Silver Holiday Cottage – Yercaud , Hotel Review

For budget conscious traveler to Yercaud, Silver Holiday cottage is an ideal option for stay. Silver Holiday cottage is located in a calm and green environment.  Yercaud Lake is located from walk able distance from this hotel. Moreover it is located near the road connecting Salem and Yercaud.

The rooms are spacious and well maintained.  The rooms have independent entrance and have a comfortable veranda to sit and enjoy the weather.  The bathrooms and toilets are neat and clean.  Hot water is available 24hrs.  Room services are prompt during the offseason (cannot say the same in season time)

The biggest drawback is the lack of restaurant near the hotel. There is a small fast food corner nearby but the quality is not good. There are no swings or any garden within the hotel for the children to play.

Despite these shortcomings the hotel is good value for money.

Theni – tourist attraction and picnic spots

Theni district is full of surprises for a first time tourist. The whole district is lying on the borders of western ghats  so it is no wonder that it offers a lot of tourist attractions and places for visitors.

Theni can be reached from Madurai which is also the nearest Airport. If you want to visit and enjoy Theni then you must travel by your own vehicle because the sites are not bunched together instead they are spread throughout the district. Theni itself is well connected with lot of bus services but still it is advisable to have your own vehicle.

You can plan to visit the followings:

Vaigai Dam: The dam is constructed across Vaigai river, one of the important river of south Tamilnadu. It has well maintained garden and is a good picnic spot.

Kambam Valley: This valley has some of the beautiful scenic spots like Kandamanur, Mayiladumparai etc. This valley is part of catchment area of many rivers including Vaigai. Thekkady is very near to this location. Due to its location this area often receives light drizzles which are certainly a mood uplifter in summers.

Suruli Falls: It is one of the well known picnic spot inTheni. The water comes out of caves and forms a fall. Avoid going to this place on weekends as it will be crowded. There is a temple dedicated to Kailashanathar which is located above the Suruli falls at 800 mtrs height. Near the temple there is a Darga called Abu Bucker Masthan darga. This saint is supposed to lived here in 1630s.

Megamalai: It is located at the height of 1500 mtr from sea level. It is full of tea gardens cardamom estates.

Bodi mettu: It is another summer retreat but not well known and under developed. It is located at a height of 1300 mtr from sea level.

As you can see, you can visit all these places by anchoring yourself at Theni then visiting each one of them in turn. Theni has many decent Hotels and restaurants. You can plan for a minimum 3 to 4 days stay. It surely will be a memorable holiday.                                                                                                                                                                                

Choosing a camera suitable for travels

When it comes to buying a camera we certainly are spoilt for choices.  So what to look for when buying a digital camera which will be predominantly used for taking picture while travelling.

1.       Compact – should be able to fit in shirt / pant pocket

2.       Ruggedness

3.       Different scenic modes like landscape, night photography, kids  etc.

4.       Different resolutions (pixels)

5.       Video shooting

6.       Auto shoot

While looking at the available brands don’t go by advertisements but ask actual users and compare snaps taken by different cameras. Some of the brands which offer value for money are Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji etc. These brands are in this field from the beginning and camera manufacturing is their core business so it is not surprising they produce good quality cameras.

 

 

 

Should you visit Yercaud? Is it worth to visit Yercaud? What are the tourist attractions of Yercaud?

Please visit this link to read about Yercaud.

http://tamilnadutourguide.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

When I say Yercaud many of my friends and acquaintance snort in disgust. And many asked me whether is it worth a visit. Let us discuss the pros and cons of Yercaud

By nature and by its occupation it is a sleepy little town. If you are looking for roaring adventure and arranged picnic, conducted tours etc. you will be disappointed. If you think you will get good food wherever you are again you will be disappointed. There are very few decent restaurants available within Yercaud. And worse you cannot use credit cards as per your whims because not manu establishments entertain them.

Then what are the plus points. If you are looking to relax and just be - then this is the place. If you want to have the day all by yourself and lazy around then Yercaud is perfect for you.  Though a hill station you need not worry about wearing layer warm cloth etc. During the peak time of the winter you need warm cloths but the cold is not as much biting as that of Kodaikanal or Ooty. It is less crowded, less polluted and not fully commercialized. You will get good rooms at reasonable rates. There are not many places to visit but you can compensate that by having a good walk around various sites.

