Travelogue - Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu

So it all was a planned trip to Kodaikanal on 14 October 2017,  one month after the weekend getaway at Mandalapatti . We had it all sorted out, the time we will start from Bangalore and the time we reach there. I will keep this blog very short . So the good thing about Bangalore is that it is connected to the other Southern sisters - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala ,it just takes an overnight drive to cross the border and enter any of these states, so if you are in Bangalore, do not miss the chance to visit the hill stations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala . More will be covered in my next blogs as and when I cover other scenic spots down South.

Kodai falls

The distance between Bangalore and Kodaikanal is approximately 460 kms and it took us around 8- 9 hrs to reach . To be precise, we started from Bangalore at around 7.30 pm and reached Kodiakanal at 3 AM early morning. Kodaikanal had a freezing temperature as it was in Ooty ( the trip that I covered last year) . An interesting fact is that Kodaikanal, Cunnoor, Ooty are all adjoining hill stations (so as I believe) and can be covered as a part of one trip . The temperature would have been between 15 degrees at the time we arrived the hill station. We took the Hosur route via Nice road and covered Kumaragiri enroute. There were many hairpin turnings as we climbed the heights , I would say one hairpin every 15 seconds, but the roads are good so it was not much of a struggle to drive and ofcourse our friends who drove are proficient to drive on hills.

Day 1 - Since we are all working on weekdays , so Saturday and Sundays are the only days which get to explore the places that we could set our foot on. After early morning breakfast, we headed towards the pine forests and Kodai lake , but not before we took few clicks in the woods .👉

 Beware of the leeches here, so advisable to wear full covering socks. After some quick snacking on the boiled chick peas and groundnuts and corn , we moved forward to enjoy the cycle ride near the Botanical garden. The riders can choose to opt for double cycles as well and go for a round around the lake. The cycling part was real exciting and adventurous, followed by suicide point which was only a view from the top. Not really recommended . It had started to rain heavily, so we halted a place known as Pillar rocks . Also covered , the Guna caves which is actually not a cave but you can find the long thick roots of the Trees that differentiates this place from others. Day 1 comes to an end. 

Pillar rocks

Guna Caves

Day 2- We intended to cover all the waterfalls in Kodai today. The first one on the list was Bear shola falls. A good place to get some random clicks. Not a very big waterfall but is peaceful and not crowded. After covering Shola falls, we moved towards the Kodai falls. These are massive falls and you can actually climb and stand on the rocks in the midst of falling water. 

The last but not the least, the fairy falls,which is my favorite because the falls look like delicate long white veil of a bride, gently flowing down with soothing sound and of course hardly any people around. (I personally like quite places that help me connect the nature). 

shola falls

Nothing beats this- Tea stall 

Fairy falls

So was the end to another episode of - "My adventures and explorations" .
My overall rating- 3.5 /5 .

We missed the Silent valley. So ensure that you take the permission of the forest department before hand so that you can gain an entry to this wild life conservation area. For those who have time can actually include Rameswaram and Kanyakumari , which is further 5-6 hrs drive from Kodai.

Watch out for more in this blog for the next trip 💛

Travelogue 3 - Cunnoor and Ooty

The second half of the year and this is the second in line after Allepey, Kerala trip in January . This time it was a quick trip to the famous hill station of the South India- Ooty - Cunnoor.
The journey started post midnight and we reached Ooty at 6 AM in the morning but not before we passed by the forests of Bandipur. Since the weather was cloudy and drizzling we were lucky enough to spot quite a few of forest inhabitants- Elephants, Bison, beautiful spotted deers, peacocks en route to Ooty. The trees were washed up by the rain water and displayed a vibrant hue of lush green abundance.

As we were nearing towards Ooty, the temperature started dropping and by the time we reached Ooty it was 13 degrees celsius and we were all shivering. It reminded me of the hill stations in the North, but nevertheless it was a welcoming respite from the tropical Southern climate. No one can imagine that Ooty is located in Tamil Nadu , one of the hottest and humid place in India.

We took the heritage train from Ooty and made our progress towards Cunnoor, a small but even more beautiful hill station approximately 1 hr journey from Ooty. Surrounded by tall green mountains, the roads started curving around the hills. Cunnoor is famous for tea plantation and you can find many tea estates on the way. Terrace farming is common here as it would be in any other mountainous region.

