Friends on an Impromptu Trip
You know how that Goa trip with your friends that you keep on planning for months on end, only to see it crumble and fail, at the last moment? Yeah. This is not that story. This is actually about a spontaneously planned trip with a couple of my friends, which ACTUALLY became a success. Only, our Goal was this beautiful hill station in Tamil Nadu, called Kodaikanal.
Before Kabir’s wedding in ZNMD, his friends and he, go to Spain. My friend who is getting married next month, (let’s call him J) took our gang of four boys to Kodaikanal, (that’s where he had spent most of his growing up years). In retrospect, I like the deal quite a lot. My three friends were supposed to travel from Bangalore, but I had other plans.
How I Reached Kodaikanal
Before my journey to Kodai, I thought I would fly to Madurai, and meet with one of my cousins from Germany, who was there for the day. However, there was a little change in plan when my flight to Madurai got delayed, and I missed meeting my cousin, who had already left for a different city. It was a bummer, but nothing could be done about it. So, as soon as my flight landed in Madurai, I thought it would be best to book a convenient taxi from Madurai Airport to Kodaikanal.
How my Friends Reached Kodaikanal
As for my friends who had decided to meet up in Bangalore, things were not this crazy and unexpected for them. They met in Bangalore, caught up with each other over some beer, and all they had to do was book a cab from Bangalore to Kodaikanal. Now I wish, I had just stuck with them, instead of coming up with plans of my own.
Day One of Kodaikanal
Anyway, the four of us checked in into a resort near Coakers Walk. We had reached quite late at night, so we couldn’t do much, but just order in some food, rest well and be energized for all the exploring we had to do the next day. The next day, we woke up quite early in the morning, around 7 am. Coakers Walk was surrounded by fog. This made the view from Coakers Walk absolutely breathtaking. Kodaikanal is at a height of about 2100 meters, which makes it a hill station surrounded by serene views on all sides.
After our fresh and delicious breakfast at the resort, the four of us made our way to the Kodai Lake, which was pretty close by. We walked the distance, taking in the freshness of the place. The lake water was a clear blue, mirroring the sky above, and it looked oh-so-pretty! J suggested that we rent some cycles which were available at the spot, and cycle around the lake. It seemed like an exciting idea, so we got ourselves four cycles and went around the lake, covering a distance of almost 5 kilometres. Riding cycles after all these years made us feel like the young, carefree school boys that we once were.
After we were done, we asked one of the photographers flocking the area, to click a few polaroids of us. We thought it would make for a sweet memory that we could look back on, in the future. We also had some steaming tea there. I bought a woollen shawl as a souvenir for my mother, from one of the stalls nearby. We spent quite a few hours there, and went back to the resort only at lunchtime. After lunch, we didn’t want to do much and stayed in.
Day Two of Kodaikanal
The next day, we went around sightseeing a bit more. We visited the Pillars Rock, Guna Caves and to Bear Shola Falls. Everything was so awe-inspiring to look at. The Guna caves were once open, but for safety reasons, are now blocked. The Pillars Rock looked majestic, even from a distance – two tall rocks, standing upright in the middle of nowhere. Bear Shola Falls was a personal favourite of mine, as I like to call myself a water baby. The water rushing down from such a height was not only enthralling to look at, but it also created a rhythmic sound against the hills and rocks.
Putting an End to Our Trip
We returned the next day, putting an end to this wonderful trip. On our way back, J showed us his old house where he grew up. This trip remains close to my heart. Kodaikanal is not a buzzing place full of tourists, but if you love to be around nature, for a couple of days, you should definitely visit this ‘queen of hills’.