Kodaikanal to Bangalore

The only tourist spot that we did not visit was the Silver Cascade Falls. The Arien mentioned that we could visit it on our way back. On the day we were set to leave, the day turned sunny and bright. After all the incessant rains, mist or fog, and absolutely gloomy weather for most part of the trip, it now changes colour jes like tht. Grrr… I was quite bugged and so was the Arien. Anyway, leave we had to.

As planned, on our way, we saw the Silver Cascade. A beautiful waterfall which looked more beautiful thanks to the sun! There were a lot of tourists around the place. It was quite difficult to shoot a picture but as usual the Arien managed to take one. After shooting a couple more pics, we left. The Silver Cascade shone like silver and looked lovely.

We had quite a distance to travel (11 hours) and it was already lunch time. We had planned to have lunch on the way and I knew he would choose a place that served typical south Indian meals Well, at least, I was feeling cheered and so did not kick up a fuss. The meal was actually ok. We bravely tried to finish the juice we had ordered as we moved to warmer conditions but the meal was actually, very filling. So, we asked them to “parcel” it and they obliged

The drive was lengthy and tiring. We were glad to get back to home sweet home!

Kodai Sight-Seeing — Final Post

After the hoo-haa died down, we decided to resume our sight-seeing. Our first spot for the second half of the day was the funnily named ”Bear Shola Falls”. We were told that a long time ago, bears used to visit those falls for their water needs. The road to the falls is not a pucca road but for once the Gods decided to be merciful and the sky was clear and we made our way to the falls. It was nice but we were somehow not in a mood to enjoy the falls – probably the result of too much of excitement during the first half of the day! I took a few snaps because the arien refused to go into the water. Usually, if there is a waterfall he will refuse to get out and I have to play spoilsport. Naturally, this was surprising! Water was plentiful and there were a lot of people crowding around and so we left almost immediately.

Our next spot was the lake – not the berijam lake (another odd sounding name) but the kodaikanal lake. The lake was a great photo-op and even the Arien was cheered. The Arien shot a pic that reminded me a lot of the snap he took in Wayanad of the Pookot Lake. You can read about the Pookot Lake, here. Of course, the purple lotus was not to be seen and so while it looked a lot like the other snap – it failed to create an impact. But, the lake was huge and we were definitely feeling a lot better after visiting the lake.

The Arien shot a few decent pics and we were soon back to our normal selves The rain had all but disappeared and we could admire the beauty of Kodai. I insisted on having a butta and that made us spend more time than usual at the lake. The Arien was busy shooting pics amidst munches.

People walked all around the lake – children all togged up for riding bicycles safely, with helmets, knee pads, elbow pads etc. were happily riding around with a watchful parent. 

 Boating did not appeal to both of us and so we drove around the lake – one section was in need of repair. As a result, we could not go all around the lake and had to turn around. Of course, the cyclists could manage and so we stopped the car and watched people walk, cycle, and drive past. It was quite relaxing. The Arien confided that the car trouble had kinda given him a scare. I reminded him that since it was taken care of – we need not worry ’bout it now. He can get suddenly emotional but he is quick shake it off

We still had to visit Guna caves and Pillar Rocks. We set off before it became too dark. This part is quite confusing – I think we finally visited Guna caves. The caves are named so because the KamalHassan movie was shot here or probably in the vicinity.  The cave was supposedly bat-infested and I had no desire to visit it. The path to the next toursit spot was so unlike others that I was worried. I also did not see too many women around.  It does seem like we are entering a new world.

We finally reached the end of the trek (it was not a walk) and found ourselves stopped by a wire-like structure. I think it was dangerous to go beyond that point. We walked to the edge and realized that it was true and only fools would try it. We started to head back.

At the same time, we saw a number of young boys on the other side of the wire – yes on the trecherous side. I was quite curious mainly because it was a good photo-op. That was of course, until we noticed how they go there. Most of the young guys moved towards a cleverly hidden small rip in the wire structure and crawled to the other side. I could only assume that the boys were drunk. No one in their right senses would try it. Of course, they could be local. Meaning they have done this a zillion times and use it to show-off to the tourists.

I was looking forward to the comfort and safety of our car. However, we had a surprise awaiting us. A monkey had settled atop the car and was giving us “The Look”. The Arien could not resist the opportunity and shot two pics before the monkey fled.

