| Pradeep made this site |
| TOUR DE FORCE Tours were always a special occassion for Priyans - be the yearly class tours or their own off-beat pursuits. So be prepared for a wild tour down memory lane.... CLASS TOURS 1993 - Kodaikkanal 1994 - Yercaud + Hogainakkal 1995 - Ooty 1996 - Munnar The trip to Kodaikkanal in Feb.'93 was at a time when the word "Priyan" was yet to be coined. But then on, starting with the Yercaud+Hogainakkal trip in 1994, every class tours had its fair share of "Priyanisms"-from Patta's "My Heart is Beating.." olam that met with responses from a totally different quarters at Yercaud, to Rev.Fr.Divakaran's adventures with a violin and a rowboat (with zero impact) at Ooty; from venturing out into near darkness in search of an elusive waterfall to getting "Pandi" messages - it was one helluva ride !! ASOKAN'S WEDDING TRIP Bundled together in a Tempo van along with the SME gang, the Priyans set out to witness the wedding of one of the most liked inhabitants of Priya - Ashok Kumar. Before that however there was a stopover at (Pra)santhaliyan's house at Nedumangad where we were treated to hot idlis and typical "Prasanthisms".The wedding itself was a grand affair and the day's couple were lucky to be "blessed" by Priyans !! The ride back was the main event though. Stop overs at Veli n' Kovalam had the gang freaking out on the beaches. Thanks Ashoka !! ATHIRAPPALLY AND VAZHACHAL Towards the end of Jan 1998, on an impulsive drive spearheaded by Uncle and Aamachettan, the Priyans (viz, Abhilash, Pradeep, Padmanabhan, Manoj, Sunil, Shibu, Raja, RPU, Jayakrishnan and Philips) set out in two cars to that famous waterfalls near Chalakkudy. The drive was tedious but well worth it. The Priyans took to the water with gay abandon, with only the eternally paranoid (RPU, Chatti, KRP) staying back. An added bonus was the sighting of film star Meena ! But time put a limit ot the joy of Aathirappally and after a drink of fresh karikku water, the gang was on its way back (with a stopover at Muvattupuzha at Chatti's brother's in-laws' bakery. Thanks Chatti ! ). ERNAKULAM A memorable trip in Nov.'98 with Ganesh, RPU, Raja on their way back from Guruvayur and Pradeep from Ettumanoor all converging in on the flat at Kaloor, where Manoj and Padmanabhan were staying before the All India Entrance Exam.The evening was spent watching "Rakthasaakshikal Zindabad" at Shenoy's followed by dinner at Ceylon Bake House. Thanks KRP & PP ! PONMUDI Ah,Ponmudi !! What sweet memories at what economical costs ! And to think we almost decided against it ! Ponmudi was to be the last of the Priyans' tours - one that was to set the tone for a farewell (temporary, though) after the gruelling All India PG Entrance Exam. The idea was initially mooted by the revered tourman, Abhilash as a post-exam, pre-split olam; and after they bid farewell and thanks to Rajasekharan's "Baalettan" (thanks Raja), the Priyans found themselves on a hot and sweaty afternoon (3rd Jan'99) at the Thampanoor bus stand, waiting for that singular "smaller" KSRTC bus that would whisk them off to an unseen paradise. But the bus never materialised and after much haggling,a wizened old taxi driver agreed to take the six (uncle, PP, RPU, KRP, Raja, Aama) for Rs.600 !! The ride was plesant-except for the salivary spray that greeted one stunned Priyan (!!) and ofcourse the driver's obsession with one Mr.Thyagarajaswami's music. But the nice old man finally got them there.The place was amazingly beautiful, the rooms clean and well furnished and the food DELICIOUS ! That chilly evening was spend munching fried peas and sipping "soft" drinks followed by some "kathi" at the terrace. The next day,t hey set out on a splendid 4km trek to the Upper Station, often deviating to perch upon giant rocks and have goofy pictures taken (they even inscribed this URL on one of those rocks !). The experience left them tired and hungry; and a stumptous meal followed by a long wait for the bus, they finally bid adieu to Ponmudi- THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PRIYANS !!! Thanks Abhilash. |
