A walk in the clouds - Yercaud

I am keeping my promise of a travelogue. It has been 2 days since I returned and the Yercaud trip high is beginning to wear out, but I am still going to do this.

Yercaud had been on my list ever since I saw all that mist in someone’s Facebook album last year. In fact a few days before the trip, the weather prediction for Yercaud did not look extremely exciting and I was beginning to worry if I should have done Coorg all over again. Thank God I didn’t. Because Yercaud was heavenly. Just what I needed during rains, and just what R needed after his incessant working over the last few months.

The road to Yercaud

And thus begins Tamilnadu

As usual, the plan started out with wondering if we should take the train, because of those rains and the much hyped hairpin bends on the way to Yercaud. But all plans to not take the road on weekend getaways don’t really materialize in our household. And I am glad, because the roads were impeccable. There is something about the TN part of the drive that makes you realize that the state really takes pride in its tourism. Because the road is not just pretty and lush, but very, very well maintained. I must warn you though that you should carry enough change for the many toll booths on the way, each of of them change not more than Rs 50.

We left from Bangalore a little after 7:30 am, and fortunately did not find much traffic at the Hosur Junction. It is after a few minutes from the junction that you see lush greens on both sides o NH 7. All you have to follow the road, till Salem. We wasted some time in Salem because of the road blocks due to some political rally in the town that day, and there were no easy road blocks too - even the GPS gave in after a few random twists and turns. But the yellows around town and the rain and the traffic jam that came with it didn't bother me, because I was on a holiday!

A very crowded Salem

The uphill climb

Finally we found our way in the crowded Salem and the uphill climb began. I don't know why the hairpin bends are so hyped, because it was a fairly easy drive in spite of the mist and the bends. In fact that is what made this experience so worthwhile! In all of 5.5 hours, including that whole round of Salem town centre, we were in Yercaud. I must tell you though that the place is as awesome as the journey one makes to this place. So make sure you enjoy the drive as much as you want to enjoy the place. After about 12 bends, there are these two stalls that sell tea, boiled corn, and the original bhutta. I highly recommend stopping there because it is blissful - rains outside, hot corn inside. I think that was a moment stashed in a dafe locker in my memory.

The last hair pin bend

Our cottage at Grange

We had our bookings in the Grange Resort. The cottages there are to die for. And the best thing about this resort is how quiet and secluded it is, unlike Lake Forest Resort which is just next door! Having said that, there is practically no service at Grange. Nobody offers to carry your luggage to the room, there is no room service, the pool is dry.





But you can take the car all the way to your cottage, the food is no good so you would end up eating out, and the weather, at least when I was there, was too cold for me to even want to picture a swimming pool in my head. If you planning to enjoy the weather, I would recommend Grange so that you don't spend all your time cooped up in the hotel with a hot cup of tea. Trust me with those plantations and sheer lushness of the property, staying cooped up inside wouldn't sound like a bad idea if the service and food were any good. My only grudge is that I should have opted for the cheapest accommodation there. Because there isn't much difference between the cottages except in the view, and the view of the plantation from the balcony of our cottage was not too different from the garden view in more inexpensive cottages at Grange. But then again, for Rs 3000 a night for the cottage, even the most expensive cottage in the place was not exorbitant, especially because it was very well kept. One doesn't see such sparkling window panes in touristy places! Anyway, we chucked our things in the cottage, freshened up, and we were on the road again!

Lunch was at Lake Forest. A full meal buffet for Rs 250 per person, I wouldn't call that a bad deal. But what is better than the food is their absolutely English style property. Quaint, pretty, but extremely crowded! The restaurant has the option of buffet and a la carte. More on their food later, because we returned to Lake Forest for all our meals.

The restaurant at Lake Forest Resort

Lunch was followed by a nice ride on the All Terrain Vehicle on the tracks owned by Grange. It was fun, because the terrain really was something I am not used to. Hell, I am not used to riding, driving, and rough terrain, so this was especially exciting for me. And a tad bit embarrassing to have the trainer and the husband around through the ride, because I don't think that ATV ride would be so challenging for anyone else!

View from the cottage - Orange and coffee plantation as far as you can see

We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around in the cottage and left for the roads late evening. It was pretty cold by then, although I had been shivering through the afternoon. I would suggest carrying light warm clothes if you are travelling during monsoon. One thing that amazed me about Yercaud was the seclusion. You can drive on for 10 minutes thinking you are lost in wilderness, and then suddenly from nowhere you will see a house or a grand boarding school in the middle of nowhere. The night drive was especially exciting because of the number of times we almost got lost. When you are in the main market, don't forget to check out this really tiny tea stall in the middle of a 100 others, and ask for lemon tea there. It will drive away any monsoon laziness you may be feeling during your stay in Yercaud.

My favourite place in Grange

Later that night we returned to Lake Forest for a meal, but we were full from lunch, so we got sandwiches packed instead. And played Brainvita to remember schooldays while they worked on that sandwich. I must put in a word about their chicken sandwich - yummylicious! The lack of service was made up by the extremely warm, never-say-no reception we got at Lake Forest every time we went there.