I was real glad to get back into the car. My feet were aching from the trek. The path was wet, muddy, and quite slippery and so we had to walk up slowly and return in the same speed. We saw quite a few boys, run, slip and fall and while it was a source of amusement for the rest of his gang – I did not want to fall down and hurt myself in any way, here or any other place for that matter. The Arien, of course, being quite impatient, walked a few steps ahead. Thankfully, both of us did not fall. No more sight-seeing for today. 

We were totally tired and looked forward to relaxing in our cozy cottage.

Coakers Walk @ Kodai

So, we reached our cottage in time for my call. It was almost ~2 hours when we got back to our car. The first shock that we had was that the Autocop did not work. We were quite surprised. The Arien opened the door using his keys and found to his utter shock that the battery was dead or was totally drained out. We both stood in the rain (Yes, it was drizzling again) and stared at each other. This was the first time that that had happened to us. The Arien mentioned that he forgot to switch off the headlights and the battery was now dead.

Well, since we were all dressed with nowhere to go, I suggested that we walk up to Coaker’s Walk which was adjacent. The Arien was quite distracted but agreed. It was less than a 5-minute walk. The rain had let off a bit by the time we reached Coaker’s Walk. The Arien meanwhile had called the Maruti Service Center at Bangalore for some help and advise. While I was looking for some nice photo-ops, the Arien was able to reach the guy who serviced our car before we left for our trip. I could hear his various suggestions – jump-start the car, try pushing the car and starting it, etc etc. I could not make much sense of all tht talk but then I was busy with the camera.

The Arien looked a lot relieved after the conversation and was quite grateful for the various suggestions. He had also received a list of Maruti Service Centers in Kodai. Meanwhile, I had managed to take exactly two snaps. I wanted to showcase how cold it actually was. We were in Brrr… mode and Waaanh mode throughout this holiday!

Coaker’s Walk is sure to be a great walking spot during summer but with the rain, the mist, and our car disaster – we were quite distracted and could not really enjoy the walk. We finished the walk as the Arien was impatient ’bout implementing the various suggestions.

With help from the hotel staff, he was able to start the car with the last bit of battery charge. We had to leave the car running for a while so that the battery could get re-charged. We spent a tense mid-morning but were finally relieved when all was well. Well, we learnt something new!

We still had to visit Pillar Rocks and see the Silver Waterfall. But, for now, we were heading for lunch so we could forget the unfortunate episode of the battery dying out!

Where we stayed @ Kodai

Because the Arien took so many snaps, I am writing a post exclusively to showcase the resort and the Arien’s snaps. You may recall that we took a while to find the resort but the wooden cottage was so beautiful and cozy that all our crankiness vanished when we were shown to our room. The resort is almost adjacent to Coaker’s Walk which was a big advantage in the sense that we could walk to one of the sight-seeing spots instead of taking the car. I think the resort will be lovely in the summer months. However, because we were there in November with almost no sun – the fact that I like the place inspite of it  means a lot.

We had a gigantic umbrella at our disposal in case we wanted to explore the resort during the incessant rain. Hardly a good idea during the awful rain but so useful when you want to get to your car from your lovely cottage without getting wet. The Arien wanted to take it with us as we went sight-seeing He can be funny at times.

The interior of the wooden cottage was almost L-shaped. As soon as you enter, the washroom is on your right. The wash area is a good example of how to use the available space well. The bed has been placed in the L-shaped space adjacent to the wash area with two arbid paintings on the wall. There are two side-tables on both sides with lamps fixed to the wall. Looks very cozy when the lights are switched on. The three stools in the corner look wobbly but are actually quite sturdy and comfortable.

There was a nice sofa-cum-bed type thing which was quite comfy. In fact, it became the place where we dumped the camera, wallets, purse, all the chargers (camera, cell, etc.), some eatbles, etc. etc. This snap was taken before it became the dumpyard of our stuff and as you can see – it looks neat and nice. The Arien liked the sofa-cum-bed a lot. He wanted to get a similar one for our home and took a zillion pics so he could explain it to our carpenter. Basically, it had a wooden base, or a gigantic palaga that was attached to the wall. Atop that sat two separate huge cushions (no other term comes to mind). Because the cushion was so comfortable, we did not realize the simplicity of the design. 

