This summer I took a trip to Yercaud with my family. We took a flight to Coimbatore and after the pleasant flight, Coimbatore felt like stepping into an oven!! But the climate became better by evening. We took the local state transport bus to Salem from the central bus stand as I always make it a point to experience the local means of transport. The frequency and network of these buses is pretty good and they are DVD coaches. The bus dropped us at Salem after a 4 hour journey which was spent in watching Tamil films and videos of Rajnikant's songs. After having dinner in Salem we took a cab to Yercaud. On the way up to Yercaud there are 20 hair-pin bends and by the time we reached it was pretty late.
Yercaud is a quaint hill station near Salem, Tamil Nadu in the Servarayan range. It is also referred to as "Ooty of the poor" and is known for its coffee plantations. Yercaud gets its name from "Yeri" meaning lake in Tamil and "Kaadu" meaning forest. We were residing in the Lake Forest Hotel which is located in a live coffee estate. The guest bungalows are set in the "Eastlynn Farm Estate" in and around the bungalow built by Henrietta Charolette Rosario, the original owner of this estate during the early 1800s. Various artifacts from those times are displayed around the property. The hotel is recycled from old buildings, not using an ounce of fresh wood and not cutting a single tree, being extremely responsible and sensitive to ecology. Roots, waterways, birds and insects still have their priority and right of way and are not eradicated by using forbidden pesticides. The open-air restaurant is the best place to have dinner under the moonlit sky.
The next day we went for a coffee plantation tour which was a trek around the plantation and we were explained the coffee-making process which was quite informative and is as follows:
The coffee plant requires shade and starts flowering after the first summer showers around the month of March-April. It bears fruit and the ripe fruit is plucked and peeled. The skin and the beans are separated. There are either 1 or 2 beans in the fruit and one with single bean is stronger. The beans are sun-dried and then they are roas ted . The beans get their aroma only when they are roasted. And this is how we get coffee.
The next day we went for the local sightseeing which included the Raja Rajeshwari temple and Sevaroyan temple which is located at the top of Sevarayan hill. The temple itself is a narrow and dark cave and seated inside are Lord Sevarayan and Goddess Kaveri (the cave is suffocating) The Pagoda point is a vantage view point and there is a Rama temple here. The Lady's seat overlooks the Ghat road and the city of Salem. The Gent's seat has a similar view but from a higher point. The Rose garden houses various species of flora and fauna that grow in Yercaud. We were not taken to the Kiliyur falls because they are almost dry and the best time to visit them is during the monsoons and the Bear's cave as it is located on a private estate.
The next day we went to the Anna park which is a beautiful garden opposite the Yercaud lake that also houses a wide variety of flora and fauna like the Rose Garden and also has a childrens' play park. We also went for boating in the Yercaud lake which is the main attraction of the town. Our hotel was situated right adjacent to the park which made walking on the road dividing the lake and the park, admiring the surrounding beauty very convenient. Staying at the hotel, I felt very close and connected to nature and myself being a nature lover and an eco-friendly freak I adored their conservation techniques. Our 5 day vacation was very well spent.
Most of the time was spent in and around the hotel playing a game of tamarind seeds and also the games and activities arranged by the hotel in the evenings. The view from our room was beautiful and we could see the coffee plantations from the huge glass windows. On our last day in Yercaud, it rained making the climate very cool and pleasant. In the evening it felt really good sipping hot coffee and having pakodas in the indoor restaurant feeling the coolness of the rain outside. At night it was really cool and just perfect to sit outside and walk around. Finally it was time to leave and we had to depart with happy memories of Yercaud.
The next day we went for a coffee plantation tour which was a trek around the plantation and we were explained the coffee-making process which was quite informative and is as follows:
The coffee plant requires shade and starts flowering after the first summer showers around the month of March-April. It bears fruit and the ripe fruit is plucked and peeled. The skin and the beans are separated. There are either 1 or 2 beans in the fruit and one with single bean is stronger. The beans are sun-dried and then they are roas ted . The beans get their aroma only when they are roasted. And this is how we get coffee.
The next day we went for the local sightseeing which included the Raja Rajeshwari temple and Sevaroyan temple which is located at the top of Sevarayan hill. The temple itself is a narrow and dark cave and seated inside are Lord Sevarayan and Goddess Kaveri (the cave is suffocating) The Pagoda point is a vantage view point and there is a Rama temple here. The Lady's seat overlooks the Ghat road and the city of Salem. The Gent's seat has a similar view but from a higher point. The Rose garden houses various species of flora and fauna that grow in Yercaud. We were not taken to the Kiliyur falls because they are almost dry and the best time to visit them is during the monsoons and the Bear's cave as it is located on a private estate.
The next day we went to the Anna park which is a beautiful garden opposite the Yercaud lake that also houses a wide variety of flora and fauna like the Rose Garden and also has a childrens' play park. We also went for boating in the Yercaud lake which is the main attraction of the town. Our hotel was situated right adjacent to the park which made walking on the road dividing the lake and the park, admiring the surrounding beauty very convenient. Staying at the hotel, I felt very close and connected to nature and myself being a nature lover and an eco-friendly freak I adored their conservation techniques. Our 5 day vacation was very well spent.
Most of the time was spent in and around the hotel playing a game of tamarind seeds and also the games and activities arranged by the hotel in the evenings. The view from our room was beautiful and we could see the coffee plantations from the huge glass windows. On our last day in Yercaud, it rained making the climate very cool and pleasant. In the evening it felt really good sipping hot coffee and having pakodas in the indoor restaurant feeling the coolness of the rain outside. At night it was really cool and just perfect to sit outside and walk around. Finally it was time to leave and we had to depart with happy memories of Yercaud.
Coffee plantation....WOW!
ReplyDeleteyes it was looooovely!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks so much for commenting on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog too, India always fascinate me, i hope i could go there someday ^^
xoxo,
http://twothousandthings.blogspot.com
thanks for reading my blog....glad u njoyed it...yes india is a lovely country full of surprises...n u shud surely pay a visit...hope u do someday!!! :D
ReplyDeleteamazing places...jesus you 're so lucky..!!! my traveller's iq is bellow average!!!
ReplyDeletethanx katerina
ReplyDeleteNice post! Thanks for your information. The place was much better than any hotel, very peaceful, very friendly staff. We had a wonderful time and next time me or my friends come to Yercaud, I will surely come to this same place. Keep up the great work!!
ReplyDeleteServices Apartments in Yercaud