We returned to the room with our food, talked for a long time, and somewhere in the middle of talking and exchanging silence, we dozed off and started early the next day. There is not much to do in Yercaud if you don't want to check out the view points. And I think that really is the best thing about the place. We randomly, and this time willingly, got lost a few more times in the many bye lanes of Yercaud, drove some more, walked some, clicked silly pictures, and then returned to Lake Forest for breakfast - the best thing about weekend getaways! Another brilliant buffet was waiting for us, for Rs 175 per person this time.

Something like that to look at during breakfast - words fail me!

Fortunately this was a one night trip, because 2 nights would have meant an overkill of doing nothing. I must point out the lack of service at Grange was by now beginning to irritate me - not getting warm water to bathe in a chilly touristy town does that to me. And to most other people I guess. We packed up and left the cottage at 11:30, checked out a view point for heck of it,and then we were on our way back. We were home by 5 pm, just in time to catch a few episodes of 24, and sleep in time for Monday morning. It is funny, just about surviving 5 days of a week for the 2 days or the occasional 10 days of awesomeness. But then, good things in life are never free.

Yercaud, in all its glory

I am glad I wrote this post, it brought back the pretty memories of Yercaud for me to chew on until R gets home!










 Quick facts-

Distance from Bangalore - Approximately 235 kms.

How to get there - Route: NH7 - Bangalore >> Hosur >> Krishnagiri >> Dharmapuri >> Thoppur Ghat (Adayar Anand Bhavan) >> Omalur >> Salem >> Yercaud

Cost - Roughly Rs 7000 for a one night getaway for 2 people, including food, stay, and fuel.

Need some travel gyaan

We are planning to do a 10 day road trip to Kerala in December. The ideal plan right now is to cover a beach, a houseboat, and a hill station off the beaten path. Any suggestions on the itinerary? Is this even doable?

Have gyaan, please dispense!

I left my heart in the jungles

I have been wanting to do travel diaries for a long time, but somehow laziness always got into the way. I missed out writing about some of my most awesome trips, even Ladakh. This is my first attempt at it, and all kinds of feedback will be appreciated. Ya, OK so sometimes I do like feedback :P

In the middle of the sweltering March summers, all I could think of was going away for the Easter weekend. I really needed a break after the constant activity of the last couple of months. An acquaintance suggested River Tern Lodge, and when we looked it up on the internet, we knew it was going to be near perfect. But hell, it turned out PERFECT! We got our tickets done on the Shimoga Express and then waited all March for the elusive journey to the jungles. We were to leave on Friday, 2nd April, spend 2 nights at the resort and be back in Bangalore on Easter Sunday. But on 31st March, we randomly decided to chuck all plans of the train journey and drive down instead - must say it was very smart of us :P

We left from our Wind Tunnel Road residence at 7:15 am on 2nd April, and drove towards Tumkur. After an initial setback of an hour's traffic jam on the outer limit of Bangalore, we were finally on the fast lane. We drove through many village towns and bypass roads to finally reach River Tern Lodge, exactly 265 kms (6 and a half hours) from where we stay in Bangalore with a 30 minute pit stop at a Cafe Coffee Day just before Arsikere. Don't expect to find CCD's and Baristas in plenty here - there are not even half of those on this route as there are on the Mysore and Coorg routes.

Anyway, so we finally reached the resort at 2, and got a not-so-warm reception at the reception - which is fine by Jungle Lodge standards I guess. But the minute you enter the room, the place leaves you spellbound. Every cottage has a balcony facing the backwaters of Bhadra dam - and it's the most beautiful, calm, and ethereal thing I have seen from a hotel window. I can't say it enough - honestly! After a quick lunch in their restaurant, Gol Ghar, we spent the afternoon reading, snoozing, and listening to music. Loud music is not allowed at the resort considering it's in the middle of the jungle, so do justice to yourself, carry a portable music player along. It takes the experience to another level. The backwater is visible from the bed too, and the temperature controlled room felt a little nicer as the temperature was soaring in the afternoon. We finally got out into the balcony a little before sunset... And it was ethereal. Truly, truly beautiful. Not a sound except the sound of water, and the beautiful dusk skies - the place is ideal for a romantic getaway. Also :-)

Snacks and tea were served in the restaurant at 6:30. There's no room service in the lodge, but there's an electric kettle and sachets of tea and coffee in the room, just in case. But the place is too good to be wasted on room service and immaculate behaviour. It's the "naturalness" of this place that sets it apart. The service is friendly, but not overly so. The food is nice, not out of this world. The sights and scenes - breathtaking! After tea, we didn't want to do much. So we sat chatting in their bar, Water Hole, and later in our balcony, and called it a day earlier than usual. Against the sound of the water, and the breeze near it, every emotion is overwhelming. What a beautiful evening it was!

