My wife and I took a couple of days off to visit Yercaud. This blog post contains my impressions of the trip.
Note: I have avoided mentioning names of people. The photos in this blog post do not contain people. Some friends and relatives would have received a link to an album with more photos. Please email me if you would like to view it as well.
Since I don't like driving cars we had booked buses to and from Salem. Our bus was at 6:30 a.m. We reached the pick-up point ahead of time. The man in the counter of the private bus company whose tickets we had booked said that the bus would come in a few minutes. So we waited .. and waited! When there was no sign of the bus even at 7 a.m., I gave him a piece of my mind. He made some calls and said that the bus was on its way. It appeared that this bus had to come from the farthest corner of Bengaluru! I threatened to complain which resulted in more calls being made. Finally, more than an hour later than planned, we were off.
I counted the number of people in the bus passengers: One, two, three, four ! Yes, there were just four of us in the bus trip. My wife and I leaned back as far as our seats would allow since there was nobody behind us ! Perhaps the lack of people was the reason why our bus was delayed !
Near Krishnagiri, the bus driver stopped for breakfast. One small shock for me was that I had to pay Rs. 30 for a regular cup of coffee. I found the same price in Yercaud as well. Compared to the price in the SLV and Darshini chain of hotels in Bengaluru, this was double the price. Luckily it tasted good.
We reached Salem at 11:45. We had two options: take the Tamil Nadu state transport corporation bus or take a taxi. To save time we opted for the taxi. A local operator quoted Rs. 1200 for the trip. My wife called up a taxi operating company who quoted Rs. 1000. It was thanks to her prior research that we chose this latter, cheaper option.
There are 20 hairpin bends on the Salem Yercaud route which are helpfully numbered. The gap between the first and the second is big, but after that the bends come quickly. With each bend we ascended few feet. Before we knew it, we were in Yercaud.
We reached the resort at around a quarter to two. The cottage we selected was a little secluded. The room was comfortable with a high ceiling. We ate a late lunch and relaxed for some time.
Yercaud lake was around 2 km away from our resort. The afternoon had become overcast and cool when we left. The flowers in the houses dotting the road looked healthy and fresh. I noticed that the roads were smooth and also that cobbled stones formed a path along the road, probably for cyclists and pedestrians. The condition of the road made the Bengaluru look pathetic in comparison. We passed Five Roads junction when it started drizzling.
We walked past Montfort school, set up by the British. The frontage of the school looks grand. The clouds gathered even as we approached the school. In front of my eyes, it appeared that the clouds dissolved into a fine spray of water and mist. It started drizzling too. This was a memorable experience that rejuvenated both of us. On the way, we saw some unusual flowers and a stately mansion, which seemed to be abandoned. My wife remarked that it looked spooky !
I had visited Yercaud in the '90s. At that time, only the lake was the highlight of the town. I also recall the view from Shervaroy temple and the waterfalls. We had stayed in the Shervaroy hotel that time. This time, when my wife and I passed by the gate of the hotel, it brought back memories of my previous stay there. When I informed my cousin that we were going about our trip to Yercaud, he had reminded me of the wonderful pongal and vadas near the bus stand. As we walked past the hotel, I searched for the hotel that had served it, but unfortunately I couldn't locate it.
My wife and I decided to take the boating trip on the next day. We went to Anna Park opposite the lake. Our first impression of the park was that it was a waste of the ticket money we paid, as it looked like any of the parks in Bengaluru, for which we do not have to pay anything ! It was when we stepped inside that we saw an impressive collection of potted flowers. My wife was delighted to see the colourful flowers. She pointed out a dahlia flower with two shades of white and pink. All the flowers looked vibrant.
Once we finished walking around the park, we went to a restaurant. My wife had noticed a map of Yercaud opposite the lake which showed a shorter route to the Five Roads junction. We decided to take this route to get back. From Shervaroy hotel, we took a road branching leftward. This is the Hospital Road. It was twilight when we entered the road. The walk was pleasant, but where were India's teeming millions ?! The road was rather lonely as we walked in the fading light. We saw lights in a nurses quarters (I think) and the odd motorcycle passed by us, but in the diminishing light the road suddenly appeared a little too vacant for the two of us city dwellers used to having people around us !! We walked slowly taking in the greenery around us, but the new road seemed to stretch for ever ! In the back of my mind, I felt I had taken a risk, since we did not even know whether the road would take us to our resort - and there was nobody to ask ! Finally, we saw a light on the left as we neared a dead-end. The light was from a temple. It made for a welcoming sight. We turned left to enter Lovers' Lane, a narrow road full of quaint houses adjacent to each other. The good part was that this road looked homely, with all lights in the houses on, unlike Hospital Road where we saw only trees and empty plots along the side of the road. At the end of Lovers' Lane, we saw a shop that indicated the junction of Five Roads. We were back on familiar ground ! When we entered our cottage in the resort, night had fallen and the lights were on.
