Weekend Getaway to Yercaud and Hogennakal

I desperately wanted a weekend getaway from Bangalore. But I didn’t have anybody to go with. Most of my friends here in Bangalore are married with kids and pretty busy with their own lives. Too busy to take off on a trip, even if it was just for two days.

I first called Thrillophilia, figuring they could whip up a travel package for me. But when she heard that I would be travelling solo, she became totally unhelpful and said I could go to a resort and stay there but there would be no fun activities. I got really irritated with her attitude and sought some women-only travel groups.

I zeroed in on Ek Chidiya coz it was recommended by a friend and the organizer had a trip planned for the dates I had in mind: August 1^st and 2^nd.The trip was to Yercaud and Hogenakkal. I was very excited about the trip although I knew no one travelling with me.

I got up early on August 1^st and was picked up by the organizer and a co-traveller in an Innova from Marathahalli where I stay. We then picked up the 4^th passenger.Introductions were made and I was happy that everyone was really friendly and free of any hang ups.We kept talking and finding out more about each other when we stopped for breakfast at Adyar Ananda Bhavan. After a quick bite, we drove on to Hogennakal. When we reached, it was in the middle of the afternoon, so it was a bit warm.

The falls were very impressive. It’s no surprise that they are known as the Nigara falls of India. And having been to the original Niagara falls, I must say this is not an exaggeration.

Women and men offering massages with dubious looking oils and promising a bath in the falls kept asking us if we were interested. After fending them off, we made our way through the bridges and pathways.

We didn’t let the heat prevent us from looking around and going on the coracle ride. The coracle is a round “boat” made of some eco-friendly material and re-inforced with sheets and tar to make it waterproof. Six people could be accommodated in the coracle and each person was charged Rs. 160 for the ride. Two strangers joined us in our coracle: a middle-aged man and his son.

It was a one-hour ride and we enjoyed our ride over the Hogennakal waters, being carried with the currents and getting thrilled.

We stopped at one of the small islands and a couple of the passengers had fresh fried fish. We then got off at the island, took a car ride to another location with a bridge and crossed the bridge on foot. On reaching the starting point, we got back to the car and proceeded to Yercaud in the Innova.

We had taken plenty of snaps and one of the co-passengers was obsessed with selfies so we nicknamed her the selfie queen.

We drove up the mountains and navigated around twenty hairpin bends. It made some of us dizzy and nauseous, but the view was splendid. We finally reached the top of the mountain. We reached Yercaud. It took us a while to locate our resort, but once we did, we were struck by its beauty.

The La Four Seasons Resort in Yercaud is a fairly new resort which was opened only three months ago. There were beautiful villas everywhere and we had a whole villa to ourselves: a bedroom for two on the ground floor and another bedroom for two on the first floor.There were beautifully manicured lawns interspersed with rough-hewn stones to give it that earthy look. There was an artificial waterfall/stream complete with rocks and water. This cut across the entire length of the resort. The sound of the water flowing was really soothing to the ears.

We freshened up in our rooms and explored the resort. There was a games room with indoor games and even a table tennis table. So we played a few rallies and then got together at a structure that was like a machan, but artificially created. It had a winding staircase that led up to the top where there was a table with chairs. We sat there and chatted. When it started drizzling, we went under this raised structure and sat on the ground floor in chairs.

There was suddenly the loud noise of music and we learned that there was a barbecue with dancing and music. There was also a buffet and we opted for the buffet since it was drizzling. We had a leisurely meal for over two hours. The friendly restaurant manager was very curious about how we knew each other and that four women were travelling by themselves.

The four of us talked about marriage, what it was like being a woman, pros and cons of being single and just about everything under the sun. After a sumptuous meal, we retired for the night in our comfortable beds. We woke up late the next day and after showering, checked out. The staff actually gave us a complimentary jackfruit each!

We got into our car and visited a temple, and a few gardens and parks in the vicinity. We also stopped at some ‘viewpoints’ from where we had a clear view of Salem, the town below. After a morning well spent, we bought fruits for our journey back and made our way back to Bangalore. It took us about three hours and we reached Bangalore by 5.30 pm. after stopping for lunch on the way

This was such a relaxing getaway for me and it was all the more pleasant thanks to the wonderful company I had. We exchanged numbers and photographs and vowed to meet again on another trip! I, for one, can’t wait!