Maarthandam

The pongal festive season – everyone needs to go somewhere. While people flocked to their hometowns, travelling to my hometown somewhere in Karnataka did not seem like a feasible option to me.

As a CAR person, i travel everywhere in a car ! All my travel diaries were made possible only with a car.

So this time I went to Yercaud for a change.

A Magical Place

Yercaud hills were quite magical.

As a usual visitor to Yelagiri, this time it appeared different. The hills were deep. You won’t realize this, but if you trek up to the viewpoints [Oddly & Specifically named as “Ladies Seat” and “Gents Seat”], you’ll get to see the full view of the hills running very deep – that is – they just continue.

It was truly magical. A sense of peace overtook me there. Nobody was present, except for me and my family. We were left to ourselves, and kept gazing at the hills.

Only when you are at the hilltop, the strong desire to just stay there forever visits your mind. Truly, I would have never left the place.

Breathless – No Oxygen & Breathtaking views

Yercaud is literally breathless – it has breathtaking views and no oxygen.

Being a fit and athletic male in his early 20s, I had no problems trekking hills manually. But Yercaud was a challenge.

You see – going all the way upto Gents Seat viewpoint requires you to climb some 50 steps. I was worn out before I could complete the 50.

Hill Stations are notorious for having less Oxygen. At higher altitude, oxygen availability in the air is less, and as you climb even higher, the oxygen becomes even less.

Which means, unless you are acclimatized to the hills, you’ll run out of breath very soon.

Take care folks.

Friendly Monkeys at the Telescope

Meet Monke, the famed ancestor of Mankind.

A group of Monkeys live near the Telescopic View.[ A point in Yercaud where you can gaze at houses somewhere with a telescope for 10 Rs]

These Monkeys are really friendly. The gladly accept the Green Mango strips that you can buy for 30 rs at the nearby stall. They are quite smart in rubbing off the extra spice on the mango strips, if you ever give them a piece with the spices.

These Monkeys are very calm – You could eat a slice of Mango, the Monkey will watch and not snatch it from your hand, instead if you lend him a piece – I swear he’ll join you in watching the Hills.

Quite other-worldly, if you ask me. I have rarely seen such calm and Friendly Monkeys anywhere else.

You’ll walk in the Clouds

A lot of people mistook the clouds for ‘Fog’

At an altitude of almost 6000 ft, you’ll be greeted by clouds. Don’t mistake it for ‘Fog’ or ‘Mist’ as the locals say, these are clouds.

They’ll appear as fast as they disappear. The hills leave you questioning – ” It was so foggy a moment ago, but it’s clear now ?”

Photo Gallery

Peeku Park – Dogs & Birds

Peeku Park ! You can enter this place for a slightly higher price of 300 INR per person. While that seems slightly high, we’ve been told that all the birds are imported and require high maintenance.

But the experience there justifies the price. The Birds sit right in your hand, and even on your head! But keep in mind, they’ll give you limited food that you can give to the birds.

Also, there are separate charges for visiting the cute little Shih Tzus [50 Per person]

A Memorable Trip

I really loved Yercaud. It’s a better place. Hotels and resorts were cheap as well. The climate is fantastic.

At this juncture, I’d recommend my readers to give it a try. It’s gonna be breathtaking [pun-intended]