As you can see there are more pros than cons. If you are tired of visiting Ooty & Kodaikanal then you must visit Yercaud to feel the difference.

Kovalam Beach near Chennai

When you say Kovalam beach everyone will think of the beach near Trivananthapuram. But there is another Kovalam beach near Chennai. It is located on the Chennai Mahabalipuram road. Kovalam is a small village so obviously there are fewer crowds in the beach. The beach is almost similar to the Marina beach. Some other tourist attractions in this village are a ruined fort and Dargah.  Taj group has a beach resort here named as Fisherman cove. If you visit Mahabalipuram you must take some time to visit this beach.

Sriviiliputhur Andal Temple & Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary

Srivilliputhur is located in Virudhunagar district in Tamilnadu. It is 70km from Madurai. It lies on the feet of Western Ghats. This place has some of the best sites to explore.  Prominent among them are Andal Temple in the town and the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary on the foothills of Western Ghats.

Srivilliputhur is the birth place of Andal, one of the important Vaishnavaite saints.  The legend goes that Lord Vishnu preferred the flowers already worn by Andal and that Andal ultimately disappeared in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.  This temple has beautiful sculptures. Some of them are so life like.  It is among the biggest temples of Tamilandu. The kopuram or tower of the temple is also well known for architectural beauty. The Tamilnadu Government’s official seal  has this tower as the emblem of the state. The car festival (rath yatra) of Andal temple which is held once in a year is also famous and well known in south Tamilnadu.

 Srivilliputhur also boasts of a national wildlife sanctuary. The prominant animal in this sanctuary is Grizzled Squirrel. The sanctuary covers an area of 480 sq.km. It is connected to Periyar Tiger reserve on the Megamalai reserve forest.  This area also covers another famous tourist attraction Pilavakkal Dam. See my notes on Pilavakkal here

http://tamilnadutourguide.blogspot.com/2009/03/pilavakkal-dam.html

This sanctuary has a mixture of different flora, because based on the mountain height this area has  different types of forests including evergreen forest, deciduous forest ,  grassland etc. This mixed and rich flora is the ideal place for many animals to have their habitats here.  Important animals apart from Giant Grizzled Squirrels are Elephants, Tigers, Leopards, Gaur, Deer, Wild-boar, porcupines, monkeys , flying squirrel etc.

Srivilliputhur is easily accessible by road from Madurai and Virudhunagar. It is a well developed town so boarding and lodging should not be a problem. You may visit this place any time of the year. To venture deep into the sanctuary you will require the permission of Wildlife warden. You can contact the warden at  7&8 Valiikulam street , Srivilliputhur.

 

Sittannavasal – an ancient abode of Jains and an offspring of Ajanta arts

Sittannavasal is a small village located near Pudukkottai. It is located on the Pudukottai  - Viralimalai road and is 16km Pudukkottai. It is considered to be an ancient village dating back to 2^nd BC.

A hill located near this village is the reason for village being famous. In early period Jain monks lived in the hills  and you can see the paintings and arts done by them and by those who followed them. The main and important site is the rock cut cave temple. It is said that the entire walls and pillars were covered with paintings in natural colors. But now only few are left.  Among those still visible are partially damaged. Yet they retain the colors. The paintings contain flowers, calves, elephants and birds. There are different claims as to who did all these works. Some later discoverers claims Pandava kings executed these works.

But what is unique about these paintings is the similarity to the paintings found in Ajanta caves.  Some historians claim that Pallav kings secretly sent painters and sculptors to Ajanta caves to learn about the natural colour making process and the style of painting. These artisans came back and replicated these arts in Sittannavasal.

 Tamilnadu is known for its sculptors. Various sites and temples show case this skill in abundance.   But Sittannavasal is the only site in Tamilnadu which boasts of having ancient historical paintings. Despite this uniqueness not many within Tamilnadu knows of this place.  Mainly art lovers and historians visit this site. It should also be promoted as one of the Jain pilgrimage centre.

This place easily reachable from Pudukottai and frequent buses are available from there

Muttom – an idyllic beach with unpolluted surrounding

Want to explore a lonely beach with no pollution and crystal clear sea water? Then start for Muttom an idyllic village lying on the outskirts of Nagarcoil.  Muttom shot into famous after its beauty was shown in few Tamil films. Another positive aspect of Muttom is its old world charm. It is mainly made up of fishermen hamlets and Churches. Churches in this area are built on the model of western architecture.

