Kodai Trip - Part 1

“You biked for 500kms!!!!”…. was the reaction I got when I told my friends of my trip to Kodaikanal. And I loved the feeling of it!! Their faces could hardly hide their shock and jealousy.

Having stayed in the south for close to 3 years and not visiting any of the famed places was kind of an embarrassment for me. When my friends recounted their exploits at different places, I would simply nod my head and hope that I would get a chance to end my dry spell. And what a way to end it…!!

            As it turned out, it was Peeyush who was even more desperate than me to visit places. And his first choice of Mahe was turned down by most wing guys. So after some consultation, Kodaikanal was chosen and Psycho, CC and GM were delighted to no end, for some very obvious reasons. A few of our friends from other hostels also contributed to increase our strength. So at the time of departure, our group was 9 members strong with two bikes and a car, which was procured by the ingenious planning of Psycho and 7F.

            We set out at about 6pm on Friday, jubilant at the prospects of a night drive. I was riding pillion with GM, and once GM started, there was no looking back. We left the others far behind and while GM was frequently breaching the 100kmph mark, I was trying to ensure that we were on the right way with the help of GPS. Soon we reached the NH 45 and since there was no need for me to check for directions as we just had to keep to the Grand Southern Trunk Road, I reached out for a pair of earphones and started listening to songs as our bike rushed on into the night. As the wind ruffled my hair, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom that I had never known before. A freedom to do whatever I wanted to… I spread out my hands in joy, but had to retract them back as the force of the wind was too much for my puny hands.

             We rode like this for near 150kms, overtaking buses and trucks, slow as they were, in no hurry to reach their destination. But we were rushed on, our bike guzzling up the kilometres as if they were nothing. At about 10 pm, we reached Villupuram and we changed roles. We helped ourselves to chicken fried rice and GM also got himself a bottle of beer. I was a bit shaky a bit, out of biking practice for quite some time and the bike being an unfamiliar one. But once I got the hang of it, there was nothing to stop me. The wide road was calling out to me to shed all fear and grab the freedom and I did exactly that. Behind me GM was beside himself with joy and held out the beer bottle for all world to see. Once back on the GST, I lost no time in picking up speed and soon was challenging buses and trucks. After overtaking quite a few trucks and buses, I settled down for a speed in the 90’s.

            Cruising at around 90 km/hr, I felt as if I could ride on for ever. The road was a great one, straight as an arrow for most of the part and few curves. But the curves were the parts I enjoyed most. The blinking lights on the edge of the roads makes for a great sight for me and I had my fill of it that night. Small towns and intersections were but a blimp on my eyesight. I slowed down only at the toll gates where I had only a small path to pass through. I rode on for around 150 km more till we reached Trichy, where I got in the car to help myself to a nap. I tried to sleep but was soon woken up as we seemed to have lost our way. We didn’t take the turn to Dindigul, the next major town en route. So after a few queries at the local shops, we were back on track. I stayed in the car for about half an hour and was back on the bike again. This time Psycho replaced GM as my pillion rider. The Trichy-Dindigul section of NH 45 was still being upgraded and so sometimes one lane of the road was closed down and we had to cross over to the other lane. It was dangerous as the surface was great and drivers were given to over speeding. So, it was going to be a cautious drive till Dindigul. But I was not one to be dithered; I was ready to take on this challenge. After tensed driving for about an hour or so, we reached Dindigul. As luck would have it, I missed the by-pass and entered the town. Fortunately I had Psycho, who knew Tamil and after a few queries at a few local tea-stalls, we were soon were right on track. However, the last stretch from Dindigul to Kodai was getting a bit chilly; we were approaching the hills. I dared not weather the cold and so went back to the car and travelled in the comfort of the car for the remnant of the trip.             

            As we entered the town of Kodaikanal, we were greeted by the rising sun and its rays brightening the hills all around us made for a great view. Chennai was a distant dream that we had left far behind during the course of the night. At the hotel, as we settled off for a well-deserved nap after night’s exertion, I could hardly stay awake for more than a few minutes.

Kodai Trip - Part 2

        When we woke up, it was well past midday and all of us were starving, having had dinner around 10 the last night and only a small snack to keep us going till we reached Kodai. Half an hour later, we were wolfing the lot at a small hotel, thanks to the frantic efforts by Pscho and CC. Having catered to the call of the most basic of all needs, we decided to go and take a short tour of a few nearby places.