The next morning we took a walk on the road to Pagoda Point. It was an enjoyable stroll. The resort we stayed in served coffee only from 7:30 a.m. onwards. When we returned from our walk, we requested coffee and when it was served after a few minutes, it was welcome !
We hired a taxi for half a day. Our first stop was Pagoda Point. This is a high point which provides good views from the top of the hill station. From there we went to Shervaraya temple. My memory of the place from my last trip was of a forlorn temple. The temple I saw now was totally different. To begin with, there was an entry ticket to pay and we had to crawl down into a cave temple. I do not remember the experience of crawling when we went to the temple in the '90s. The other surprise was a view point and even a village fair that had been established on the peak of the hill.
Next, we went to the Botanical Gardens. The place is still work under progress, I feel. I could see pots being put up and the earth being shovelled. Probably a couple of years from now the place will be full of flowers. Even as it is, there were some pretty orchids and flowers. Our next stop was the Lady's Seat, another place that offers a good view from the top of the hill. We followed this with a visit to the Rose Garden. There were some roses here, but what I liked better was just the space allocated. Like the Botanical Gardens, I feel this garden can be further improved with more greenery.
We did not go to the Kiliyur Waterfall since the driver informed that there was no water there. So our last stop was the deer park next to the lake. We ate lunch at a restaurant opposite the lake. The thali meal was filling. We took an auto back to the resort and relaxed for some time. Again, we went for a walk via Lovers' Lane and Hospital Road to the lake in the evening. We went for a row boat ride. Even though the ride was only for 20 minutes, being in the middle of the lake was peaceful. After completing the ride, my wife purchased local fruit sold near the lake.
The next morning, we got up leisurely and ordered coffee which we drank sitting on a bench near our cottage. It felt blissful, experiencing the cool hill air in the morning and the silence, interrupted only by the calls of birds. Then it was time to pack and leave. We took a taxi to Salem. I had booked the 2 p.m. bus thinking that we could eat lunch and leave for Bengaluru. This gave us a couple of hours to spend. We stayed for more than an hour in the Reliance Mall where the onion bhajjis had lesser oil than expected and were tasty too.
We ate lunch in the hotel below the bus office. There were a lot of people in the bus office as three buses were scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. As expected, the bus came late, at 2:30 p.m. It was nearly full this time. The air-conditioning was welcome after the wait at the bus office. We alighted at Silk Board and took an auto back home in peak hour Bengaluru traffic. The calls of the birds and the silence in Yercaud continued to linger in my head, despite the sights and sounds of the city.
Note: I have avoided mentioning names of people. The photos in this blog post do not contain people. Some friends and relatives would have received a link to an album with more photos. Please email me if you would like to view it as well.
Since I don't like driving cars we had booked buses to and from Salem. Our bus was at 6:30 a.m. We reached the pick-up point ahead of time. The man in the counter of the private bus company whose tickets we had booked said that the bus would come in a few minutes. So we waited .. and waited! When there was no sign of the bus even at 7 a.m., I gave him a piece of my mind. He made some calls and said that the bus was on its way. It appeared that this bus had to come from the farthest corner of Bengaluru! I threatened to complain which resulted in more calls being made. Finally, more than an hour later than planned, we were off.
I counted the number of people in the bus passengers: One, two, three, four ! Yes, there were just four of us in the bus trip. My wife and I leaned back as far as our seats would allow since there was nobody behind us ! Perhaps the lack of people was the reason why our bus was delayed !
Near Krishnagiri, the bus driver stopped for breakfast. One small shock for me was that I had to pay Rs. 30 for a regular cup of coffee. I found the same price in Yercaud as well. Compared to the price in the SLV and Darshini chain of hotels in Bengaluru, this was double the price. Luckily it tasted good.
We reached Salem at 11:45. We had two options: take the Tamil Nadu state transport corporation bus or take a taxi. To save time we opted for the taxi. A local operator quoted Rs. 1200 for the trip. My wife called up a taxi operating company who quoted Rs. 1000. It was thanks to her prior research that we chose this latter, cheaper option.
There are 20 hairpin bends on the Salem Yercaud route which are helpfully numbered. The gap between the first and the second is big, but after that the bends come quickly. With each bend we ascended few feet. Before we knew it, we were in Yercaud.
We reached the resort at around a quarter to two. The cottage we selected was a little secluded. The room was comfortable with a high ceiling. We ate a late lunch and relaxed for some time.
Yercaud lake was around 2 km away from our resort. The afternoon had become overcast and cool when we left. The flowers in the houses dotting the road looked healthy and fresh. I noticed that the roads were smooth and also that cobbled stones formed a path along the road, probably for cyclists and pedestrians. The condition of the road made the Bengaluru look pathetic in comparison. We passed Five Roads junction when it started drizzling.
