Kodai Diaries

Almost two years back, me and my two friends Omar and Aswin set out to Kodaikanal on our first trip together. It was Omar’s idea all along, he had been to the place once and absolutely loved it there. I never went on any trips except for college and school tours. During then, I had just finished my degree and was keen to go on a journey. I was hooked instantly after hearing the idea from Omar. Aswin also showed interest. After getting consent from our families and also the money to meet our expenses, we left on 11th of July.

 Omar showed me some pictures from his visit to Kodai. Karuna Farm, the place where he stayed was an intriguing sight. The scenic beauty was almost unreal to exist.We tried to book rooms there, but the best one, ‘Shashi Big House’ was not available. So, ‘Shashi Small House’ was picked, another fairly good room. The three of us boarded a sleeper bus to Palani from Vytila, Kochi at night. We reached Palani at 3 am from where we had to catch the bus to Kodaikanal. After reaching Kodaikanal town, the journey started to get rough. Mist was rising all over and I could feel my head freeze inside the beanie I was wearing. Karuna Farm was through forest department land and hence, there were no public roads leading to it. The only way to reach Karuna directly was through a four wheel drive jeep. They gave us the number of Murugesh, a jeep driver who could take us there. We called him and he showed up in a short while. He took us through the steep and rocky terrain, passing Pear Orchards and Natural forests. A very friendly person, Murugesh talked about the place a lot. He dropped us off at the beginning of a very narrow and steep path where the jeep can’t go. We had to walk from there to the top of a valley where Karuna was located. Myself being afraid of heights and rocky grounds was terrified at first. Anyway, I took it up as a challenge and with help from my friends I somehow managed to walk down the bumpy path marked by tyres and broken bricks. We reached the reception on a remote valley slope and checked in. Nearby, there was a restaurant where the tourists meet and relax. One can listen to music, play carrom, chess or read books from the small library they have. We found a waterfall also close to it and stopped there for some time. Our room, ‘Shashi Small House’ was further away.  We resumed walking and passed through an alluring forest on the way. Soon, we hit a dead end and realised we were lost. Some of the other tourists came that way and guided us to our location. Exhausted by the long walk, I had to pause and rest for a moment midway. Luckily, we located the right way shortly and finally reached the room as dusk fell.

The room was beautiful and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Situated at a cliff, it provided an aerial view of Palani town and the valley in between. Mist forms intermittently and circulates, often filling the room gradually. With no cellular coverage and entertainment appliances, it had a fully equipped kitchen, solar lights, room heater and a bathroom with sufficient water. Tired of all the traversing, we decided to rest that night and venture out on the coming day. The next morning, I woke up early enough to see the sunrise. The complimentary breakfast was almost finished by the time we walked up to the restaurant. After breakfast, we went to ‘Pillar Rock’, a view point from where you can feel the ecstasy of the Kodaikanal Hills. Mild rain was pouring and I could see the mist taking shapes of all kinds. The panoramic valley view there showed no trace of human existence, yet I was able to see people climbing the steep hills like ants marching. Later as I tried to focus on the image, the people were vanishing before my eyes! My friends also had similar hallucinations. We came back to our room for lunch and later, couldn’ t help ourselves from going to Pillar rock again to experience the magic once more. By evening, we headed back to our shelter, planning to sleep early, so that we could make it to ‘Sunrise point’ on early morning. A tough climb that many mentioned as a major attraction, past the route to Pillar Rock. Anyway, we stayed up all night marvelling at the picture of Palani town and the hills at night, listening to music and having some great food.

Next day, we missed the sunrise and had to check out by 11 am. This time, breakfast was over when we reached the restaurant. But the staff were so kind, they made food for us specially. It was just Aloo Parathas and mango pickle along with some tea; still it was one of the tastiest meals I have ever had. When Murugesh came to pick us, he plucked a bunch of flowers from there for some of his other clients, saying that it is ‘Neelakurinji’. Those exquisite flowers were seen everywhere near our room and Pillar rock, but we never knew that it was the legendary Neelakurinji that only blooms once every twelve years! Thanking our fortune and with unfathomable wish to come back with the same friends, I bid adieu to Kodai.