Muttom Beach is scattered with big rocks on sands. Tourists usually climb these rocks to have a good glimpse of the sea.  In fact you can keep on looking into the sea without any feeling of time. The feeling of calmness is similar to one we get after meditation.  You can also go for walk on the sea shore. In some places waves reach up to the full height of the rocks. There were many instances wherein tourists had been pulled into the sea by these gigantic waves.  So you must be careful while climbing on the rocks.

Muttom is 16Km from Nagarcoil. Regular bus services are available from Nagrcoil to Muttom.  Avoid visiting this place on weekends since the beach will full of tourists. Take your own food and water.  If you want to venture into sea do it when there are some locals nearby. Naturally these locals are expert swimmers and have saved many a tourists from drowning.  Muttom is an ideal picnic spot one should visit.

Devipattinam - a holy place where Lord Ram worshipped Navagrahas

Devipattinam occupies a unique place among the holy sites of Tamilnadu. Legend says that Lord Ram when returning from Lanka with Sita, offered his prayer to the local deity Devi and the worshipped Navagrahas. Since there was no temple for Navagrahas there he put 9 stones at the sea shore and did his puja. Those stones are still there and are being worshipped by many devotees still today.

Devipattinam is a village located on the east coast of Tamilnadu. It is 15 km from Ramanathapuram, the district headquarter. A temple dedicated to Devi is another famous holy site available in this village. This is the place as per the legend where asura Mahihasura was killed by Goddess Durga Devi. The beach is ideally located to let the pilgrimage to take a dip in the sea. Sand dunes along the sea shores prevent strong tide reaching the seashore so the sea water here comparatively calm and tide less. 

This place is also known for offering Shraadhs to ancestors. It is said that if you offer Shraadhs  once here at Devipattinam that is good enough for your whole life. In this context  Devipattinam is considered as equal to Rameshwaram..

You can reach this place from Madurai. Ramanathapuram is connected with Madurai with an all weather road. Lot of buses available from Madurai to Ramanathapurm. However from Ramanathapuram to Devipattinam the road is narrow. Moreover bus frequency is not good. 

Please remember it is just a village so plan to visit and return on the same day. There are some Brahmin priests who offer customized pooja at consolidated costs which may also include breakfast and lunch prepared by the priests’ family member themselves.   

If you are plan to offer Shraadhs get someone to visit prior to a day and fix the arrangement with the Priests available here. This will avoid a lot of hassle for you and also  the rate the charge is reasonable.

Coonoor – the Poor cousin of famous Ooty

Tourists  who visits Ooty only gives a cursive look at Coonoor. But Coonoor is not be covered in an hours time. You need at least 2-3 days to enjoy it fully. Coonoor is located in Nilgiri hills

Coonoor is located approx. 17 km from Ooty. In fact when you travel to Ooty from Coimbatore – Mettupalayam you hve to drive through Coonoor to reach Ooty. Coonoor should be preferred over Ooty because of it less crowd and moderate temperature. In winter Ooty almost touch 0 Centigrade temperature.

The beauty of Coonoor starts well before you reach Coonoor. On your way you will observe thick plantations. Two big farms namely Kallar & Burliar Farms are located in this area. The road itself is covered with the canopy of the tall trees. Coonoor has enough accommodation facilities including a Taj Retreat. As you settle down you may prefer to take a walk on this little village and if you are observant enough you may spot the original inhabitants of the Nilgiris the Thodas.

The most famous landmarks of Coonoor is Sims park. It is small in area but well maintained by the management.  Dolphin nose is another point you will not like to miss. On clear day you will get good view of the plains as well as a water falls on the far away mountain. Lambs rock is another good place to have a panoramic view of the valley.  In olden days wild labs roamed this area so British gave the name Lambs rock to this point. Lady Canning seat is another good point.

There is a local market near the Bus stand. Here you can bargain and buy tea, cardamom and other spicy items. But check properly before buying any items.

There are few good restaurants available. Laxmi vilas is one of them. Another beautyu of Coonoor is it is well connected to the following tourist points by bus service.

Ooty

Avalanche

Kotagiri

So when you plan to visit Ooty add 2 more days in your schedule and stay at Coonoor. You will love it.

