Kulu Kulu Endra Kodai
May 1, Tuesday was a holiday. I took Monday off making it a long 4-day weekend. The whole family packed up and we drove down to Kodaikanal or Kodai as it is fondly known.
The plan was to start early (hahha) Saturday morning, and drive down to Kodai by the evening. We did start early (well its relative!) around 7. And drove ahead full speed. The most important aspect was of course the food - K2 very responsibly stocked up the car with food of all kinds, some sweet, some savory, something to drink too. With very many stops en route eating, drinking, reading and sleeping, we made our way to the Palani hills.
As we were driving by at top speed, I noticed men, clad in nothing more than yellow veshtis, clutching yellow cloth bags, walking barefoot alongside us. Curiosity led to enquiry, they were devotees of Lord Muruga, who had vowed to walk barefoot from their homes to Palani, Muruga's most sacred earthly residence, their dark faces calm and serene, full of purpose, unmindful of the heat, dust, the passing vehicles or the scorching tar roads, strengthened only by the sight of the six-headed Shanmukha, waiting to bless them with his ever-so beautiful smile.
By the time we reached the foothills we were tired, fatigued from travelling on bumpy roads for over 10 hours. And then came the transformation - lush landscapes all around set the tone for what was to be an experience. There were coconut groves and banana plantations lining the roads we drove through, as if welcoming us to the beauty that we were to sight soon.
As we started the climb, calmness dawned on every one of us. We switched off the ac and opened all windows and let nature sweep us away. The cool breeze and the lush green slopes at once transformed our moods - as we stepped down at the little cottage where we were to stay, we were relaxed and all set to enjoy our little getaway!
After a quick dinner at Hilltop, we retired early, dreaming of the wonderful time we would have over the next couple of days.
Day One started with a hearty breakfast of Pongal Vadai and Coffee sitting on the lawns, soaking in the sun. Then we just drove around, exploring unknown Kodai. We randomly drove into roads we knew nothing about, and found amazing views of the hills and the valley. Lunch was perfect - at Woody's. The clouds gathered and a slight chill enveloped us as we ate hot soup and enjoyed the step-gardens full of flowers and the little brook that ran by. As we waited for our lunch to arrive, we even managed to capture on camera a lovely rose bud and some bees attacking the flowers with full fervor. A relaxed lunch later, we resumed our expeditions and went to a yet un-named, unexplored place simply called Land's End - the view was fabulous. After a round of dinner and drinks at Carlton at night we returned home, exhausted but happy.
Day Two was more adventuresome! K1 and I rode bi-bicycles - the ones where two people can ride one cycle. I was not so sure if I could even ride a cycle after such a long time (the last time was probably about 10 years back!) but after a wobble or two we were on our way. We stopped by after a few minutes to admire the huge, lovely house on our right. We passed by little kids riding their little cycles, some littler ones sitting on baskets in front of their parent's cycles. Some adventurous kids were even riding horses almost 3 times their sizes!!! We passed by the Sai Ashram where devotees were waiting to see Baba, sitting on the pavements and roads, yearning to catch one glimpse of the Divine. We ended our journey with a compulsory posing for snaps on our cycle as the very friendly cycle-man took our photo. Post the ride we were obviously very hungry, and made good by having some nice lemon tea and Cheese Toast at the lake side Boat Club Canteen. Muscular men were rowing boats by themselves even as a not so muscularly built couple struggled to paddle their 'two-seater' boat. We had a good laugh watching them and adding our own wise-cracks where possible.
Then we went to what was to be the highlight of our trip - Vettakanal. Most of the way is via road, some good ones, some bumpy but the real challenge was the walk downhill. The slope was about 45 degrees downhill from the road and it was muddy terrain with loose stones. Me and MIL ventured about 10-15 steps and sat down at the little tea stall on the way - letting the men travel the remaining distance to see the breathtaking view. The lady at the tea stall was very friendly, chatting away to everyone who passed by, offering drinks and food and renting out hawaii chappals for grip! We had a gala time watching her and her interactions with the myriad bunch that passed us by. There were couples on their honeymoon, the daintily clad new bride shyly removing her heeled shoes and putting on the hawaii chappals, her husband teasing her about her inappropriate footwear for a trek. And there was a couple with a little kid who refused to travel unless she was carried. The very friendly tea stall lady ventured to advice - its difficult to walk down alone, with a baby would be impossible. A helpful guide offered to carry the kid for a price as the parents happily walked down to see the 'breathtaking' view. Soon came a large family, little girls insisting on walking down in their slightly heeled shoes and an old lady, their paati insisting that she can endure the walk down, at the ripe old age of 85. Suddenly there was commotion everywhere - the friendly tea stall lady, the old lady's sons and daughters-in-law, her grandchildren, a lady from Chennai who was recuperating at the tea stall from her trip down and back up...all spoke at once on how difficult it was going to be for the old lady to even attempt this trek. But the lady remained firm - and she got her way...she walked down.
