YERCAUD TRIP

In Tamilnadu people talk only about Ooty and Kodaikanal as hill stations. No mention is ever made, even in passing, of Yercaud. Majority of the people even refuse to accept that Yercaud is also a hill station. Yercaud is, in a way, the poor man's Ooty.If Ooty is the queen of hills, Yercaud is the princess!

Unlike other hill stations, Yercaud is much quieter. Because it's small - the total area being just 383 sq. kms. Yecaud has very little to offer as compared to hill stations in other places.Yercaud is like the middle class. Sober. It's a "neither here nor there" kind of place. The main problem which for us was a big plus point is that there is nothing to ’see’ here.

No museums, palaces or gardens. It’s the perfect place to spend a couple of quiet, undisturbed days with your inner self.And yet, it's a good weekend retreat, especially if you want to get out of the city's hustle and bustle. Just to lie back, relax, read or write a book. Or just "cool it".

If you are honeymooning, then it's the best place to be in. You won't bump into your neighbour, that's for sure. Don't plan on more than 2 nights' stay at Yercaud. It's a friendly and quiet place, no doubt. Beyond that, one can get bored.

We started our journey to dream destination Yercaud in a rented KSRTC volvo bus on 14th aug night @ 12 along with our team.Yercaud is 237kms from bangalore.We took the Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri-Omalpur route to Yercaud. Yercaud which is 1515 metres above sea level is 333 sq. km in extent. The maximum temperature is 29 celsius only.The only mode of travel from Salem to Yercaud is by bus. It takes an hour of negotiating 20 dangerous hair-pin bends to reach the peak.

One is gripped by fear as the bus negotiates the hair-pin bends: one breathes easy only after seeing the greenery on either side of the road signalling the end of travel! It is very scary if one looks down through the window! All along the route, monkeys playing pranks and violet flowers on trees makes one wonder where one is. There is greenery all round - this is a new experience, for the city bred. The forests make one energetic and enthusiastic, like a child.Yercaud is famous for coffee and pepper .

We reached Yercaud town @ 6.30 and easily located our Hotel 'Grand Palace' on the hill top. The weather was pleasant, i have heard temperature is between 13 and 30 degrees and hence one doesn't require warm clothes.The hotel had a lovely view on either side. We were surrounded by hills on all sides and we caught a glimpse of Yercaud lake too. As we saw all this our antenna clicked- this is the place where we shall be holidaying surely the next time with our parents ;)

We all started with photography sessions from then on till 8 since we dint want to miss to capture the mist in our camera's and it all lasted till 10am.

That afternoon we went boating @ yercaud lake & from 6pm -8pm we spent @ hotel SKY ROCA exploring its beauty.... we all must definately stay here when we plan up our trip....the whole hotel was booked for our seniors & we just couldnt take our eyes off from that place. Just sending the link of the hotel plz see the pics which we werent able to capture.

http://hoteltheskyroca.com/Accomodation.html

I cant express how it was being there it can be only felt. It was the last night to be spent in yercaud and we planned a camfire dance but nature had its own plans. As we were busy feeling the clouds it started pouring like cat & dogs and the whole lake was covered with 2-3 meters fog and it was brrr… cold. So we had indoor dance party & group photo's that lasted till 3am!!

The day we wished hadnt come...packing...saying good bye to that place we started our journey back @ 12 noon on the way had lunch & coffee reached back around 7pm Back home, we had the lovely green memories.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS :

• Yercaud Lake : Located right at the center of the hill-station, it has both pedal and row boats, maintained by TNTDC.
• Shervaroys Temple : Located at the top most point of the hills. The main dieties are Cauvery amman and Shervaroyappan. The priest maintains that there is a tunnel behind the dieties, that goes all the way to Thalacauvery temple in Coorg.
• Botanical garden : This one is open during the weekends, mainly used by botanical students. This garden has a wide variety of herbs. A delight for those who have an in interest in botany.
• Ladies Seat : This one gives a panaromic view of Salem Town. The name came after this view was frequented by a English lady during pre-independence days.
• Gents Seat : Yercaud;s menfolk, wanted a seat of their own, so they made one for their own.
• Rose Garden : This one has a wide variety of roses.
• Estates: The whole hill station is filled with private estates. The estates generally grow Coffee, Silver-oak, Eucalyptus, Black pepper, "Kamla" Orange. For those who like "Narasus" coffee, the coffee comes from Yercaud, they have their own estate here.
• Garden right across the Lake : This one has a Japanese style garden, don't miss this one.
• Montfort School : A convent school, which has students from all over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
• Killiyur Falls The Killiyur waterfall is located at a distance of about 3 km from the Yercaud Lake. The ideal time to visit the waterfall is immediately after the monsoons. You can see the surplus water from the Yercaud Lake and other points of the Shevaroy Hills fall deep into the Killiyur Valley below, making a 300 feet waterfall.
  

Yercaud is a all season tourist place where summer is season rates & rest of the year its off season rates for the hotels. The place is at its best in Nov- Dec.

"HONESTY" whats that???

It was a usual Monday evening; I was walking down our lane with my little brother who was 6yrs and me 8yr old then!! I usually used to walk down with him to drop him to his tuition where he wouldn’t go without me, a sense of equality that if I go she too has to go kind of…..that still exists though we have grown and stay apart!!!

We have to cross a hospital and at the end of the lane is our destination the tuition class. The distance is of only 5mins of walk from home but which my brother and me used to take our own good time to cover it looking around , collecting flowers or fruits from the plants and the tress on the other end of the road playing around like all other kids enjoying their freedom on road!!

That day as we were passing the hospital my brother’s eye fell on the 5 rupee note that was fallen at the entrance gate of the hospital. He asked me whether he could pick it up I wasn’t sure what I was I supposed to do or tell so I told him not to touch it and asked him to move. But he still remained there looking at the note and telling me that it seems someone has put it down and asking me to change my decision as it wasn’t as bad as stealing.

Mom always used to tell us stories about good and bad things not to be done and how GOD would punish us in the later years from the crime we commit. So we were well aware of things what would happen to us if we lied or stole and so on…. Now this was the first time in our life we found money laying on the road no one to say we own it and 2 of us not knowing what to do. Just then a man was coming running down the lane I just wanted my brother to move from there so I said “see that man is coming for this money don’t pick it up lets leave” and started running down he dint want me to leave him there so he too came down.

As we entered his tuition class his madam was eagerly waiting for us as we had taken more time than usual. She asked my brother the reason for being late and he narrated the whole story…..Madam was happy seeing our honesty!!

As the years passed we forgot all this and we faced the world we found that there’s no one who believes in such policies I myself had a bad experience when I dropped my wallet in my class room and got back to search it within 2mins or so I dint find it nor none of my classmates returned it to me. At that time I was in a very bad situation away from home in hostel losing my money, debit cards and college id just created mess in my life…that time I thought why had I to be honest??

Some days back when my husband returned from work he had an incident to narrate while he was stepping out of his office he found a 50 rupees note lying at the entrance he picked it up and he asked two there people around whether it belonged to them when it wasn’t anyone’s there he handed it to the security and said “please see that you hand it over to the person who comes looking out for this note and if no one comes keep it to yourself!!”

Listening to this I had a smile on my face and felt what if he doesn’t give it to the owner and keeps it to himself?? But after seeing my hubby’s face the proud feeling he bore ,the piece of mind and happiness he was feeling for the honest deed he had done made me happy………………