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Date of the journey:- December 2019
Distance travelled:- 175 miles
Moving on from Ooty, we were going to make our way to Kochi in Kerala. The preferred method we chose was to get the Nilgiri steam railway from Ooty to Mettupalayam. From there we would get a train to Coimbatore Junction station. Staying one night before moving on to Kochi the following day.
Arriving in Mettupalayam, over 2 hours later than expected due to the mechanical failure of the Nilgiri steam train. Thankfully we had an easy platform change for the Coimbatore train. As both trains arrive and depart from the same station. It was a quick dash to the ticket office and we were on the next train to Coimbatore. The journey was about 45 minutes at a cost of 45 Rupees each.
Accommodation in Coimbatore was plentiful. We walked straight out of the station, crossed the road, and walked about 400m to the Legend’s Inn hotel. A good night’s sleep after the previous days travelling to get to Coimbatore from Ooty saw us ready for our next day of travelling to Kochi.
As our accommodation was quite literally right outside the railway station. It seemed only right to get the train to Kochi. Unfortunately, this wasn’t going to be the case.
Trying to purchase tickets at the reservation counter, we were informed that the train was fully booked. However, we did have the option of buying tickets for the general allocation, 1 hour before departure. Having seen the general allocation carriages of other trains. We were not brave enough to opt for that.
So, it was the local state bus again. A tuk tuk was required to get us to the Coimbatore TNSTC bus station. As with all of our local state bus journeys, it was going to involve multiple bus changes.
Being masters of the state bus system by now. We had learned that the best place to sit is at the front. However, Indian buses have the first 3 sets of seats behind the driver, reserved only for ladies. Tania would sit there with the backpacks and Guy would sit on the opposite side.
The worst place to sit is at the back of the bus. As there is a good chance that you will be catapulted into the air when the bus goes over the bumps at high speed.
The first leg of the journey meant getting a bus from Coimbatore TNSTC bus station to Palakkad KSRTC bus station, a 1-hour 50-minute journey costing 66 Rupees each.
From Palakkad KSRTC bus station the next bus was to Thrissur KSRTC bus station. Again another 1-hour 50-minute journey costing 67 Rupees each.
The last bus was from Thrissur KSRTC bus station to Ernakulam south KSRTC bus station in Kochi. This journey was 2 hours and 30 minutes at a cost of 72 Rupees each.
It was dark and getting late when we arrived. We opted for a hotel close to the bus stand for the night. Staying at Hotel Span International. A 5-minute walk from the bus station. We actually ended up staying 3 nights. Allowing us to sort out where we would stay for Christmas.