Our goal was to cover the maximum number of places here. So we started covering one place after another. I would start from the best place.

1) Shooting point - You get the panaromic view of the entire hill station at this point. Clouds are really low here but unfortunately they were quite far from us, but they covered the top of the distant hills, something like the snow capped mountains of the Himalayas. We managed to get a few clicks done here.

2) Dolphin's Nose- I do not know why this is called as Dolphin's nose and I really did not find anything resembling the Dolphin, contrary to what the locale people would see. This place gives you a bigger picture of the valley below. Standing at the top of the hill, as you look down , you realize the depth of the valley. At a distance you will find Catherine waterfalls. I initially thought we can get closer to the falls , but there was no way we could reach there. It is like the virgin falls amidst the hills. All you can hear is the sound of the falls even though it was miles away from where we stood, which itself explains how majestic and powerful this waterfall would be from close.

3) Lamb's Rock - Well to put it in short, there is nothing in particular to see. They have given different names to different viewing points. They are all hill tops with a similar view of the surrounding landscape.

4) All saint's church - One of the oldest Churches in Cunnoor , since I am a believer, I had to visit this place and offer my reverence.

All said, more than the places, what was more beautiful was the drive from ooty to Cunnoor and vice versa. The sceneries were really breathtaking. All those who thought that there are no hill stations in South India, must visit this place once. If not better, atleast it is at par with the hills in Northern India.

So we returned from Cunnoor to Ooty and visited botanical garden and Boat house in Ooty . Ooty does not have much to offer in comparison to Cunnoor, so possibly it can be just a stopping point .

Ooty is famous for home made chocolates and you can grab them at really reasonable price. 100gms for Rs 50. But the best part of the entire trip was shopping at Kashmir emporium, well in just half an hour I could grab 1 jacket and 1 netted top, wanted to spend more time trying out stuff but was running short of time since friends were waiting outside.

My overall rating - 3.5 / 5

Catherine falls

Botanical garder

Travelogue- Odisha Trip , Part 1

Its time of the year again, and the year ended on yet another trip. This time it is the eastern coastal state of Odisha with my family (yes, my travel buddies , my mom in law and dad in law). We covered a whopping 6 places in row. While most of the places are of religious significance, nevertheless, it was fun exploring the places.
Since cameras are not allowed in many temples, I was'nt able to click as many pictures as I wanted to, but still have managed to capture quite a few of them.
The no.1 slot goes to the Sun temple at Konark. Built in 16th century, it is a protected monument under UNESCO and ASI (archaelogical survey of India).
Check out the pictures of this astounding structure. It is believed that the Sun's first rays enter directly into the temple. The temple is designed as a chariot with big wheels.

Can you beat that? The entire temple was carved out of a single stone, back then in 16th century.

 The iron rods around the structure is meant to protect the monument from natural catastrophe such as Earthquakes and storms.

The depiction of feminine figurines in that era.

The famous wheel which is also the symbol of Odisha

One side of the chariot

Look at the intricate carvings in the stone

Next stop - Chandrabhaaga , a place where river meets the ocean.The beach is a retreat from the maddening city noise

The serenity of the place is soothing to the soul

Next stop - Puri Temple, we had a quick darshan and bhog at the temple. No cams allowed so no pics at the moment.

Next hault- Rama Chandi temple near chandrabhaga. Legend says that this is the place where lord Rama was guided by the goddess as to how to resuce Sita from Ravana's captivity.

Next stop- Dhaulagiri stupa where king Ashoka adopted Buddhism. This one is from the net, since it was dark by the time we reached there and we could'nt grab any clicks.

And last but not the least Lingaraja temple. I wish I had a journalist / reporter/ professional photographer tag to be allowed to carry a camera inside. This click is again from the internet, just to share the magnificence of this very old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a multitude of small temples dedicated to different Gods and Goddesses. 

So did we mark the end of the Trip. Hoping to cover more next time . Never knew actually that Orissa had such rich cultural heritage. A highly underrated state, but atleast it is not yet exploited as a tourist hub, which keeps it safe from the noise and pollution.