The tea stall lady in the meanwhile started chatting about her life. She had two sons, one was doing a diploma - she wanted him to get into an engineering college but could not afford it. She yet dreamt of him getting into a college and getting a BE degree. She was optimistic - she had made good money this season and it was just the beginning. She hoped her second son, still in school would be helped along in his studies by his elder brother. Hope and optimism laced with just the hint of despair marked her speech - even as she was joking around and offering food, drink and hawai chappals.
I would never know if the paati went all the way and saw what she wanted - we had to leave as soon as the men folk returned, totally exhausted! Some lemon soda offered by the tea stall lady rejuvenated them to some extent and we headed back, talking about what the other group had missed!
Lunch was once again at Woody's followed by pastries and ice-cream at the Hilltop. With a full stomach and droopy eyes we headed back to get some mid-afternoon shut-eye. An evening chat session over chips later, we once again headed over to have dinner - this time good old 'Thair Sadam' as all of us had had more than our share of food for the day!!! Sleep brought another morning, a walk by the lake, two breakfasts, one Indian and one continental. The continental breakfast is especially worth talking about – a nice, cozy little place with a friendly owner served us lemon tea, ginger tea, mint tea and chamomile tea followed by a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes, omelette and baked beans and toast. While we waited for our order to arrive we even walked across to the other side of the street to buy something from the Pottery Shed – profits from which go to disadvantaged children.
And then we drove down – and temperatures rose. Soon we had shut ourselves in again, the ac was on and we retired into our individual activities - some of us reading, some sleeping and some looking at the roads and the people we passed.
We talked about the trip and how Kodai was nice, lush and beautiful inspite of the people and the filth they have created all around them. I noticed plastic bottles everywhere and the lake was harboring cows and stray dogs in some obscure corners. And the other funny thing was at restaurants people just sat where they found a chair - never mind if it was a honeymoon couple trying to indulge in some sweet talk over dinner - a couple with a recently 'mottaied' kid was ready to share the table with them, no questions asked! All the infuriated couple could do was to throw dark glances at the kid who was happily munching at his dinner!!!
In the midst of our talks, just as we were leaving Trichy, we saw a sight so spectacular, words could not begin to describe it. The sun was just setting and in the fore ground the temple of the 'Malai Kottai Pillayar' loomed in all its majesty. We ran around, jumped up and down, climbed on top of our car and just about managed to capture the beauty in our cameras.
The setting of the sun kind of triggered something in all of us - we all retreated into our shells and were lost in our own thoughts for the rest of the journey - silence ruled.
Reaching home in the dead of the night, we all slept. Wednesday dawned and things were back to normal, me hurrying around trying to get ready for office, grabbing my lunch bag and rushing through the gate with a byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
The plan was to start early (hahha) Saturday morning, and drive down to Kodai by the evening. We did start early (well its relative!) around 7. And drove ahead full speed. The most important aspect was of course the food - K2 very responsibly stocked up the car with food of all kinds, some sweet, some savory, something to drink too. With very many stops en route eating, drinking, reading and sleeping, we made our way to the Palani hills.
As we were driving by at top speed, I noticed men, clad in nothing more than yellow veshtis, clutching yellow cloth bags, walking barefoot alongside us. Curiosity led to enquiry, they were devotees of Lord Muruga, who had vowed to walk barefoot from their homes to Palani, Muruga's most sacred earthly residence, their dark faces calm and serene, full of purpose, unmindful of the heat, dust, the passing vehicles or the scorching tar roads, strengthened only by the sight of the six-headed Shanmukha, waiting to bless them with his ever-so beautiful smile.
By the time we reached the foothills we were tired, fatigued from travelling on bumpy roads for over 10 hours. And then came the transformation - lush landscapes all around set the tone for what was to be an experience. There were coconut groves and banana plantations lining the roads we drove through, as if welcoming us to the beauty that we were to sight soon.
As we started the climb, calmness dawned on every one of us. We switched off the ac and opened all windows and let nature sweep us away. The cool breeze and the lush green slopes at once transformed our moods - as we stepped down at the little cottage where we were to stay, we were relaxed and all set to enjoy our little getaway!
After a quick dinner at Hilltop, we retired early, dreaming of the wonderful time we would have over the next couple of days.
Day One started with a hearty breakfast of Pongal Vadai and Coffee sitting on the lawns, soaking in the sun. Then we just drove around, exploring unknown Kodai. We randomly drove into roads we knew nothing about, and found amazing views of the hills and the valley. Lunch was perfect - at Woody's. The clouds gathered and a slight chill enveloped us as we ate hot soup and enjoyed the step-gardens full of flowers and the little brook that ran by. As we waited for our lunch to arrive, we even managed to capture on camera a lovely rose bud and some bees attacking the flowers with full fervor. A relaxed lunch later, we resumed our expeditions and went to a yet un-named, unexplored place simply called Land's End - the view was fabulous. After a round of dinner and drinks at Carlton at night we returned home, exhausted but happy.
