Kodaikanal (Feb 13-16)

Fresh in from the bustling city of Trichy, the small mountain town of Kodaikanal was a refreshing welcome. It truly is great to breathe in cool mountain air after spending most of our time thus far contending with dust and exhaust. This is not to say that it is devoid of vehicular traffic here but there is a drastic reduction. Kodai is at an elevation of 7000 feet and it is amazing the difference that makes in temperature. Down in Trichy it was very hot in the afternoon, 30 deg and maybe low 20's at night...up here it is maybe 22 by afternoon and perhaps about 10 at night...Good thing we still have our fleeces with us. The main draw of this place is the cool-ness and it's peak season starts up in May when it is scorching down below and 'just nice' up here ... Here's a shot taken on the very windy (not for the faint of heart) bus ride up....


Did we mention the horn-blowing here in India?....it continues....sometimes you think the drivers are waiting until they are alongside so they can enjoy watching you jump right out of your sandals! A view down one of the main streets...competing with the cars, motos, cows, amid the sound of horns....


Here, we feel we are in a smaller version of what we have experienced in India so far but on a much more compact scale and of course with the added hillside views (which have been limited by the haze). There is a "lake" here which many Indian visitors seem to enjoy on paddle boats. We imagine that it is popular because many do not see mountains or lakes as often as us Canadians are fortunate to :D. One of the views from around town.


Lunch by the 'lake'... perhaps a little under-prepared for the change in temperature!


There is a trail here with views (which again are hampered by the limited visibility).... and the food here has Tibetan/Himalayan influences which is quite interesting when you consider most of the continent lies between these two areas. Yummy for us!

We have had a few interesting encounters here. We had a last minute dinner guest one evening. We recognized him (and he us) from the guest house and he immediately pulled up chair. We are quite okay with this as it avails the opportunity to chat and learn more about the person and the place. This visit however was unexpected mostly in how he asked us to order 2 rotis for him which he promptly ate after thanking us. We were caught off guard. He appeared to know and make multiple requests of the staff for more sauces......and he left with take out. A good night for him I guess.

Breakfast one morning I (Lori) instantly took a liking to our server. He had a sweet, pleasant demeanour - I wanted to make a return visit for breakfast again because such nice service and tasty food deserves a repeat visit.

This town got its start around the turn of the century because American Missionaries started a school for the their children here. As a result there is a higher number of churches etc scattered around town and not a few vehicles with Christian slogans like "Praise the Lord" around. That original school has now become the Kodai International School and apparently is the main employer in the town.


The latter part of our time here is spent planning our escape while Lori works off a lingering stomach bug...must have been the tomatoes in that veggie sandwhich the other day! We only say 'escape' as trying to plan a direct route (that doesn't require the use of multiple modes of transport, transfers and units of time to reach our desired destination) demands creativity, patience and openness ;) This is what it means to visit India. It is multi-faceted in its challenges i.e. many opportunities to grow and broaden your mind.