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| Taking
an early morning break to sample freshly picked carrots.Excellent
roads make 500km Chennai-Kodai drive a pleasure.Kodai’s 24-hectare
lake is a man-made one. Warning at Kodai’s Golf Club.
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The view points
in Kodaikanal are stunning and it’s best to visit them is early in
the morning. Get there before 7’o clock and you’ll get unrestricted
and quiet views. Later in the day the numerous food and knickknack stores
make it a noisy affair. Do remember that if you plan to photograph at this
time, either use 400 ISO film or take along a tripod for low light conditions.
It’s a pity that Kodai suffers from an overdose of loudspeakers during
the high season, which shatter the peace of an otherwise charming town.
Coaker’s Walk — Mostly visited for sunrise and sunset views. Entrance
cost is Rs 5, Rs 2 for a still camera and Rs 10 for a video camera.
Bryant Park — Beautifully landscaped gardens with colourful flowers
and shady trees that are ideal to sit under to meditate, contemplate or
read. Entrance Rs 5, camera Rs 20.
Golf Course — It is fenced off, but if you are there early you can
chance upon wild bisons or gaurs grazing. They are not domestic animals
and will react aggressively if you bother them by shooting off a flash in
their eyes or by getting too close.
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| Coaker’s
Walk is superb for dusk and dawn sojourns; wild bisons often stray
in the environs of the Kodaikanal Golf Club (KGC). |
Pillar
Rocks — A popular point but hardly worth visiting during the day
as it is full of shops and snack bars.
Views and waterfalls — Instead of following the beaten tourist trail,
explore to find your own view point. You’ll easily find plenty by
just aimlessly wandering. The most popular waterfall is the Silver Cascade
that’s on the way up to Kodaikanal.
Berijam Lake — This serene lake lies 25km from Kodaikanal Lake. A
visit requires permission from the District Forest Officers’ (DFO)
office which is open from 9.30am-1.00pm and 2.00pm-6.00pm on weekdays.
Only 10 permits are given every day, so get yours the previous evening.
The road to the lake snakes along the old Coonoor road through dense jungle.
The road to Coonoor has been closed due to an increase in poaching. The
road is broken and a low-slung car may bottom if you aren’t careful.
Do remember that if you see bisons on the road, DO NOT get out of your
car.
Treks — The DFO’s office (Ph: 04542-40287) sells a pamphlet
called Sholas For Survival which describes 17 local treks ranging from
leisurely 8km walks to 27km full fledged treks. This handy booklet provides
a map and details the degree of difficulty for each trek.
Boating, riding and cycling — The Kodaikanal Boat & Rowing Club
hires out paddle boats and rowboats with or without a rower. Horse rides
cost around Rs 150 an hour solo or Rs 250 if you take the trainer along.
Cycles are cheap and are available on Lake Road.
|
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| Sightseeing
early is a peaceful affair devoid of holidaying crowds.Wild bisons
graze on the golf course — do keep your distance.View of Trichy
en route on the bank of the river Cauvery. |
Some of the
friendly residents of Kodai are retired folks who came to Kodi as tourists
and never went back. The place does this to you.
Check out the Pastry Corner in the Mall. This little shop, run by a brother
and sister, has superb filter coffee, pastries and also ice creams made
from local fruits like fig. They also put up notices of all the happening
local events.
The Carlton Hotel’s restaurant serves very good tandoori chicken
and sizzlers. Expensive due to the taxes but tastebud-tingling stuff.
Bang opposite the Kodaikanal International School are shops that sell
home-made chocolates (bittersweet being the best) and hamburgers that
are huge, juicy and cheap! Fruits grow in plenty here and you can buy
pear, guavas, peaches, figs, avocados and plenty more near the bus stand.
The Kodaikanal Club Library boasts a large collection of books, but you
need to be introduced there by a member before you can get your hands
on them. |
October 2001 