The resort was nice and service was good. We had a nice time. On the second day of our stay, the house-keeping folks arranged the towels in a swans-in-love like posture. Naturally, I was too engrossed in what I was saying that I did not notice it until I sat on the bed. I jumped and almost fell off the bed. I thought it was a snake! Instead of being a romantic surprise – it was a rude shock for me and the Arien burst out laughing.

He has taken two nice snaps of the towel decoration or hotel art.  Usually, big hotels have this and so it was kinda unexpected and very nice at the same time. Of course, that was after I got over my initial shock. The first snap is without any fancy lights – it looks kinda plain but captures all the details.

The second snap looks real romantic with all the lights and I personally like this snap better tho’ I gave a lot of grief to the Arien when he was trying to shoot this snap.

Kodai Sight-Seeing — Bryant Park

It was a brrrr.. day. Woke up at 4 am, shivering. Noticed that the Arien had wrapped himself entirely in the double Razai leaving me shivering in the cold. Grrr… Wrestled with the snoring Arien for the Razai, managed to some extent before I fell asleep listening to the rain. Woke up finally @ 8 am. We decided to go out for breakfast – it was still drizzling. We stuffed ourselves with typical South Indian fare – Idli, vadai, pongal etc. (If you stay at Bangalore, you probably have the sooji idli that does not taste as good.)  While we waited for the waiter to get our order, we spent some time planning our sight-seeing day. The first place we were going to visit was Bryant Park. We hoped that it would stop raining by the time we reached there. I had a call ~12 and so we had to be back in the cottage. The Arien’s server issue was resolved yesterday and so he was all set to enjoy the holiday!

When we reached Bryant Park, it had stopped raining. However, there was a mist and most of our snaps came out blurry. Of course, the Arien managed to take quite a few good snaps – as always! I tried to take some but they looked so bad – I deleted it I am sure the park would be a great photo op in better weather conditions but we were stuck with the mist. I guess I should be thankful that we did not have the rain!

This holiday reminded me of our Coorg holiday in July two years ago – thanks to the incessant rain and the mist. The Arien is intent on taking snaps in all weather conditions. 

 However, I did break into a giggle when I saw him taking a snap of a cob-web. Yes.. a cob-web. It was amazing that the cob-web existed inspite of the mist and the rain. We were quite surprised that we could get such a clear shot of the cob-web with almost no sunlight. The Arien walked around smiling and taking more snaps.

I wanted to take a snap of the mist and the path. You have no idea how difficult it is to pry the camera from the Arien. (I really need to get myself a camera). I usually do not try especially not in this weather when everything comes out blurry. So, I was real glad that one of them was good enough to post. Yeah!!! It was quite cold as we walked around. We saw a temporary structure inside the park where some of the employees were working, chatting, etc. All that stopped the moment we went closer. It felt so rude to take a snap that I decided against taking a snap though I really wanted to.

Meanwhile the Arien had seen the Emblem. It stood all by itself and the swirling mist all around gave it quite a romantic as well as scary touch. Scary because the trees in the background looked like giants because of the mist. We took snaps of each other on the bench placed near the Emblem. I have never seen the Emblem this close and so we went a lil crazy with the camera.

The bench also had this very quirky wooden log look which we both liked. I guess the Emblem was part of the Independence Day, Republic Day celebrations. They probably had added these benches for folks to sit and watch the celebrations. Today it was wet – thanks to the rain and the mist and we were the only folks at the place.

It was time to go. I had the call to attend and so we started moving towards the exist. We suddenly came in contact with a host of honeymooning couples under shared umbrellas either taking snaps or giggling. I was glad we were leaving because we would have been asked to take their pictures :D I am so mean! While I was walking away full speed, I realized tht the Arien was missing. I hoped that he was not caught by the honeymooning couples. I saw him taking pics of the flowers. After some trouble he was able to get a shot that he was satisfied with and we were ready to go. 

Because it was almost time for me to take the call, we rushed back to the cottage. I got ready to attend my first ever ofc call on a vacation while the Arien spent time shooting pics of the cottage we were staying in.  At that time, both of us were clueless ’bout the beeg mess ahead of us. We had left the headlights of our car switched on as we ran helter-skelter to the cottage so I could attend the call. We had not received any alert from our car that the headlights were on. Because of the mist and the rain, we had been driving with our headlights on for most part of the day. Thats for the next post – Tada!