Kothaiyaru – a green paradise amidst enchanting hills

If you happen to stay or visit Nagarcoil, try to visit this place. It is located on the foot of the Western Ghats and is an ideal place for natural lovers and picnickers and hikers. There is narrow road connecting Nagarcoil to this place. On the way to this place you may observe a lot of Rubber trees and other plantations.  

 When you travel in the morning you can see the locals extracting natural rubbers from the trees. They make an incision on the lower trunk of the trees and put pipe to guide the oozing rubber. Below this pipe they put pot and leave it for a day or two.  Then they sell this to traders. This activity plays on important economic role in this area.  

If you travel by public buses in the morning you will also observe another interesting phenomenon. Fisherwomen with their fresh catch board the bus from Nagarcoil and on their way up they make small parcels of the fishes and keep them handy. While the buss crosses the each plantation they throw the parcel out to their regular customers who collect them even while the bus is moving slowly on the ghat road.

 Once you reach Kothayaru you can immediately start exploring the place. There is a hydropower station and a dam on the upper side of this place. But entry is restricted. The overflowed water from this dam runs through dense jungle and on the way it makes a lot of minor falls and deep ponds. So be careful if you decide to take a bath. If you get deeper in to this area you will observe a different flora which is unique to this place. Though you get food at this area it will be better if you carry your own food and water. Some small eateries here offer you excellent fried fish.

 You should leave well before dusk since daylight fade swiftly since this area is completely surrounded by hills.

 If you plan this trip carefully you can also visit near by Pachiparai dam and other places.

 

Pilavakkal Dam

Pilavakkal Dam is situated on the foot hills of Western Ghats in Virudhunagar District of Tamilnadu. Traveling to the location itself is exciting because of its unique location and the surrounding green paddy fields.

 Watrap is the near by town. The name Watrap is derived from the Tamil word Watiiyera irruppu which means “a place where the level of ground water never goes down”. The place suits this name because the whole area gets good rain from Southwest & Northeast monsoons. So it is only natural that a dam lies there.

 I would suggest you to stop at many places on the way and       take a few minutes to enjoy the surrounding greenery and serenity. Paddy fields with little hillock provide us with many breathtaking views.

  Another unique point of this dam is its natural settings. It is surrounded by hills on 3 directions and a man made wall on one direction.  A park is built along the slopes of a hill.  The park gradually extends into wild tress and shrubs. Here picnickers usually cook their foods. If you are one of them please remember to put of the fire after cooking els it may spread as forest fire.

 As activities you can go for boating or take a stroll on the hills and observe nature. But take care as to not go deep into the forest. The forest boasts of Bisons, deers and many species of snakes.

 Pilavakkal is reachable from Madurai  &  Srivilliputtur highroad. You should take a diversion near Krishnan Koil a place famous for Engineering colleges and deemed University. If you prefer to travel by public bus then check the bus timings at Watrap or at Srivilliputtur 

Yercaud - a little surprise to Nature lovers

Yercaud a hill station is situated near Salem. It is not as well known as Ooty or Kodaikanal. But you must visit this place at least once. You can expect a calm and relaxed atmosphere and for nature lovers it has enough to offer. Suitable time for visit  is through out  the year but you may avoid it during May & June since it would be crowded and may not be that cool. During Oct’ & Jan  you may have to use light woolen cloth in other months do not need them.

To reach Yercaud you must travel trhough Salem. If you travel by Train from Salem railway station you have to go to new bus stand and from there you should catch a bus for Yercaud. Coimbatore is the nearest Airport. Frequency of the buses from Sales vary from 30 mins to 1 Hour. In Yercaud for local sight seeing taxis are available and they ask around 450 rupees to cover almost all the important places of yercaud. There are only a few restaurants which offer good food in yercaud. They are located in the compound of Sevroy Hotel. The restaurant Malar offers tasty veg foods. There are two more restaurant available which offer Nov-veg & Chinese food respectively.

There are some good view points such as Lady's seat, Pagoda point, Sevrayan temple etc. Anna Park near Lake has not much to offer. But do not miss the dear park which has its entrance above the lake. For those who are inclined to appreciate plants & flowers there are 2 gardens - Rose Garden & Botanical Garden. Insect eating plant is the highlight of the Botanical garden.

Please also see my reviews in www.holidayiq.com