It was an impulsive trip that we planned and set out for Yercaud.
We hired a cab and left Bangalore at 6AM on Saturday, 11th July 2009….stopped by at Adyar Anand Bhavan near Krishnagiri for about an hour for breakfast. The roads are simply beautiful all the way up to Salem. We made it to Yercaud by 12:00 noon i.e. about 5 hours.
Yercaud is about 30 kms from Salem and there are 20 hairpin bends during the ascent, apart from other bends. The view of the hills on the way and clouds floating around was mesmerizing.
We checked into the hotel Shevaroys in one of the Orchid Suites. Had lunch at the Silver Oak (one of the restaurants in the Shevaroys complex)…food was amazing…
Relaxed for a while after lunch and then set out to explore Yercaud. Went down to Yercaud Lake and took a row boat. By the time we were done with the boating, it looked like it was going to rain….Took a walk near the lake and then Ankur (my better half) took the camel for a ride :-)
While I feasted on Buddi ke baal and bhutta, Ankur had hot piping mirchi bhajjis with coffee. We couldn’t go anywhere else as it had started pouring by then. Hence went back to the hotel and spent some time in the balcony attached to the suite enjoying the rain.
We went to Red Dragon (a Chinese restaurant in the hotel complex) for dinner and drinks. Food as again was excellent….had a great time…went for a walk after dinner…it was biting cold…thoroughly enjoyed it.
We were so tired by the time we can back into the suite that we hit the bed immediately and slept like logs.
The next morning i.e. Sunday, 12th July 2009 was beckoning us with open arms. We had our morning coffee/tea in the balcony and then got ready by 9 am….went to Silver Oak for breakfast. Then we went for a “Plantation Walk” in the hotel complex, which was simply awesome. Coffee bushes and a curvy path inside the plantation was something that cannot be described, only experienced. I highly recommend you stay at Shevaroys and if you do, then don’t miss the plantation walk for anything.
Our first destination was the Pagoda Point, a view point from where you can see Salem town. The next stop was Lady’s seat, another view point from where you can see Yercaud. There is a Rose Garden near Lady’s seat which has beautiful flowers and also is a great place for a quiet walk into nature. From there, we went on to Anna Park….a picnic getaway and then proceeded to Ornamental Lake and Montfort School (one of the oldest and most famous convents in Yercaud).
Exhausted with all the walking and sight seeing, we then returned to the hotel for lunch, our last lunch in the Shevaroys. Had a sumptuous lunch and then checked out of the hotel. We then decided to go in for boating one last time, and this time took a paddle boat…After the boating, it was time to bid adieu to Yercaud and head back home….We left Yercaud by 3:30PM and made it back to Bangalore in 4 hours flat i.e. by 7:30 PM inspite of having stopped for coffee (small breaks) a couple of times on the way.
All in all, it was truly a wonderful trip and we had the time of our lives….it has been one of my most memorable trips ever and will remain so for a long time to come!
