Yercaud!

8-10 Jan 2010

Yercaud was the 2010 new year treat given by Karthik's employer for all employees (+ spouse + children). Inspite of 2 travel intensive weekends, we were all excited about the 3rd one. The big question mark was the crowd that would accompany us but the comfort factor was Karthik's friends with whom we will anyways hang out.

The train journey started quite formally with the organizers distributing one bottle of water and softdrink tetrapack before everyone snoozed off. The question mark became a pleasant surprise as the crowd (about 100 people) let their hair loose for the reminder of the trip making it a memorable and jolly weekend. Sizeable credit should be given to Vaibhav and his team from Maks tour opertors for injecting energy and enthusiasm to people across ages.

8th Jan

Mini buses picked us up from Salem junction in the early hours of Friday. The late night journey effects continued and I was asleep until we reached Sterling Resorts. The resort was located just next to a viewpoint (Ladies seat) and inherited a lovely view on all sides. However contrary to our expectations, the facilities / room turned out to be ordinary. The resort was full with few other groups too occupying it for the weekend and hence about 20 of us were placed at lesser known Ajith guesthouse - less than a km away from the resort. Ours was a 2 bedroom, 1 hall arrangement - Me, Karthik, Mukul and Garima shared the space. The quartet was soon to become the infamous 4 for being late always and having maximum fun.

Our first spot, Pagoda viewpoint, was good to look around, click pictures and laze about. Before we left for the next place, we ensured that our bus was filled with young couples and bachelors adding to the entertainment quotient. Our next destination was Botanical Gardens which unlike the rose gardens in Ooty, was primarily an interest for Botany lovers. We were welcomed by some interesting plants which were named - "Kiss me not", "Hug me not", "Touch me not", "Forget me not". They were all thorny plants warning the visitors. The garden was vast and full of variety. The most captivating species was the Pitcher plant, an insectivorous variety which traps and dissolves the insects which land on its cavity.

We moved on to the ancient Shervaroyan cave temple - the guide informed us that the cave which starts here stretches all the way to Coorg in Karnataka. None of us were inclined to test it but the temple in itself was nicely poised inside a dark cave. A huge playground and plenty of time initiated a surprise cricket tussle between the employees. While the players enjoyed being a part of the match, they also provided ample entertainment for the onlookers to rejoice. After a nice workout, we had a relaxed noon playing cards and enjoying a cozy nap.

Superb DJ, good lighting, inviting dancefloor, decent food, perky games and an enthusiastic crowd rocked the evening. We were sweating it out even in the cold weather and totally loving it.

9th Jan

The itinerary mentioned that we would be given a wake up call at 6.30 am. Thankfully sense prevailed and we were asked to assemble for the trek at about 8.30 am. We started our trek down the hill to Killiyur falls. The overall stretch was about a km with about 0.5 km of steep climbdown. An hour later, we happily landed in the foothills to enjoy the waterfalls and munch on our breakfast. Post the trek, we moved on to some boating at the lake. As our ill luck would have it, rain gods started showering cutting short the boating expedition but we had some amazing bajji, masala appalam and snacks out there. After a relaxed afternoon, a round of table tennis and carrom set the mood right for moving and shaking on the dance floor later on. Mukul & Garima were judged the Best Dancing couple for setting the stage on fire. Hours later, we were still awake playing cards and chatting until our eyes begged of us.

10th Jan

We were leaving post lunch and the morning was left to us. Post breakfast we went on a long stroll - first to Ladies Seat viewpoint and then to State Horticulture farm to visit the Rose Garden. The garden deceived us as there were no roses but the layout was beautiful and worth a visit. Pepper was growing in abundance in the region, so it was but natural for us to purchase some spices and eucalyptus oil bottles for our near and dear.

Few tips & tricks:

1. Sterling Resorts - average facilities and food. Walking up and down the vast expanse in the resort is a fun exercise. Sports room is decently equipped and provide entertainment in the evenings. However, the place shuts by 8.
2. Yercaud is best in Dec-Jan. Day temperature hovers around 22 degrees and drops to about 12 degrees in the night. Summers would be quite warm as the hillstation is about 1500 meters above sea level.
3. The place is ideal for Bangalore and Chennai dwellers as its just few hours away.

Our Take:

Priya’s rating – 6.3/10
Karthik’s rating – 7/10

Yercaud is a small hillstation with nothing much to do but relax! Ideal for a lazy weekend away from the mad city rush.