Friday (04/09/09) – Kodaikanal“Kodaikanal is a stunningly situated and easy-going hill station on the southern crest of the Palani knolls, some 120km northwest of Madurai. It’s surrounded by wooded slopes, waterfalls and precipitous rocky outcrops and the winding route up and down is breathtaking”
Lonely Planet
Alex and I left the hospital on Friday morning at 0630 to catch a bus to Bathalagundur (which took about 1.5 hour) where we then changed another bus for Kodaikanal (located in the Western Ghats; elevation 2100m) – the 57km journey up the mountains took another 2 hours.
After having a quick breakfast and checking in at Hilltop Tower, we walked around the little town and then pedalled a boat in Lake Kodaikanal. I have never imagined a place like Kodaikanal in India – the view was stunning; the weather was pleasant (+cold) and the town wasn’t very busy at all. It is akin to Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands. Although there wasn’t much to do there, it’s an excellent area for relaxation and escapism from the intolerable heat in the lowlands.
The town of Kodaikanal

Picturesque views of the Western Ghats
We visited Bryant Park and later headed to Manna Bakery (as recommended by the Lonely Planet) for lunch, only to find out that it was closed as the owner had returned to the US for good. Since we were already out of town, we proceeded to the nearby Shola Bear Falls, which was a great disappointment as it was dry (due to the recent drought) and the area was strewn with rubbish – yuck!
We were back in town for a late lunch at Astoria before I made my way to get some souvenirs from the row of stalls along Lake Kodaikanal. At night, we had a buffet dinner at Silver Oak Restaurant in Carlton Hotel, the most prestigious hotel in Kodaikanal. The food was impressive: leek and thyme soup with bread as starters, various salads, mains (which were predominantly Indian) and desserts + a bottle of Sprite...all for Rs500+! By far, it was the most expensive meal I have in India!
Saturday (05/09/09) – PollachiAfter checking out at 0900 and making a short visit to Coaker’s Walk, it’s time to bid farewell to Kodaikanal. The 3.5 hours downhill journey towards Palani on a government bus wasn’t comfortable at all and a little terrifying. The winding road was narrow with multiple hair-pin bends – if the driver wasn’t careful enough, the bus could easily fall off the steep cliff. I prayed hard – prayed for a safe journey. We eventually arrived safely at Palani – another typical hot bustling Indian town; and immediately changed another bus for Pollachi, which was about 1.5 hour west of Palani.
A heavy downpour greeted us upon reaching Pollachi at 1500. We took an auto-rickshaw towards WWO, hoping to get an accommodation that night at Topslip, but it was fully booked weeks ago! Given that all the better hotels in Pollachi had been booked out, we had no choice, but to stay at the hotel which Alex had reserved days earlier, Hotel Vijay – the worst hotel I’d stayed in India thus far...the receptionist wasn’t friendly, treated us as if we were invisible; the room wasn’t AC; there was no shower; there was power cut; it took ages for the blankets to arrive etc. Looking from the positive side, it was only Rs400 per night. We just looked forward to flee the next morning.
Sunday (06/09/09) – Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary – Top Slip"Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary – one of the three wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghat along the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, this cool, misty mountain park covers almost 1000sq km of mostly teak forest and evergreen jungle"
Lonely Planet
It was 0545 and we were already at the bus stand to catch the bus towards Top Slip, which departed at 0615 and arrived about an hour later. I hoped the rain would stop falling that day – it didn’t happen – the rain came and went, came and went......We joined in a jeep safari with a large Indian family – I was hoping to spot at least a tiger, but that didn’t happen. Well, at least there were a few elephants in the training centre deep in the forest.
Elephants!
After the 1 hour safari trip, Alex and I decided to go for a 3-hour jungle trekking. I vividly remember the only 2 occasions I did this – first in 1998 (immediately after my UPSR exam) at Outward Bound School in Lumut, Perak and second in 2002 during a Prefects’ Camp somewhere in the forest of Pahang.
For Rs150, the friendly and knowledgeable guide took us into the forest, showing us the wildlife we encountered – hornbills + other birds, squirrels, wild-boars, monkeys and best of all, a wild elephant! I was out of my mind, still hoping to spot a tiger, but unfortunately (or rather fortunately) that didn’t happen. Given the recent wet days, it wasn’t an ideal situation to trek – the path was filled with puddles of mud, making it very slippery. I was very cautious to avoid falls and almost always had to look down on the path, to avoid soaking my shoes and feet. There were leeches on our shoes, trying to hook to our skin and suck the fluid of life out of us. Alex and I became a bit paranoid, flicking them away and checking on our shoes and legs every now and then. It wasn’t so lucky for our guide who only wore sandals – sandals for trekking? Unbelievable! Overall, it was a great unforgettable experience!
Deep in the forest where we did our trekkingWe were back at the headquarters at about 1200, had a rest in the canteen before starting our journey back to CFH, with the government buses, which again was a nightmare. We were glad to be back at 1700 and found out that another elective student, Matt also from the UK had joined us in CFH.