We walked past Montfort school, set up by the British. The frontage of the school looks grand. The clouds gathered even as we approached the school. In front of my eyes, it appeared that the clouds dissolved into a fine spray of water and mist. It started drizzling too. This was a memorable experience that rejuvenated both of us. On the way, we saw some unusual flowers and a stately mansion, which seemed to be abandoned. My wife remarked that it looked spooky !
I had visited Yercaud in the '90s. At that time, only the lake was the highlight of the town. I also recall the view from Shervaroy temple and the waterfalls. We had stayed in the Shervaroy hotel that time. This time, when my wife and I passed by the gate of the hotel, it brought back memories of my previous stay there. When I informed my cousin that we were going about our trip to Yercaud, he had reminded me of the wonderful pongal and vadas near the bus stand. As we walked past the hotel, I searched for the hotel that had served it, but unfortunately I couldn't locate it.
My wife and I decided to take the boating trip on the next day. We went to Anna Park opposite the lake. Our first impression of the park was that it was a waste of the ticket money we paid, as it looked like any of the parks in Bengaluru, for which we do not have to pay anything ! It was when we stepped inside that we saw an impressive collection of potted flowers. My wife was delighted to see the colourful flowers. She pointed out a dahlia flower with two shades of white and pink. All the flowers looked vibrant.
Once we finished walking around the park, we went to a restaurant. My wife had noticed a map of Yercaud opposite the lake which showed a shorter route to the Five Roads junction. We decided to take this route to get back. From Shervaroy hotel, we took a road branching leftward. This is the Hospital Road. It was twilight when we entered the road. The walk was pleasant, but where were India's teeming millions ?! The road was rather lonely as we walked in the fading light. We saw lights in a nurses quarters (I think) and the odd motorcycle passed by us, but in the diminishing light the road suddenly appeared a little too vacant for the two of us city dwellers used to having people around us !! We walked slowly taking in the greenery around us, but the new road seemed to stretch for ever ! In the back of my mind, I felt I had taken a risk, since we did not even know whether the road would take us to our resort - and there was nobody to ask ! Finally, we saw a light on the left as we neared a dead-end. The light was from a temple. It made for a welcoming sight. We turned left to enter Lovers' Lane, a narrow road full of quaint houses adjacent to each other. The good part was that this road looked homely, with all lights in the houses on, unlike Hospital Road where we saw only trees and empty plots along the side of the road. At the end of Lovers' Lane, we saw a shop that indicated the junction of Five Roads. We were back on familiar ground ! When we entered our cottage in the resort, night had fallen and the lights were on.
The next morning we took a walk on the road to Pagoda Point. It was an enjoyable stroll. The resort we stayed in served coffee only from 7:30 a.m. onwards. When we returned from our walk, we requested coffee and when it was served after a few minutes, it was welcome !
We hired a taxi for half a day. Our first stop was Pagoda Point. This is a high point which provides good views from the top of the hill station. From there we went to Shervaraya temple. My memory of the place from my last trip was of a forlorn temple. The temple I saw now was totally different. To begin with, there was an entry ticket to pay and we had to crawl down into a cave temple. I do not remember the experience of crawling when we went to the temple in the '90s. The other surprise was a view point and even a village fair that had been established on the peak of the hill.
Next, we went to the Botanical Gardens. The place is still work under progress, I feel. I could see pots being put up and the earth being shovelled. Probably a couple of years from now the place will be full of flowers. Even as it is, there were some pretty orchids and flowers. Our next stop was the Lady's Seat, another place that offers a good view from the top of the hill. We followed this with a visit to the Rose Garden. There were some roses here, but what I liked better was just the space allocated. Like the Botanical Gardens, I feel this garden can be further improved with more greenery.
We did not go to the Kiliyur Waterfall since the driver informed that there was no water there. So our last stop was the deer park next to the lake. We ate lunch at a restaurant opposite the lake. The thali meal was filling. We took an auto back to the resort and relaxed for some time. Again, we went for a walk via Lovers' Lane and Hospital Road to the lake in the evening. We went for a row boat ride. Even though the ride was only for 20 minutes, being in the middle of the lake was peaceful. After completing the ride, my wife purchased local fruit sold near the lake.
The next morning, we got up leisurely and ordered coffee which we drank sitting on a bench near our cottage. It felt blissful, experiencing the cool hill air in the morning and the silence, interrupted only by the calls of birds. Then it was time to pack and leave. We took a taxi to Salem. I had booked the 2 p.m. bus thinking that we could eat lunch and leave for Bengaluru. This gave us a couple of hours to spend. We stayed for more than an hour in the Reliance Mall where the onion bhajjis had lesser oil than expected and were tasty too.
We ate lunch in the hotel below the bus office. There were a lot of people in the bus office as three buses were scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. As expected, the bus came late, at 2:30 p.m. It was nearly full this time. The air-conditioning was welcome after the wait at the bus office. We alighted at Silk Board and took an auto back home in peak hour Bengaluru traffic. The calls of the birds and the silence in Yercaud continued to linger in my head, despite the sights and sounds of the city.
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