Kodai!

Karthik’s company decided on Kodai for their Annual employee + spouse trip for 3 days and we happily hopped on. I have been to Kodai a couple of times earlier with my parents… all I could remember was few view points & boating on the lake. We were excited about getting some time off to enjoy the lovely weather.

Day 1

I slept through the train and bus journey, until we reached the Sterling Resorts. The resort at Kodai was pretty good and in comparison to the Yercaud one, the rooms were awesome. Day 1 was regular affair – we visited Coaker’s Walk, Pine Tree forest, 4 Pillar rock, Guna caves and some shopping spots. None of these were exciting; however, Pine Tree forest is a good place to spend time walking & talking… too bad our guide dint allow us more than 20 mins here. Also, we walked all the way from 4 Pillar rock to Guna caves in a rocky terrain which made for a good trek. By the time we got back for lunch, it was about 4 pm. Evening was pleasant with some music & dance for company.

Day 2

An early morning walk at hill-stations is a must-do and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through random streets with a cup of chai!

We learnt that, on the previous day 2-3 people stayed away from the larger group and opted for a trek up a hill instead. The guide had chalked out visit to the lake & shopping for the day which totally dint excite us. So we dropped off from the larger group and preferred joining the trekkers instead. With loads of energy and a bottle of water, the 4 of us started out on Saturday morning. Our target was the hill we could see behind our resort. With the help of few locals we found the way and started the uphill journey. The climb up took about 2.5 hours with 60% journey on defined paths and the remaining on self-discovered routes. One of us was a seasoned trekker and he helped out in choosing the best possible route while we were at crossroads. On our way, we relished on fresh plums straight from the orchids around and also managed to fill our pockets without being caught. We also came across a hut where eucalyptus oil was being extracted – the hut was steaming hot and the strong aroma filled all our senses. I was also stumped by few beautiful houses and guest houses on our way – the stone like walls and the tiled roofs were a pretty sight. After conquering the peak (!!!), we rested relishing the scenery around and feasting on our plums resource.

With the help of a local shepherd, we figured an easier path downhill. This journey was much more scenic & relaxed – we crossed a water-less valley, pine forests, a small stream and some locals on our way. As we reached the resort, immense satisfaction, hunger & sleep were all that was left. Me & Karthik also caught up on some good movies on TV as we relaxed that evening.

Day 3

It was pack up day and post our morning walk, we just lazed around. A pack of cards and enthused players kept us until the buses towed us away. We also visited the Madurai Meenakshi temple before calling it a day!

Happy to have explored a different dimension of Kodai this time – also gave us ideas for our next trip! Yaayy – am going to Ooty in March!!

Our rating:

Priya’s rating: 7/10
Karthik’s rating: 7/10