That night I slept like I hadn't in weeks. And had to be dragged out of bed the next day. But it was worth it! After breakfast (which was the best meal here, considering it was 3 days worth of vacation breakfast served in one morning - piping hot too!), we headed for soft water sports and did some pedal boating, and monkeyed around on their water trampoline and in the water. I came back terribly tanned, but every minute of it was so much fun that the tan was totally worth it too! Took a long shower and had lunch. There was a jungle safari planned for 4:30 pm and I was almost reluctant. Laziness has a way with me, I wanted to spend another afternoon sleeping :P But my forever enthusiastic husband wouldn't have any of it. So safari it was! 7 of us from the hotel got on a Bolero Camper along with 2 guides and off we went. It was a tad bit disappointing because I was quite sure that if I had gone on the safari, at least one out of the 1411 tigers will definitely come say hello. Instead I managed to see a few birds - peacocks, hornbills; a giant malabar squirrel, a bison, a spotted deer... And we saw the end of the world... A really pretty part of the backwaters that opened up into the jungle... And it was the most awesome thing about the safari.

We came back to the resort on an equally bumpy drive back, and spent another evening talking non stop and living the good life.

The next morning was our last one at that heavenly place. Got up to an up and about husband, and went boating. What we didn't know was this was also going to be a birdwatching session. In the middle of the boating area, we saw 2 little islands full of River Terns that migrate here from Himachal and spend January to June in this warmer part of the country. So we saw that the male bird goes fishing, the female waits for him on the island, the male glides just beneath the surface of the water, and brings back a fish. And this must have been the first time a living being apart from humans, fascinated me. It was probably because I was watching it from such close quarters, or because I had paid a lot of money for it, but whatever it was, it was beautiful. The early morning sky, the ethereal similarity in water and the sky, the mist in the distance... And the birds - it was all musical! You have to be there to believe it!

The boat ride was followed by a huge breakfast spread and we ate enough for 6 people, got dressed, packed up, and left. I reached Bangalore a few hours ago, the memory of the trip as fresh in my mind as the Bhadra mornings. I will go there again - probably in the monsoons. I have returned a very, very happy woman :-)





Quick facts:
Distance from Bangalore - approx 250 kms.

How to get there -  Drive towards Tumkur. Take the Shimoga bye-pass road at Tumkur (instead of going to Tumkur town) and cross Gubbi, Tiptur, Arsikere, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere. After crossing Tarikere, take the left that also has a Kuvempu University direction board. Travel 14Km till you reach Lakkavalli. At Lakkavalli you will find a sign board to the River Tern Lodge, which is about 4km away. The River Tern Lodge is 38km from Shimoga and is located by the Bhadra Reservoir. Alternatively, take a train to Tarikere/ Shimoga/ Kaddur and ask River Tern Lodge to send a pick up vehicle to the station.

Cost - Rs 3250 per person per night for cottage stay and all meals.

Mysore

The good thing about heritage sights is that they don't change much with times. Went to Mysore after over a decade today, and the sights still brought back memories from the last trip... With mum and dad and aunt and cousins and baby sister. And it brought me a lot of smiles :-)

The only difference though... The last time around, I was the one that needed the most taking care of... And this time around, I was the one taking care. And it felt different. I have grown up I think. Maybe it's time I started acting my age too :-)

It was a very touristy trip - Mysore Palace and Chamundi Hills are all we saw. It was OK... Touristy at best. Took a total of 4 and a half hours for us to travel from our HAL residence to Mysore Palace, with a one hour pitstop. The summer got to me - not sure when's a better time to go, because from everything I remember of my trip in the last decade, the October heat is also one of them.

                 Mahishasurmardini Temple at Chamundi Hill

MIL and me getting all touristy at Mysore Palace


But the rockstar of the trip was this place called Kamat on Bangalore-Mysore road. We stopped on our way to Mysore for breakfast - their food is nice and fresh - like most economical South Indian joints. Their innovative patra nu idli was interesting AND delicious. We went back for dinner and the south indian meal was strictly OK. But the ambience is to die for. Very ethnic and pretty. I leave with a picture...

Overall a good, touristy, tiring Saturday trip I say!

Indigo Airlines - Why I love it

Much has been said about Indigo Airlines' affordable, on time service. But my experience with Indigo goes beyond that. It is especially awesome for an impatient, scatterbrain traveller like me. The 101 times that I have travelled on the Bombay - Bangalore route, I have NEVER been disappointed. Their ground staff is efficient, their air staff - extremely courteous, and they are really almost never late! In fact I have landed early a lot of times, thanks to Indigo. In fact last night in spite of terrible air traffic in Bombay, and the bus getting stuck in the middle of the runway because a Singapore Airline was "backing up" (not sure how else I can put it!) I walked out of the airport only 15 minutes later than expected.. I find it a little surprising how they do this flight after flight and other airlines, especially the low cost ones, just can't!

But that's not all. Last night, I was travelling back from Bombay with a suitcase and bag-full of fragile things and lots of "crush-able" food. And as expected from the likes of me, I totally forgot all about the fragile tag while checking in my baggage. All my flight I was praying hard, telling God I will fall flat at His feet at Siddhivinayak during my next trip if at least some of my stuff reaches me in one piece. And wonder of wonders- not a scratch, not a crack - not even in the crockery I had hardly packed well!

If you are looking for an airline that's affordable not at the cost of your patience, Indigo is the way to be (go?). A complete 5/5 for me - I like Indigo a little better than the jazzy airlines too, thanks to its subtle decor and service.