Amith's Obscura

A cup of tea from Kodaikanal at early morning was a great experience I had ever in my life. The wind was making us freeze . Aby my friend and the trip coordinator (of our personnel tours) who was driving the car stopped beside a small tea shop which was opened for welcoming the visitors to kodaikanal with special kodai strong tea and smiles. He ordered four tea. It was so late than the expected time we planned to reach . The hotel person’s mobile was switched off whom we called and booked for the room. Sareesh friend of mine was over phone to get the man . Nil and I was standing beside him confused. Kodaikanal was a new place for us. No other contacts don’t know any other things. We were totally strangers.

“Here the Special kodai strong tea comes” we four had the glass of tea in our hands. Small glass, tea was small in quantity. First sip of the tea was refreshing and mind blowing . Much freshness it had made within us. Seemed that little more cold the wind is. For an hour we spend the time there. We had a small conversation with the guy on the tea shop . He opens daily for the late visitors. He said that it’s the coldest season and heavy rains start at the morning now a days. Phone rings Sareesh pick the phone that was the hotel guy . He said we had reached the place .He said us to wait there, he was there within ten minutes. He led us to the Hotel room. The time was 3 O’ clock morning.

The day morning at 7 all was ready to see the scenic beauty of kodai. My camera was ready for some good shots .The culture , The people, The custom, The food everything was different. They keep a special tradition that we can’t see anywhere else. Kodaikanal is known as the princess of Hill stations The earliest residents of Kodaikanal were the Palaiyar tribal people. Modern Kodaikanal was established by American Christian missionaries and British bureaucrats in 1845. The town of Kodaikanal sits on a plateau above the southern escarpment of the upper Palani Hills at 2,133 metres (6,998 ft), between the Parappar and Gundar Valleys.

A round way trip will cover all the main tourist attractions. Pillar rock , Guna cave, Dolphin nose, Golf club, Pine forest, Kodaikanal lake, etc… There is no confusion on roads, you can see sign boards . Inside forest area liquor and cigars are prohibited .If you are lucky you can have sights of Wild Guar, Porcupine etc… Evening time is good for Lake visit, You can have a cycle ride around the lake or a horse ride. Try to taste some kodai evening snacks from there. Snack are cooked neatly and these snacks are cheap. For Shopping there are lots of shops around Lake . There You can buy swelters, Jackets, Clothes, Homemade chocolates, etc… Spend as much as time you want to be there in each location. Because you can see when each moment changes there is something added to the beauty of kodaikanal. Mist around pillar rock is an awesome view which can make you feel you are flying with those mists. At Guna Cave you will get Mushroom fry a with Kodai special spices, Its a dish you must taste if you visit Kodaikanal. Mushroom soup is other kodai cuisine, Mushroom Fried rice , Mushroom Noodles are also available. You can have fresh Carrots, Varieties of fruits which are grown and cultivated in Kodaikanal

We had Only two day trip at Kodaikanal but we seems that “Kodaikanal “she is not a stranger for us and for she we are also not strangers. Hoping to have another vacation here ….with kodai special tea , Kodai cuisines , Snacks , Homemade chocolates.