During my Kanchipuram trip with my cousins, I heard the two ladies discussing a trip to Coimbatore and Pollachi. They talked about when the husbands would be free and how many days they could travel.
"Hey, why am I not part of this planning?" I asked, puzzled at this whole plan I was ignorant about.
"Of course, you are part of it. Nothing is finalized yet," they said.
"Why Pollachi?" I asked. One of the cousins said it was a rave place to go to, according to her friends. Lots of nature and waterfalls, etc.
I returned home excited and told my husband about it. He was also game to make the trip. But somehow, it wasn't happening.
Then I saw a message from a classmate in the girls' group asking if we could meet in Bangalore or Coimbatore. Guess my pick! She asked about Ooty, and, of course, that's not where I wanted to go. I talked about Pollachi, and before the other girls in my group could respond, she and I had decided on our trip. Luckily, only one other person showed interest in meeting in Bangalore. So we decided we will go to Pollachi. I booked tickets.
The Near-Fiasco
Details bother me and just booking train tickets makes me feel stressed. No, I don't stress easily. But forms and such make me flutter uncomfortably. When I started booking the train, I had to make sure that I was booking for the correct date, the correct time, and the correct destination. Onward and return. That's a lot for me! Most trains that are well-known were wait-listed and so I booked one which was an acronym with too many alphabets. But since I was not going to write an exam, I didn't pay attention. Just the timings seemed appropriate.
A night before I was to leave, IRCTC started sending me messages. I was initially amazed and then puzzled. But it didn't occur to me to check why I was getting messages of my train being delayed. I only opened my ticket to make sure I was to board on the date as scheduled.
Then, finally, a conversation with my hubby made me realise that my train originated in a different state a day before, which is why I was being told my train was an hour, two hours, three hours delayed. Too late, I panicked. My hubby contributed to it by reading reviews and informing me that it could even get delayed by as much as 44 hours!
In a trip planned for 48 hours, that didn't augur well. I scrambled for bus tickets at the last minute, decided to leave it all to the supreme and just enjoy getting away - whether a longish journey on the train or reach my destination and proceed as planned, albeit with some delay.
Luckily, the train wasn't too bad and there were no further delays. Instead of going to my friend's house on reaching the city to freshen up and have breakfast, which would have delayed us further, I told her to come to the station. I would find a way to freshen up.
I was pleasantly surprised to see an AC waiting hall with a bath facility at the Coimbatore station. Blessing the railways for providing such a facility and keeping it clean, I paid Rs 50 as was expected, and got ready. When we finally left Coimbatore, the net delay was only an hour or so from the originally planned schedule.
Mini Meghalaya
The city is surrounded by hills and was quite warm in the afternoon. We stopped at Pollachi to have a meal and then proceeded to the hills. The first stop was the Azhiyar dam. Neat, and well-maintained, it had enough water to soothe the tired eyes. We found steps to go down and were by the water in no time. Soaking the feet and just sitting on the banks is an unparalleled joy. But it was cut short by the dam security (no pun intended) who told us we were not allowed there. But they were sweet about it and gave us some time to relax and enjoy the scenery.
We climbed back and headed towards Monkey Falls. The fall had just enough water to soak us, not to full to scare or us or too thin to be of no interest. There are changing rooms for men and women by the falls. My friend and I just allowed our backs to be showered on and splashed water on our faces as we were not prepared for this delightful indulgence. We promised we would return the next day, well-prepared.
We continued up the hills to reach Valparai, the hill station we were intending to visit and stay in. The temperature became cooler as we climbed. In fact, it reminded me of Meghalaya, which I had visited in May. All around were green hills, caressed by the clouds, nay, wreathed in clouds. It was breathtakingly beautiful, clean, and joyful. The main industry is tea cultivation, and the rows and rows of tea plantations gave a sense of symmetry and beauty. Beyond the plantations are forests with tall, thick trees. Valparai has elephants and leopard sightings so one has to reach the town before 6 pm. Traffic is not allowed after that.
Soon, it started raining. We were to stop at a Balaji temple, but the driver of the cab we were traveling by said that we would be unable to go in the rain as we had to walk a kilometre from the car park. The temple was also supposed to close at 5 and it would have been touch and go for us.
We reached the room. The Internet photos had not been very promising, but it wasn't totally bad. The town is small and all hotels and eateries jostle for space within a few metres of each other.
After freshening up, we came down for some tea and snacks. As we were returning to the hotel, we walked up to the end of the street and noticed another temple downhill. Having nothing better to do, we thought we would climb down to visit the temple. It was closed but surrounded by flowers. My friend and I shared an interest in gardening and were admiring them when we noticed a brook flowing a few meters below. We braved the stairs and climbed down. Though there is no proper access, we went close enough to see a mini-waterfall and then climbed back, straining but still happy to be amidst pure air and simple surroundings.
A lady on the way up said there was a better view of the brook from the road. So we decided to take that route. On the way, we saw the driver, who wasn't able to relate to the point we were talking about but took us to another brook - called Koozhangal Aaru. The riverbed is covered with pumice stones. This time, we did manage to go to the river, but it started pouring, and so we beat a hasty retreat.
Vegetarian Gourmet - Home-Made Dosa
The tea and snacks had filled us up. But apparently, there was a family that ran a mess serving only vegetarian food. We decided to give it a shot. The lady of the house was warm and welcoming. I had one of the tastiest onion podi dosa with yummy sambar. We decided this is where we would be going for breakfast as well.
In the morning, we decided to wake up early and go for a long walk. That was a joke. We slept till 7.30 and pushed ourselves out of bed to get ready for the day. After another round of dosa, we went to Balaji Temple.
Some Walking and Stretching
The Balaji Temple is a private temple built and run by one of the tea estate owners, who has also built a hospital in the town. Low clouds hugged the mountains in the distance. We got out of the car and climbed up the tree-covered hill. The temple made us drop our jaws. It was simple but very neat. The 35-year-old temple also has a garden from where the flowers for the deity come.
After a hearty darshan with no rushing and crushing, we walked back in heavy drizzle. As we drove down, it started pouring. Cholaya River from Kerala flowed silently and slowly, curving her way through the forest towards the dam, which was our destination for now. But the sight from across the dam a few kilometres away was an awe-inspiring sight to behold. Overhead a couple of guys observe, "The view from here is better than from the dam." When I reached the dam , I couldn't but agree with them.
We headed down and stopped at Monkey falls again, but decided against the dip. The weather was cooler today and we were a little mellowed.
The Commune with Nature
But, of late, I do feel a longing to go to places where there is silence. It could be amidst nature and even in temples. Just being, not doing, not having plans, not wanting to grasp everything on the way.
This trip clearly falls in that category. It was very satisfying in many ways. It was also unexpected in many ways, right from how I heard about it and how I ended up making this journey.
The fun is in the journey itself more than the destination. But in this case, both were worth it.
Wishing myself many more such getaways - simple and beautiful.
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