Day Two was more adventuresome! K1 and I rode bi-bicycles - the ones where two people can ride one cycle. I was not so sure if I could even ride a cycle after such a long time (the last time was probably about 10 years back!) but after a wobble or two we were on our way. We stopped by after a few minutes to admire the huge, lovely house on our right. We passed by little kids riding their little cycles, some littler ones sitting on baskets in front of their parent's cycles. Some adventurous kids were even riding horses almost 3 times their sizes!!! We passed by the Sai Ashram where devotees were waiting to see Baba, sitting on the pavements and roads, yearning to catch one glimpse of the Divine. We ended our journey with a compulsory posing for snaps on our cycle as the very friendly cycle-man took our photo. Post the ride we were obviously very hungry, and made good by having some nice lemon tea and Cheese Toast at the lake side Boat Club Canteen. Muscular men were rowing boats by themselves even as a not so muscularly built couple struggled to paddle their 'two-seater' boat. We had a good laugh watching them and adding our own wise-cracks where possible.
Then we went to what was to be the highlight of our trip - Vettakanal. Most of the way is via road, some good ones, some bumpy but the real challenge was the walk downhill. The slope was about 45 degrees downhill from the road and it was muddy terrain with loose stones. Me and MIL ventured about 10-15 steps and sat down at the little tea stall on the way - letting the men travel the remaining distance to see the breathtaking view. The lady at the tea stall was very friendly, chatting away to everyone who passed by, offering drinks and food and renting out hawaii chappals for grip! We had a gala time watching her and her interactions with the myriad bunch that passed us by. There were couples on their honeymoon, the daintily clad new bride shyly removing her heeled shoes and putting on the hawaii chappals, her husband teasing her about her inappropriate footwear for a trek. And there was a couple with a little kid who refused to travel unless she was carried. The very friendly tea stall lady ventured to advice - its difficult to walk down alone, with a baby would be impossible. A helpful guide offered to carry the kid for a price as the parents happily walked down to see the 'breathtaking' view. Soon came a large family, little girls insisting on walking down in their slightly heeled shoes and an old lady, their paati insisting that she can endure the walk down, at the ripe old age of 85. Suddenly there was commotion everywhere - the friendly tea stall lady, the old lady's sons and daughters-in-law, her grandchildren, a lady from Chennai who was recuperating at the tea stall from her trip down and back up...all spoke at once on how difficult it was going to be for the old lady to even attempt this trek. But the lady remained firm - and she got her way...she walked down.
The tea stall lady in the meanwhile started chatting about her life. She had two sons, one was doing a diploma - she wanted him to get into an engineering college but could not afford it. She yet dreamt of him getting into a college and getting a BE degree. She was optimistic - she had made good money this season and it was just the beginning. She hoped her second son, still in school would be helped along in his studies by his elder brother. Hope and optimism laced with just the hint of despair marked her speech - even as she was joking around and offering food, drink and hawai chappals.
I would never know if the paati went all the way and saw what she wanted - we had to leave as soon as the men folk returned, totally exhausted! Some lemon soda offered by the tea stall lady rejuvenated them to some extent and we headed back, talking about what the other group had missed!
Lunch was once again at Woody's followed by pastries and ice-cream at the Hilltop. With a full stomach and droopy eyes we headed back to get some mid-afternoon shut-eye. An evening chat session over chips later, we once again headed over to have dinner - this time good old 'Thair Sadam' as all of us had had more than our share of food for the day!!! Sleep brought another morning, a walk by the lake, two breakfasts, one Indian and one continental. The continental breakfast is especially worth talking about – a nice, cozy little place with a friendly owner served us lemon tea, ginger tea, mint tea and chamomile tea followed by a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes, omelette and baked beans and toast. While we waited for our order to arrive we even walked across to the other side of the street to buy something from the Pottery Shed – profits from which go to disadvantaged children.
And then we drove down – and temperatures rose. Soon we had shut ourselves in again, the ac was on and we retired into our individual activities - some of us reading, some sleeping and some looking at the roads and the people we passed.
We talked about the trip and how Kodai was nice, lush and beautiful inspite of the people and the filth they have created all around them. I noticed plastic bottles everywhere and the lake was harboring cows and stray dogs in some obscure corners. And the other funny thing was at restaurants people just sat where they found a chair - never mind if it was a honeymoon couple trying to indulge in some sweet talk over dinner - a couple with a recently 'mottaied' kid was ready to share the table with them, no questions asked! All the infuriated couple could do was to throw dark glances at the kid who was happily munching at his dinner!!!
In the midst of our talks, just as we were leaving Trichy, we saw a sight so spectacular, words could not begin to describe it. The sun was just setting and in the fore ground the temple of the 'Malai Kottai Pillayar' loomed in all its majesty. We ran around, jumped up and down, climbed on top of our car and just about managed to capture the beauty in our cameras.
The setting of the sun kind of triggered something in all of us - we all retreated into our shells and were lost in our own thoughts for the rest of the journey - silence ruled.
Reaching home in the dead of the night, we all slept. Wednesday dawned and things were back to normal, me hurrying around trying to get ready for office, grabbing my lunch bag and rushing through the gate with a byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
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