thanks to The Swarga Foundation…
After a relaxing day yesterday at the hotel, it was time to embrace the chaos of Chennai by visiting the Arulmigu Vadapalani Murugan Temple. It was well worth the expense of hiring an accessible vehicle and a driver as it allowed us and Superbunny to get to said location easily without battling through cars, lorries, tuk-tuks and everything in between! However, it is worth noting that the temple doesn’t have parking hence you are required to park down a side street and wander down…
Although the streets appear to be chaotic, it only seems to take a few minutes to get used to the etiquette (or what there is of it!).
As predicted, ones presence caused a bit of a stir with a little crowd forming around us, some curious and some just asking for money. The front of Arulmigu Vadapalani Murugan Temple is semi pedestrianised making for easy rolling…
Whilst taking off shoes and socks (one just had to take off shoes!), we were approached by a guy wanting to show us around bypassing the ticket office (not sure if we were meant to do this) so we followed suit…
As per Istanbul and Sousse, there is a threshold to combat with a step but nothing that a portable ramp or a wheelie can’t fix. After that, ramps are in appropriate places and the majority has level access. The temple even has a special gate for wheelchairs to be able to access the inner part…
Of course the guy showing us around was after a tip but it was deserved!
As the train museum is shut on Mondays (bad planning that!), it was time for a haircut before heading to the beach….
It has been a while since one has travelled long haul, especially with Superbunny (which was back in 2016!) hence it was rather strange boarding a plane for the 10 hour flight to Chennai. As Iranian airspace is currently closed off due to the deteriorating situation, we were sent on a jolly around Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, however, as soon as we knew it, we touched down in India albeit at 3:15am.
As I was unsure how Chennai International would handle Superbunny at that ungodly hour, one packed a spare joystick in addition to numerous tools, however, it appears that said wheelchair doesn’t even to have a scratch to it!
Now, one had a feeling that Indians would be quite helpful, however, as soon as we stepped down from the plane door, a swarm of staff came over to assist with the wheelchair which is used to transport individuals to baggage claim…
We were also kept informed as to the whereabouts of both the electric and manual wheelchair hence knowing the exact location of their entrance into said terminal…
We have the next 4.5 days to explore Chennai, the capital of the Tamil Nadu state and all it has to offer before boarding the Vande Bharat Express (also referred to India’s semi-bullet train) for the journey across the country to Pollachi via Coimbatore Junction. During our time in Chennai, we are lucky enough to have the accessible transportation (which made the 8 hour trek across India from Coimbatore yesterday along with the driver who is staying with the vehicle just down the road until Friday!) available at all times to allow one to explore the city with ease. However, the city is home to a metro system which, of course, has to be experienced at least once.
We are staying at the Courtyard by Marriott whilst in Chennai. Of course, the Indian version of accessibility is slightly different from the UK, however, the rooms still have ample space to roll around albeit the bathroom is a little small.
Despite being based in Chennai for the next few days, we will also be heading down to Puducherry (Pondicherry) to marvel at it’s French architecture along tree-lined streets. The plan is also to visit Auroville along the way.
Tomorrow, we plan to head to the Arulmigu Vadapalani Murugan Temple followed by a visit to the Chennai Railway Museum (of course, trains had to be involved!). Let’s see how chaotic driving through Chennai really is!
(Oh and Tom and Jerry popped up at the hotel earlier greeting guests for an international vacation conference…western influence strikes again!):
