Far away in the hills

As the travel bug begins to itch, the  search for newer destinations begins. This time around we settled for a known destination only to enjoy the beauty of monsoons.  It was Kodaikanal.  After exploring many wildlife destinations continuously this was exciting and different.  We had visited kodai on for our honeymoon and revisiting the place after 11 years seemed nice. Also this journey meant travelling on some new roads, the best part of the entire trip according to me.

The white building is Country Club

Kodai is a good 450 odd kms from Bangalore. We took the Bangalore Salem route and subsequently turned right to reach kodaikanal passing through karur, namakkal and dindigul and then the climb to Kodai. The ghats section to reach Kodai spans for around 45 kms and takes a little more than 2 hrs. However the roads bends are not as much as Ooty and they can be easily negotiated. The road conditions throughout right from Blore to Kodai is excellent. 

We chose to stay at Country Club Valley Vista Kodaikanal situated a around 5kms from Kodai.  To reach this place, take a left turn before you reach the main town. The signboards are not very evident. This is a village called Shenbaganur. The roads leading to the resort are quite narrow for 2 vehicles to simultaneously pass by. However,  once you see the views available from the hotel, you are bound to forget everything about the distance from the town.

Service and other facilities at the hotel are nothing to boast about. The food is also pretty average. They arrange for some activities during the day like fishing, trekking night safari etc, but charge exorbitantly for the same.

The charming Shenbaganur Museum

About the sights at Kodai, the usual hill station staples like a lake, a couple of falls and some view points are on the tourist circuit.  We did not do much sight seeing,  except for a couple of sights like the pillar rocks, upper lake view, walking around the lake etc. Cycles on hire are available, it is nice to cycle around the lake. Shenbaganur Museum was something I loved, its settings appeared out of the world. It felt quaint and lovely.Being far from the city did not allow us to do more though we had our own vehicle.

View from our resort

 However,  just sitting by the window of our room and watching the clouds gather in and move away was a great experience by itself. The roads near the resort pass through the villages and it is a good place for some long walks, not knowing where the roads lead to. An occasional vehicle passing by could seem a disturbance given the tranquility of the place. Mesmerising and a kind of haunting sound wafts through the air, caused by blowing of wind trees? I really do not know the right name of that tree, but in Kannada,  its called Gaali Mara,  so just going in for  a translation.

One great find there was a great eat-out place called the Cloud Street. When your taste buds appear tired of the usual south indian fare and crave for some pastas, steaks, hum

Upper lake view

Pillar Rocks

mus and pita bread, wood fired pizzas, this is the place to be. I just loved their lemon cake and expresso, one of the best that I ever had. They are open for breakfast too. Closed on mondays.

Kodaikanal is a small hill station, but there is much to explore outside the city. Couple of trekking tracks are available, which could be explored. Overall a nice place for a short holiday.