       One of them included the 'Suicide Point', notorious for suicides. Mostly young people disillusioned  by love took plunges from there. So, the authorities sealed of the place and put huge iron railings to prevent any such untoward instances. As we approached the 'Suicide Point', following a path through small shops selling perfumes and spices, we could see the Silent Valley National Park in the distance. When we reached near the point, the view left us awed; we could see the plains dotted with hills and realised how high we were all above them. On our way back from the awesome view, we were encountered by a few monkeys who were hoping that we would have some food on us; hard luck for the monkeys!!

At Pillar Rocks

     The next item on the menu was Pillar Rocks. We travelled for quite sometime, going past the Golf course and through some of the most winding roads I have seen. Thankfully though they were not some of the steepest.The sun was almost setting when we reached the rocks. The authorities were almost closing shop, but we gained access to the viewpoint and the vertical rocks in the fading light left us feeling puny. We took a few snaps and soon were on our way back, as the light was fast fading and the chill in the wind too much for us Chennaites to handle!!

       Evening found us safely tucked under blankets, enjoying the World Cup Final. True, people back in insti were having a blast enjoying the match at OAT and I would have liked to celebrate India's victory with hundreds of friends, but I was not to be denied the fun of a warm bed in April in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has been too unkind to me; I haven't had the pleasure of covering myself with two blankets in winter since I came to Chennai. I could not even think of the need of a blanket in Tamil Nadu; but evidently Kodai proved me wrong and was I glad to be proved wrong!! 

        The next day, we had a discussion at length to decide which places to visit and finally after some consultation with the hotel manager decided to make a visit to the Dolphin's Nose. It, we were told, was quite a place with cliffs all around and ideal for great snaps. This time however, I decided to take Naseef's bike and asked Peeyush to hop on. I knew well that the interests of the others differed from mine as did Peeyush's. Peeyush had recently bought a DSLR and was looking forward to some photography. I, on the other hand, was looking for some peaceful time amongst the hills. 

      We started at around 10 am and soon were asking locals the route to Dolphin's nose. The hills rising around us left us awestruck and calling us to take snaps of them. We could no longer ignore the temptation and were soon making frequent stops to click away as many snaps as possible. Peeyush could hardly contain his excitement, neither could I. We however had to be careful to park our bike without disrupting the traffic; the road was very narrow at this juncture. When we reached the end of the road, it became apparent to us that we would have to walk down a rough trail to reach the Dolphin's Point. Wasting no time, we parked the bike and were soon on the way down, struggling to find a proper grip for our feet. Halfway through, when we stopped to replenish our fluids, we saw our friends returning from Dolphin's Point. The image they gave of the place would leave the both of not-so-eager. But we decided to trod on and visit the place nevertheless. 

      Walking through a grove of eucalyptus trees, we could see many people on a small hill. There was a ledge on one side and people were sitting on it, while others took their photographs. We went to the opposite side first and found ourselves looking at another hill, a vertical wall of rock just a few hundred feet from us. But what

was going on the other 

side of the hill captured our attention more. So we climbed to the top of the hill and were rewarded with an amazing view of the surroundings. I lost no time in asking Peeyush to take a snap of me sitting on a rock with a few hilltops in the background. The way to the other side was treacherous as well as crowded. We had to tread carefully among the rocks lying all over the place. When we reached the other side, we saw a ledge that was projecting out of the mound of rocks. A couple were at the very end of the ledge and a photographer was taking a few snaps of them. When they left, another group came and sat on the ledge while their friends clicked their photos. I decided that I would be up next, but the moment I stepped on the ledge, I could feel my heart in my mouth and decided to try a bit later. So, I sat near the ledge and tried to muster my courage while other people went and had their photos clicked. Many were on the verge of yelling from the fright of the sight of the gorge just below their feet. After watching for sometime, I decided to try and get myself on the ledge. 

At Dolphin's Nose

This I did after I had encountered the most frightening moments of my life. Sitting on the ledge and trying to find a good grip lest I fall off into oblivion, I couldn't help myself to a smile at overcoming my fear. "Darr ke aage jeet hai"..... quoting that ad from 'Mountain Dew'. A few smiles for the camera and I was at ease. 

    By the time we left Dolphin's Nose, it was already around 1 pm and we had to meet up with our friends. Instead we told them to eat without waiting for us. We decided to visit some more places and after we had our fill of them, we decided to indulge ourselves at a Swedish restaurant. The barbecued chicken we had was great and we would have eaten more, had our stomachs any room left. We reached our rooms just about sundown and began packing our stuff. It had already been decided that we would try and cover the first leg of the return trip with some light to guide us through the winding roads. So, as I settled in the back seat of the car, munching the home-made chocolates of Kodai, I could satisfactorily say to myself that my long drawn drought was over.