Yercaud is a little known hill
station on the backyards of Salem, nestled in Shevaroy Hills, an
outcrop of the Eastern Ghats. This trip has several firsts to its credit. It happened to
be a self-drive. Also, it was the first time without companions. We planned to
stay two nights at Yercaud, which was a bit overkill as the place does not
offer many attractions.
DAY 1 (Sep 29, 2012, Saturday)
Doing a road trip is always a chore
considering the poor condition of roads. We started at 6.30 am. The road between Thrissur and
Palakkad was in such a messy state that we decided to take a detour through
Shoranur. The new MapMyIndia navigator misguided us right in the centre of
Palakkad town where it showed us a way through the market which was closed.
Apart from that, it worked well. It may be remarked that the road between Coimbatore and Avinashi is also very difficult
to drive due to construction work of a new 4-lane road. Where the road is good,
heavy toll had to be paid. The route from Salem to Yercaud is in good condition and
picturesque, with 20 hairpin bends. We reached Yercaud by 2.45 pm after driving 378 km.
The central feature of the town is
the lake, which gives Yercaud its name. In Tamil, eri means lake. We
visited the boat house and had a stroll along the main avenue in the evening.
As it was nearing closing time, very few people were on the lake, and were
aimlessly rowing here and there since they had in their hands all the time in
the world. The shops overlooking the main avenue selling food and souvenirs
were shanty which gave the town a run-down feel. Lying only 1450 m above sea level, the place is not
known for very cold climate, but as the evening sun slowly made its descent
behind the mountains, I eagerly longed for the warm clothes tucked neatly away
in the hotel room. A short drive to the hotel along a dark, heavily wooded road
wading through foggy mist gave a surrealistic feel.
DAY 2 (Sep 30, 2012, Sunday)
The morning broke with a slight,
chilly breeze. The window sills bore signs of heavy rain in the night and a
weak sun shone its spectral colours through the suspended water drops. We first
drove to Pagoda Point, which was 3 km away from the hotel. This is a
scenic viewpoint on a hill, having a temple (pagoda) at the top and hence the
name. Though great clouds of white fog was wafting in from the valley, the
place commanded a great view of a small village somewhere down below. The
hamlet appeared to be still in sleep and the gopuram of a local temple rose
above the huts as if to keep vigil over its sleeping disciples. Tourists were
just beginning to flock in large numbers and we moved on to Lady’s Seat.
The journey took us along Montfort School, which is a prestigious one in
Yercaud comparable in fame to great residential schools in Ooty, but open only
to the privileged few. The heavily built stone buildings and neatly manicured
lawns carpeted in spotless green were silently announcing to the world that its
doors open only for those with deep pockets. Driving quickly past the school,
we reached Lady’s Seat, which is yet another viewpoint, offering a distant view
of the winding road to Salem, which we had traversed yesterday. The place was
literally swarming with small monkeys, feeding on tidbits offered by the
visitors and included mischievous young ones fighting with each other to
mothers clutching infants looking disapprovingly at the whole scene. A short
walk took us to Gents’ Seat, which is yet another viewpoint. Where there is a
Lady’s Seat, you can be sure of a Gents’ Seat, or is it the other way round?
Absolutely nothing could be seen
from here, as the place was full of mist by that time. The terraced walkway
engulfed in slow moving mist and the people treading gently uphill as if in a
dream met the eye like a scene from a tragic movie. I had to buy a scoop of
fresh nuts liberally spread with masala to cast off the gloom!
There is also a rose garden nearby,
but was not in bloom during this time of the year. It is quite a large one, and
would definitely be very attractive in the peak season. We had lunch at the
town centre near the lake and went back to the hotel for afternoon rest.
Nothing particular was on our agenda
for the evening. We again strolled through the main avenue, visiting Anna Park
nearby and sitting on the lawn next to the lake, watching the happy faces furiously
paddling the little contraptions that pass for boats here. Nearby, a young
couple huddled close together in a bench was weaving castles in the air,
clearly enjoying every minute of it. Peels of laughter floated to us from the
children’s section where the slides and turntables never got a moment of rest.
