Southern Sojourn Part-1: Yercaud and Yelagiri After the trip to Kolkata and the beautiful North East it`s again time for travel. This time I have been entrusted to explore two hill stations in Tamil Nadu. One thing I have understood very clearly now you`re not being paid to travel it`s for the work. And a job is a job! This becomes all too evident when you spend weeks hunting for Hotels, Hostels, Restaurants, attractions, getaways- most of the times in not so conducive conditions for travel. Slogging from one point to the other in the hot sun or pissing rain attempting to gather authentic information, then collating all into a crisp readable prose is a no mean task. I arrived on a hot summer day in Salem ready to explore Yercaud and Yelagiri hill stations. Salem is a jostling metropolis in Tamil Nadu and like any other Indian cit,y. Happy faces, fleecing auto drivers, footpaths taken over by makeshift shops and overzealous bus conductors in between some welcome green spaces too! (Salem Railway Station) I needed to go to the Salem Bus stand to catch a bus to my first destination Yercaud some 35 kms away. Sensing I am an outsider, the Auto rickshaw drivers pounced on me promising to take me to the bus stop a few kilometers away for Rs 50 ! Resisting such attempts I hopped on to a local bus with some help from a friendly conductor. For just Rs 3 , I was in the Bus Stand. (Salem Bus Stand) Both Tamil Nadu State Transport and private buses have frequent services for Yercaud. 1 and a half hours later I was in Yercaud bus stop. Yercaud at 4700 feet above sea level is quiet, veiled in sobriety sans the usual ``frills`` associated with a hill station. The place is sober good for a holiday by middle class people. This is because there is not much to see or do here. All the activities are mainly centred around the lake. (Yercaud Lake) The lake surrounded by lush green hills, is the only natural lake amongst all the hill stations of south. It offers boat rides to idle away the time absorbing the moment. Apart from that there are few good roadside eateries around the lake offering giant sized green chilles friend in gram flour. These Chilli bhajjis are yummy. (Shop Selling Chilli Bhajis) Another attraction is the spicy tea available here. Kept in giant copper vessels, these vessels are also applied sacred tilaks for a great day of sales. I stayed in the Sterling Resorts. Where the best part is a dedicated sightseeing point giving a kaleidoscopic view of the city in the plains below. In my view Yercaud is best for a perfect weekend trip and that`s it. Back to Salem my next destination was Yelagiri. The best way to go to Yelagiri from Salem is to take a train for Jolarpettai and then catch a bus from there. A friendly fellow in the train suggested that it is better idea to get down at the Thirupattur before Jolarpettai and catch a bus from there. It just makes a difference of half an hour. Believing him I did that and soon found out why the idea was brilliant. Actually all the buses with Yercaud Hills as destination originates from Thirupattur only. By the time the bus arrived at Jolarpettai all the seats were full and most of the people were standing at the aisles. Thirupattur to Yelagiri is around 36 odd kms but takes around 2 hours as after a few kms the hilly stretch sets in. Though pale in comparison to their northern counterparts but the section with 14 hair pin bends named after illustrious sons of the soil is a fun experience. Yelagiri is basically a cluster of villages surrounded by hills. If Yercaud did offer some semblance of activity Yelagiri is all about forgetting everything. Seating back and soaking the senses in simplicity that`s what best sums up your times at Yelagiri. This tranquil and quaint hill station is good for recovery from a busy stressful week atleast that`s what the Chennaities and Bangaloreans feel who come here to de-stress. The Punganoor Lake and the nature park is the center of attraction. Boating and a leisurely stroll at the Nature Park gives some engagement. (Punganoor Lake) A piece of advice for people coming to Yelagiri. It`s better to come to Yelagiri with your own vehicle. There is no local transportation available so moving from one point to the other is not exactly easy. Jackfruits are cultivated here and are available in plenty during the summers. So you can also buy them as a souvenir before saying adieu. (Jackfruits of Yelagiri) |
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