travel diary: kodaikanal

i am on summer holidays now and immensely enjoying the downtime. i spent the first five days in kodaikanal (known as the "princess of hill stations"), tamil nadu where the weather was gorgeous, the air wonderful and the memories created priceless. we opted for a homestay at misty cove which has a lot of character and charm rather than the expected five star, the carlton kodaikanal. choose the latter if you can't do without showers, heated rooms, all day room service and other modern amenities.

what's there to do in kodaikanal? biking, horse riding, boating, walking, golfing, trekking and there is even a pretty good wax museum to check out! the months of april and may are best avoided though as it is peak domestic tourist season and the the traffic snarls are quite a nuisance not to mention the not so well heeled crowds!

kodaikanal is at her glorious best at 6 am in the morning. wake up and deep breathe the mountain air (you're at 7000 feet above sea level) and take a long and leisurely stroll around the lake (7km perimeter) while you take in the picturesque landscape and appreciate one of the finest spots in india.

getting to kodaikanal from bombay is a bit of a schlep though otherwise i might return again soon. you have to fly to madurai (no direct flights, you have to stop in chennai) and then it's a 3 hour drive. you could choose to break journey in the city of my birth, stay overnight at the gateway hotel pasumalai madurai, meet a peacock or two at breakfast, pray at the famous meenakshi amman temple early in the morning and then head onwards to kodaikanal. you may also want to include palani and rameshwaram on the same trip. tamil nadu is a fantastic option for culture and adventure!