Perhaps they carry a lesson for all of us, to strive for the happiness of
others, without allowing considerations of oneself to cloud the picture?
The only remaining thing to do in
Yercaud was to have a glimpse of Salem city at night, washed in a million
electric lights. This sight was reported to be available from somewhere in
between the 16th and 17th hairpin bends, at a distance of
about 7 km from the town. It was already dark when we started
and the sky was overcast with dark rain clouds. Just a short distance away,
thick incoming fog began to obstruct vision to a few meters, where you can’t
even see the tail lamps of the vehicle immediately going in front. Traffic quickly
came to a snarl. It was not possible to continue without special fog-lights. We
returned to the hotel, sadly missing a grand sight. As soon as we reached, a
heavy downpour started which might have washed away the accumulated grime of
Yercaud for many months.
DAY 3 (Oct 1, 2012, Monday)
Nothing particular was scheduled at
Yercaud for the last day of the tour. So we vacated the room after breakfast
and started the journey at 8.50 am to Mettur Dam. The GPS navigator
surprisingly suggested a longer route, but without paying toll. It was a drive
which obtained an additional 20 km, but the trip was worth it, passing
through some remote villages of Tamil Nadu. The paddy fields ran all the way up
to the remote hills and a contented people laboured on the fields under the
watchful gaze of local gods who cast a fierce look from their stone-walled
enclosures close to the road. A husband and wife working on a nearby sugarcane
field looked curiously at us as we took some snaps about the local temple. The
couple’s thatched hut was standing on the edge of the field where time appeared
to stand still.
We reached Mettur Dam at 11.40 am. This great dam was built in 1934
across the river Kaveri and is called the Stanley reservoir. This huge marvel of
engineering quenches the thirst of a large part of Tamil Nadu. We later came to
know that violent protests were being staged on the same day in Karnataka
against its decision to release the stipulated quantity of water to Tamil Nadu.
The protestors demanded that since it is going to be a year of drought, excess
water need not be given to their neighbour. But Mettur was calm and the garden
below the dam is very attractive if you have small children in your midst. Dire
warnings were pasted on the entrance that photography was strictly prohibited
in the garden. The logic behind the decision is incomprehensible, but the rule
was observed more in its violation. People clicked away happily all the time
and the guards good-humouredly turned a blind eye.
After lunch, the return journey
commenced at 1.30 pm. After an eventless travel of 327 km, we reached home at 8.40 pm clocking a total distance of 839.4 km. Altogether, the trip was
satisfactory, but nothing even remotely as memorable as compared to the ones
reviewed earlier in this blog. Traveling with companions is always best, but we
can only hope for the best, isn’t it?
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed at Sri Durga Residency, Pagoda Point Road, Yercaud, with previous booking. We
won’t recommend the hotel to anyone. The pros and cons are as given below.
Pros
- The hotel is very calm and quiet, situated at a
distance of 2 km from the town centre (lake
area).
- The room is very good, spacious, clean and new
(at the time we stayed). There was a 32” LCD TV also.
Cons
- The hotel is situated 2 km from town. No restaurants are
nearby. Hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, but food could be arranged by
reception.
- It looks and feels like a 2-storey apartment,
with very few rooms overall.
- It is hugely overpriced for the facilities it
provides. Hot water is only available in the morning. But, due to load
shedding stretching for hours together, the reception told us that hot
water could be obtained only from 5 am to 6 am and suggested that we wake up
early to get hot water! Also, there is no intercom in the room. The hotel
doesn’t have a generator. During hours of load shedding, a UPS supplies
power to rooms, but for long durations of blackout, it fails. TV also
doesn’t work when there is no mains power.
- There is no car parking facility. They showed a
steeply inclined gated road to park the vehicle, which will be locked at
night. The hotel only offers a stone as the tyre stopper.
- The hotel charges 12% tax on the base rate, but
no bill was issued at the time of checkout.
- Though it is away from town centre, there is no
scenic view. You can only see the backyard of a neighbouring house from
where people sitting on the terrace can see inside your room.
- And, can you imagine? There is no mirror in the
bathroom!
